Bugsy's Sports Bar-Grill & Brewery

I don't always find myself in Rhinelander but, when I do it's because Eagle River was boring me and I needed to explore.

And that's how my cousin and I ended up at Bugsy's. We were up in Eagle River on vacation and waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. Eagle River kind of shuts down in early fall until snowmobile season so there was little going on. Neither of us had been to Rhinelander so we decided to take a trip. Rhinelander itself surprised us with being much more interesting than we expected but Bugsy's took the cake. We happened up Brown St. completely by accident and were happy to see the density of bars that we Milwaukeeans are familiar with. Our first bar was not a great choice (frosted mugs should NOT create a solid layer of ice on top of the beer inside) so we left quickly and headed over towards Bugsy's.

And we were immediately glad we did. Bugsy's has a great atmosphere; very traditional Wisconsin bar and restaurant. The bartender working when we first sat down was quick with menus and drink orders. The menu is extensive but nothing fancy. Just your traditional American food, for the most part. I got a beef sandwich and I thought it was great. The food was served quickly and hot. No complaints there. We switched to beer and I was impressed by the selection of microbrews Bugsy's had available. By the time all the beer started tasting the same we switched to Rhinelander Shorties to blend in with the locals.

As it was out first time in Rhinelander we wanted to bar hop a bit and we didn't stay very long at Bugsy's. But the bartenders were helpful in offering suggestions on where else to visit for get that full Rhineland experience. I'm sure I'll be back again.