I came during a bags tournament over the weekend so it was pretty busy. I ordered their black bean burger with tator tots and fried jalapeños. The meal was really good and the fried jalapeños were awesome! Obviously spicy which I liked. This place has a really nice atmosphere and has a great outdoor bar.
Review Source:This would be both the third stop Wednesday and last stop Thursday on my Milwaukee trip.
 Stephanie, the bartender when I initially came in Wed. afternoon and a slender dark-haired server that evening, Jordan, who was keeping bar inventory intact both days, Jacob, behind the bar Thu., and the two young ladies I dealt with at the hostess stand/merch area both days were all pleasant and professional.
 What was puzzling was the fact that two of the servers seemed to be on cell phones to the point that when I tried to engage one in conversation Wed. he was too focused on whoever he was texting to realize someone was talking to him. The second server was a gal that came on for the evening shift and she was either texting on something or jabbering to another employee most of the first 15 minutes or so that she was on. Unfortunately it was starting to get busy and people were waiting for drinks while the general sense of direction seemed misguided.
 When I came back to speak to a manager about it on Thu. I had the good fortune to meet John. John's a sincere restaurant manager that took a lot of his time with me. The servers, beside using the registers in the pick-up area, have hand held devices to order with. The place is sprawling so this makes sense it's just that I'm not sure that's what the staff was doing. The young man seemed far too vigorous in his thumb stabbing to be ordering food and the young lady hadn't picked up a table yet to the best of my knowledge.
 They're outdoors in this area so sunglasses may have had something to do with one of Stephanie's replacements who walked past my spot at the bar three times without asking if I needed a refill. Alas, peripheral vision suffers for the cool look. Three of the six glasses in my beer flight were gone and there was only half a glass left of one of the other three. This is when you generally ask,"You want another beer you sot?"
 Stephanie was aces and would be reason enough to come back if for nothing else. She served me up a flight of some intersting styles. Big Baby Sour Brown. This is an old style that is like a cider without the cloying sweetness and if you like things that make you pucker up (I do!) you'll like this. I had a Coconut Porter which unfortunately I couldn't detect a lot of coconut in but it had a solid well-rounded base and I liked it any way.
 I really liked their IPAs especially the double. While not as aggressive as a lot of the IPAs that I drink there was nonetheless a variety of hops and bitterness without being over bearing. Their Saison was smoother, not too yeasty, and had a nice citrus edge to it.
 The brewpub sits right on a marina so the view and atmosphere is great. The thing is tented so you can be outside even if it's raining. They have TVs spaced around the bar with some pretty good piped in sounds. They also have a massive volleyball tent good for winds up to 35 MPH I believe is what one server told me.
 All in all I had a nice time. If those are smart phones you people are on and not work related, wise up and turn 'em off. Thanks again John and particularly Stephanie. I'll definitely be back at some point. So many bars and so little time...
Pretty good food, but the beers are where its at! I was part of the 'pugfest' crowd, so I'm sure the wait staff was picking straws to see who was stuck with us. The service was not good, but we also had a gigantic table. I received the wrong food and everyone had already had their plates cleared by the time the waiter was back so I could ask for it to be fixed. Half of the people in our group had their orders wrong in some way, and I GET IT, it was a huge group. What irked me was that the waiter had an excuse for everything and everyone was to blame but himself.
(i.e. someone asked for no tomatoes in their salad, and someone else requested that they could have them added to their meal. 10 minutes after they received their food they caught his attention and asked for tomatoes, and were told that they were out. Food kept coming out with tomatoes after that)
My first time at the Horny Goat was on a Thursday evening, June 27. Â I met my family for some drinks. Â I didn't have anything to eat, so I can't comment on the food. Â However, I was disappointed in two different ways. Â First, I think it would be helpful if a printed menu of the various brews would be given to you so that you can actually see what is all offered. Â I'm rather particular with my beer, and while the servers do remember them and can describe them, I think a printed menu would be far more helpful. Â That being said, I ordered the Horney Blonde and really liked it. Â My second disappointment is that so-called "parking lot". Â Are you kidding me??? Â It rained quite hard during the day and again while I was at the Horney Goat, and walking through that parking lot felt like I was walking through the cow or pig barns at State Fair! Â Even those are cleaner! Â The parking lot was nothing but a disgusting pile of mud, gravel and pot holes! Â My black shoes were white by the time I got to the patio area! Â Seriously, management needs to give serious consideration to leveling that parking lot out so that one can actually walk through it without having dirt/mud-covered shoes and clothes, not to mention avoiding the potholes that are filled with water, soot and other dirt! Â As some other reviewer mentioned, the place itself is very attractive, so how about if you spend some money and repair that parking lot? Â All in all, it's a nice place to go to and I'd like to go back and maybe try out some food, but I'm ONLY going when there's no chance of rain!
