Motor USED to have a massive chili bar, and life was good. Fortunately, the delicious Cincinnati and Roadhouse chilis are still on the menu! Â And there is not a better chicken sandwich in town, than the Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich, is there?
I just wish they were open later, especially in summertime, because the majestic views of downtown and the Fifth Ward are really pretty awesome. Â When Pittsburgh Street is extended, and the Reed Street Yards are redeveloped, Motor is going to be in the heart of EVERYTHING new and cool. Â And I can't wait.
Awesome time here. Â This was our first stop on our visit to Milwaukee, and it was perfect.
We sat outside to enjoy the view where a friendly server helped us. Â We did mostly appetizers for the table to share as I needed to try the Wisconsin must haves: Â
Fried Cheese curds- regular and buffalo! - yummy!!! Â and yes, different from fried mozzarella. Â I prefer the regular. I thought the buffalo flavor was good, however it got soggy fast.
The Pig Skins - potato skins with pulled pork was excellent.
The brats variety was delish
Wood-Grilled Sausage Cuts
"Grilled bratwurst, knockwurst and Polish sausages served with home-style sauerkraut, horseradish mustard, rye toast points and cranberry-orange chutney."
the chili was very good - stewed and simmered with love - a pretty generous portion served in a little crock bowl.
We washed it all down with different colas: Â cream soda, ginger ale and cherry cola... all which were bottled in Wisconsin. Â
The restaurant even had a motorcyle that was bolted down so kids and adults took photo ops with it - a major hit with us tourists.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable lunch and start to the tour.
Good friends of ours invited us out for fish fry the other night and this is where they wanted to go. I've wanted to try this place so I was excited. I had the fish fry and it was pretty good. It had a nice cornmeal crust on it and it was cooked well. The side of fries was pretty bland. I had a sidecar and it was decent. My guy said that his burger was alright but nothing mind blowing. Solid 3 stars. If you're at the Harley Museum, I'd definitely give it a try.
Review Source:I've been here twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Â The service is exceptional and the food is fantastic - the sauces are made from scratch! Â My lover and I just ate there today and our server, Kim, surpassed all expectations. Â I had the cumin-honey chicken wings, which were a little bland for me, so she brought me TWO containers of stone-ground mustard so I could take one home with me! Â Even if you're not into HD, I recommend eating here.
Review Source:You know what... I liked Motor. Â I really, truly did.
The atmosphere is a little HD-tacular (it's attached to the museum for goodness sake) but I really enjoyed the open layout. Â They were clearly busy but it didn't feel crowded, which I appreciated.
Our waitress was friendly and attentive. Â She accidentally brought my husband an extra beer (whoops) but took it off the bill without hesitation. Â
We came for the Friday fish fry - the fish had a crispy cornmeal coating enveloping flakey, big pieces of fish. Â The corn bread and slaw were certainly nothing to shake a stick at either. Did I mention the maple old fashion? Â You should probably get that - it had bacon in it.
I stopped in the motor bar for a ufc event on a random weekend night. The place was pretty crowed im unsure if it was because of the UFC? However there was a wait before i could be seated. I was still able to watch the fight while waiting for my table. The decor is really modern and dim.
I ordered a couple of drinks that were reasonably priced. I ordered the turkey burger that was cooked to profection. The waitstaff were curtious even though it was loud and crowded with fight fans and not consumers.
The motor bar might be a good place to stop on occassion. I dont remember anything else on the menu that i might stop back in to get. So if i get a hankering for a turkey burger i will make my way back in.
My company had dinner here after a long day of meetings and conference sessions. The atmosphere was fun, especially given the Thursday night festivities, but also (expectedly) quite loud. We were a group of about 40 and I thought the staff did a really nice job of taking care of us. We had a limited menu to choose from with a good variety of options. But it was way too much food. Really, now, it was just bizarre how much food we were served. Appetizers for everyone, salad or stew for everyone as a  starter, entree for everyone, and dessert for everyone; all with giganto serving sizes. That macaroni and cheese I got? It came served in a bucket. A bucket. It was too bland for my tastes, but not bad. The chocolate cake was so so rich that a slice about 1/4 of what was served would have been more appropriate.
I hadn't been here before, and I'm glad I got to spend a fun evening with my colleagues here trying something new. I don't think I'll be back though. I get why it's appealing to a lot of people, but it's just not for me.
