Three and half from me.
The Ale House was a meeting ground for Milwaukee's Urban Scavenger hunt last weekend, and it housed all 800 people pretty well between the inside and outside. I wasn't aware of the "downstairs" patio that is just drinks and appetizers - nice way to expedite service.
They had specials on cans of PBR and some MBC beers, obviously I went that direction. I got the Flying Damsel (great, but a little sweet), Weekend at Louies, and Louie's Demise (two of my faves). I finished up with an Oh-Gii, which is brewed with Rishi Green Tea, and is just awesome.
The food was alright. I had hot wings which were good, but not crispy at all, which is how I like my wings. The mozzarella sticks were fine, but again a little undercooked. Joe had a couple hot dogs which he said were good, and Tamara had the giant pretzels. The mustard was really good...
Service was quick and the prices were good.
I have had dinner here on several occasions, but I think given the parking that it is easier to come a little earlier and hang out back by the river.
Check it out and support local Milwaukee brews (:
Was visiting a girlfriend living in Milwaukee with some other friends. We had dedicated Saturday afternoon + evening to brewery exploring. Milwaukee Ale House was our first stop and where we loaded up on food for the day.
The have a large patio that overlooks the river, unfortunately we didn't have a reservation and our group of 8 couldn't fit right away (and we were starved), so we got a table inside. The décor is interesting. Lots of wood, high ceilings, giving it an older warehouse feel, but art and other random pieces cover the walls. I wouldn't say I would come here just for the ambiance alone.
We tried a couple of their beer flights so we could sample all their beers, they have all the standards you would expect but then more unique items like bacon beer. Food is pub style, Â yet they did have lighter options such as a veggie wrap, which is what I opted for. On the far other side though, they have dishes like "Da Bomb" which is a bacon burger with two grilled cheeses as your bun. Yes, one of my friends ordered, and yes, I was extremely jealous.
Everyone was pleased with their meal, our server was always there to get us what we needed and even handled splitting our bill 8 ways, with 8 credit cards.
No false advertising here. This is a house of ale, and the ale is housed well in your belly. Ordered a few local IPAs, and they were delish. Also ordered the bacon on bacon inside bacon wrapped in bacon bacon burger. Bacon. The description of the burger and the idea of it were more appealing than the actuality. It was just bacon inside a burger with more bacon on top. With all that salty red meat, hard to tell what's really going on in there, aside from the dull pain in my neck and shoulder. I think they were trying to go for a Juicy Lucy type burger, but we all know that was invented in Snowta so hands OFF because you clearly don't know what you're doing. Actually it was fine but underwhelming given the menu fanfare.
EXCELLENT location on the channel/river. You get a good view of the sunset and the water, and it's just great all around. I would recommend this spot to anyone looking for cheap bar eats and good brews.
This is really an average of 2 reviews -- 2 stars for food and 4 stars for beer. Â You don't go here expecting a lot in the food department, and they're always happy to match that expectation. Â It's not bad at all, but really just not very good. Â A better idea is to come here for beer before or after a meal elsewhere. Â
As a home brewer, I do like their beer overall, but I prefer Rock Bottom. Â I generally get a good idea of a brewpub from their pale ale. Â It's one of my favorite styles and it can be quite average to really exceptional. Â The Ale House is on the pretty average side for the pale. Â It isn't very complex or interesting. Â Louie's Demise (their flagship amber) is pretty good but overrated. Â Solomon Juneau and Outboard cream ale are nice lawnmower beers. Â They have some definite misses at times (like their bourbon barrel aged Louie's Resurrection). Â They never really blow me away with a beer, but they usually are of good quality. Â If you want to go to a local brewpub (if the fact that Rock Bottom is a chain causes it to lose some charm in your mind), this is the place to go. Â Your other option is Water Street Brewery, and there is no competition beer wise.
Don't make the mistake of thinking this place is a bar. It's more like a casual restaurant with a beer theme. The bar service is non-existent. You could end up standing at the bar for 10 minutes waiting for someone to pour you a beer even with only a few other people in front of you. This ain't fancy cocktails after all. Just pour a beer into a pint glass! Best to get table service.
After all that the beer is only okay. Not much ambiance inside. Might be nicer outside on the patio with a view of the river.
