We loved our lunch at Inventors Brewpub in Port Washington! The restaurant is right on the harbor, and even though we sat inside, we still had beautiful views of the harbor and Lake Michigan. We enjoyed trying a flight of beers, and honestly, we liked everything we sampled! I especially loved the fish tacos, which our waitress recommended--they were delicious! The whole place is super cute, with fun inventor-themed décor throughout that ties perfectly into the name. Great food, good beer, lovely views, and friendly service made for a really enjoyable experience. Definitely a great stop when you're in Port Washington! read more

Inventors Brewpub - Flight - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

See all

Large restaurant with plenty of seating right on Lake Michigan. Before or after dinner you can walk the docks and look at the boats. We had a large party from work and the waitress took really good care of us. Affordable prices too. My lake perch dinner was the most expensive meal on the menu at $24.00. Great cheese curds and Bavarian pretzel apps. read more

Inventors Brewpub - Yellow Lake Perch Dinner - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

Unfortunately the food was not good. We had fish fry and also fish po boy. It was cold and rather soft for deep fried. Chicken bites looked like gray rubber and tasted like nothing. The duck wontons were ok but really couldn't taste the duck. Menus are laminated and were sticky. The service was great, though, and the view of the harbor is great. Would go back only for the drinks / view on a nice day. read more

The Port marina gives small town vacation vibes, and this cool pub sits right alongside of it! We were traveling through the area and stopped for an early dinner. I was certainly surprised how big this place was - tons of seating at the sprawling bar, big booths, low tops, and on the patio. The hostess wasn't the friendliest gal around, but she did get us quickly seated. Our server however was super sweet and attentive! She kindly took the order for our kiddos first, as they were starving and ready to eat. We split an order of the mac n cheese for them and let me tell ya that was plenty! A big skilled came out filled with cavatappi-style noodles, lathered in a cheesey sauce. We also got them honey glazed carrots and applesauce as sides. Needless to say, it was all demolished by our little guys. I had a glad of the pinot noir which was delightful, and hit the spot on a crisp fall afternoon. As for ordering dinner, that was a tough one because they have quite the variety of good options. In the end I chose the mahi mahi tacos - great pick. Another very generous portion. Three massive tacos with very good size fish pieces in each. They were blackened and topped with a spicy pico salsa of sorts. My head was bigger than my stomach attempting to eat them all, because they really were tasty. My husband went with the crispy chicken sandwich and said he'd wished it came with a sauce, as it was fairly dry, but he ate it nonetheless. Prices here are a tad on the high side imo, but there are plenty of good selections for both food & drink. I think my fave thing about this restaurant was that it's all open-air, with the huge garage doors opening up to face the boats. Such welcoming vibes, especially this time of year! read more

See all

Food - was decent. We just wanted a bite to eat so we split the chicken tenders and each had a cup of soup. My guess the chicken tenders were frozen and soup was from a food distributor. Since it's a brew pub I thinks it's a misopportunity not to hand batter the chicken is a beer batter. Ambiance - bright windows and spacious. Service - horrible. We sat at the bar on a Tuesday afternoon. There was one man already seated and eating. There were two women who were finishing up eating and then left. The bartender (Emma) walked past us several times without acknowledging us. At first I assumed she was clearing some plates and glasses and taking care of a check. But then she didn't come over to offer water, menus or even say hello. I had to ask for menus, then she offered to take our drink order. We had to get her attention to place our food order. She never checked with us after our food was delivered. I had to again flagged her down to get refills. The whole time we were the only people at the bar beside the one man who was eating a burger. The bartender had no problem chatting with him. We were actually ignored. I won't be going back because the treatment was so bad. read more

Just ok. Service was slow on a day when we really didn't have time to spend 2 hours eating lunch. The waitress was a little awkward. "I can give you two or three refills but then you have to buy another soda." Ok if that's your policy, and also I'm totally fine if they aren't free refills on soda, but it was just weird and awkward the way she led with that. The food was average. I had a perch sandwich and beer cheese soup. The kids seemed to like what they ordered - one with a California chicken sandwich and the other with the kids tenders. Both raved about the fries. Kids meals were half off on Sunday, which was cool. The location on the marina is gorgeous. Their beer menu wasn't super updated, but I did get to try a pastry sour that was pretty good. read more

