Macaire and Sophia were the best bartenders i've ever had! French onion burger was delicious this is a must go!!

Milwaukee Sail Loft was very inviting and the food was good. There was also a great view of the river. If you are in the area I highly recommend checking it out. read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - We had the old bay fries seasoned to perfection, the fish fry and a lobster roll. - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

Jen the bartender is the best and she brings her Florida tan all the way up with her for the summer! Best crab cakes in the Midwest. Drinks are great, atmosphere is tough to beat. Ownership is present and goes above and beyond to make your experience great. read more

The 4 star rating is grading a little bit on a curve based on the beauty of the venue and a late summer early evening, crescent moon + red sky and my lovely wife. The food specifically the small plates were very good and the portions appropriate. The service? It's competent but with management it could be 5 stars. read more

The Sail Loft is one of my favorite spots to go in Milwaukee, because of the beautiful view. I would say that the food is a bit over priced for the quality, but it is worth it for the beautiful view. I've also gotten a few cocktails and never been particularly impressed. My go to is the Lettuce Wraps + Crab dip! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

We stopped in after a Brewers game! Ordered the Mahi Mahi and Chicken Tacos. Both were fantastic, and service was prompt and on point with drink coming and constant check-ins! We sat on the back deck on the bay-worth it! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Water view seating. - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Great little place out of the way. Has awesome food and a great view. A nice place to hang out in Milwaukee and have a great meal. Take a break from the Summerfest grounds, and make the short walk, or you can come by water. read more

First time at Milwaukee Sail Loft and we were so very pleased with the entire experience!! Our server Blake was super friendly and very efficient. The food was delightful. The crab cakes are the best I've ever had!! Oysters, shrimp and salmon all so fresh. Our group of 4 was well fed while enjoying the sunshine on the river. We even brought out little dog who enjoyed herself! read more

I've heard of this place for so long and truthfully never visited because of it's less than stellar reviews. This review is regarding their happy hour deals which goes from 3-7 Monday through Friday! This is definitely one of the longer happy hour stretches I've seen in Milwaukee. On a nice day, seating outside is a must. It's first come, first serve and there's usually plenty. There are shaded and sunnier options and the view is lovely. Service was also nice and perhaps a little frazzled but overall good. Tried a few items on the happy hour and regular menu. Rail mixer cocktails: gin and soda was good, nice pour of gin 5/5 for $6 Crabby dip: very salty and thin tortilla chips with pretty standard cheesy crab dip 3.5/5 - nothing to write home about and doesn't taste particularly crabby but still a tasty cheesy dip Peel and eat shrimp: 4.5/5 nice with the cocktail sauce, generous portion for $6 and nice sized shrimp, not remarkable seasoning/flavor but succulent shrimp Market oysters: 5/5 delicious oysters served on ice with all the fixings - hit the spot! Overall I enjoyed sitting on the huge patio and enjoying the weather with some reasonably priced apps and cocktails! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Fresh Shucked Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Stopped by here for a birthday dinner for my mom before heading to the Stars on Ice show at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Really neat place, love that it's right on the water. We sat inside due to the chilly breeze off the lake, but the patio seemed very fun! Would love to come back during a warmer day to try that out. The biggest reason I am giving this 3 stars is because each one of us had to pick a second entree after ordering the first because they "ran out". We attempted to order the crab rangoon as an appetizer, but that too was out. I was pretty disappointed that I couldn't try the lobster roll, but I moved on and chose the chicken lettuce boats. The menu simply stated "lettuce cups", so I didn't think twice and ordered those. When they came out, I noticed the lettuce cups were leaves of romaine lettuce- probably not the smartest move when the CDC has the warning in effect. Most restaurants have pulled their romaine lettuce for this reason. At this point, I was running out of options to eat, so I chose to just shut up and eat my meal. Thankfully I didn't get sick, and maybe this place has a reason for not pulling their romaine lettuce, but who knows. I do have to say that the margaritas were pretty good (I had two, it was Cinco de Mayo so there was a special) as well as the tempura asparagus and the crabby dip. Next time I am in the area I will stop by to finally try the lobster roll. When I do, and if my experience improves, I will most certainly update this review. read more