GREAT location! They have an awesome patio right along the river, buuttttt besides that, this place really has nothing else going for it.
I have been here many times, since they do have such a great location I keep going back, and unfortunately keep getting disappointed. The food is standard boring bar food, and my food has been served cold on multiple occasions. I honestly can say I have not tried one thing here that I would recommend to anyone. So I eventually gave up trying to eat here and just go for drinks instead.
Service is just not friendly or good here. I understand it is a large restaurant so maybe service might be a little slow at times, but then you should be nice to make up for the slowness. With such a great location, there should be equally as great service.
One star for their awesome patio + one star for serving MKE Brewing Co. beers
I went to the Ale House to watch a Blackhawks finals game on a Saturday night. I was planning on ordering an appetizer or something, so I just wanted a tv with a view of the game where we could get service. I went up to the hostess and requested seating where I could see the game and she rudely told me to go to the bar...even though there were plenty of open tables. Â The beer list itself was pretty limited. Â If this would've been a fall or winter trip, maybe the beers would've been more tempting, but there was no beer on the menu that was good for a nice summer evening. Â But I had beer and the Blackhawks, so I made the best of it. Â
Throughout the game, a band started setting up behind the screen they were displaying the game on. Â Keep in mind, this bar is packed with fans watching the game and cheering on the Hawks. Â In the middle of third period, they shut off the tied game and the band took over. Â What kind of bar turns off a game with less than 10 minutes to go? [Yes, that game went into OT but there's no reason to cut into regular play!] The band was mediocre at best, and the sound system was absolutely horrible and deafening. Â
They also absolutely LOVES Death Cab for Cutie. Â I'm pretty sure I heard more than half of the Narrow Stairs cd while sitting there. Â Call me a softy, but that earned them an extra star. Â And I give them credit for brewing good beer, albeit a poor selection.
We just went to the Ale House for a quick lunch upon arriving in town. Â
If it were not raining, I would have been right out to the beautiful riverside terrace and patio. Â We started with the jumbo pretzels, paired with cheese and grainy mustard. Â They were not kidding about "jumbo". Â Each one was the size of a ballpark pretzel and the basket would easily be a good starter for a group. Â For our mains, my wife had a house salad and I had the blackened chicken with sweet potato fries. Â Kris liked her salad and my sammie was good and spicy. Â
Of course we had beer too. Â We had their two different flights and got to sample just about everything they had on tap. Â The Black Iron was the one I liked best. Â That said, they were all good.
We were happy with our lunch at the Ale House. Â Obviously great brew and pretty standard pub fare. Â Worked for us.
I've been here a few times the most recent time I went for happy hour. They have $2 off their home brews, both of our beers were amazing. We had basic sandwiches for lunch I had the buffalo chicken and he had a tuna steak, the food was decent it wasn't out of this world but I would return
Review Source:Milwaukee Ale House is one of my go-to weekend spots in the Third Ward. I prefer the bar or outside patio to the dining room, but I prefer back/noisy environments where it seems like people are enjoying themselves. If you're looking for a traditional sit-down restaurant setting, they have that too. There is often a wait for seating on the weekend, because they're very busy. That's a good thing. The staff is great too. They must like their jobs, because they seem to stick around.
One of my favorite things about the Ale House is that all of their beer come from MKE Brewing. No, you should not order a Miller Lite. Ask the server for something that goes with your tastes or your food - they are very knowledgeable and the beer menu changes frequently. They also have a beer sampler if you can't make up your mind.
I am not the best person to review their food, because I order one of two things each time. I am a veggie, so I am limited in my options as it is but their Veggie Burger (mushroom based) and Margarita Pizza are both AWESOME. The Ale House redid their menu in the last year or so, and they made great improvements - like adding sweet potato fries!
Ready for a great Milwaukee tip? You've got to come on Thursdays in the summer. Great happy hours and free boat rides around Milwaukee! But you better come early, grab a beer (maybe an extra one too, because the boat ride is an hour) and sign up on the waiting list, because when its full - its full!
You can't beat sitting out on the river in the summer. There aren't that many places in MKE with waterfront access - Milwaukee Ale House is my favorite of all the options.
