Sprecher's Restaurant and Pub

In a word: Root, root, root beer for the home team (and not much else).

 The specs: #0605  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at 77 Square, Eat Drink Madison blog, chzcurds.com, 43North/89West, Madison Beer Review, Open Table, Yelp, Trip Advisor, City Data, Homebrewtalk, IsthmusTDP, Roadfood, Ruppert Food Blog, Isthmus, Madison Fish Fry, collected at del.icio.us; opening announcement at Madison Beer Review; listing at Eat Drink Madison; official web site, Facebook, 

Latest Sprecher's Restaurant and Pub news and reviews

JM ate the pulled pork sandwich with pub fries and a root beer.
Jesse L. ate the pub burger with pub fries and an Abbey Triple.
Nichole ate the Reuben with sweet potato fries and a Black Bavarian.
Stacy L. ate the NY strip with sweet potato fries and beer cheese potatoes and an orange soda.
The bill was $70, or $18/person, plus tip.
Jesse gave Sprecher's Restaurant and Pub a B; Nichole, JM and Stacy gave Sprecher's Restaurant and Pub a C+ (see our grading rubric).

Sprecher's patio is practically a haunt for us considering we hardly ever go anywhere twice, preferring to keep ticking items off the list whenever possible. We went once in August for a burger project and coming back in October pretty much sated our lifetime interest in the place, at least relative to its merit. Both times, the fun of the company outshone the quality of the food.

The pub, of course, serves the brews from Milwaukee, and the kitchen works the beer into a few menu items. The beeriness of the pub fries and beer cheese potatoes was nominal. A cup of beer cheese soup might have been beerier but we wouldn't know because it never arrived.

The pub burger was good-looking, with ample cheddar and bleu cheese, fresh vegetables, and onions diced into the handmade patty. It was a little more done than Jesse had ordered it.

The pulled pork sandwich had some really good tastes going on, but the crusty cutlass of bread was hard to eat. A single, huge onion ring as topping added some heft and a peppery flavor.

The reuben had perfectly uniform, Buddig-thin corned beef slices lost between two slices of swiss, kraut, and a surfeit of Russian dressing. It held together thanks to good, toasted marble rye, but was boring next to the sweet and salty crispness of the crinkle-cut sweet potato fries.

The New York strip was fine - not bad, just not something we'd make a special trip for. The cut was somewhat bland and fatty, and, like the burger, had been ordered medium rare and was done medium to medium-well. The sweet potato fries were consistent from plate to plate, nice and crispy, but the beer cheese potatoes were pretty in red jackets and green onions but beyond that not notable.

Service was spotty (such as the wayward soup and drinks arriving after the entrees); the food only OK. We didn't try the beanbag toss or sit at one of the tables with a built-in fireplace, factors which might have raised the grade we gave Sprecher's.

Comments

[Mike]

Sprecher's beer is very special at the brewery. At the Pub it's worse than in the bottles. The two times I went they over carbonated the beer on tap. The food is always disappointing. It seems like something I should really like, but then I taste it. I've also never had decent service, let alone good service. I wish that place was better, just like I wish the Hilldale Great Dane was more like their downtown location.

[Marissa]

I've been there twice and agree that I had high hopes that were dashed and tossed. The only thing that was amazing was the cherry limeaid cocktail. If I could take a pitcher of that to go (to a better restaurant), I'd be in heaven.

[Michelle Anderson]

Ate at Sprecher's today and it was great. Our server was on her game, had the beers down and recommended the Cajun Pasta (was craving Jambalaya) and it was spot on. My date had a filet, cooked perfect and thoroughly enjoyed the beer cheese potatoes on the side. You should not pass this place by, we will return!

[Skip]

Scheiße. I think we're going there tonight. I pray the sauerbraten und schnitzel sind gut.