We just stopped in  here for a drink and didn't eat any food.  The menu looked about standard for a place attached to a museum: lots of stuff all over the place.  Not surprisingly it is not terribly vegetarian friendly but there are a few salads and pasta and a sandwich or two for those of us who don't do the meat thing. Â
As far as drinks went, the Bloody Mary is outstanding.  Absolutely.  They will make it as spicy as you like and it comes with a small glass of beer on the side and a cornucopia of meat, vegetables, and fruit garnish it.  It is damn near a meal in itself.  I also had a drink called something  like "Grown-up Cherry Coke" that was pretty good, with whiskey soaked cherries, cherry syrup, whiskey, and coke in it.  For $10 it was kind of small.  They had some interesting looking beers on tap, including some local brews, but they were kind of heavily geared to the Bud/Bud Lite/Miller crowd. Â
In general, this place is a bit pricey for what you get. Â It's basically DC prices, which was kind of a sticker shock moment in Milwaukee. Â For instance, they were selling Sprecher sodas for $4.50 a pop and we'd just spent half that on them at the place we had lunch at. Â I guess you pay for the privilege of hanging with Harley. Â :)
So, yes, this place is kind of expensive and I'm not sure I'd recommend planning a big meal and lots of drinking here, but how can you not visit Harley Davidson when you are in Milwaukee?
I think expecting great food from a place that serves mostly Harley Branded items is kind of a mismatch. Food was OK..
Prices are like most Harley products- too pricy and poorly though out.
If you are in there for the decor and the "harley experience" then it might be a nice diversion.
We went at lunch mid-week. I had the Turkey burger special and fries- pretty savory with gogonzola cheese, red slaw and a peach slice on top -not too bad. Also tasted the regular cheese burger and served ok.
My son had the make your own MAC AND CHEESE. - coulda been cheesier- this in a state KNOWN FOR IT'S CHEESE!=== go figure. It was OK nonetheless.
Other dishes that paraded out of the kitchen looked OK. The flatbread looked good and according to locals there was good.
TIP: Stick to the basics and you won't be disappointed.
Nothing special ... The make your own burger came covered in a special sauce that I did not order. It was a strange color. The barbecue plate came with a 1/4 dark meet chicken piece . It was supposedly smoked.. Not sure  if it came close to any kind of Smoke. The skin was flabby ... No seasoning and BBQ sauce  looked like it was dumped on.We sat outside and were constantly bothered by seagulls ( not the restaurants fault) but not pleasant nonetheless.  Later that night we both had stomach aches. The only good thing was the giant pretzel..
Review Source:I thought Motor Bar was great. Â We stopped in for a quick late lunch and sat outside. Â The service was quick and very friendly. Â I ordered the fish tacos and thought they were slightly typical although they had a lot of red cabbage (vinegar-y) on them. Â I was able to sub a delicious salad (for free!) instead of the fries. Â The blue cheese dressing for the salad was quite possibly the best I've ever had too. Â My buddy had chili and the special pork quesadillas (huge) which he seemed pleased with as well. Â I would go back as it seems like an awesome space to grab a drink outside and relax too.
Review Source:This was my second time here, and another barely average meal. Â I was here for a group lunch. Â For our group of 20+, we had a salad or soup option, 3 entree choices, and chocolate chip cookie dessert. Â I enjoyed the Booyah soup, and it was interesting to have a soup with some type of brisket. Â I also had the fish fry. Â The fish was decent, but nothing else with the meal was all that exciting. Â When it came time for our dessert, it seemed like they all but forget to make it. Â Our server went in back, came out to let us know it would be 2-minutes, and then brought it out 10-15 minutes later. Â The cookie seemed mostly raw, and it was covered in melting ice cream. Â They didn't even put it on the table, and served it to us in dishes. The flavor was good, but not too impressive of a dessert for the event we were hosting.
Our Museum tour was great and our servers were very nice. Â Its just that the food here seems like it needs an overhaul. Â I feel like they are trying to make assumptions about what Harley-people would like to eat, but they may have missed the mark.
