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On a short weekend trip to Milwaukee with a group of 8 friends, we ended up spending the day eating and drinking at a few different places.
Sobelmans
After driving up from Chicago, we all met at the original Sobelmans, a popular bar and burger joint at 1900 W. St. Paul Ave. They’re famous for pub food, gigantic Bloody Mary drinks, and burgers.
We started off with some appetizers and each of us got a Bloody Mary. The drinks were amazing and bigger than we ever imagined. Mine was the “smaller” Masterpiece and included a slider. John had the biggest one, The Beast, and included several bacon-wrapped chicken skewers and cheese balls, sliders, veggies, and shrimp. It was so big, people were coming from other tables to take pictures. For another US$5, however, he could’ve gotten The Bloody Beast, which comes with a whole fried chicken.
Our burgers were just ok. We were expecting better for all the hype. I had The Loser while others chose the Double Sobleman, The Big SOB, and The Hangover.
Lakefront Brewery
Our next stop was Lakefront Brewery, where we were able to try several different beers as well as take a brewery tour. There’s also a restaurant serving all kinds of sandwiches, sausages, and snacks. We enjoyed both the beer and the tour with our very enthusiastic and funny guide.
Tours cost US$15 from Friday to Sunday and US$12 from Monday to Thursday (as of October 2023). We went on a Saturday, and because they aren’t in production on weekends, we were able to go through the entire brewery. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and included a free pint glass and four six ounce beers – a great deal! Kids are welcome on the tour but must be accompanied by an adult. You can book ahead on the website.
Five O’Clock Steakhouse
For dinner, we visited Five O’Clock Steakhouse, which has been around since 1946 and offers some of the best steaks in Wisconsin. The best part for me is that they refuse to cook steaks well-done, as stated on the menu. Most of us had the ribeye and we were all satisfied with both our meals and the appetizers.
Mad Rooster Cafe
We had planned to eat breakfast at the Mad Rooster Cafe in West Milwaukee, but by the time we got there it was an hour long wait. Unfortunately, we replaced it with the IHOP down the street.