Beer was great as always. Â We went at 5pm on Saturday with three couples and a few toddlers thinking we could get in and out quick...wrong! Â It took about an hour to get dinner, though our waiter was a great guy. Â My burger was the worst I've ever had. Â It tasted like a shoe and cost ten bucks. Â I just can't believe how bad the food was. Â Great atmosphere and drinks, bad food, really bad!
Review Source:I came in here with a group of friends and we had a great lunch with great food and great service. The food is definitely solid, with lots of good options (so much so that I had a hard time choosing between three or four things that all sounded good to me).
Milwaukee Ale House serves the Milwaukee Brewing Company beers, my favorite of which are Polish Moon (stout) and Booyah (farmhouse ale).
I had the chicken penne gorgonzola last time and it was wonderful. The time prior to that, I had the stout pot roast, and it was equally delicious.
Highlight of this restaurant is their outdoor seating during the summer, on a two-level patio overlooking the river.
For a restaurant with a river view, a grand space, and it's own beers one would think that this ale house could not possibly fail. Wrong. It was way top loud inside so we moved outside. We waited 15 minutes for a waitress go never brought us water let alone utensils. When we entered the bar she seemed to have plenty of time as she was dancing and talking to the bartender. She kept forgetting our beers and when she did remember them, brought the wrong kind even though she had written it down. Doh! The food when it arrived 1.5 hours later was bland and not worth the wait expense or heat. Don't bother.
Review Source:I was misinformed as to the prior incarnation of this place. Brett Favre's Steakhouse was formerly located at 500 N. Water Street which is now Joey Buona's. Although the MKE website states that the Saddlery Building has seen several different tenants the Ale House has been just that from it's inception. Thanks to Robert O. from Racine Wi. who corrected me. Coincidentally I always have some MKE brews on hand even though they don't distribute outside Wisconsin. I and many of my friends thoroughly enjoy their beer.
Review Source:I happened to stumble upon (...and later out of) the Milwaukee Ale House when I came to town to check out a Brewers game. We just enjoyed the wide variety of beers on top this day. Started off with a sampler and worked our way through a few of the favorites. It's a big, cozy bar with a dining room side and what appeared to be a back patio over looking the river. I imagine this place can be a pretty good time during a Saturday night. The staff was really friendly and helped a couple of tourists find a few other things. I would like to go back on of these days on a weekend to check it out further.
Review Source:Came here with a friend before attending a concert at the Pabst. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. The place is cozy with plenty of elbow room. Our waitress was delightful and always around when we needed something. We both had the salmon dinner and it was plentiful, along with the rice and veggies, and delicious. This will be my goto to place when attending events at the Pabst. Very pleased.
Review Source:2.5 stars: The average from beer at 4 stars and food at 1 star.
The beer has always been great and I've never been disappointed. Almost every session ale is is top notch, including Feb/Mar 2013's double IPA "Hoppy Brewer." Booyah and Louie's Demise are other favorites.
The food, on the other hand, is on the decline. Don't get me wrong, I don't go here expecting amazing food. It's bar food. I know the restaurant has been taken under new management in the last year or so, with some new items popping up lately. My fish fry dinner with sweet potato fries was awful tonight. It's Lent and I'm in Milwaukee...come on! Gas stations have better fish fries. Three plates from our table went back to the kitchen right away because everything was cold. The second round was warmer, but the fries were limp and the cod fish fry bland. The waitress offered a free dessert and 20% reduction on the bill for the inconvenience. Stick to the beer and "bar food" items like burgers, nachos and wings.
Came for my birthday and was very pleased with the service, food and atmosphere... I've been watching bar rescue so I look a little deeper at the over all place... The prices were good, the portions were huge and the servers have a smile on their faces and make you feel like a friend. They offer live music and that;s free... They also had a pool table and music playing for your enjoyment until the band played. I liked this place...
Review Source:My friend and I visited the ale house since I had a Groupon deal and a free beer token from the tour I took back in October. We arrived at 3pm on a Saturday and the place was busy. We stood by the hostess stand, but were ignored by the frazzled hostess. After we got her attention, we were told there would be a 5-minute wait even though there were many open tables.
Once seated, we ordered a couple of stouts (delicious!), pizza and a prime rib sandwich. The pizza is good. The prime rib sandwich was disappointing. It was a piece of chuck roast on the bun and was overpriced at $12.95. I know the difference between prime rib and roast, and I know this was a rip off.