Hung out at Motor last night, during the UFC fights. Being that our level of interest in the sport is casual, we wanted a more laid back place with decent food and drink but without the Affliction shirt wearing, store bought tough guy types. We definitely found that at Motor. Ordered the cheese curds, of which half were plain and half were tossed on Buffalo wing sauce. The plain ones were very good, and I kinda feel like I ruined the other half with wing sauce. Also ordered the buttermilk chicken sandwich, which was good. Served with bacon and russian dressing. Â They had a pretty unique special they called "bobbing for beer". For $1, you get to stick your hand into the abyss of a cooler to grab a random beer. The thing was chock full of Budweiser, which for a beer geek and hometown loyalist was unacceptable. After pawning off much crappy beer on my friends, I finally got a Lakefront Holiday Spice. In April. My, aren't we festive!? But for a dollar, who can complain. I'm torn on my rating, because 4 stars seems a little high so we'll say that Motor is VERY a-ok. The space is very cool, the food takes a creative spin on basic dishes, and the servers are super friendly.
Review Source:Took the family to Motor for brunch this past Sunday. Â I wasn't sure what to expect, being that the restaurants and museums can be hit or miss. Â But I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.
We had the flatbread of the month - goat cheese, mushrooms, bacon and spinach - and it was warm, crispy, and tasty. Â
The kids had sliders - how can you go wrong with that - and my husband, a BBQ aficionado, had the baby back ribs, and commented between bites how tender they were, and how sweet and spicy the BBQ sauce was, just like his favorite Carolina style sauces. Â I had the turkey burger with Brie and peach chutney, and it was moist and tasty. Â
Admission to the Harley Davidson museum is not required to eat at Motor, and I'd eat there again, definitely.
We stopped in for a first time try this past Saturday evening. Â The Saturday crowd at 5:30pm was just starting to trickle in but we had a reservation anyway. Â We did not need one as they had plenty of tables ready. Â An hour later and it was packed. Â
The menu is a bit limited, but had enough stuff to keep us interested. Â I was intent on trying a burger since the pictures from others posted on Yelp looked so good. Â My wife and I both had burgers and their french fries along with the "Gasoline" tap beer made by local Sprecher's brewery in Glendale. Â Awesome beer.
We also ordered up some cheese curds as an appetizer....we will have to try them next time as the waitress/kitchen forgot them. Â Probably better off anyway.
The burgers were made with around a 1/2 pound of ground beef which looked to be pressed at the kitchen and not bought frozen. Â The burgers were loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomato, guacamole on a great big fresh bun. Â Served piping hot right from the kitchen. Â $12.95 each. Â Draft beers were around $5 for a very large tapered glass holding about a pint plus.
I felt that the serving size was appropriate versus the cost for both food and beverages.
The dining area is open with a very high ceiling that is not sound proofed so the sound in the restaurant does echo a bit and it was more noisy than I like. Â However, I could hold a decent conversation with my wife, but it did get louder with more diners.
Overall, it was a nice evening and the only screw up was the missed cheese curds. Â Megan our waitress was very informative about the menu items and was very attentive while we were dining. Â
One other interesting tid-bit...the table chairs must weigh 25 pounds and are made of what else....heavy iron with a soft cushion for your butt. Â Wonderful touch.
Two burgers, 4 beers: $44.00
Very nice compound here for Harley!
The food however is nothing to be proud of - at least the two times we dined here.
The late Saturday afternoons offered long waits at the hostess station - very long wait from drink order to any attention - like 15 minutes.
Average bar food that is a tad lower quality than average. Â The prices are more than the average expectation too. Â Very geared to tourists, not locals in my opinion.
We were disappointed
This place is obviously very Harley Davidson-y.
Came once for a working lunch. I had this fried chicken sandwich contraption that was impossible to eat on the bun but the chicken was pretty delicious. Fries...eh.
Dining companions had a caesar salad which looked quite literally like death. Just iceberg and caesar dressing and a few croutons. I can't even remember if tomatoes came with it...
I have also been here for after work drinks on ride nights. If you can snag a table outside, take advantage of the view and the happy hour specials which were $5 apps and some type of tap beer special. I enjoyed that much more than grabbing lunch here.
MYSTERY FISH
I've been to this bar and restaurant before to attend a corporate event sponsored by a vendor I used. Today a friend and I decided to pay Motor Bar & Restaurant a visit and take it for a spin.
This test drive left us conflicted and perplexed. There were things we loved about the place, and things that were simply out of place.
First, the hostess dressed in the typical themed Harley garb greeted me immediately as I waited for my friend to arrive. She even offered to bring me a drink, which I thought was gracious, but I declined. Then the bartender noticed me and offered the same pleasantry. I was impressed so far.
