The Mariner’s Inn site in the town of Westport will be redeveloped with multi-unit housing including space for a first-floor, waterfront dining space. The developer is McFarland-based Lakestone Properties. The units are planned as apartments.

The concept for the restaurant is being left open for the time being, says Becca Gentilli, a real estate advisor on the project. It could be a supper club, a chef-driven project or something else that fits the site, near where the Yahara River enters Lake Mendota and close to many marinas. The developers are open to whatever cuisine or style seems a good fit for the location.

Outdoor seating and dedicated docks for boaters who want to come for a meal via the water are also planned.

The residential development fits the nautical look and feel of Mariner’s Cove at Lighthouse Bay, the current condo development nearby.

Lakestone Properties already has Lakestone Marina operating near the property.

The Mariner’s Inn was opened in 1966 and was operated by the von Rutenberg Family for 59 years. It was famous for its cozy, nautical-themed bar, steaks and seafood, and hash brown potatoes. The von Rutenbergs also operated Betty Lou Cruises, a dining and lake-tour business, from a dock at the site, and the Nau-Ti-Gal, a more casual dining room and bar, across Westport Road but also on the Yahara. The Nau-Ti-Gal closed in 2022; the Mariner’s Inn followed in August 2025, as family members retired.

Gentilli says that dining choices “are minimal” in the area and there are a large number of residential units nearby. “It looks like it’s out of the way, but it's smack dab in the middle of all of these other communities,” says Gentilli, including north Madison, Middleton, Waunakee and Westport.

The Mariner’s Inn had solid numbers, she says, so “it made sense that another restaurant would do well there.” There’s also boat traffic, she adds, and a relatively small number of area restaurants on the lakes.

The project is projected to be complete in spring 2027, Gentilli says.