Review Source:Buy one get one appetizers mon to Friday 3 to 6 pm. That's a big 1 and makes this place really worth it. The Appetizers are not the best taste wise maybe a 3 on a 5 scale pretty decent but the price of them really knocks down the taste ratio pretty hard. On buy 1 get 1 free it is 100% worth it. recommend happy hour. That's really about it the rest of the food is mediocre and really expensive taking advantage to much of there "kinda" view.
Review Source:They let you bring your dog on patio add long as not too busy. Â beautiful patio with fire pit warmers. Â lots of space. Â indoor volleyball pit. Â there's a little something for everyone. Â the food is so so. Â I had a burger with pulled pork on it and the pork was greasy and tasted more like chili spices than bbq. Â overall though the ambience is worth it.
Review Source:What I like about Horny Goat Hideaway:
-very friendly and attentive staff
-good happy hour...buy one get one free appetizers M-F 3-6 (I think) and who couldn't stand to have a free appetizer?
-their location is awasome....their outisde bar rocks, right on the river and in the winter all enclosed.
-not their beer
What I am not a fan of at Horny Goat Hideaway:
-their beer....not to be all beer snobby but it is just ok. Their Milk Stout is brown and you can see through it???? Not a bad flavor, but definitely not a stout.
Their food is ok, not terrible, but also not noteworthy.
I will probably be back for happy hour, or on a nice sunny day to sit outside by the river and drink a lovely non-beer cocktail.
This place looks great from the road, has an awesome patio, and the indoor volleyball leagues and courts are fantastic. Â However, that is where the positives end. Â The food, service and beer are all sub par. Â
I have been going to Horny Goat since it opened 5-ish years ago or so and with the exception of the volleyball leagues, I always come back dissapointed due to the horrible beer, and mediocre food and service.
The beer is absolutely awful and overpriced. Â $15 per pitcher and most of it is dreadful. Â The three that are not horrible in my opinion (not good, but not awful) are hardly ever available on tap (Exposed, Blonde and Red). Â Instead the beer on tap is always some sort of awful combonation like - Rasberry Wheat or Peach Hoppy something. Â I can honestly say I have not talked to anyone who actually enjoys the beer here. Â The bartenders are very gracious and let you sample these, but most of them taste like cough medicine. Â Since they brew their own beer, they don't have any competitors on tap. Â Miller Lite bottles are available for $5.
The food is OK. Â Nothing special and typical sub par bar food. Â I have heard the tator tots are good, but nothing I am interested in. Â The pizza is edibile. The service tends to be hit or miss. Â They never have enough bartenders and the waitresses are always swamped (especially in summer when the patio is crowded). Â On my last visit the waiter told us they don't like having service in the volleyball tent because it is easier for them to have everyone in the bar. Â Way to go.
One more thing - even though the owners spend tons of money on landscaping and other aesthetics (patio, outdoor bar, manicured lawn, heated sand for the vball leagues), the parking lot is an absolute disaster. Â They are apparently too cheap to have it paved as it is gravel and full of huge potholes. Â Your car will be covered in dust and be prepared to bottom out on a few of the massive sinkholes.
Overall its a fun place to play volleyball or hangout on the patio in summer and drink bad overpriced beer. Â It's frustrating because the place has great potential and it wouldn't take much for it to be one of the areas best bars.
Our neighborhood has a monthly fish fry outing and the choice of restaurant rotates from couple to couple. I was apprehensive about HG after reading the reviews here but was pleasantly surprised. The space is nice, the food was pretty good, our server was nice serious about what she was doing and we all felt comfortable (65 average age in our group). Inhad a greek salad and wings, the wings were pretty good, I'd order them again. The salad was nicely presented with toasted pita bread wedges and properly dressed, not presented with a cup of glop to go on top. The restaurant is pretty noisy but also very lively, we'll go back sometime...better than I thought.
Review Source:The place appeals for the masses. Whether you ride a Harley, need a post-Brewer game hangout, play volleyball, show off your tattoos or looking to meet singles....there is absolutely no way you can't fit in here. Â That can be a good thing or bad. Â Set your expectations appropriately and you can have some fun.