The decor is what I'd describe as industrial/modern, as you'd expect from a Harley branded grille. The seating was very comfortable--a lot of leather and welded steel. The execution of the theme is very clean and contemporary, without being too trite. I appreciated it.
When my friend arrived, the perky hostess seated us and we sat there for about ten minutes or so. She came back to inquire if our waitress had approached us yet, and we confirmed that she hadn't. Again, the hostess was on top of her game. The wait would turn some off, but I wasn't bothered by it.
Our waitress was personable and took our orders, paying attention to the special requests regarding preparation of our meals. Â I ordered a chicken sandwich that came with fries and generous toppings. It was perfectly prepared on a buttery toasted bun that offered a lot of flavor. The temperature told me that it hadn't been sitting around long, so that was a good sign. The chicken came with a pickle spear, hot fries, and toppings: red onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles for $9.95. Okay.
My friend's dish was the oddest thing. He ordered the fish fry. The mystery in this case wasn't "what kind of fish is this?" but "WHERE is the fish?" The paltry dish was served in a silver galvanized motor pan, and consisted of ONE overly-breaded piece of cod over a bed of fries, accompanied by various sauces and a piece of bread. It really was a fish sandwich sans the bun, for $12.95. Not such a wonderful deal. I couldn't help but stare at this sad little sardine sitting on my friend's plate. He picked at it, but I never did see any of the white fish--just this ridiculous chunky looking, grainy breading. When the waitress came around, I made mention of it and she said, "well, it is one big piece of fish, don't you think?" No, I don't think so. And I should preface it by saying that I usually find portions, especially in the dairy state, to be such that they cater to the obese. This was not the case here. One could not rationalize a nastily breaded, bunless fish sandwich for $12.95.
So, three stars for a very competent and friendly hostess and bartender, ample parking, and my decent sandwich. Deductions for having to wait more than we should have (a half star deduction), and for the anorexic fish fry (one and a half star deduction).
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, their mixed drinks (served in a tall thin glass, with a perfectly measured shot) are $6.50. Draw your own conclusion.
Great ambiance! Â --5 star
nice staff and people. Not expensive. -- 5 star
The menu is your typical American menu burgers, fries and salmon
Free parking plus next door you have the museum
The only suggestion would be to add more varieties of food to the menu Â
Depending on the occasion I would recommend for group of friends, co-workers, or friends or also if you are hosting visitors would be good to take them
I was sad that a place with so much potential was so horrible, especially when our friends wanted to take us here for the past year.
1) The restaurant was nearly empty on a Friday night (that should have been our first clue.) Hostess took a bit too long to ask the question, "do you need to be seated?"
2) The decor is nice and different, the view is nice, and the touch of watching old footage is fun...until you sit down. Then it's a bit like seating in a cafeteria.
3) Prices...are overpriced.
4) I chose the Friday fish fry because I LOVE cornbread. This was the most tasteless cornbread I ever had. The fish had a good underlying flavor, but was mostly masked by grease and and some super salty breading bites.
5) The best part of the night was Lakefront's special motor oil beer and our dinner company. Thank you Lakefront for knowing how to build your brand. Motor Oil had a good flavor that I would order again, somewhere else.
Was surprised to see some reviews less than 4 stars - this place is great. Â We have lunch at Motor regularly and drop in for Bike Night on Thursdays when we can.
The staff is pleasant and attentive, the food is good and reasonably priced, the location is easy to get to with lots of parking and you are at the Harley Museum (very cool)...only in Milwaukee!
Come hungry, the portions are huge.
I won't give motor 1 star, because my experience there wasn't *terrible* but . . .
The food was not good. Â At all.
We tried several items. Â The cheese curds were so grease-logged, they tasted like they'd been simply dropped into lukewarm oil for 10 minutes and allowed to soak it all up. Â I know cheese curds have to be oily, but these were just disgusting. Â There was a huge pool of oil at the bottom of the plate. Â I was sort of shocked at how bad they were - like, cheese curds, even when they're bad - they're usually still sort of awesome. Â As a native of Wisconsin, I can say this was the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE that I had cheese curds so bad that I didn't finish them. Â The cheese curds at the bottom of the plate were just inedible -- too greasy.
It didn't get better from there. Â My wifes hamburger was cooked to death and my entree just wasn't very good.
Service wasn't particularly good or friendly either. Â Can't imagine going back again.