We sat at the bar mid afternoon on a Sunday. The service was pretty slow and it wasn't terribly busy. My friend got a lobster roll which she said was just okay. I ordered French onion soup but they were out. The server said that they were switching from lunch to dinner. So instead I got broccoli cheddar soup which was very salty and cost $8 - too pricey for what it tasted like. The sweet potato fries were perfect though. With all of the good food options in this area I don't plan on returning unfortunately. read more

10-16-2021 Normally one of our favorite places, our food was great, our waitress Madddie was not. She was in such a hurry to get back to the bar where she was sampling some drinks and having a great time talking with the bartender. We waited forever for everthing, and there was no one there except us and a table that got seated next to us. The table next to us were not even done ordering and she was walking away, they literally said "wait we also want..." Needless to say there are so many great places to eat downtown, that we don't need to go back now until the summer staff is back. read more

The menu isn't huge but everything we've tried has been delicious. Great cocktails (the sunset margarita was my favorite the last time we visited), perfect location, service was good as well. I will be excited to return when it's warmer to enjoy the outdoor area! read more

Great place for a casual bite! The location is awesome, they are right in the Third Ward but slightly off the beaten path, so usually it's not as crowded as the restaurants on Broadway. And I love their riverfront patio in the summer! I would recommend their Lettuce Wraps and Crap dip, but everything on the menu sounds yummy. I recently went in on a summer Friday night, and my friends and I had a blast playing dice with our super friendly bartender. Great service and great food! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If you have anyone visiting from out of town, this is the place to take them! Their outdoor seating is right on the river and it's stunning if you stop by around sunset. The service was great and our waiter was extremely kind. We ordered the snappy shrimp, grilled mahi shrimp tacos, and char-crusted mahi tuna. We had the same comment for all the dishes- they weren't bad, but they also weren't amazing. Everything was properly cooked but lacked some flavor. We got recommendations from our friends to try the risotto next time we go, so I look forward to coming back soon! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Outdoor seating view - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is my "go to" place whenever I am going to a concert on the Summerfest grounds. My daughter and I were there before the Jelly Roll concert this past Friday and decided to sit at the bar. There were 2 bartenders working, or should I say 1? The one bartender did not acknowledge us at all and just stood talking to 2 male patrons, while the other bartender, Alex, was busting her backside taking care of drink orders from the servers and a few people on the other side of the bar near the kitchen. She looked our way and said she would be right there and informed the other bartender to take care of us. The other bartender ended up taking care of a couple who just walked in and then proceeded to go by the tappers and converse with other servers. Alex came over and took our drink order and got us menus for food. The food came out quickly and delicious. ALEX ROCKS! SHE IS QUITE THE ASSET FOR SAIL LOFT. I certainly hope management treasures her!! read more

Visited at the end of August. Service was very rude. Unclear designation of self-served & hosted areas outside on the dock. We sat down hoping to be served. Waited 30mins - no service with waitress who was walking by many times serving tables around us & didn't acknowledge us. Finally decided to go order for ourselves thinking maybe we were at self-serve table. After telling them where we were seated, we waited another 30mins - no food or server. My husband finally goes inside to check on it - had a hostess come out and rudely tells us we can't sit at our current table because its only reserved for those being waited on, not self-serve. We had to move to a table 10 steps over. Another five mins go by, someone brings out our food - COLD!! - & placed it down in an annoyed manner and said we were sitting in the wrong area to be served. Lost our appetite after that. kids were already too hungry to go elsewhere & wait longer for hot food, so they took a few bites, otherwise we would've left completely after an encounter like that. Can't help but feel dismissed as it has left a very bad first impression of Milwaukee as this was our first time visiting that area. read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Amaretto Sour - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Very nice views outside the entrance, which is near by the Milwaukee bridge. Also, if you choose outdoor dining, it's right on the river, also a nice view. However, there's a lot of spiders and bugs if you do opt in for outdoor dining. So, be prepared. The food is hit or miss. The tuna stack was yummy but very expensive and tiny, three pieces of chip and tuna, LITERALLY 3. The lettuce wrap was so so. Mahi tacos weren't just awful. But the fish and chips were delightful. Cocktails, like the food, is hit or miss. Overall, the indoor bar area seems like a nice place to watch sports and/or have some beers. read more

