Lakefront Brewery Has Tasty Food

Lakefront Brewery. Photo taken Aug. 8, 2025 by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

My history with Lakefront Brewery goes back to 1996 when I wrote The Food Lover’s Guide to Milwaukee. I got lucky when I happened on a small brewery on Chambers Street in Riverwest on a day when they were tasting their new fruit brews, cherry and pumpkin. The person who shared samples with me described the cherry brew like this: “It’s tart, hollow, woody, with a champagne flavor that ends with a hint of malt and hops,” a mouthful of words to describe a beer that tasted like, well, cherry. They made it, then and now, with Door County cherries, including the pits to add a hint of almond to the mix. The second sample, pumpkin lager, I later learned was a recipe that originally came from Thomas Jefferson.

From their unpretentious beginning on Chambers, in 2000, Lakefront took their beer operation to Commerce Street by the Milwaukee River where they brew and serve food in a rathskeller-like room with long communal tables.

When you come for a meal, it is a slick operation. You pick up a menu, order at the counter, and in a very short time, a server delivers your meal. If you want a drink, you order it separately at the bar where you can choose from 18 taps, fountain drinks, or the refreshing house-made golden maple root beer.

If you come on a Friday, you will get the Friday menu, a scaled-down version of the regular menu because the fish fry is the main event. My companion’s fish tacos, strips of beer-battered cod neatly tucked into a flour tortilla were a rave. Also, inside the tortilla there were micro greens, chopped tomatoes, and hidden underneath the cod, coleslaw. The side, house-made sour cream and cheddar kettle chips, were unique in their toasty flavor.

Because it was Friday, the corn and clam chowder was the soup du jour. It was thick and loaded with corn, clams, and potato chunks. In hindsight, I should have ordered a bowl not a cup, it was that good. The chicken bacon ranch salad delivered everything the menu promised. Crisp chicken strips and bacon crumbles starred in this large healthy bowl filled with red onions, carrots, tomatoes, shredded cheese, cucumber, buttery croutons, and mixed greens. Ranch dressing was served on the side. We both finished our meals with a cherry cheesecake bar.

A week later, on a hot, sticky humid day, my companion and I discovered the Heat Advisory Menu, a very scaled-down version of the regular menu that was designed to give the kitchen crew relief from the blistering heat. From the sandwiches, a chicken wrap, a turkey club wrap, an Italian sub, and a vegan egg salad, I chose the turkey sub on a hoagie bun. I have had better, but the kettle chips made up for the tired sammie.

My companion’s flatbread, the Commerce Street classic, was a winner. The chef crisped the flatbread and topped it with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, and a drizzle of balsamic. It you come on a Heat Advisory day, you could also order a salad, fries, cheese fries, cheese curds, or a soft pretzel.

Before I came for a third lunch, I called ahead. This time we got the daily menu. It took a quick glance to decide the pot roast sandwich had my name on it. Instead of slicing the meat, the chef chopped it and piled it on a grilled brioche bun that was smeared with jalapeno cream cheese. A cup of onion gravy, like an au jus, came on the side. This gravy, filled with chopped onions, was not made for dipping. I poured every drop on the sandwich and ate it open-faced. If you order this sandwich, you will discover a delectable marriage of succulent and spicy, or in a word, umami. If you are a light eater, you could almost call the accompanying side salad your meal.

My companion’s sausage flight, a beer-poached brat, kielbasa with sauerkraut, and an all-beef frankfurter with raw onions, was a meal you’ll want to wash down with a beer or two. The sausages were served on a wooden board with Polish mustard, beer-braised onions, and cheese sauce. If you are hungry, go for it. The sausages were tender and the accoutrements added just enough to amplify the flavors of the meat.

Just for fun, we ordered the curd of the month. To honor National Peach Month, the chef dipped the curds in peach batter, deep-fried them, and then topped them with peach cobbler crumble and vanilla frosting. They tasted like mini-beignets with an unexpected chewy cheese center. You could call them dessert and pair them with the recommended bumble bear beer for a sweet ending.

Not only is the brewery a good place for a meal, it also appeared to serve as a place where people come with laptops and settle in for the afternoon. You could start with lunch and a pumpkin lager and follow it with coffee and a cherry cheese bar. Then, later, you could move on to a Lakefront mai bock and end with dinner, perhaps a fish fry or a sausage flight. They will kick you out at 9:00 but what a fine way to spend a day eating and drinking, and maybe get a bit of work done, too.

On the Menu

123►

Photo Gallery

The Rundown

• Location: 1872 N. Commerce St.
• Phone: 414-372-8800
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sat, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun. Friday lunch: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fish Fry: 4 p.m. to 9 pm.
• Website: http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lakefront
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakefront