Try these awesome eats at Milwaukee-area beer gardens

Beer gardens have been a quintessential part of the Milwaukee summer experience for more than 150 years, sprawling outdoor spaces where friends and families can gather at big picnic tables filled with steins, pints and half-liter mugs of the good stuff.

But even if you’re there for the beer, take a peek at the food menu, too. Many of our area’s beer gardens have stepped up their food game to the point where the grub’s just as much of a draw as the suds.

Yes, there are fantastic food trucks that park at beer gardens every day. You should try them, too, but you won’t find them here. And though I love a giant pretzel, it’s pretty ubiquitous fare you could find at almost any beer garden in the city. For this piece, I’ve focused on the food that goes beyond standard snacks and tossed-on-the-grill fare like dogs and burgers.

These beer garden bites are as good as you’d find in a sit-down restaurant, but taste even better because they’re served outside. Perfect for washing down with a pint or liter under the summer sun.

Beer Garden Guide: Estabrook, South Shore, Whitnall and more

The Flatbread and Hoan Bridge burger from South Shore Terrace

The South Shore Terrace beer garden might have one of the most beautiful views in the city, nestled on the glittering shore of Lake Michigan. It also has a pretty impressive food menu. What other beer garden serves a lobster roll? I love a good drinking spot that takes its food as seriously as its beer.

I’m a big fan of the Hoan Bridge burger, a juicy patty topped with your choice of cheese (cheddar for me, please), crisp lettuce, fresh tomato and onions on a puffy brioche bun. Simple, yes, but fresh and tasty. Definitely not your typical beer garden burger. And the sidewinder fries it’s served with are just right — crispy on the outside and hot and fluffy inside.

But if I’m there with friends, I always want to share the flatbread special. The flavors rotate weekly, and recently I’ve seen options like cheesy garlic stick, garden veggie and carnita chicken. But on my last stop I tried the buffalo chicken flatbread, made with a cream cheese base and loaded with mozzarella, buffalo pulled chicken and crispy fried onions with a spicy garlic drizzle. I’m a little heartbroken it’s not on the permanent menu, but I’ve never been let down by a new weekly flavor, so I can’t get too busted up about it.

If you’re there with gluten-free friends, there’s even more reason to cheer: flatbreads can be made with gluten-free crust, as well.

Location: 2900 S. Shore Drive

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays

More information: southshoreterrace.com

?evap?i?i and Croatian nachos from Croatian Park Beer Garden

This tree-shaded, tucked-away spot may be one of the best hidden-gem beer gardens in the area. Open Thursdays only, the beer garden, adjacent to the Croatian Eagles Soccer Club, has live music every week, a happy hour featuring two-for-one tap beers from 5 to 6 p.m., and an impressive lineup of Lakefront Brewery craft beers, MillerCoors products, wine, mixed drinks and Croatian cordial shots for the true partiers.

It also has food — and lots of it. You’ll find rotating food trucks each week, but head over to the concession stand area for food from local vendor American European foods, which serves burgers and sausages, but also their specialty: a handmade Croatian pork and beef sausage called ?evap?i?i, served with white bread, chopped onions, and ajvar — a spicy roasted red pepper sauce.

What a treat those little sausages are! Tender, mildly spiced, and that ajvar sauce is such a delicious companion. I used the bread slice to swipe up as much as I could.

You’ll find the ?evap?i?i components (minus the bread) on the Croatian nachos, too. The sausage is chopped up and scattered over nacho chips with nacho cheese, and it’s all topped with the ajvar, sliced jalapenos and diced onions. Such a fun spin.

Location: 9100 S 76th St., Franklin

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday only

More information: franklinbeergarden.com

Isaan-style chicken wings from Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden

Havenwoods, which debuted May 17, is the newest beer garden on this list. But it’s already off to an impressive start, with a tap list of more than 15 craft beers, plus sangria, cider and a full bar.

