My girlfriend and I decided we wanted some good beer and food so we decided to give this place another try. We ordered the cheese board (cheese and charcuterie) minus the meat which was great, and I love how accommodating they were for us vegetarians. I would of hoped we would of had a slight mark down on the bill for excluding the meat, but the cost on the bill was still $15 even though we didn't get meat. I hope they add a simple cheese board to the menu in the future! We also had two side salads with orange vinaigrette and the hummus appetizer. The hummus appetizer came with fresh "hearth" bread, and it was very delicious. Overall our experience was better then our first, as we steered clear of the meatless wings and black bean burger. We will definitely keep visiting for beers and snacks and to see if they add further vegetarian options. And as always the service, atmosphere, and beer was great. read more

We were in the area and looking for a restaurant that could also accommodate our puppy. (I look forward to the day we can leave him home so we can have a relaxing evening out but that day was not this day.) I called ahead to make sure Explorium was pet friendly (sometimes places say they are but really aren't) and the host said we should absolutely bring our dog and he'd be happy to seat us on the patio. We were seated in the far corner so the puppy wouldn't be so distracted by his surroundings (and he wouldn't distract others). My husband and son both ordered burgers and were very happy. I had the chopped salad and it was also very good, if a bit overdressed. But the real star? The cheese curds. Oh my gosh...the absolute best we've ever had. Such a light, crispy coating, such a perfectly melty curd inside. My son wanted to immediately order another basket. I look forward to eating here again if only for the curds. read more

We really enjoyed our food. The content and flavoring was perfect. John was the server and I can't say enough good things about him (Very pleasant and positive personality). We ordered the Rueben with a strawberry margarita and Bison burger with a glorious bean. I look forward to returning someday. read more

Finally stopped in on a Friday night for dinner. The wait was about 40 minutes, but we grabbed drinks from the bar and sat by the pizza oven until our table was ready. Beer was good. I had the lager and golden ale, and my husband had a pale ale and the Hefeweizen. Prices were around $6 for 12 oz, which is pretty standard for a brewpub or craft brewery. The food wasn't terrible, but I felt it was severely overpriced for what we received. We shared the $14 calamari appetizer and thought that while the flavor of the chili sauce and sriracha was good, the rings were far too small and the aggregate amount of calamari was minimal for what we paid. For our entrees, we had the two bison burgers with truffle fries. For $18 and $19, respectively, I would have expected a better meal. Our burger patties seemed weak and were over-cooked, and overall we were just underwhelmed for the price we paid. This was not a ~$100 meal for two people. The calzones and flatbreads we saw coming out of the oven looked more appetizing, so maybe we'll try those if we visit again. Overall, the beer was good but we were very underwhelmed with the food. Explorium should consider lowering its food prices if it wants to remain competitive in this part of town. read more

I have tried the food many times very poor service every time from the workers and Maneger and they don't know how to take orders also they charge me different price on the same order Every time they mess up the order they say give us another chance but still they cannot do it right I'm very disappointed n I'll never go back read more

My girlfriend and I were there last night. 15 minutes passed and no server came to our table to even offer us a glass of water. We decided to leave. We went to the hostess station to let her know why we were leaving but it was unattended. We found the nearest server to advise her that we were leaving and that they could give our table to someone else. My girlfriend left a review here and on Facebook. She was contacted by the manager who was extremely apologetic. She was later contacted by the owner, who was also initially apologetic, but then sent her a second message saying that if we had tracked down the hostess the situation could have been rectified. Since when is it the responsibility of the customer to find someone and request to be served??? read more

A perfect mixture of relaxation and class. Made reservations for my wife's birthday. We were greeted with a smile and were sat 10 mins early. There's not a bad beer on tap. We had a couple flight's and can let you know, they truly have a beer for everyone. The only issue I had was trying to decide what to order off their menu. The Explorium has a wide array of delicious sounding food and appetizers. The ambiance was perfect for date night, but I will feel more than comfortable bringing the whole family next time. Great beer, great food, and great service. read more

Terrific dine and drink experience. Just discovered the Explorium completely by accident. I was looking for someplace to have lunch before heading to Boerner Botanical Garden. My husband and I had scrumptious burgers along with extra tasty brews here. Our wait person Molly was so on the ball. She was a delight! I was thrilled to find palatable gluten removed beers, gluten free buns and gluten free pizza crusts on the menu, so tell all your gluten-intolerant friends about this delicious Explorium. read more

I went here for my birthday and I would have to say that it was a wonderful choice. The restaurant is connected to where they craft over 20 different varieties of beers and beverages. They have a wonderful selection of food items, for all the diets you have. The rustic and dark environment of the place is welcoming to all ages and also very inclusive. I highly recommend this place to anyone going for a good time. read more

I met my brothers here a few months ago and the service was great! So many unique beers to choose from. They were out of a few of my top choices when I was there, but they have great choices and are happy to recommend something else based on your requests. Excited to go back! read more

This place has good food with a season menu that changes. Excellent beer and a good vibe. Not really the type of place you would expect attached to a mall but still delivers high quality food. Depending on what you order and how much you drink the bill can get a little pricey but that is all relative. I have been there three times now and they have maintained a high standard each time. read more

Love going here sitting on the patio and sampling beers. The food has pleasantly suprised me. Some of our favorites are deep battered meatloaf, wings, cheese ale dip, and truffle frittes. read more

Love the Food, fresh and yummy! Pretzel is the best! And I love the truffle fries! I gave them a five star because the food is good and one time the fries weren't perfect seems like they stayed out a bit and the oil had gotten them soft and truffle fries are supposed to be nice and crispy....but they made it right and credited me. Everyone will always have a bad or off day but what matters is that you make it right. read more

The three of us waited a long while for our burgers. When we asked the waiter, he said that because we ordered them medium well it takes longer. When the burgers finally came, my burger was under cooked, more like medium rare. I told the owner who said that they would remake it. Said they had one on the grill for me. Another long wait. My friends were done eating and my burger came. I asked for it to be to go because we had a movie to go to which was starting in a short bit. The owner said he wouldn't charge me for the burger, but when the bill came it was on the bill. They made out a new bill. The waiter, as well as the owner made excuses for the bad experience saying that it happened because they were busy. I can't see going back with so many better options near by. read more

So walked in for lunch last week, sometime end of Jan was a weekday. First thing menu. Hmmm no lunch menu not a big deal but than again not really want to eat that much either. Waitress was nice, asked about the special. Said nachos where on the menu as a special. Placed order asked for a beer. Said " Could you get me something similar to a Miller Lite. Omg not enough close im not a complainer so I worked thru something that tasted more like detergent than beer. Oh wait it gets better. Sorry sir the order for nachos the special starts at 3pm....yeah go ahead reread the special starts at 3 pm. Wtf who manages a place like this. So we settled for burgers....Ahhh I won't be back. As in never. Let me tell ya by the time I got the damn thing I could have waited till 3 for the nachos. No kidding came in at noon left closer to 2pm. What a joke. I give em a year. read more

We were greeted and seated promptly when we arrived at 4pm on a Thursday. The drink and beer menus are extensive and impressive for bourbon enthusiasts. The food menu is not as extensive as the alcohol menus, not that it's a bad thing. I ordered the All American Burger served on a brioche bun and a side (fries). My husband ordered the boneless chicken wings and a side salad. The burger and fries were good. The BrewBQ sauce was very good! The fries were hot and delicious. He didn't care for his salad because it was too "fru fru". I traded my fries for his salad. The ranch dressing was delicious! Now for the cons....the prices were very high. $14 for the boneless wings and up charges for modifications to dishes. The service was fair. We had to bring our empty drink glasses to her attention before we received refills. Several staff were gathered at the front of the restaurant socializing and goofing around. Not too sure we'll ever return due to the prices and just mediocre service. read more

Just bad service. Always wait forever to be seated and it's not crowded. Don't know if they're understaffed, or don't care. Seen the owner there a few times, and he seems like a great guy. Beers are good too. Service is just always lacking. Won't be back for a while. read more

Regardless of your thoughts on Southridge Mall, you don't even have to go inside to dine at The Explorium BrewPub. I highly recommend the mussels as an appetizer to share, we got the Provencal (our waitress said they were the most popular, came with roasted garlic, tomato, onion, olive oil, white wine, and Herbs de Provence) - they were very tasty and accompanied with a shareable piece of bread to dip in the delicious sauce. I wanted something lighter for dinner, and I ended up ordering the Brewhosue Chop Salad - the blacked steak was cooked medium rare to my liking, the blue cheese dressing paired phenomenally with the crisp romain and diced pear - very satisfying. My mom & step dad both ordered the crispy salmon, and while the flavors and salmon was done well, my step dad's salmon was VERY small compared to my mom's - he was disappointed of course, and it seems odd that they would serve 2 very different sizes to the same table. Regardless, they have an adorable outside patio area and many of their own brewed beers (including a Blonde, Hefeweizen, IPA, Porter, Stout, and more!) I definitely want to come back. read more

Best suburb local brewery and grub. Don't be fooled that it's part of the mall. Great wide range of inhouse beers. Always a delicious kabocha on tap. The food is revolving but with it's great staples. Highly recommend this joint. read more

The beer selection is excellent and always changing. The menu is always great, I have never been disappointed. The service is very attentive, the seasonal outdoor seating is very nice read more

Beer is always good. Most of food is really good had a really bad salmon dish. Other than that no complaints

It is hard to give this anything more than 1 star when the service is so bad your food never comes and they close the kitchen on you....

