Was very pleased to find this place during my brief stay up in LaCrosse. Â I used to frequent a lot of local establishments back in the day when quality didn't matter. Â That was probably the main reason that I never knew about Bodega. Â On a Monday night when school is not in session, I was fairly surprised by the amount of patrons there were. Â Bodega has a huge selection of beers (much appreciated), and a decent variety on tap. Â My intention was to just have a couple of beers, and maybe an app. Â Surprisingly for me, Yelp has a 50% off apps deal that I couldn't resist. Â I had the chili & chips which was delicious. Â Generous proportions without going down the all too common "monster nacho" syndrome The only downside is that it came at the same time as my Reuben so I didn't get to savor them as much as I would have liked. Â Speaking of the Reuben, I can't recall the last time I've had one better. Â Just about every Irish pub in the Milwaukee area could take lessons from Bodega on how it's done. Â When in LaCrosse, you could do a lot worse.
Review Source:Great selection of beers. Â Prices were moderate on some, a little high on others. Â The food was a great surprise. Â Our appetizer was darn good! Sandwich was also great. Â The service was excellent early on, then deteriorated when the place got a little more crowded. Â We still had an excellent evening.
Review Source:This bar is an excellent place in town to hang out and not feel like you are surrounded by a bunch of drunken boobs or college students (this can be a hard find in La Crosse). The food is beyond excellent (if anything, go for the artichoke spinach dip, or else the pepperonata sandwich--it's vegetarian and delicious!) and the staff are good at making beer recommendations if you want to try to something new but are a little unsure of what to give a go. The staff are also very professional yet fun at the same time. All in all, a fabulous experience every time and it's always one of my top go-to's, especially when I have friends or family visiting from out of town!
Review Source:One of a kind  place to kick back and partake in a fabulous selection of craft beers.  Great barkeeps, food and popcorn.  Music well chosen but not too loud to strain Conversation.  Eclectic clientele that are happy to strike up a discussion regarding hops or malt.  If you're visiting La Crosse and have time to visit only one place, this is it.
Review Source:Just spent 5 days in Lacrosse on business/pleasure. Went to Bodega on the first day with every intention to try a new restaurant each day, I wound up going back to Bodega each day for a beer, great food and friendly service. The food so was great, tomato basil bisque soup, cuban sandwich, Sicilian sandwich...they cook it fresh to order and about half way through a pint of beer it arrives. The service was friendly and willing to talk to a middle aged guy traveling on his own from across the country. I also talked with many interesting people at the bar and found this place to be warm, welcoming, tasty and an excellent value. And oh yeah...the beer selection was off the charts. I stuck to the locally brewed draft beers and was not disappointed.
Review Source:The best of the best in La Crosse. Where we usually start or finish our night. The food and food specials are great. Pulled pork sliders for $2 each on Mondays is a must. Spin the bike wheel to get a random beer. Free popcorn to throw at your friends. And the bathrooms don't smell too bad.
Review Source:I went here with a group for dinner and beers. The food was good but nothing too thrilling. Not expensive either. The menu is limited to a few flat bread sandwiches you order off the wall although they seemed good. I had the Cuban which was fine. No fries here but you can get soups and homemade coleslaw which were also good. This place is not really here for the food, its here for the beer.
Yes they have a ton of beer in bottles and probably 15 at least on tap. The selection was very impressive and even more, the bartenders really seemed to know their beer and were happy to offer their advice on getting you something would might like.
We got there on a Saturday night somewhat early so we were lucky enough to get some seats at the bar. It would also be fair to say that they make some very good bloody mary's also and I had a few. They place binders on the tables and on the bar you can flip through that list all their beers by type or country which is very helpful. There was something for everyone including ciders and I was impressed they had no problem making me several radler's of sprite and a lager which I am fond of.
LaCrosse is a college town and weekends have the downtown area mobbed with mostly college kids packed in mostly college type bars. So be advised you may be dealing with some rowdy crowds. Although the streets and bars were packed when we were there, for the most part these college kids were just having fun and kept things under control. I'd go here again for sure so long as we can get there early enough to get seats.
I was really excited to come here, because I was with someone who works for Pearl Street Brewery and he highly recommended it.
We wanted in with the intention of getting lunch. However, when I handed the waitress my Iowa temporary ID, she took one glance at it and she became very rude. She raised her voice to the point of other customers turning around and staring at us, while saying I could have just made it myself and told us to leave. I offered for her to call the Iowa Department of Transportation, as it was a legal form of identification. I also offered to only eat and not drink anything, but she just got more and more upset and kept yelling at us to leave.
I can understand if temporary IDs aren't made in the state of Wisconsin and maybe she had never seen one. Although that seems impossible as a bartender so close to the Iowa state border, but whatever. Temporary IDs come complete with watermarks, a photo, and a phone number to report any misuse... but she refused to look at any of that.