The main positives are large patio, outside bar, summer sand vball and in the colder months a tent outside for live music.
The location is both good and bad. Â The good is the building design and location on the river. Â The bad is you have to drive there. Â Parking is a little messy on the gravel lot but you do what you gotta do. Â
Two main issues:
1) Level of service
There is nothing more frustrating when the patio has a number of open tables but the hostess can't seat you because she admits "the kitchen can't handle the volume if we seat all of the tables". Â How about seating us and letting us drink for awhile?
We couldn't even get drinks at the bar and take them to a table that was open. At the bar we weren't allowed to order main entrees, only appetizers. Â Seriously. Â After a couple of years in business I'm not sure the place is well managed.
2) Quality/taste of the beer. Â
The beers are just not good and there is no brewin' going on here. Â It should be called Horny Goat Outpost Bar or something.... Â
It is encouraging to read some positive reviews and I always want to promote local businesses and give them great ratings when possible. Â My personal experience says the place needs some fine tuning to make it one of Milwaukee's best bars/restaurants.
I've been to the Horny Goat Hideaway a couple times, most recently for the NYE bash (I bought the Groupon - which was an awesome deal!). I think their New Year's Eve party was a great success, it looked like everyone was having a good time! I was pleasantly surprised by the band, how the bartenders actually got out champagne for midnight, and the balloon drop was fun. Drinks were poured well - maybe a bit too well for our guys! - however, there definitely need to be at least 1, if not 2, additional areas to obtain mixed drinks. I would order 1 drink and then immediately get back in line. This was before they let us order 2 each. Also, there were decent size holes (at least the size of a penny, if not a bit larger) in the flooring that covered the sand volleyball court - just large enough to get heel stuck in. I nearly fell several times. Hopefully they find a fix this for future parties... I would do this again if they offered a similar Groupon promotion ($69 for 2 people), because my friends paid $80 EACH at the door!
I had been to Horney Goat prior to NYE to catch a Packer game and get a snack. The promotion they run out in the tent is "free beer until the Packers score." I was loving the free beer, and was able to try 3 different kinds, but I don't understand this promotion. People were cheering when the Packers didn't (and should have!) scored a TD and a field goal. Shouldn't it be "free beer until the OTHER team scores" so we can cheer on the Packer defense?! Another interesting game day "perk": the Packer cheerleaders. Â Why? I'm not sure. But, being a cheerleader for a good majority of my life, I was hoping to see some fun dance routines/cheers/t-shirt tosses etc out of the 4 girls. A smile even. Nope. Just meh. Maybe they need a new member to help with the pizazz (Pick me! Over here!!), or maybe they just needed to drink and let loose.
Anyway, we ordered the Sampler Platter which was definitely enjoyed. The loaded tater tots and chicken egg rolls were my favorite. Sure, the appetizers are a notch above your typical bar food but that's exactly what I was expecting (and wanted!).
I like the vibe they have at Horney Goat, and don't understand why it's so hit or miss (from what I've heard from others). It's such a spacious place, with the main restaurant/bar and 2 enclosed patio bars. I'd assume these will be opened when the weather is decent. I look forward to coming back and finding out :)
We went here for their New Year's Bash this past weekend. Â It was a great time! Â A lot of people and a lot of drinks. Â We had a VIP table, and it included food and alcohol. Â I wish I could remember the name of our server, because he was great. Â They did not have any eating utensils for the food they brought out, so it barely got eaten. Â What I did try was okay. Â The house beers are good, and I especially like the milk stout. Â Over the years, this place has really turned out to be a-okay. Â The food and service has gotten much better, and I can't think of a nicer patio anywhere in the city.
As far as the New Year's party, it seemed like a success. Â My only comments would be that they seemed to end it very early, probably because everyone seemed completely wasted. Â As we left, there were absolutely no taxis, as promised. Â It was pretty cold out to have 100's of people outside waiting for rides. Â The other complaint is that the floor had holes in it, and I must have seen 10 girls get their heels stuck, and fall right on their faces. Â I felt very bad for them. Â Not something Horny Goat could have predicted, but something to think about in the future.
I would do it all over again. Â With the price we paid for the Groupon, you really could not beat it. Â The Toy's played the whole night, and they did a great job. Â All in all, it seemed like it was pretty well run.