Take it in a plastic cup and walk along the quarter-mile trail next to Wisconsin’s only urban state forest in the taproom’s backyard. Or put in an order at the beer-garden bar for Lao-style ribs or Isaan-style chicken wings, smoked and charred from SapSap’s Ubon smoker parked out back, on-site Thursdays through Saturdays all summer. The meaty wings are packed with flavor, only amped up by the side of jeow som, a Laotian dipping sauce that’s a little tangy, a little sweet, and has a fair amount of heat for good measure. Dunk those smoky wings in the sauce, or spoon it over a side of sticky rice to sop it all up. So good.

Location: 5840 N. 60th St.

Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. SapSap is on-site 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday

More information: havenwoodstbg.com

Currywurst from the War Memorial Beer Garden

Another beer garden with a stunning view, the War Memorial beer garden is along Lake Michigan just north of the War Memorial Museum and right along the Oak Leaf Trail on Milwaukee’s lower east side.

To drink, it serves liters and half liters of German beer, wine, nitro old fashioneds and cold brew lattes. And to eat, the beer garden has tapped Kegel’s Inn to serve a variety of loaded brats in fun flavors and giant soft pretzels.

But I’m gonna go for the currywurst (it’s a biergarten, after all!). Two sliced-up sausages are served over super crunchy kettle chips, and it’s all drizzled with a tangy curry ketchup with a sprinkle of curry powder over top — perfect for sharing as you raise a glass and take in the view of sailboats bobbing along in the distance.

A little word to the wise: It costs $8 to park at the beer garden’s surface lot after the first half hour. If you show your parking voucher, you’ll earn a free beer, but if you’d rather not pay for parking, find a free spot in nearby Veterans Park and take a stroll over.

Location: 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

More information: warmemorialbeergarden.com

Cheese curds from Whitnall Park Beer Garden

Beer gardens are inherently a family-friendly spot, but the one in this picturesque park is even moreso. There’s a big playground on-site plus plenty of green space for kids to run and play while Mom and Dad tip one back.

The food menu, by the Gift of Wings Grill, is massive, loaded with food like burgers, brats, chicken tenders, tater tots, Palermo’s pizzas and fried pickle chips. But it also has weekly specials, like tacos on Tuesdays, monthly pig roasts on Sundays, and fish fries on Friday and Wednesday nights.

I’m making a mental note to get there for that pig roast, but until then, I’m happy snacking on the beer garden’s super tasty cheese curds. They’ve got a light and crispy batter that doesn’t sog or soften as time goes by, and the molten cheese inside is so ooey-gooey good. They’re up there with some of my favorite cheese curds in the city.

Not too many beer gardens offer ice cream, either, and Whitnall Park has its own mini scoop shop, with Chocolate Shoppe ice cream served in a bowl or waffle cone. A liter of beer with a scoop on the side? I’ll toast to that.

Location: 8831 N. Root River Parkway, Greendale

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

More information: whitnallbeergarden.com

Friday fish fry from Hubbard Park Beer Garden

Hubbard Park is one of the most tranquil beer gardens in the area, tucked away in the woods, perched above the Milwaukee River babbling below.

Fish fries aren’t typically an outdoor event, but they are here, where you can order from the adjoining Hubbard Park Lodge’s full Friday fish fry menu to enjoy in the beer garden. Just pop into the lodge, give them your order, and they’ll bag it up and bring it out to your picnic table.

I’ve long been a fan of Hubbard Park Lodge’s fish fry. Its walleye is crunchy and meaty and the hearty potato pancake pops with oniony flavor. Eating it inside the homey lodge is always a treat, but when the weather’s nice and you’re feeling a fish fry, eating it outdoors sure is a fun way to Friday.

Location: 3565 N. Morris Blvd., Shorewood

Hours: 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Fish fry available 4 to 8 p.m. Friday.

More information: hubbarparkbeergarden.com

Rachel Bernhard joined the Journal Sentinel as dining critic in June 2023. She’s been busy exploring the Milwaukee area food scene to share her favorite finds with readers along the way. Like all Journal Sentinel reporters, she buys all meals, accepts no gifts and is independent of all establishments she covers.

What should she cover next? Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @rachelbernhard or on Instagram at @rach.eats.mke.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 8 great eats at Milwaukee-area beer gardens