Have been here several times, the service is really great even on busy summer days on the patio. The beer is excellent. I recommend the scotch ale, which is exceptional. The food is really good but is the reason I give a 4 instead of a 5. We have had the charcuterie board which was really good but lacking in the meat department. The black eye burger is really good but comes with very few pickled onions. The Friday fish fry is AWESOME. Definitely recommend this place for some solid food, great service and great beer. read more

We ate here on Thursday and watched the Bucks game on a GIANT screen. The big a** pretzel was very good and the truffle fries never disappoint. Oh- and all the beer is delicious! Can't wait to hang out on the patio once the weather gets better again. read more

When you want a good meal and beer this is the place you want to go to. The friendliest brew pub in Milwaukee. Keep up the good work!

Nice job with putting it all together! Great beer and food offerings. I had the stuffed meatloaf. It's a lot of meat!

Truly amazing beer, good food, comfortable and stylish place. The proprietor is a real professional and knows what he's doing.

Sadly, our experience here was very underwhelming. I had seen this place come up several times in conversation in a Facebook group and began following their Facebook page, which advertises some great beer and food selections. Immediately upon arrival, we were greeted by our server who seemed upset right off the bat that we chose to sit inside instead of on the patio. She put us at a high top table in the bar area which worked fine and had plenty of space. We were given menus and not told any specials or information or recommendations on beer or food which sometimes I think really makes the experience, especially when you have such a huge selection. I asked for a mango beer that I had seen advertised on their Facebook page and was told I can only get that in a 4 pack. I settled on a peanut butter and jelly beer which was interesting, sour but did have the peanut butter flavor. Next, I tried a coconut porter that I did enjoy. Again, some recommendations or involvement from serving staff would have been most helpful for a first timer. We ordered cheese curds for an appetizer which were easily the best part of the meal. They are orange with a light batter and served with ranch and the serving was generous. I ordered the fish and chips which was soggy on the outside, but did have a good overall flavor if you can get past that. My husband had a Mac and cheese dish which he stated was very rich and filling but not something he would order again. My mother in law had a salmon salad which she enjoyed and was served with a generous and well cooked piece of salmon. Overall, this is a place with a fantastic beer selection and average bar food. The patio is beautiful, just a little too hot for us to enjoy that day. I will give this place another shot at some point, but it won't be the go to place that I was hoping for. read more

We kept hearing about this place, my son-in-law loves beer so this is one of his favorite places to go. I have made a loose commitment to try one new place a month so I chose this one. However I don't drink alcohol but I do love food! So my friend and I went and we had a good time...we ate and left were getting old so eating is it for us. Our waiter was very very nice and put up with my sense of humor, anyone who pretends to laugh at my attempt at being funny is awesome. My friend ordered the meatloaf and said it was ok, nothing out of this world. I had the big BLAT and it was great but I'm going to say the mashed potatoes were so good. I would go back just for those alone!! I also had soup but for the life of me I can't remember what kind. Sorry Explorium! So would I go back? Yes I would, just to have mashed potatoes and a new entree. read more

Good beer, brewed inhouse. Usually a diverse selection, from heavy-hard core IPAs and stouts to lighter quaffs. Food is OK, wish they had a little larger selection. Had a great brunch but disontinued it. Service is always friendly, ready to let you sample beers. read more

Was pleasantly impressed with the Explorium! Came in on a Friday night around 730pm. Had about a 15 minute wait, so not too bad. Got a nice table by the windows and had a very friendly server. I ordered a calzone which was HUGE and def good enough for sharing. We still even had some left over. Oh - and the pretzel - OMG it was a HUGE! Pricey for $14, but ehh. It was delicious! read more

This is seriously a really great place. From the music to the decor to the food and beer....it's just so....now. Love it!

We stopped here with our pub pass since we were in the neighborhood to grab a quick beer before finishing our tasks for the day. The beer was delicious. The hummus was amazing! We will definitely be back to try more beer and food. read more

My girlfriend and I went here once just to give it a whirl. Overall not bad but not the greatest we came here in a pinch but we wouldn't go out of our way to come back. read more

Omg they have a great Bloody Mary bar on Sundays. In the summer biker juice beer is the best. The food is good and the owner is there to talk to everyone love it there. read more

Server was really nice and attentive. Food was good always a nice default spot when you want a nice place but nothing too crazy.

Super delicious! Giant pretzel! Bacon wrapped meatloaf! All kinds of beer! Only complaint was my daughter's burger was a little overcooked. Wish there were a little more seating. Wish we lived closer to try more things. read more

Was disappointed in the staff's unwillingness to make my order correctly or at all. Was finishing up a drink at the bar and had ordered some wings togo. The bartender was super apoligic because she had noticed the wings were taking awhile. After about 30 minutes she went to go check on them, turns out the kitchen didnt even start them.... When they finally came out, they were not in a bag, didn't have my ranch and didn't have my carrots or celery. I had to ask 2 separate staff members for a bag and my ranch and carrots and celery, both times staff seemed unwilling to get my order correctly and showed no remorse to their own mistakes. Honestly disappointed. read more

Really cool place. Great food great staff. And freaking great beers. Wine mixers they have it! Hope the new location is just as good.

The atmosphere, food and beverages are amazing! I haven't had one thing on the menu that I didn't like. Great vibe.