Do not go for the food... that's not what they are about. Â It's a phenomenal watering hole w good looking staff. Â Their house beer is ok at best. Â But it's a great beautiful spot to hang w friends and get down. Â Staff is hit or miss... but it's a bar, so what should one expect? Â Ill be back, but not for food. Â Still a fan/
Review Source:We had a business birthday lunch here and all six raved about their lunch item. From a salad, to meatloaf sandwich, to pesto chicken pizza to the Hawaiian burger. Quick service, prompt attention paid to us throught experience. Not my first time there and certainly not my last. Even sitting outside in the winter is refreshing with 360 degree windows.... Yes, it is heated just fine! Enjoy
Review Source:I recently hosted an event at Horny Goat and was nothing less than thrilled with every aspect of our party.
Ambiance/Service: We were in the big tent out back, and despite it being December we were warm and comfortable inside. Every staff member I encountered was cordial and attentive. I found them willing to lend a hand with anything that was asked of them. Late changes to room layout and entertainment planning were readily handled. Event planning staff was cooperative and full of good ideas that improved our event!
Food and Bev: Drinks were served via bar and cocktail service very effectively and no one had to wait for a beverage because the team was circulating and helpfully assisting guests at all times. Food was attended to and replenished without any input from me - it happened automatically and nearly invisibly, as it should when the service is high quality. And it was super tasty too! Loaded Tater Tots ... mmm!
Entertainment: How much fun is it to play indoor sand volleyball during the long Wisconsin winter?! The tent is awesome. Huge and filled with all sorts of options for seating and entertainment - band, bar, v-ball courts, jumbo jenga, cornhole ... the list goes on. What a blast.
The clincher for me was the security team's response to a situation unrelated to our event. I was alerted by a departing guest that there appeared to be an individual slumped over and unresponsive in one of the HGH buildings. When I went to make sure it wasn't one of our guests, I encountered a member of the security team who immediately activated to insure that the individual was located (and that took some time!) and appropriately assisted, going as far as to make a call to the individual's ride, who was in need of directions, and insuring that a staff member stayed with the incapacitated individual till her ride arrived. I was very impressed by the professional manner and well-organized response to the situation, not to mention their compassion and handling of what could have been an awkward or even dangerous situation.
For all of those reasons, I am giving HGH five stars. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone planning an event. Thank you, Horny Goat Hideaway!
For a restaurant/bar that claims to brew it's own beer and call itself a brewery I was disappointed when I showed up to the Horny Goat Hideaway some friends on a Saturday during the first week of football season to find that they were out of four of "their" beers on tap - even their Octoberfest. Â Â I later found out that their beer is not even brewed on the premises - so much for local flavor.
After two attempts to order a beer on their draft list I finally picked a winner - meaning one that was actually on tap. Â It was really good but when you have a hankering for something and they don't have it - it can leave a sour taste in your mouth. Â The waitress was nice and actually comped my first beer but the damage was already done. Â Yes I could have had a Bud Light - but we were at a "brew pub" and that is what I wanted. Â
After three beers we moved on to another establishment that promised (and delivered) in making a serving all the beers on their tap list.
I would go back but would call first to make sure what was on their tap list was actually still flowing through their tap lines.
Come play to play volleyball and have some food and drinks afterwards. Since we get a discount, usually just order the buy one get one free appetizers...
Appetizers are nothing special, nachos were typical bar food type quality - translation would never pay regular price for them.
The slider burgers however are pretty good, dunno what the mystery sauce is in them, but real tasty when you bite down and it squeezes out into your mouth.
Service: here it is hit or miss. Usually a miss. Servers who are new start here it seems like, or generally just don't want to be here. Never get a real "enthusiastic" service.
Wouldn't come here if it it was not for volleyball. But its a good place to play and have some fun on Wednesday night.
A summer visit on a cooler summer's night almost had this place upgraded to 3 stars for me.Their outdoor area is a great place to hang out, especially with the fire pits. If you're gonna come here, summer is the time to do it. However, I was surprised and annoyed when purchasing two Miller Light bottles for a friend and myself and the cost was $10. Seriously, $10 plus tip for two Miller Lights on a weekday and in Milwaukee? Kinda ridiculous, so they had to go back down to 2 stars for me.
Review Source:This is such a fun place! I really enjoyed my experience here.
The patio area is great. There's even a covered sand volleyball court off to the side, which is a really neat idea. It gives the restaurant a nice beachy vibe.