Point is: as a business owner myself, I'd understand if they had a policy not to accept temporary IDs, but I do not think she had to be so rude about it. She mentioned no such policy. I also do not understand why I couldn't even have lunch there. She could have at least treated me with respect. After going to the Pearl Street Brewery's music festival later that day, I found out from several locals that Bodega is known for being stuck up. Pretty sad, because I love craft beers and local dive bars.
Confusing. That is the way I would describe our experience.
I really wish they had table service because there is not any signage to tell you that you have to go to the bar to get your drink and then go to a separate window to get your food.
The food was okay, the best thing we got was the pesto bruchetta. The Yelp Check-in offer is half off apps but the guy running the counter had never heard of Yelp or knew about this offer--annoying. Owners, if you are going to have a deal like Yelp, tell you staff about it for cryin' out loud.
So, the staff was not friendly and down right rude when I asked the bartender to change the soap in the bathroom. Um, gross, how are your employees washing their hands?
I would probably pass on this place the next time in LaCrosse.
I've been to some of the most renowned beer bars in the country -- Hopleaf, Clark Street Ale House and Map Room in Chicago, Sharp Edge and Fat Head's in Piittsburgh, Monk's Cafe, Ludwig's (RIP) and Eulogy in Philadelphia, Dilly Cafe in Cincinnati, etc. -- and this place holds its own against them. The tap selection is a little thin but the bottle selection is endless in its volume and variety. Just the list of seasonal Oktoberfest offerings took up half a page. Prices were a little steep but I suppose they can be when they're the only people in probably a 100-mile radius (or however far it is to the Twin Cities) filling the market niche they fill.
If I have one minor knock against the place, it's that the bartender seemed thoroughly disinterested in my presence except when it was time for another beer. And it's not like there was a huge crowd demanding her attention either. That said, I suppose genuine disinterest is no worse than insincere interest in whatever your patrons happen to be maundering on about. Oh, and another knock: don't call yourself a brewpub if you're not one. Walking in to find no house-brewed beers was a letdown. False advertising pisses me off, and if they didn't have such a phenomenal bottle selection I'd have turned around and walked right out.
I've got to hand it to the UW-LaX student body that there are enough of them who eschew the "drink cheap pisswater until you pass out" mentality and appreciate good beer enough to keep this joint in business. I'm sure there are plenty of pisschuggers there as there are at any college not called Brigham Young, but hats off to the critical mass who know better. If the third-rate backwater town where I went to college had a place like this, I probably wouldn't have hated the place so much.
No comment on the food as I didn't try any. My rating is strictly as a craft-beer bar.
A welcoming divey-type bar with a liberal vibe and an insane beer selection. Â I suggest spinning the beer wheel for $3.25 to take the anxiety of choice out of the equation. Â Plus, you can feel like you are on "The Price is Right!" Â Big Money!
The food is pretty exceptional and appeals to a wide variety of palates given it's a place that has a bunch or dusty beer bottles in the window. Â The Wheat-Meat Veggie sandwich is one of the best vegetarian sandwiches. Â period. Â I gobble it greedily each time I visit La Bodega. My dining partner can't help but ordering the Ruben time and time again. Â If you are starved or have a Wisconsin-sized appetite, I suggest adding soup or an appetizer because the sandwiches come ala cart, or just drink more beer to fill your belly! Â
Also, Tuesday is 2 for 1 on the dining menu. Â When their prices are already reasonable, this turns out to be an incredible deal! Â Bring your friends.
While in the LaX area recently for some training, I was in the mood for a pint to be enjoyed in a good atmosphere. Â Thankfully, the Bodega did not let me down :)
The bar itself offers an extremely laid back and welcoming atmosphere, equipped with couches to lounge in and all. Â I love the "front" of the establishment (bordering the sidewalk)... It is filled with old beer bottles and trinkets that have been collected over the years. Â These "antiques" make this bar extremely unique. Â
The bar staff at the Bodega are friendly and knowledgeable about the plethora of beer choices they offer... Just ask one of them what they would suggest and I assure you that you won't be let down. Â
For a pint of the unique or popular beer, stop at the Bodega for a great evening of drinks.
I was in LaCrosse for a wedding, and we came here every night to drink. Â Good food, and great bartenders. Â It was so much cheaper than anything you can find in Dallas. Â We had several people in our party from Austin and they compared this the best bars in Sixth Street. Â Love the Spotted Cow and don't forget the double IPA.
Review Source:While shopping in downtown LaCrosse, we decided to get a pint and a shot. Â Bodega looks so much more interesting on the inside then it does on the outside. Â It's a very old building with the traditional, old bar set-up. Â The service is friendly and their beer selection is amazing.
I didn't get to try their pub style food but if it's anything like the service and the selection, I'm sure they don't disappoint.
