Don’t Pass Up Hooligan’s Restaurant

Hooligan’s Super Bar. Photo by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

It was a photo of a hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep-fried, and covered with melted cheese, that led me to Hooligan’s Super Bar.

That indulgent hot dog, known as the Frankenweenie, turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more. In addition to its combination of fat and more fat, it was served on a New England-style bun with a large opening that left room for the 1/4 lb. hot dog. The bun was grilled on both sides which added to the flavor of every crisp cheesy bacony bite. The chef finished it with a drizzle of house-made BBQ sauce. You can also order this one-quarter pound hot dog with chili, The Big Ol’ Chili Dog, or the Jalapeno Dog with pepper jack and jalapeno relish.

My companion went mainstream with the Rachel, a reuben made with oven-roasted turkey instead of corned beef. The rye bread was grilled and the turkey slices were thick and tender. The potato salad side was a creamy dish of sliced potatoes and the blue cheese coleslaw, another side, had just enough blue cheese to make it interesting without overwhelming the rest of the slaw. Other sides included fries, waffle fries, tater tots, a side salad and a bag of k kettle chips.

We learned from our server, Tess, that Hooligan’s has been a Milwaukee staple since 1936 and that makes it older than most of its customers. Tess was a server in 2020 when a fire broke out in the kitchen in November. She also told us that owner Mark Buesing has worked at Hooligan’s for most of his adult life, which probably means he washed dishes, served, cleaned up, cooked and did all the other miscellaneous tasks that go on behind the scenes of a well-run restaurant. Thanks to Buesing and the former owners, Hooligan’s is more than an East Side bar, it is an excellent restaurant that also happens to be a bar.

Because each of the five burgers on the menu sounded too good to pass on, my companion ordered the Hooli-Burger with melted cheddar, bacon, black and green olives, BBQ sauce, lettuce, and mayo. Everything tasted fresh, the bacon was crisp, the burger juicy and a perfect medium-rare, and the olives briny and salty. Even the flavor of the mayo was present and according to Tess, it was house-made. Other burgers included a traditional burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion; a Blue Cheese Burger; a burger with Monterey jack and cheddar; and one with bacon, pepper jack, jalapeno, and chipotle cream cheese.

There are four seafood sandwiches including California Catfish and Chipotle Catfish. For my companion’s California Catfish, the combination of provolone, avocado, tomato, and chipotle cream cheese balanced salty and spicy to complement the deep-fried catfish. Cajun seasoned Bang Bang Shrimp in a wrap with pepper jack and house-made Sriracha mayo and Blackened Salmon BLT with Cajun remoulade completed the seafood options unless you come on a Friday for the Fish Fry. Then Hooligan’s serves Walleye, Cod, and Red Hook Beer Battered Shrimp.

For the Crisp Country Chicken Sandwich, the chef fried buttermilk-marinated chicken tenders and added cheddar, sauteed onions, red leaf lettuce, tomato and house-made Sriracha mayo.  All these flavors piled in between slices of thick, buttery, toasted French bread made a perfectly balanced chicken sandwich.

We preceded our lunch with two appetizers, Hearty Chili and Spinach and Artichoke Dip. The chili was thick and hearty as advertised and almost a meal in a bowl after the addition of cheddar, jalapenos, onions, and sour cream. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip exceeded our expectations. It was served in a bread bowl with toasted pita, tortilla chips, and the buttered and grilled bread from the top of the bread bowl. To add extra flavor, the edges of the bread bowl were also grilled. It was meant to be shared, but it could easily be a meal for one.

Vegetarians will appreciate the West Coast Veggie Wrap with avocado, mushrooms, pepper jack, and roasted red peppers, and served with a side of house-made ranch dressing. There is also a Garden Burger Burrito, a Cheese Quesadilla, Fried Cheddar Cheese Curds and Hooligan’s Nachos.

When I mentioned to friends that I was doing this review, I heard, “Why? It’s just a bar.”

I respectfully disagree. Hooligan’s is much more. Yes, it is a bar, but at Hooligan’s you will also find tasty, unfussy food served without pretensions and creative sandwiches and burgers that rival some the best Milwaukee has to offer.

On the Menu

12►

Photo Gallery

The Rundown

• Location: 2017 E. North Ave.
• Phone: 414-273-5230
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Mon-Sun. (Kitchen closes at 9 p.m.)
• Neighborhood: East Side, Lower East Side
• Website: https://www.hooligansmke.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hooligansmke

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.