My table order a bunch of appetizers to share, and we were very happy with our selections. The BBQ wings had a great flavor. The spinach and artichoke dip was very yummy. And we were pleasantly surprised by the generous size of the pizza.
The service was a little bit slow at times, and they made a few small mistakes. But overall, still a great experience.
The wife and I were in the mood to go somewhere on the river to have  lunch, read the Sunday paper and have a beer or two (nice combination).  The outside bar @ HGH was the perfect spot.
The place was busy but we had good service, decent bar food, and a nice array of beers
(I enjoyed their summer Ale and the Watermelon Wheat).
Overall, we had a 4 Star experience and will certainly be back!
North for the night in Milwaukee, this place was suggested by some of Her friends, so we met them up here. Â The location had plenty of parking, a large tent for indoor volleyball, motorcycle parking right up front, and riverside access.
The clientele was a mix of everyone from families with small children, tatted up bikers, and casual diners to (ugh) bachelorette parties full of "woo girls".  I figure the latter is attracted by the multiple  fishbowl drinks served in "baby-makers" which appear to simply be plastic pitchers.  Okay, as we're on drinks for a minute, I've NEVER seen a bar anywhere stock THAT much flavored three-olives vodka.  And, no, that's not a plus.  The cocktails all looked to be sickeningly sweet, reminiscent of Sex & the City style appletinis. Â
The beers made either on site, or at their brewery were...average. I wouldn't come specifically for them, I figure they're on par for any suburban-like-chain-brewpub style restaurant (yes I know this is neither a chain or in the suburbs). Â Not bad, but not great. Â Better than any other drinks. Don't bother asking for wine, it's barefoot or something on the same level, and up-charged about 300%.
The food looked great, emphasis on look, but once again fell in to the realm of "if we put more stuff/cheese/sour cream on it, it will be awesome." Â It was glorified burgers and fries, with tasteless beef and piles of stuff stacked on top. Â The loaded tots were uninspired, but good bar food if you're hammered, or stoned, if that's your thing.
What I did like, though, was the bill. Â It was so small I literally laughed out loud.
Final note: If you're going to put some clever nickname on your giant name tag button, don't use tired, literally-taken from Jersey Shore pseudonyms.
I ordered the chicken tenders & the Belgian Wheat Ale. My husband had the Pulled Pork Sandwich. We also had wings. The wings were small but decent tasting. You get 1 lb for $9, not great, but not terrible. One good thing about the tenders is that I believe they were fresh, not frozen pre-made tenders. However, some of them were dried out and over cooked. My husbands pulled pork was dry even after adding bbq sauce. The coleslaw that came with his meal was also dry, not tasty!
Overall it's a nice place and the staff is nice, but the food need improvement. Sitting out side is nice, unfortunately they didn't have any available tables in the shade. You can watch boats passing by and volleyball.
The beer was good and they do offer samples if you are unsure of what to get.
No place that I'd choose to go by myself, but it's sometimes the drinks with the team after work place.
The beer is OK. Â I don't know that I'd call it great, but it's not bad. Â I don't get why people put the beer down so much in their reviews. Â If you hit them at happy hour (after work) it's $3/pint. Â
I do have a pet peeve of having things on the menu and when you order them they're "out." Â This happened with a couple beers listed on the menu.
The patio is great. Â Open, airy, immense, etc.
The servers are slow. Â How long does it take to draw a pint of beer anyway?
I have zero experience with the food, so no comments here about it.
I'm surprise by some of the negative reviews but I'm still a Horny Goat rookie.
Highlights:
- Sand volleyball league! Played indoors during the cooler months - transformed to outdoors in summer.
- Saz's Mozzerella Sticks
- Loaded Tator Tots (Tots, beer cheese, sour cream and bacon... I think?)
- Some kind of berry-flavored beer
- The outside bar - fire pits to chill around, right on the river. Plenty of TVs to watch the game. Good music. Beer pong & bags tables.
So-so:
- Burger sliders
- Service
- Parking - plenty of spots in a gravel lot next door but that lot gets hectic and packed.
Have you ever been to a location where there was everything you wanted in a bar and not everything it could have been?
I feel like the Horny Goat Hideaway is exactly that. Volleyball, beer (good beer btw), lounges, boat landings and so much more, but in my eyes, the crucial element is missing. Horny Goat Hideaway is a location for Horny Goat Brewing Co., but it does not live up to the standard to which a brewery does. Â A brewery should inspire you to not only drink the beer it produces but also inspire to drink beer. I felt no more inclined to drink a Horny Goat beer than a regular rail drink.