I would think twice before returning again. Maybe for beer and pizza or nachos.
Well I had high expectations for this place considering this place was packed. Me and my buddy sat at the bar and I ordered a Rib eye, medium done.
I guess the first tall tell sign was that it was being cooked off the iron. The steak was alright, but really nothing special. In fact, it was a bit too oily for my taste. Parts of it was severly burnt off and was not appetizing.
The sides were delicious, especially the mash potatoes. Also the sweet potato fries my friend had were pretty solid.
My friend says he swears by the chicken sandwich, but for me the steak was definitely not worth the $18
The service here was alright.
I ordered the Blackened Chicken sandwich, and it was not good. The chicken was really tough and overcooked. I substituted my side with gumbo and that was good. I also tried some of my friend's chicken pot pie and that was not too bad. So the food was mediocre, almost your typical bar food, but a step up. My friends ordered some dessert and they really enjoyed it.
I tried one of their beer flights and the beers were good.
I don't think I'll be coming back...
We used to come here for Quizmaster every Monday night until the new management decided to end trivia and fool themselves into believing that we were there for their mediocre bar food and their PBR "Specials." Bah. There are tons of places to eat bar food and drink MKE brewery beer.
We went for trivia. We went to every QuizCup. Along with 50-60 other people, regulars over 5 years.
Quiz now happens at Red Rock Saloon, where we are now spending our money every Monday,
Really poor business decisions and a true reflection on their idea of "loyalty."
If Quiz ended back at MAH, we would too, but not because we like MAH, but because we like QuizMaster. Trust me when I say I don't miss having my order wrong 3 times or being ignored completely,
It's not usually my thing to review a place three times, but given that I've earned my Duchess status and it's been a year since my last review, I figure it's fair, right? Â And thus begins what will hopefully be my last review of the Ale House.
Reasons for removing a star:
-They've shaken up the programs that I've grown to enjoy. Â No more trivia (after five years? ouch) or swing dancing. Â Still have karaoke and live bands... for now.
-They've also cut happy hour specials to just the 3-6pm timeframe. Â No more perks during evening events? Â No thanks.
-The food just isn't what it used to be. Â A friend and I were just discussing -- if you were to ask what the Ale House's signature dish is, we wouldn't know what to tell you. Â Standard pub food that's okay but not great.
I'll be honest. Â Trivia is the only thing that kept me going back for this long; without it, not sure I'll be back anytime soon. Â And I'm okay with that because, meh, I've experienced better.
As a tour operator, it is important for me to be able to rely on a restaurant to be able to handle the requirements it takes to handle a large group. Â The Milwaukee Ale House has delivered on all accounts for me. Great atmosphere - a comfortable, casual spot with great character and a good Milwaukee vibe located right on the Milwaukee River. Great service - I've always had good consistent, friendly service and they never seem to get rattled with a larger group and all the drink orders, etc. Â Great food - although not always perfect, it is really good pub food - good flavors, amazing portion sizes and once again, consistent. The chicken pot pie is my "go-to" lunch for a large group - always a hit. The ability to get a group of 40-50 people in and out of a restaurant in less than an 1 1/2 hours is super important and they do this so well. Â Of course, the beer is always tasty.
I have to be a bit biased and really go with five stars due to one day when I was the one who screwed up. I made a lunch reservation for 48 people and showed up a day early...yikes. Although I was freaking out inside as to what I was going to do with the group, Â they never missed a beat. Told me they could handle it. No problem. Â I took off for a bit , came back within the hour and lunch for 48 was served. Great service, great food and never a word to my group about my screw-up. Â The service staff didn't look frazzled one bit. I don't think many restaurants could have pulled this off as well. Cheers!
I like this place a lot. Came with my family now twice and it's been good both times.
FOOD: Typical Milwaukee bar food. I've tried the pot roast and the black and blue burger. Nothing spectacular but definitely solid. I've tried the sampler appetizer. Stuffed potato skins are delicious. Mozzarella sticks are too weird with the wonton wrapping. Jumbo pretzel not worth it.
DRINKS: I am in love with Louie's Revolution. It's a beer that tastes so much like bourbon and I love it. I wish I could buy it in Cali. But I"ve taken sips from a whole bunch and all are pretty unique.
