Oakland County Restaurant Quest: Fenton Hotel Tavern and Grille

(Crystal A. Proxmire, June 17, 2026)

Fenton, MI – Fenton is a unique city that rests in three counties – Genessee, Livingston, and Oakland. The history of this town is aligned with the history of today’s featured restaurant – The Fenton Hotel Tavern and Grill. Fenton is a railroad town which built up around the Detroit-Milwaukee Railroad which was built in 1855. Not long after, The Fenton Hotel was built. For over 170 years The Fenton Hotel has been a place for people to gather, drink, and dine.

The Hotel is not much different than it was in 1855, and guests can still feel the rumble and hear the whistle of trains passing by. An historic plaque shares that the building remains the same, except for changes made to the exterior after a team of runaway horses destroyed the building’s front porch in 1904.

I recently joined two friends for dinner on the patio, with one goal really on my mind – my first time trying frog legs.

Frog legs are a popular Southern dish, though there are also versions in China and France. In the states they’re typically served breaded and fried, with melted butter for dipping. Finding them in the north can be a challenge, but The Fenton Hotel is known for them. The soft delicate meat and golden batter was an adventure to enjoy. My friends and I got an order to split and ate them like an appetizer. And yes, they do taste like chicken.

We also started with a basket of fresh bread, and soups served in pewter bowls to match the historic setting of the restaurant.

For the main course I had the Chicken Francaise, which is breaded chicken and linguine with a sauce of lemon, chicken stock, white wine, garlic, and capers, topped with shaved parmsean. This was am amazing dish with a huge portion of protein and a nice lemony sauce. I picked a bottle of Root Beer to go with is.

One of my friends had the Chicken and Asparagus Casserole, made with penne pasta, four cheese blend, sun dried tomatoes, and pesto cream with a crunchy topping. He also tried one of The Fenton Hotel’s signature drinks – the Woodford Blueberry Martini.

My other friend had the Seafood Fettuccine. This dish had seared scallops, lobster, and gulf shrimp with garlic, sun dried tomato, and spinach in a sherry cream wine sauce. He enjoyed one of the Hotel’s draft beers with this hearty, flavorful meal.

For dessert we had chocolate cake layered with vanilla frosting.

Fenton Hotel has a variety of items. There are salads like the Apple Brie Salad and the Hotel Cobb. Those seeking comfort food might like the Pork Schnitzel or Beef Stroganoff. Daily dinners include Roasted Prime Rib, Baked Flounder, Walleye, and Fillet Mignon. And the tavern classics section of the menu (where you can find the frog legs) has Baby Back Ribs, Steak Burger, and Fried Icelandic Cod.

In addition to inside and outside dining, The Fenton Hotel serves up live music in the piano bar on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The Fenton Hotel is located at 302 N. Leroy Street in Downtown Fenton.

Learn more at https://www.fentonhotel.com

Publisher Crystal Proxmire is on a quest to try every restaurant in Oakland County, and to share that flavorful adventure with you! For our list of over 550 restaurants, organized by city, visit our RESTAURANT QUEST PAGE. And join in the conversation on Facebook to add your suggestions!

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