Rates among my top 5 favorite bars in the world. Fantastic beer selection(ask for the beer menu). They brag about having 450 bottled beer choices and a forever changing selection on tap, (though sadly, they don't carry McSorley's!). Awesome IPAs and double IPAs are typically on tap--great news for hop-heads.
The vibe is low-key, there's free wi-fi, the crowd is typically not the sloppy drunk type, though that can happen. I won't say this place is a gastropub, but they give it a good run--the food is really great. Try the artichoke dip and the Cubano. Free, very salty popcorn that people often grab with bare hands, eww. But it hits the spot at 1 a.m.
It's fun watching the forever-running slideshow of photos taken around the world by the globetrotting owner. You'll see that behind the bar. Strange to oscillate between food and beer shots and concentration camps, however. I might have been more selective in photo choices, just to keep the mood light.
There's also a wheel of beer - spin it, and for a flat price you can toss your beer choice to the fates and see what the universe has in store for you.
Go. It's a good time.
Bodega is awesome. This is one of the few notable hang-outs that stand out from the surplus of bars in downtown La Crosse. They have, by far, the largest selection of beers from all over the world(over 400!). The atmosphere is very laid back(including a few comfy couches and several bar-like tables). One of the best things they've done recently is to start serving lunches...the food is awesome and inexpensive. Everything is homemade and the dishes are unique(vegetarian options too). On Tuesday's they have two-for-one entrées...great deal.
Review Source:First of all, I didn't realize that La Crosse was such a cool town.
Secondly, the Bodega was a good find. They have some small plate specials for cheap, free popcorn, reasonable beer selection, cool jazz on the overheads, and a nice vibe.
Why not 5 stars, then, you ask? Well, the cubano I had was okay. It didn't come with anything. That blank part of the plate made my imagination wild. What a missed opportunity for them. What could go there that is unique, memorable? A curried picked egg? Fresh local greens (it is middle of summer, afterall)? A fresh salsa? Some sweet potato chips?
My wife ordered a caipirinha, and - not a good sign - the "bartender" had to look up the recipe, although it is one of their featured drinks. I think if you stick with the beer and some mini sloppy joes, good enough.
Oh, yeah, another star off because they line their display windows with empty bottles of various beers, and it's disgustingly dusty. That's the first impression, folks.
400 Beers! Â Seriously, what's not to like about that. Â This is probably one of the only places in town that has Dogfishead's 90 Minute Pale Ale (Though I admit my knowledge of the local bar scene is quite limited). Â While the huge beer selection alone is a good enough reason to stop in for a pint or a bottle (or 2, 3,...), it is the sandwiches that have me hooked. Â Their Cubano is fantastic, and the pastrami (while procuring it from outside sources) is darn tasty.
The food is fairly priced, the beer is a bit on the high end, but with such a wide selection, you end up paying for it.
Sadly only another fair entry into my gastronomy tour of La Crosse - but it was one of the better places that we've eaten at. We went on a Thursday (maybe Friday) night and there were only about 2 tables open. They definitely seem to cater a bit more to the lunch crowd as ordering was very confusing and it took a while for the food to come out.
Once we got our food, again it was only fair - from the list of ingredients it didn't have as much taste as I was expecting (turkey and cheese on cranberry nut bread with some other things). Everyone else agreed that it was a good solid meal - just kind of bland.
They did have a good beer selection and we hung out for a while trying to talk over the jazz band that was playing.
FYI: They accidentally charged my credit card twice - got it taken care of but you've been warned
Preston--you are right on! Â The Bodega is one of the few bars in LaX that I actually have good things to say about. Â I LOVED hangin out there, playin board games, chillin w/my friends. Â How cool is it to play chess, while tryin' out a new foreign beer, and people watch at tables facing the main street!?!? Â Popcorn & couches are a definite plus!!! Â
Having lived on the West Coast before LaX, the only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is b/c of the indoor smoking. Â Other than that, it's one of my top 5 places in WI.
One of my favorite chill bars in downtown La Crosse. Â The Bodega has the best selection of beer in town, and it indeed has a wheel of beer that will help make your selection for you. Â Live music is often present. Â College kids hang out there, but so do "grown ups". Â It's not your typical drunken frat boy, Top 40 music, packed to the gills college bar, which is nice.
I like to play Photo Hunt there on a random weeknight and drink random "wheel of beer" beers.
Bodega is in my top 2 or 3 bars to hit when visiting La Crosse. Â Its more laid back than a lot of bars in town, has a fantastic beer selection (including a wheel you can spin to get a random beer), and sometimes has live music on the weekends.
A few of my favorite things about bodega:
-Free WiFi
-They have a couch
-Free Popcorn (with Parmesan cheese!!!!)
-On an average night bathroom isn't coated in vomit
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
