Mangiamo Pizza replaces Cliffhangers

The former Cliffhangers Pub & Grill building at 2850 Humboldt Road has been a lot of things over the years — stagecoach house, bowling alley and, as the Stratosphere Supper Club, one of Vince Lombardi's favorite hangouts. Now it's Mangiamo Pizza & Pasta.

Manager John Mellenberger said Mangiamo will cater to families.

"We took out the billiards room and replaced it with a kids' arcade," he said. "We'll have TVs for the adults, but it's restaurant first and bar second. No two-for-one double bubbles."

The menu will include homemade specialty pizzas, pasta, calzones, sandwiches, salads, desserts, broasted chicken and gluten-free pizza crusts. Pizza dough, bread and sauces will be made in-house,

The restaurant will add east-side delivery around Jan. 1.

Mellenberger said he's been in the restaurant business for almost 30 years, 20 of those focusing on pizza.

"If somebody makes your food, you can tell if they love their job or not," he said of his ongoing interest in pizza.

The building dates to the 1880s. Over the many years, the establishment was known by various names, including The Stratosphere and Highpoint supper clubs, Schu Schu's and The Bungalow. Owners included Melvin Schuster, Al Vander Linden, Hank and Rose Coppens and their son John. Steve Metzler bought the Stratosphere in 2003 and changed it to Cliffhangers Pub & Grill in 2006.

Cliffhangers closed in May. Mellenberger said the six-month closing was intentional.

"Sometimes it's better to just start over," he said. "Before it closed, (the pizza restaurant) was something we told customers we were doing. Our pizzas were our best seller."

Hours are 3-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 3 p.m.-midnight Fridays, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturdays and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.

The telephone number is (920) 468-7702.

"If there is a late Packers game, we're not going to kick anybody out if the game is still going on," Mellenberger said of closing times.

Capacity is about 100 in the main dining area and 70 in the downstairs room for private parties, which can be used for overflow dining.

River's Bend for sale

River's Bend Supper Club is back on the auction block. The restaurant, which closed Nov. 2, 2014, was up for auction last year with a list price of $850,000. The list price now is $535,000, with a minimum opening bid of $495,000, according to Micoley.com, the auctioneer's website. The property is owned by Fidelity National Bank of Appleton, according to Brown County tax records.

The restaurant closed in May 2012 when Fidelity foreclosed on the property, but opened again in April 2013 after employees persuaded the bank to let them try to make a go of it while it continued to seek an owner.

Information and photos are available at micoley.com website. The telephone number is (888) 926-5724.

The auction is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 2.

Contact rryman@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @RichRymanPG or on Facebook at Richard Ryman-Press-Gazette. Or call him at (920) 431-8342.