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    Gard's

    3.2 (13 reviews)
    InexpensiveAmerican
    Open 11:00 am - 2:30 AM (Next day)

    Gard's Photos

    GARD'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Fish fry Friday
    George T.

    Gards Schmards, you save big money you save big money. Save big money at m-------ds. If you sang that last line you might be from The Midwest, and its been burned into your DNA. Same with fish fridays at the local taverns, This is a basic triangular tavern dive good comfy seats. Outside smoking shelter. With picnic tables and seating. Near the corner pub. They are known for Fish Fry Friday and friendly people here. Drinks made right. At a good price. The bar is a bit smaller and seats are softer and parking is on the street all around the triangle. Food 5 Ambiance 3 Service 4 Location 3 Value 5

    Mark P.

    Gaaaaarrd'ss! Great dive bar with damn good drinks at a bargain price. Eric & Shannon do an awesome job behind the bar. Best of all, they are always entertaining & funny. Drink specials can be had anytime the bar is open, every hour is happy hour at Gard's. Shane rocks it in the kitchen, I especially like his Friday fish fry or the $2 burger on Saturdays. Both a deal & a kickin' meal. The joint is inviting & comfortable. The local crowd is friendly. Plenty of street parking. The place never disappoints!

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    9 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Best and most affordable burgers in town. Go in on Saturday from 12-3:00. Amazing dbl cheeseburger and fries for only $3.00!

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    Story Hill BKC - Good Morning Viet Nam!! Great special today

    Story Hill BKC

    4.6(830 reviews)
    2.9 miStory Hill
    $$

    I've been here before, but I don't know that I've ever ordered as well. The special was a giant…read moreburger that my new friends at the bar were splitting, but most of the menu is set up more family style - divided by plate size. The waitstaff will walk you through how that works your first time. We started with some of the taste & share plates - showing off WI cheese to the out of towners - and then a few people shared some gnocchi and beef tartare while a couple people got burgers. We had maybe 4 bites leftover, and no room for dessert, it was a personal victory. I'm sad I didn't get photos because I love the feel of each unique area that's here. The restaurant is bigger than you think because it's subdivided into smaller rooms. We had a group of 7 for a work event (which meant I kept my phone put away) and were in a cozy little nook in the back by ourselves, I'd never even noticed this little spot. What a fantastic time we had!

    I really love Story Hill, the only reason I knock it down a star is that despite being good food -…read moreI still feel like it's a bit over priced. It's a great environment with a lot of good drink options. I always opt for the Parker rolls which are tasty but again expensive for the amount you get, I typically order the trout (which until coming here I didn't realize was essentially the same as salmon). It's very good and the potato pancake is a nice touch. Over my visits I've also enjoyed trying the short rib gnocchi, butter chicken, and brussels. They also have a small party room which I have attended an event in before which is always a nice touch. It's secluded and of course much quieter than their main dining area which can get pretty loud!

    Photos
    Story Hill BKC - Liquor store area with seating

    Liquor store area with seating

    Story Hill BKC - Amazing cinnamon roll!

    Amazing cinnamon roll!

    Story Hill BKC - Indoor space

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    Indoor space

    Swingin' Door Exchange - Carrots and Grilled Beets!! Delicious

    Swingin' Door Exchange

    4.5(1.2k reviews)
    5.4 miDowntown, East Town
    $$

    We were happy to find parking super close to the front door and then dismayed to find out we had a…read more45 minute wait time with nowhere to sit or stand without being in the way of servers. We got lucky and had bar seats open up after about 5 minutes which allowed us to grab cocktails and relax. After a bit we ordered some Brussel sprouts as an appetitizer and before they could show up our table opened up. My wife chose the 2 piece cod fry with chips while I opted for the perch fry with fries. Everything was spectacular. The bartenders were jumping around each other to keep people happy at the bar and the rest of the staff get people's bellies filled with food. If you go keep in mind there are no reservations and will probably be a wait, but they will take great care of you and serve you some awesome fish!

    I was heading to the Downer Theater after work for a movie on Friday night and of course wanted a…read morefish fry beforehand. I surprisingly don't have many options in my "MKE - Fish Fry" collection that are near downtown, but Swinging Door Exchange was one of them. I was pressed for time, so I placed a to go order rather than dining in. I got the combo fish fry (two pieces of cod, two pieces of perch, and three fried shrimp) with potato pancakes. I was also very easily talked into the half rack rib appetizer. The ribs were good, even though I prefer sauce that's more sweet and smokey. Their sauce was on the tangy side with a tease of spice that really only became noticeable when the majority of the half rack was gone. If I were in the mood for ribs as my main meal, I'd consider getting theirs as an entree. The two potato pancakes weren't homemade; instead, they were premade hash brown patties that some other restaurants also serve with their fish frys. These were perfectly acceptable in lieu of homemade pancakes. The cod tasted great, but the breading didn't hold up very well. Either the fish itself was too wet or the two block walk back to my car allowed for condensation to wreck it or possibly both. The perch was not yellow lake perch but probably something like pike perch. Even though both kinds of fish and the shrimp were all good sized portions, $29 feels like a lot. I wouldn't say no to it, though, if I were dining in next time and avoid the extra cost of their takeout fee. Shout-out to the bartenders working that night. The bar area was absolutely packed, but both of the ones I talked to about placing my order were friendly and helpful even with being super busy.