ENVIRONMENT/SERVICE: What you'd expect. The bar area and restaurant are both quite large. So this is great for my family that's 6 people. Not terribly loud and the servers have always been accomodating and friendly.
I'd never considered Milwaukee Ale House very high on my list of To-Try Milwaukee bars and restaurants, so I was pleasantly surprised with my first visit. Â I walked in with my boyfriend yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon after their signs advertising happy hour specials tempted us. Â The place was a ghost town, empty dining rooms as well as bar, so we took a random table between their bar and pool table. Â
We only figured we'd stop for a quick, cheap beer a-piece while we burned time (waiting for another area business to open at 5pm) but quickly changed our minds when we learned they were offering a special on beer pitchers as well as $1 burgers (plus $ add-ons). Â The beer was cold, boyfriend's burger (though 1/3-pound, it was cooked how he liked it and included all of his ordered add-ons) disappeared in seconds -- SUCCESS! -- and the music wasn't annoying.
So far, so good. Â But wait, there's more:
However much we enjoy a good deal on burgers and Louie's Demise, we do TRULY love it when our server is doing more than the job of a robot working for tips. Â DAN was our server and he was fantastic. Â True, we were his only table, but being a server myself I understand how long and tedious the 2:30-5:30 grind is before the dinner rush hits. Â Booooooooorrriiinggg ...
We didn't pour any of our beers -- Dan did it for us, and with excellent timing. Â He stopped back frequently enough to keep an eye on our drinks, to offer a funny word here and there, and definitely didn't stalk us or smother us with attention (as so easily happens during this time of the day). Â The only exceptional thing we bothered him for was a deck of cards from the bar, which he very happily volunteered and brought over. Â
The only reason I'm giving the establishment four out of five stars is because I personally think their concept is pretty blah (despite the craft beers, but EVERYONE is doing that in MKE these days): top-40 hits cranked through out the joint, a menu filled with "been there, done that" items feeding the hordes of Water Street, and staff wearing ripped up jeans and t-shirts. Â Boring? Yes. Â BUT! Â It's successful because they do all of these things well. Â The music wasn't too loud and they were those top-40 songs (however over-played) I actually liked. Â Anyone can do a cheeseburger, but there are few actually worth eating if you're getting it for $1(+).
And our server, who rocked the "jeans and t-shirt" uniform very well indeed, was a treat. Â If it hadn't been for Dan, I don't think I'd have written anything at all. Â Good on ya, Ale House -- you have a very valuable employee.
There's nothing terribly unique about this place, yet it's still my favorite downtown bar-and-grill place thanks to:
-Well, mostly thanks to the scenic location on the riverwalk in the chic Third Ward. Sit outside if you can.
-Decent food and beer.
-Just seems "nicer" and a bit more upscale than other downtown bar-and-grill types.
What fun! Â I loved this section of town - super quaint. Â Most everything was already closed when we got to the Ale House but I can see this place being pretty busy during the day! Â There was a few areas to park and we went around the block a couple times before finding somewhere; thankfully after 6 you don't have to pay the meter. Â Good to know for us outta towners.
Coming in, my first thought was "what a fun bar" followed by "holy crap there's no seats" and we had 3 tables. Â Well, patience pays off and we ended up getting enough seats from other tables and the bar. Â Great timing - we ordered food and the band was getting set up. Â However, a couple mins after getting seats we were told that our group would be able to move to the dining section so we can talk better. Â That was super helpful.
I ordered a wonderfully delicious beverage and i wish I remembered what it was called - it was Sweet tea Vodka and lemonade and got me quite tipsy. Then again, I did have 2 of them. I also got a margherita pizza (my favorite kind of pizza) I did learn you can buy the cool Milwaukee Brewing Co. glass to take home...which I did not buy but thought about.
Food portions looked quite large (at least from what other people at my table ordered ) and everything was tasty. Â This was a great place to meet up with friends for drinks, food, and music!
31day Yelp Challenge (that I'm already behind ugh) 5/31
Definitely worth a stop, but nothing special.
I love the location. Right on the edge of the Third Ward, reasonably accessible parking, and it has a beautiful, multi-level patio on the river. Â The inside is huge, and occasionally hosts live music (but not nearly enough) but it's mostly just wasted space.