The food was good, the location was perfect, the atmosphere friendly; the drinks or the encouragement to drink, sub par.
I'm sure I'm in the minority in that I've only really been to the goat to eat: brunch lunch, and dinners. But never just to hang out and drink.
That bein said, we really kind of like this place! Â The food has almost always been really really good. (Minus some chicken wings I had once. Suggestion: don't get the wings). The flat bread pizzas r really good, brunch is really good(get the Monte cristo!) and the apps r really good. I even really like the mixed drinks (mojitos). and their beer. (Although disclaimer: I'm not in any way a beer expert.)
We've never had to wait long at all for food, and all the servers have been pretty friendly. (Once in a while I get the vague feeling some of the girls workin there would like to b anywhere other than standing there listing the subtleties of their brews to me, but whatever, we all have those days.)
It is 1000xs better in summer with the patio (thus the groupons that always seem to come out in fall). As my dining companion commented the first time on the patio 'wow, it doesn't even feel like Wisconsin...it feels like were on a trip in Florida or something.'
So count me as a fan.
The Good:
- Atmosphere. Â They did a great job on the outdoor area.
- Even though their parking lot fills up when it's busy, they offer a ton of off-street parking.
- On the very few occasions I've been there, their servers have been friendly.
The Bad:
- They market themselves as a microbrewery. Â Even if they don't say it, that's the vibe I get from them. Â But last I knew, they don't brew in-house. Â And I had tried a sampler there once (5 or 6 beers) and none of it was anything special.
- I think they are a tad expensive for what you get. Â The food is average. Â And for what you pay, you would expect to get more in some cases.
- The servers might be friendly, but they are slow and inattentive.
- Rude and unprofessional bartenders. Â We sat at the bar for about 20 minutes before we were even acknowledged. Â Then, while we were drinking, a server came to the bar to fill an order and got into it with the bartender. Â I didn't catch the beginning of the conversation. Â But the bartender really laid into the server. Â He was yelling at her, using profanity at her, and generally treating her like a piece of dirt. Â The poor server just stood their and took it. Â For this reason alone, I do not patronize this establishment. Â There is just no excuse. Â Even if there was reason to reprimand the server in such a manner, YOU DON'T DO IT IN FRONT OF YOUR CUSTOMERS!
I really want to give them only 1 star because of my last comment. Â But they do have a great outdoor area, their servers are generally friendly (while inattentive), and I can't imagine all of their bartenders being as unprofessional as that one. Â But even if that was up to par, I've had better.
I've eaten at Horny Goat about 6 times, and have always thought the atmosphere, location/space, and food selection/quality were impressive - they weren't so hot on service, especially server speed (how often they check in) and attitude. Â
However... I had a pleasantly WONDERFUL service experience about a week ago. Â It was a mildly busy weeknight... the server was friendly and attentive, checked in often, and made sure we had drinks! Â I tipped accordingly. Â Hoping my next visit will be as satisfactory as this one.
Maybe we're seeing the tide turn? I would hate to see this place go anywhere.
Oh Horny Goat, why must you do this to me? Â Why must you lie?
Yeah, hell of a way to start a review, I know, but I got something to get off my chest here. Â First off I will say I've been here a few times and in general I think the place is OK, but this past week I think they lied to me a bit and I couldn't help feel a little cheated.
I went there to take advantage of their October 2011 Fox 6 Days of Dining promotion, where you get 3 courses for $10. Â I went with the loaded tots, BBQ pork sandwich and deep friend Oreos. Â The issue came when I got the main course. Â The pulled pork was not a sandwich... It was a slider (listed as Mrs. Robinson BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich on the DoD menu, just checked). Â Now, I have been to many of these Days of Dining promotions and every place I have been has been explicitly clear on what they are giving, if it's a smaller portion. Â Like Sabor, for instance, which let me know I only got a few meats. Â Other places, which have not been specific, just give full portions, because that's what you want to do when you want people to come to back to your restaurant.
This irks me for no other reason then we are talking about a restaurant with an owner who apparently bleeds money. Â This place has expanded, over and over again, since it's been open. Â They recently opened a huge tent to play volleyball in, heated sand and all. Â So why must they cut the circumference down on my sandwich?
Maybe this is all very petty of me, maybe I should just not have cared, but I couldn't help feeling a little cheated. Â If I knew I was getting a slider, I'd have been A-OK with it. Â But when it came to me, on a plate so big I think they were making fun of me, it was kind of disappointing.