The burgers are great but the rest of the menu was way off. My friend and I chose the glazed carrots as a sweet treat. There was nothing glazed about them! They were supposed to be in honey but the sauce was way too watery to be honey alone and not the least bit sweet. It was very disappointing. The restaurant has also gotten rid of all its dessert menu. All you can get is cheesecake with syrup on it -- which is very disappointing as well. I love going out for drinks and desserts. They might want to rethink THAT! Even 3 or 4 fabulous dessert features with the special drink of the day would be better than generic cheesecake with syrup - ! We went at lunchtime on a Sunday and the service was off too. The server was friendly enough but not very attentive. Because I had a service dog, the hostess chose to sit us close to the door even though she walked us all the way through the restaurant to sit us by the front revolving doors and the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived. We parked near the banquet entrance so it was very inconvenient to walk all the way thru with the dog and my elderly friend (who is partially blind) in the dark restaurant. Often hostesses do this to put me and the dog near the door. I told her I stage require that or prefer that. I knew my friend would be too cold. The hostess ignored me! Technically, it's illegal to treat me different because I have a service animal! It's also a violation of my rights as a person with a disability. I'm not sure why the rules about how to treat people with legitimate service animals, in this day and time, still confuse businesses. Check the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or bring in a sensitivity trainer. Get it together! Really? Please train your staff on how to be professional and courteous. All the running around, acting confused, and picking bad seating gets annoying! It forces me to be a hostess to people who are treating me badly because I'm disabled. ADA is a Federal law! Everyone has to follow it. Our designated seat was right in front of the cold and windy revolving door. Our server couldn't get the bill right. Our carrots were not honey sweet. BUT -- the burger was delicious! It was grilled perfectly -- even though they forgot my lettuce, and tomatoes!!! I've eaten here before so I'm not sure what was going on this time. I don't know that I'll take any more of my friends here. I choose not to work so hard to enjoy my meal! Maybe, others will have better luck or maybe if I had been drinking something stronger than water, I might not have noticed or cared. It is a place better known for its specialty drinks, to be fair! read more

Inventors Brewpub - The burger was grilled well. The carrots were clearly not glazed. I finally got some lettuce and tomatoes. - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

Third time at the restaurant, problems every time. Problem started at the hostess before we ordered. I asked to speak to the manager. One girl said sure, the other asked what the problem was. Trying to be easy but the hostess decided she could handle this. I washed up before dinner and saw that there was no soap in the men's room. I also told them the restroom had toilet paper all over the room. Urnals, sinks and toilets. Any manager/owner would want to know this. She informed me that they were very busy today. Wrong answer. If a restaurant can't mind the restroom I decided that it's not clean enough to eat in. Always a mistake, made it again. read more

I'm giving it 3 stars only because of the awesome location and views that offset the very disappointing food. I want to like it, but I just don't. Each time I go, I try something different to keep an open mind. So far, there's only one menu item that I'd ever order again. Sad thing is that on 2 recent occasions, I've barely eaten my meal, and the server didn't even ask me how it was, or would I like a box (no), just "are you done?" read more

Met a couple of girlfriends at Inventors, loved the peach Golden beer and bang bang chicken sliders were delicious! Want to try their new fun craft cocktails. Can't wait for summer, such a great space! read more

Stopped in after walking around the area. Wanted a quick and easy bite. The menu had a handful of options. I settled on the bacon chicken wrap. It was alright. A little plain and not much flavor. Still good. We also got the pretzel for the table, which was good with the beer cheese. One disappointing thing was that a guest with me got soup as their side, and it was very oily and smelled pungent. They tasted it and couldn't eat more. I thought they were being dramatic, but after I tasted it, it wasn't very good. The taste was just as bad as the smell. I'm not sure if the day we went was a bad soup day, but I don't recommend it after that. I believe it was the soup of the day and veggie. Had to push it to the end of the table to save our appetite for the rest of the meal. Overall the rest of the meals were good. read more