The food has never been bad...but it's never been AMAZING. Same with the beers, they are all good but once you've had a Spotted Cow your standards become pretty unreasonable. Â
If you're just swinging through Milwaukee and you want to make a memory, this is probably not the place for you. Iif you live here and you're walking around the Third Ward and need a beer and a burger...you won't be disappointed.
We decided to do a Milwaukee pub crawl and this is where we started. Â It wasn't a bad choice by any means. Â I had the black bean burger with the bleu cheese potato salad and the burger was OK, nothing truly special, but freshly made and cooked just right, and served on a fresh roll. Â Â The potato salad did not taste like it had any bleu cheese in it but was good nonetheless. Â If I had it to do over again I'd go for the fresh house made potato chips. Â This food is basically just there to eat while you drink, it's not going to win any awards. Â The waitress who served us was friendly and attentive and we got our food quickly. Â
Of the two beers I tried, the lager (Love Rock), which the waitress described as their most popular beer, was something of a let-down. Â It wasn't awful, it just didn't really impress me. Â However, the Polish Moon, which is a milk stout, was fabulous. Â Rich, dark, with a perfect foamy head on it, and very, very tasty. Â I had two of them and they went down quite smoothly indeed. Â We wanted to try the Sheepshead stout but they were out of it.
It was not terribly crowded when we were there, since it was still kind of early in the evening but it was already kind of loud. Â The place is huge, full of big long tables, and obviously has live music, along with TVs and background music, so I would guess once it really gets kicking later in the evening the volume might get to painful levels. Â It's not a bad place to start the evening though, not by any means.
I generally view the Third Ward as a part of town that I drive through on my way to and from the East Side. The whole scene just isn't my thing, and WHERE THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO PARK!? Â I do loves me some Milwaukee Ale House though. Bad ass patio, live music, decent food and Sheepshead Stout. Seriously dudes, bottle it. Sell it to me.
My most recent jaunt to the Ale House was during the Yellow Phone Music Conference to see Kane Place Record Club. They were awesome. I spent their whole set wanting to high five their rhythm section. Baaaaaad dudes. Â Jamming out with some friends and a Sheepshead made a great memory.
This is a great place to hang with a shit ton of friends and enjoy some good local beer while eating all of their pot pies. All of them. Their patio is so awesome that I'm pretty sure I'd sit out there in January.
My host described this as a TGI Fridays with beer. I think she was being too kind. The food is bad. No there is no intensifier/adjective needed. It is just bad. I feel like they offer you a wide array of frozen specialties that they thaw out for a high price.
In regards to the beer their imitation of German beer is a sin. The beer was so bland that it more closely resembled tap water from old pipes. Their pale ale reminded me of a good miller light and well... You get the point.
The bar is gorgeous so if you would like to get out of the rain or use the bathroom then go for it,otherwise venture elsewhere.
We had a private event at the Milwaukee Ale House last week as part of our annual work conference. Â I liked the atmosphere. Â The service was prompt. Â I also enjoyed that they had non-craft beer available, albeit not on tap. Â I know... Candice G. has probably just passed out and the rest of you probably think I'm nutso. Â Guys, sometimes, craft beer gives me migraines (see reviews of both The Lucky Monk and Piece). Â I couldn't risk it while being out of town for a work conference. Â Now, someone go get Orange Crush some smelling salts.
The food was served buffet style, but from what I had, was tasty. Â The pizza seemed especially delicious and cheesy. Â The neighborhood is really neat, the ale house is kitty-corner from the Milwaukee Public Market, and the whole riverfront area is really neat, seems to be up-and-coming.
Be advised, parking will probably be difficult. Â Might be worth it to just pay to park in one of the public lots.
Look. I was a server a few times. I loved it. I wasn't 100% all the time. But now as a crotchety adult, I expect my servers to at least know their menu. I know, blasphemy.
We showed up, and another one of my peeves is not knowing what to do when you get to a restaurant. The whole front half is a bar, but no one to tell you to "sit wherever you want" or "go into the restaurant a little and see the hostess." We had to go ask the bartender for some information.
We had a nice server. He did right by my husband. But, with my order...
So there's two salad options on their menu. On two different pages. One is the "House salad" (romaine, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, etc.). This comes in two sizes. The other is a "Mixed Greens Salad." I ordered the Mixed Greens Salad (one, it's cheaper, and two, I wanted more of a hoity toity lettuce selection). I specifically showed our waiter the two pages and pointed to the one I wanted. This is important for later.