But the food was perfectly adequate, if very average. Â The loaded tots were good, had a nice ranch and spicy sauce mix. Â The BBQ pork was good, nothing amazing. Â Deep fried Oreos are deep friend Oreos, so they can never be bad.
The service was perfectly fine as well. Â Food was quick as were refills. Â I like the location on the river. Â They have a nice glasshouse style patio that can be opened up and airy. Â I am sure it's great for volleyball players with what I think are year round leagues now.
The Horny Goat is an average restaurant. Â Maybe it's a better bar, but I'm not a bar guy. Â They do have a wonderful location and the place is being expanded what seems like daily. Â But I just can't help feel like they went a little over-the-edge on being cheap without setting proper expectations. Â Maybe I'm being too much of a whiner, but they had a chance to avoid this and call the sandwich what it was, a slider. Â I won't not go there again because of this, but it's not going to be on the top of my list very often, that's for sure.
Oh dear oh dear. I'm so conflicted on this one, friends. Hear me out. (read: Read.)
So... practice ends. People want drinks. They want food. It's late. I'm getting my back and my leg and my knee looked at by our resident ATI guy after practice because, frankly, my body is allll kindsa effed. My right side is more jacked up than than a 1984 Buick on 28" rims.
It's nearly 11pm by the time we leave the space, and I ask my dear friend Amy, "Dear friend Amy, where did everyone decide that we were going for a post-practice libation?" She replies that it's Horny Goat, and I groan. And she groans.
But, you'll notice a three-star rating. So there's that, and here's why:
No me gusta:
-Their tasteless, tasteless marketing approach/brand.
-Their beer... it's just not my thing.
-Some of the folks that hangout or work here (loud, overbearing... you know... there are plenty of 'that guy' types running around).
I was surprised:
-The food was better than expected. (Sweet potato fries and loaded tater tots!) And... they serve late. Bonus!
-Halloween decor. Super well done.
-Revamp of the inside. Kinda rad, actually. That, and everyone knows the patio's the jammy jam.
-Our server was nice, and totally willing to split the bill between the six of us.
I still:
-am definitely not a fan of the whole "Horny" marketing concept.
-am not sure that this will ever be a go-to, but I was somewhat surprised by my experience last night, hence the three stars. Better than expected!
Yelp's guide to reviews for "2 stars" perfectly sums up my experiences at The Horny Goat. "Meh."
Both times I have been here the service has been less than incredible. The first time I visited was to trade in a gift certificate I won from a local radio station -- food was slow to arrive, the beer was warm (discovered it had been sitting on the bar for nearly 20 minutes before a server dropped it off), and I left believing I would never return. Â
After a good service start at a recent visit for a fantasy football draft party, the waitress disappeared midway through our visit. THG offered select appetizers for $5 -- I sampled a bit of everything but left with the conclusion I would not pay full price for any of it. You could do better at home or elsewhere in Milwaukee with the standard bar grub on the menu here -- and frankly, it is overpriced for what you get.
It is highly unlikely I will return here -- though the idea is nice (bar + sand volleyball) the execution and service need a lot of work. I'll spend my money elsewhere.
I went to Horny Goat Hideaway and I liked it?
Stopping in for happy hour 5:00 Friday. Plenty of parking in the huge side lots. Â The ambiance is cool, neat location on the KK river slips to dock up and tie on. The back bar has a mega patio plenty of tables and seating. There is rumors of coil heated sand and a big tent for fall VB. League. Today people were playing volleyball 58 degrees. Â They have done quite a bit to improve the area.
At the entry two hostess at the front. Â To welcome, greet and seat. They have live music setting up tonight starting at 8:00. Â They had 8 types of HG brew drafts to choose. Â I had lowered expectations due to what others Yelpers said about service and also from tasting Horny Blond @ Firkin beer festival. Â
The bartender was quick and offered taste test for the pumpkin seasonal beers. Â I'm not much of a fan of pumpkin, clove or cinnamon in a beer. Â But I'm sure there is a niche for that with the 17-21 groups. I ended up with a pint of milk stout. Which was OK. Â They had plenty of waitstaff running drinks and food. Â As I left the girls were attentive and wished me a good night when passing the hostess station. I'll probably be back soon to try the pizza. @ that moment I was craving a Five Guys burger and fries.
I've stopped at the Horny goat for a couple of drinks, but this time we were meeting family for a birthday celebration so food was involved as well.
