A Milwaukee restaurant staple recently jumped off the Water Street strip, and in a newly built location with a patio comparable to the old spot (now inhabited by Bar Louie) Brew City, 125 E. Juneau Ave., continues to provide classic Milwaukee fare.

With ruby red booths and décor dedicated to the likes of Valentine Blatz, Captain Frederick Pabst, Joseph Pabst and Frederick Miller, the new Brew City, part of the R.C. Schmidt Restaurant empire -- along with The Historic Turner Restaurant, Water Street Brewery, Oakland Trattoria, Rudy's Mexican Restaurant and Louise's -- fits in well with its neighbor, The Harp.

The menu sports more salads than at the previous location, but is, for the most part, mostly unchanged. The name sums up the menu: predominantly basic bar food, some of which is in tribute to Milwaukee's German heritage.

The appetizer list features bar starters like wings ($8.95), nachos ($8.95) and mozzarella marinara ($6.95). Entrees and sandwiches have some focus on BBQ and beef brisket, but more on down-home, chow down classics like cheeseburgers ($7.25) and a brat ($6.95).

On a few recent visits, we sampled the brisket ($12.95), a tender and smoked cut that was very good, yet yearned for something a bit more than the accompanying au jus. The french fries were very good, but our waitress stuck her finger in the baked beans as she placed them on the table.

The sausage platter ($9.95) was a fun sampling of bratwurst and knackwurst (a mild pork and beef sausage laced with garlic and onions) with braised red cabbage and gratin potatoes. Jambalaya ($10.95) carried the standard mixture of ham, andouille sausage and chicken, and the restaurant's signature pig sandwich ($7.95) lived up to its name, with pulled pork in a plain barbecue sauce.

Food here is not outstanding, but it sticks to your ribs, and if you're out and about knocking back a few beers and looking for something to fill your stomach, the menu at Brew City will do the trick.

As for beer, in addition to the Water Street Brewery beer selections, Brew City also tenders the Milwaukee classics: Pabst, Blatz, Schlitz and Miller, alongside a solid selection of imports and domestics.

It should however be noted, that on two visits, during lunch, service was average or marginally above average, but on a dinner visit, our server was appalling and rude.

Along with fingers in the beans, we had to ask multiple times for water and glasses for our bottles of beer, a fruit garnish never appeared despite multiple requests, our waitress banged her tray on our table repeatedly while speaking to us, and wiped her nose during one visit to our table. When she brought our check, she read the total aloud to everyone within earshot.

Service issues aside, Brew City's transition to its new space has been a clean one, and has allowed the venue more growing space. With the continuing redevelopment of Downtown, it is refreshing to see a long-lived venue continue to thrive serving standard, blue-collar food.

Beer may have made Milwaukee famous, but it is restaurants like Brew City that have helped to keep the memories of the local entrepreneurs behind it alive.

23 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 27, 2006 at 11:56 a.m. (report)

Dan said: Ghetto just recently gave Brew City 3 stars, I think.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 20, 2006 at 3:17 p.m. (report)

Finch said: I just ate there last night and the food was sub-par. Not what I remembered it being. I ordered the baby back ribs which did not specify half or full rack so I assumed it was full and it wasn't. I had to as for sauce on the side and the ribs themselves were ok at best.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 20, 2006 at 11:45 a.m. (report)

Tom said: Well they used to have a good pork sandwhich and now it is sadly just cheap cubed and fat packed pork. One bad meal says it all and I'm not going back.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 18, 2006 at 1:58 p.m. (report)

linda said: I have had great food and service and a very pleasant, hardworking waitress.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 13, 2006 at 10:04 a.m. (report)

Kaylee said: I have actually found the food to be quite good. I had an exceptional server who, once I asked for recommendations, rattled off a list of about 5 different dishes that she found to be good. My 3 friends and I tried 4 of her suggestions and found them to be excellent. Personally, I have found that the service there is hit or miss, either getting an exceptional server, or one who repeatedly forgets condiments and drinks we ask for. It's a downtown restaurant... are there really inexpensive restaurants down there anymore? If that's what you're looking for then hit up your local McDonalds.