    Photos
    Swingin' Door Exchange - Hometown old school bar and restaurant. Has a Cheers feel to it

    Hometown old school bar and restaurant. Has a Cheers feel to it

    Swingin' Door Exchange - Ahi Tuna Steak

    Ahi Tuna Steak

    Swingin' Door Exchange - Historic Mackie Building, once the site of the Grain Exchange. Swingin Door is bottom right

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    Historic Mackie Building, once the site of the Grain Exchange. Swingin Door is bottom right

    Oak Barrel Public House - Whiskey Battered Cheese Curds

    Oak Barrel Public House

    3.9(368 reviews)
    4.9 miWestown, Bronzeville
    $$

    Our night at Oak Barrel was wonderful. Our food was delicious. The music was spot on. More than…read moreanything though, the service was so wonderful. The manager was so kind and so attentive. The servers were checking in on us and made sure me and my daughter had a great night. Great staff!

    Came here on a Friday night around 6pm for dinner, there were three of us, one child. The street…read morewas busy, full of older adults, drinking so we thought it would be hard to get a table, but it was very easy. They have a catcher machine in here, I got one, didn't win. They start you with free bacon grease popcorn, it was tasty, you can for sure taste the bacon! The staff were efficient, quick, nice. I got a German beer, and a soda water, my partner did as well. My kiddo got a lemonade. For appetizers we got the pretzel sticks, and the curds with marinara and ranch. So good! Both were well seasoned and delicious. For meals, I got the chicken Caesar salad wrap, with fries. It was good, creamy, and I had crispy chicken replace the grilled. The fries were good. My partner got the Cajun Mac and cheese with chicken and the waitress suggested a side of fries, he said it was very good. My child got the pepperoni pizza, they have a 12inch pizza and it was enjoyed! Definitely recommend for dinner when you're about to go to a show or if you're in the area!

    Photos
    Oak Barrel Public House - Bar

    Bar

    Oak Barrel Public House - Cheese pizza

    Cheese pizza

    Oak Barrel Public House - Regular Bacon Fat Popcorn

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    Regular Bacon Fat Popcorn

    Maxie's - Soup

    Maxie's

    4.2(932 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    Okay, I'm going to dish in a second. But overall - Maxie's…read moreis a super cool vibe. The colors, the well-placed low lighting, the appropriate volume of cajun music ... all done in excellent taste. The waitstaff is INCREDIBLE. They all seem to be having a great time, when it's slow, and when it's busy, which is important to see; plus, they help each other out. Waiters, bartenders, bussers, hosts, food-runners - they're often smiling and helpful to anyone. Not only did our waiter Scotty take amazing care of us (a group of 10 on a Saturday night, all arriving at different times; and he had many other tables besides us), but his teammates helped bring drinks, clear the table, and our deliver our food. Everything was timely, fresh, and as far as I know, no errors were made with drinks or food. We were all quite satisfied with our meal. The reason I give 3 stars is, for some reason I do not understand, near the end of our meal, we heard a man yelling quite loudly from the kitchen area AT OUR SERVER. The man (manager I assume) was insisting that Scotty was not attentive to us (and I can't discern a single reason why this would be claimed). Even if he noticed something we didn't -- it could have been a moment of quiet criticism, but this dude turned it into a screaming fit. And he could not have been more wrong. In fact overhearing this exchange (right around the corner, within full earshot of us and the back half of the restaurant) was the ONLY thing that soured our otherwise amazing experience. We then watched who I assume was the same guy (red-faced and angry) sit down at a table very close to us, and our server return a moment later somewhat shaken up. It was awful. We made sure to congratulate him loudly on his impeccable service after that. I don't know if the manager heard or not. But one can hope. This was not my first time here, but it was the first time I've experienced anything like this. Like I said, the team seems solid, our service is always timely and kind (and often, incredibly FUN) even when they're PACKED, the food is bangin', the oysters are fresh and delicious, and EVERYTHING is well priced & spiced! So we will be back. But we really hated seeing our waiter treated like that. For anyone who doesn't know - waiters in WI currently make $2.33/hour. This is below the federal wage rate of $7.25/hour for the same job. They survive off your tips. If they're good, they're great, and GOD BLESS THEM - they must do what they do because they love people. This manager did not seem to appreciate what he had right in front of him. But we did!!!! GO SCOTTY GOOOOO

    My husband and I were lucky enough to snag a last minute, late-evening Valentine's Day reservation…read moreat Maxie's, which happened to also be during their week-long Mardi Gras celebration. Needless to say, it was crowded and lively, but our table was waiting for us and we were sat immediately. Our server was friendly, attentive, and very helpful with our menu choices, which were limited due to their Madi Gras-only offerings, but also plentiful and varied. My husband decided on the jambalaya, I went with the crawfish étouffée, and we split the roasted Cajun cauliflower as an appetizer. While it's hard for this kind of stew-like, saucy, veggie/sausage/seafood over rice mixtures to present beautifully, everything looked, smelled, and tasted delicious. The jambalaya had a little more of a kick than I prefer, but my husband loved it and my crawfish étouffée had the perfect amount of spice without being spicy. The roasted cauliflower was cooked to perfection and was the perfect way to start the meal. Not pictured is the bananas foster bread pudding that was the perfect way to end it. We both left with extra food to take home and the memory of a wonderful meal and great experience.

    Photos
    Maxie's - Interior

    Interior

    Maxie's - Beef Short Rib Pasta special

    Beef Short Rib Pasta special

    Maxie's

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    Gard's - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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