Inventors Brewpub - Pretzel - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

See all

We skipped tellos gr a change of pace worst dining experience ever No wonder there was no one dining in the restaurant You settle your bill and tip before you receive your food! It felt like a self check at a grocery store we will not be back The food was cold and unsatisfactory and the staff was rude We have many other options Good luck staying in business!! read more

Good spot to stop in for a bite. Patio was nice, but there were lots of children being very loud. Not sure if it was the summer months or if that's a regular occurrence. Service was good. read more

wait too long for food, staff unprofessional,Sunday afternoon,not like it once was. paid for beverage and left,all that money spent on location,get some decent help and pay'em read more

Inventor's has had a bit of controversy in that their new location, while grand and well made, filled in a seldom used parking lot at the Port Washington Marina. The parking lot's loss is your gain in that you get great views and good food and a large selection of locally made brews. My favorite is the Eco Burger loaded with my favorite toppings and the side winder fries. Everything I've had off the menu has been good. Second favorite is the pork tacos. The brews are pretty good and the place is always hopping. Will you be able to find parking. Yes. Will you have to walk more than 20 feet? Maybe. But it's worth it. read more

Enjoyed our stop here. Great atmosphere and our server was awesome, wish I could remember her name. My burger was was great and ordered the chips with beer cheese very good. My wife's food was great also. If in the area I would stop again - great view on the lake. read more

Inventors Brewpub - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

Great atmosphere. Great location. Good beer local selection & good food. The location enough is worth a 2nd stop in. My fiancé & I were visiting on a Sunday doing some hiking in the area & wanted to stop into Port Washington to walk around & grab lunch. Got the Edison IPA & it was very good. I liked it for being a good IPA that wasn't too strong. We ended up getting two different tacos: the Pork Tacos & Mahi Mahi Tacos. Both were 3 large tacos with good side of tortilla chips. Mahi Mahi was very good portion for $16 & same with the shredded pork for $13. We ended up sharing between the two of us so each of us could have at least 1 of the others. I will say that their fries looked very good being little spinwheel styles read more

See all

very pleased with your order, we shared both plates and really enjoyed them. the honey glazed carrots were just ok, but the fries and the chips were delicious. The mahi tacos were a little dry, but the buffalo chicken wrap was delicious and I would definitely recommend to anyone. Our waitress was great at recommending different drinks for the table and it was very easy and quick to be seated. read more

The food was excellent! We started with the garlic truffle fries, which were packed with flavor and were amazing. I had the mahi-mahi tacos, which had a very creative and refreshing, with a little spice, flavor. My friend had the Reuben that exceeded expectations. We ended with the pop rock cheesecake, which had a fun twist to it and the decadent Dubai chocolate cake. Chef Chris and our waitress and the staff were welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed and wanted for a memorable experience. I will be revisiting this business to enjoy the food, great service, the fun vibe and the beautiful Port Washington setting. read more

This new location for Inventors is a MAJOR upgrade. The building is huge and I'm guessing has event space in addition to the restaurant. We were seated overlooking the marina which was so nice. Considering they're still in a "soft opening" phase everything went really well. The place was very busy for a Thursday night, almost completely full. The servers were working hard! I suspect ours was new because she wasn't very familiar with the beers (brought an ale when we ordered a stout) but she was very friendly and quickly fix the small issues. One of our meals was missed and took quite awhile to come out, but again considering its new and they were so busy we were not upset. Everyone had good things to say on the quality of food (burgers, fries, chicken sandwich, salads, and beer cheese soup), and the beers all went over well too. We will definitely be back. read more

See all

First time at this restaurant and would probably not return. Have to preface this by saving that we went there on a July 4th weekend. - Ordered the food (fish fry and Baja Blackened Fish) and it took 30 minutes before the food showed up. - Fish fry was just ok but baja fish was tasteless! Even the black beans on the plate were tasteless! - Service was poor. Waitress was pleasant but never checked if we wanted water and forgot to bring us bottle of ketchup. Nice location but not a big fan of the food or the service! :( read more