But, before I ordered the salad, I ordered a bowl of beer cheese soup. This is also important for later.
When he came out, Husband got his pot roast sandwich with kettle chips and he thought it was good. Store bought roll was fresh, meat was moist, fried onions were crispy and blended well with the meat.
I got a half order of the house salad and no soup. I told the waiter 1, you forgot my soup and 2, this is not the salad I ordered. I explained (again) the menu to the waiter (a little backwards here?) and he went to the kitchen to get my other salad.
He comes back with literally the exact same salad.
So now I have two plates of house salad. And look. I'm not a salad snob. I'm totally fine with eating this house salad. But I ordered a mixed greens. So now it's about the principle of the thing.
I had him bring me a menu so we could go over it together (seriously, is this junior high?) and walked him through his own salads. I told him, "I'm going to eat these salads, because it's not about the salad, but I want to be charged for what I ordered." And he at least got that right.
He brought me my soup as well, which was pretty decent.
Also, during the duration of our visit, the music levels were all over the place (as if multiple people were changing the volume), but the redeeming factor was that as we were leaving, my favorite Dave Matthews song came on. That was enough to make me leave him a good tip.
Stopped in for a business lunch, and I just wish they would stop making gross food. Â With the good places packed on a nice summer Friday lunchtime, we had to default to this, and although the view of the river was nice, both the steak sandwich was gross and the BBQ pork sandwich was gross.
Make less gross food, other people are starting to do it!
My family's recent experience at Milwaukee Ale House was less than stellar. It is EXTREMELY LOUD IN THERE! YOU MUST SHOUT! and even then, your dinner companions won't hear you. WHAT?
But first, the server - she was very good. Clearly way over worked, but friendly. At the end of the evening, she eliminated all but the tax from our bill due to our bad food experience. This is the only reason we agreed to a 3 star rating. The food was not at 3 star level. The problems lie in the kitchen.
My mom had purchased a Groupon for dinner for 4 - which included 2 apps, 4 entrees, and 4 beers. I had the Milwaukee Brewing Company Cream Ale. Amazingly delicious. The fine print of the Groupon specified that the sampler entree would have an extra charge (but didn't say how much, waitress informed us it would be $5 - so normally $13.99 +$5 = $18.99).
We ordered the big pretzels and the sampler platter - 4 mozzarella sticks, 4 onion rings, 4 chicken wings, 4 potato skins, as our apps. We waited for what seemed like an eternity. The server apologized for the wait. The pretzels were good - very hot and maintained there heat for a long time, a little over baked perhaps. The cheese was processed yuck. The $18 sampler platter? Abysmal. The mozzarella sticks were greasy and room temp, and the wings were burnt and room temp. No WAY did this platter come near a $5 value, let alone $18.
Entrees - we were informed that they ran out of ribs. The meat eaters at the table were all very disappointed, as they had really been hoping to be able to try this really expensive entree with the deal we had through the Groupon. We ordered: black bean burger (one of two veg options), ribeye ($10 up-charge), chicken pot pie, and roast beef.
My black bean burger was quite burnt, black in fact, and not from the beans. I was so hungry from the almost 2 hour wait that I just ate most of it. My mom did complain though and the server apologized and said she would take it off the bill and offered me a free beer. (One of the bill disputes later was that this free beer was charged, though as mention above, the server took care of the bill). The ribeye was very fatty, my brother cut about 1/3 of the steak away because it was all fat. I know ribeye is supposed to be fatty, but this was excessive. The pot pie and roast beef were pretty good (I am told).
In sum, the wait and the mistakes from the kitchen as well as the high up-charges made for a less than stellar experience.
Gosh, it's sad that such lavish decor is wasted on such a terrible operation. The only good things here are the staffing levels and the interior design. Everything else was awful: the service, the crowd, the prices, and especially the food.
We wasted a rainy Thursday evening here to stay downtown after work while awaiting a concert. The riverside view was as good as the other restaurants that dot both banks of the river. But the prices on the Milwaukee Brewery pints was high, the service blah, and our sandwiches appalling. This was not a restaurant we were ever going back to, and finding the chef's hairs (yes, plural) in the salad was only the last nail in the coffin...
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