When i got there, the family had already ordered appetizers. Â The pretzel is the biggest pretzel I've ever seen--it came with three different dipping sauces and was the best thing I had all night. Â The waitress promptly came and took our drink order. Â I ordered a margarita, everyone else ordered a beer. Â My margarita came 15 minutes later, ice melted and full of sour. Â Another 15 minutes later the beers came. Â The waitress was super apologetic stating that the bar was super backed up. Â Being that it was a hot summer night, I ordered the peel and eat shrimp. Â Which, I found out 5 minutes later, they were out of. Â So I settled for a brat with a side salad. Â The brat came cold and was not appetizing at all. Â As for the beer that I ordered after my horrible margarita--it was alright. Â Nothing that would keep me going back. Â
All in all, the service was alright--I mean, I complained about how uncomfortable the chairs were and she got me a pillow--but it seems like they haven't figured it out yet. Â There were what looked like 6 bartenders behind the bar--why would it take a half an hour to pour a beer that's brewed right there?
Three stars for the food, one star for the service.
My friend and I went here for Friday night fish fry. When we walked up to the hostess' podium, the hostess (1st Staff Member) and a couple of waitresses carried on a conversation for about one minute while we just stood there. Finally we asked about getting a table and she told us it would be a twenty minute wait. No big deal.
We then asked if we could wait at the bar and (having never been there before) asked if she could show us our way. In my opinion, this is when a good hostess will physically lead you to the bar. 1st Staff Member just pointed at it. It was full, so we found an empty table and asked one of the waitresses (2nd Staff Member) if we could have a beer there until the wait staff needed it for other patrons. She said it was fine.
Less than one minute later, a 3rd Staff Member (another waitress) came up to ask us why we were sitting there and we said 2nd Staff Member had told us the table was empty and we could sit there until our table was available. 3rd Staff Member scoffed and said she had to go ask 4th Staff Member if that was okay. 4th Staff Member (yet another waitress) said this was NOT okay(!!), and directed us to the other bar in the back (which 1st Staff Member AKA Unqualified Hostess should have done in the first place).
After about ten minutes, our buzzer went off and 1st Staff Member (AKA Unqualified Hostess) led us upstairs to our table. 5th Staff Member (AKA Rude Waitress) took our orders and brought our beers and entrees to us with the most begrudging expression I think I have ever seen at any establishment. Like, more attitude than Ed Debevic's and Denny's combined. (I should mention that she had a table of twelve sitting next to us, with whom she was pleasant, animated, etc.)
As I mentioned above, this place did get three stars for food. I got the fried fish. The fish was excellent, but everything else on the plate was horrid. I liked the idea of homemade applesauce, but it was more like cubed cooked apples and very little "sauce" without any discernable flavor. I can hardly remember what else was on the plate... That's just how unmemorable this meal was.
WHILE I WAS STILL EATING (still a whole piece of fish left on my plate and ALL of my sides), Rude Waitress took my friend's plate away and gave him the check. WHILE I WAS STILL EATING (finishing up my flavorless and undercooked potato pancake) she came BACK to our table and asked him "Sir, do you have the book?" He just looked at her like "What the $#@& is wrong with you?" She again repeated her question, to which he responded "I'm still thinking about it. By the way, my friend is still eating." We did not see Rude Waitress for the rest of the evening, and we did not leave her a tip.
Not going back.
This seems like it is THE place to go in Milwaukee if you're a single 20 or 30 something and you're out on the prowl. Â The outdoor space is enormous with a bar inside a greenhouse looking structure and a large concrete patio filled with modern outdoor lounge furniture and a fire. Â I personally don't drink beer, but the opinion I got from the group I was with is that the beer this place makes is mediocre. Â I had a tall gin and tonic for $7 which seemed pretty reasonable to me. Â
It's definitely a fun place to go, but it's all about being there and being seen and not really about the beer.
This is not real craft beer. Â Nor is it a "micro". Â It's made by Point brewery in Stevens Point. Â I've sampled 3 kinds at liquor stores when they were just starting. Â I had their milk stout at the restaurant. Â None of the beer was very adventurous, or full flavored. Â Probably because it's made for people who don't really like beer. Â
The pizza we had would have been ok if it didn't have goat cheese on it. Â Goat cheese is included on at least half of the menu! Â Pretty gimmicky, as is their marketing, which is targeted at frat boys?
It is a neat spot at least. Â It's close to my house, Â but I probably won't go back.
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