Been going here for years. Food and service is always great. Only downside and loss of a star was the menu change as of 6/1/26. I'd been telling my out of town family how good the poutine was for ages. Well, come to find out, the food that made them so popular in the area is no longer on the menu. We got smash burgers which were fabulous, but there is nothing quite like the Wisconsin Poutine they served, or the original. Heck, for ages, they offered monthly specialty poutines. That disappeared first. Hope someone sees the light and brings it back. And no, the cheese fries with brat coins and BBQ sauce is not the same thing. It doesn't even pretend to be the same. read more

I have visited Inventors four times. Disappointed in service three of them. During the first visit, server never came back to ask if we wanted another round of beer. I paid at the bar and expressed my concern. Second time, we sat outside and were ignored. Why? We were supposed to check in, inside first. There was no visible sign to say this. Third time food was OK but again service was not good. I discussed it with the manager and it didn't seem to concern her. Forth time we asked to be seated outside (with our small dog) and was told there weren't tables available. There were three empty outside and no one was waiting. We left. read more

Stopped in on Sunday to grab a bloody mary and Inventors Brewpub did not disappoint! Great atmosphere. If only we lived nearby, it would be a regular stop. And the view is amazing! read more

Inventors Brewpub - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

Waited 15 minutes to be served. The beer was strong and got me a little drunk on my empty stomach. The cheese curds had a unique green chili flavor but the actual frying of the curds was average. The ambiance could have been better there were way too many screens, I don't like the sports bar style. read more

If I could put 0 stars I would. The staff was rude beyond compare and seemed pissed that we even stopped in, this would explain why the entire restaurant was empty. They forced you to pay your pay before you ever got your drinks or food. They watched you like a hawk and it felt like you were being watched on Big Brother. The food was bland and cold. Overall the worst dining experience one could have. It is time to invent a new staff and a better restaurant model. We will never be returning to this craphole of a business. Please don't Waste your time and money going to support them. read more

First time, we had the Friday night fish fry and it was delicious, huge portions with great service. Food was great, deep fried but not greasy, Grace was our server, very knowledgeable about the beer and menu. We would highly recommend this place and will definitely return. Very casual, friendly and welcoming. read more

First time here. First the service and the view was the highlight. The beer was good as well with lots of selection and good quality. The food was not good, except for the carrot side which was cute and delicious. Was in a honey butter. We had 2 entrees. The brat burger was dry no seasoning except the mustard. Bun was good. Caramelized onions and saurkraut were also flavorless and overwhelming could not taste the brat. Secondly , we had Mahi fish tacos. Looked good but was dry and fishy. Shells were tough. We'll try a different place next time read more

Inventors Brewpub - Brat burger - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

See all

Service was prompt and the food was great. The open air ambience is adjacent to the docks where there people catching King Salmon. Recommend the perch and mahi dishes. read more

There is so much space in Inventors that they would be an ideal spot to have LIVE MUSIC!!! There are not enough bars or restaurants offering Consistency in Live music as Foxtown in Mequon offers! read more

The sign said go to the bar to be seated. The waitress/bartender said "sit wherever you want"and turned to talk to another customer. No hello, no do you need menus, no help whatsoever. Sat at a table by the window for at least 10 minutes before we were even acknowledged. A different waitress took our order and the service from her was great. The food was terrible. The root beer tasted like soap. I ordered the Rueben which was super greasy and fatty but had no flavor. My husband ordered the fiesta shrimp bowl. The rice tasted like any Zatarains boxed rice dish and the shrimp were very over seasoned. The beer cheese that was served with pretzel was broken and had a weird texture. The sweet potato tater tots were served ice cold. I doubt we will ever go back which is unfortunate because we did enjoy the view sitting by the marina. read more

I really liked this place! It's a super cool place on Lake Michigan! Ambiance A Service A Food A read more