The decor is really interesting, even for someone who isn't a Harley enthusiast. Â The service was great, everyone who helped us was very polite.
I give it three stars because the menu had me convinced this was going to be better than your average bar & grill food... but it was just plain average. Â My burger was overdone and the "pig skins" the table shared were mushy and a little unappetizing.
Glad I got to finally check the place out, but not sure if I'll be going back on my own accord.
Nothing special. Just average lunch food that is a quick eat. I had the fish tacos (served with fries) which were average and nothing that blew my mind (presentation was not impressive either). One of my guest had the flat-bread (basically pizza) and he enjoyed it but again it was nothing to write home about. I made it a point to go out and try this place but don't think I will be going back in the future as it is just "average".
I did see a few people who ordered the burgers and they seemed to really enjoy them. So maybe, just maybe, the burgers are the signature here. I'll update it I try one.
Fish Fry Review:
$12.95 all you can eat Pollock deep fried with a corn meal breading, fries, corn bread, and slaw. Decent fish but I am not a big fan of corn meal breading. Service was great but I had to wait 15 minutes after I had asked for seconds. For dessert we had cheesecake, they give you 2 slices for $6.95. Dinner for 2 was $40 including drinks and dessert.
Although I don't have a bike, and probably never will, I love this place. The decor is refined but edgy, casual but upscale and comfortable whether you are in chaps or a pencil skirt. The food is hearty and delicious. I have had the mac and cheese with chicken (rich and filling), the souped up grilled cheese (thick slices of bread with thick tomato soup- so good) and the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich served with bacon and Russian dressing (HUGE and also served on yummy thick bread). Service is always prompt, never had to wait to be seated and the manger comes over just to make sure we are satisfied. Most prices linger around $10-12 and its worth it.
Review Source:Food is uniquely Milwaukee. German potato pancakes, bratwurst, and an all-American breakfast of pancakes & eggs. Was a big fan of the mac & cheese with bratwurst chopped up inside.
The setting is very cool as well, with floor to ceiling walls providing great views of the city skyline and river.
For Thursday bike nites, the beer, specialty drinks, & starters/appetizers are all 1/2 price. Â The weather was great enough to sit outside. Â We tried the shovelhead mixed drink ($3), cheese curds with ranch ($4.50) which are similar to mozzarella sticks only stubbier & with ranch sauce. Â The tomato & cheese flatbread pizza (($6.50) was outstanding as was the on tap Miller lite beer ($2). Â A huge peach cobbler came in a cast iron pan fit for 2 a la mode ($8.95). Â Our server Jeff, was super attentive despite every table being full even at 530 for this fun event. Â It's a 3.5. Â Could be a 4 but didn't have a great view of the bikes & did feel a little rushed to get up & go.
Review Source:We go to Motor for bike night which is every Thursday (during the warm months, of course). So we've been there plenty of times. Bike night includes some really great specials like half-price appetizers. My husband gets the Reuben Potato Potato Pancakes and I get the Flatbread pizza, which is 2 feet long! So for less than 10 buck we get enough food that we don't need to order any more. It's delicious and worth every cent.
Another favorite is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Club or the Barbecued Pork Sandwich. They are so big we split an entree. The food is excellent, the service is good, everyone is so friendly, and the for the quality, the prices are extremely reasonable. Considering everything Harley is usually expensive, this is a pleasant surprise. High quality at reasonable prices.
Motorcycle, no motorcycle, it doesn't matter - this place is a must. Especially on Thursdays when the tap beer is only 2 bucks!
Yep, need to agree with Stephen on this one. Â The flatbreads are served on a paddle that's about 2 feet long.
First of all, we went on a Thursday night not aware that it was Bike Night, which is sort of a bike show where everyone rides in and shows off their goods. Â For my 19 month old son who LOVES motorcycles, well, this drove him absolutely nuts.
But the thing that most people may not know about is the food inside the Motor restaurant. Â WOW.
We started off with the assorted bratwurst platter and the cheese curds. Â Once we got the arteries slamming shut with those, we had some BBQ pulled pork, mac & cheese, and meatloaf.
We finished off desert with a giant warm skillet chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream.
Food was fabulous, server was EXCELLENT and the atmosphere is just wonderful. Â Even if you're not a Harley Owner and don't dress in leathers and boots, it doesn't matter. Â Really a great experience and restaurant!
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