See all

Very busy on A Saturday night. Beer flight consisted of 4 four ounce samples. The 4 I tried were all well made. Cheese curds were tasty, however they could have been crispier. I had the peanut burger. It was cooked properly, though the peanut butter could have been more flavorful. The side salad was very nice and a good serving size. read more

Just went with my husband and son and I ordered the street taco salad with chicken and our son ordered a chicken sandwich. My chicken was so dry and hard I could have tossed it and broken a window! I scraped it to the side and ate the pitiful salad. Our son said his chicken was also very dry! We told the waitress and she just shrugged her shoulders at us. Do better Inventors! You have a great venue, up your game in the food department! read more

I've been a huge fan of Inventors Brewpub since their humble beginnings at the old VFW hall. My wife and I have such fond memories of stopping in when we were in Port Washington, walking up to the bar to order, and happily watching their evolution and exciting growth into their beautiful new location. Unfortunately, our most recent experience was so disappointing that it will likely keep us from returning, which truly breaks my heart to say. We both ordered burgers: one well done and one medium well. When they arrived, the "well done" was a solid medium rare, and the "medium well" was straight up rare. To be clear, both were dripping blood. Our waitress was great --she saw them, was very apologetic, and offered to have them remade. She warned us there would be a wait as the kitchen was backed up, and while the place wasn't nearly as busy as we've seen it, we happily waited. When the remade burgers finally came out, they were again severely undercooked compared to how they were ordered. They were essentially medium rare, with the buns spotted with blood. While many people enjoy a burger cooked that way, we don't. It's great to see the success Inventors has achieved, but it feels like with all the growth, they've lost focus on the basics--specifically, simple food preparation and customer focus. For a place that has been a staple for us for so long, this was a tough experience. I truly hope they can get back to their roots and tighten up the kitchen. read more

We wanted to have lunch on the waterfront and stopped in to Inventors. We had cheese curds for an appetizer and they were delicious. The ranch dressing was homemade and perfect. Had a refreshing pear martini. The perch sandwich and the bang bang chicken sliders did not disappoint. Service was excellent and you can't beat the views. Extra points for being dog friendly on the patio. We will absolutely return. read more

Service was fine and prices and environment ok. Food was tasteless- had a grilled chicken sandwich, brat and mac amd cheese, burgers. None of the meat/meals had good flavor. Did not finish meal because it just did not taste good. Sweet potato tots were mushy not crispy. Beer was warm. A disappointing experience and waste of money. read more

Food was so good. Our table had a fish fry, a fiesta chicken and my chicken and bacon wrap. My wrap was fantastic! Loved it. My husband's and cousin's meals were good also. Beer was good. Service was quick and friendly. No complaints about anything. Can't wait to go back and try something else. read more

Inventors Brewpub - Chicken Bacon Wrap with Fries. - Burgers Near Me - Port Washington, Wisconsin

How do some places just get EVERYTHING right? I'm not sure, but I believe it must be the attention to details...because, as we all know, God ( or the devil) is in those details! From the hand breaded onion rings, perch filet ( a REALLY nice piece) to the honey glazed baby carrots to the house made chili, to the AMAZING waiter (Tyler) we had....EVERYTHING in this restaurant is PERFECTION! All I can hope is that we return. This building is wonderfully inventive - everything is treated as if it's ART! Because it ALL IS ART! We LOVE this place. Thanks SO much for being here!! read more

See all

The Inventors Brewpub is the run of the mill open concept/sports bar serving beer with a niche. The space is all open so sitting at some tables means you're nearly on top of other customers. We stopped in on a Saturday and the place was pretty busy. It wasn't clear where the entrance was and the door we originally came to said to use "north or south entrance" as though that gives a clear path. The staff were running around like crazy and seemed stressed. I had the Smash IPA which was nice and crisp, very light ipa. I ordered the nachos and I'm sad to say they were very disappointing. There was a sweetness to the entire dish there really shouldn't be in nachos, I think they may use nutmeg or cinnamon in their beer cheese sauce which just didn't taste good to me. There's tons of TVs and some outdoor seating. It was fine but not a place I'll be making a regular stop. read more