I literally hate writing bad reviews, it's not fair to the establishment to be dragged down by one impolite server/host. Short answer: Customer service was not great initially, I had to get a new server... crabby dip was 3/5 wasn't fan of the chips but dip was GREAT. Tacos were great. I'm surprised lobster roll didn't come with fries. Also great view outside on patio. Long story: She met us at the door and I can not stress this enough, she had an attitude there asking us if we wanted to sit outside. We tell her outside WITH SHADE and she walks us to one table... directly in the sun. I try to wave her down because she's walking so fast to say we want to sit at a table under the umbrella. She's gone and it's not a big deal, I'm a server so I just start cleaning off the table across from us with an umbrella. When I say this girl came over with the nastiest attitude.... It wasn't even passive aggressive it was flat out aggressive. She is literally at this point arguing with us about moving seats OUTSIDE... in front of people... we are pleading with her and she's like "that's just very annoying " . I think what's frustrating is one, we were very excited to eat there, two, as a family our schedules finally lined up where we could all sit down and eat together and we were out celebrating my late grandmother's birthday. Her attitude was just so shitty. If I didn't have to go to work we would have left. Not for sure if she was having a bad day, or someone is running late to relieve her from her shift, or the kitchen keeps fucking up her orders , but yesterday was such an emotional day for my family... it is by the grace of GOD i did not slap the shit out of her for disrespecting my mother in front of the entire patio. Then the manager really wasn't any help.... We did change servers and she was great. Shout out to her for her positive energy. We are not a complicated group of people to serve. Like I said I'm a server and i feel like i always try to overcompensate for the stereotype that "black people don't tip" so please understand that If I'm writing a review and complaining to an useless manager... it's a big deal. My dip was great but the chips were stale. Food was platted beautifully and you can't beat the view. read more

I should've gone with my intuition after waiting for nearly 15 minutes for a cocktail... I asked for the sauce on the side for the crabcakes that were a mini Scooby snack... our second round of drinks sat on the bar so long I finally went up and picked them up myself! This was not a $100 meal not including the tip! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Crabcakes - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I've been to Sail Loft multiple times now and I always leave feeling disappointed. It doesn't seem to matter the day of the week, the season, or the server, everything just comes across as slightly sub-par. It's a shame, because they have a gorgeous location and the menu is always so enticing. The service always seems to be slow. We went on a weeknight at the end of August and the place was at least half empty. It took more than 10 minutes for our server to even acknowledge our table. And then we maybe saw her only 2-3 times more the whole meal. She never came back to check if our entrees were correct or good, and a different employee cleared our table. I'm not sure if they were understaffed that night, but it was disappointing. Another table within earshot never received the appetizer they had ordered and the manager had to come apologize. The food is also just okay. I had the Grilled Mahi Street Tacos and they just tasted somewhat flavorless and dry. There was garlic aioli on them, but I'm not sure if there was enough or just flavorless that day. The fries I had as a side were nothing special, even though I requested the Old Bay Fries. Again, there was almost no seasoning on them. My husband was less than thrilled with his entree as well and didn't even finish the whole thing. I don't recall what he had exactly, but he said it was just okay. Again, I've been a few times over the years and it just hasn't seemed to have improved. I go, have a poor experience, and then don't go back for a few months. I decide to give it another try, and all I'm left with is another reminder as to why I don't go more often. It's not a terrible restaurant by any means, I just think there's significantly better for the price in town. read more

The Sail Loft still is one of the most special places. The staff is the best and make me feel like your at home every time! As MKE breaks out of the slumber of winter and begins bustling again at any given moment we can decide to step into the Sail Loft, only to find and abundant crowd enjoying the evening. It was the perfect place to be because it was alive. Sail Loft is one of the very few restaurant/bars in town that gets what a true Happy Hour is. It runs till 7. Not only did we enjoy some great drink specials but I swear the best chicken wings in Milwaukee. We also ate dinner and for me personally, I enjoyed one of the best fish fries in the area. The perch was delicious and all the sides perfectly accompanied it. Again Sail Loft did not disappoint one bit! read more

Nice deck overlooking Milwaukee harbor with great view of the Hoan Memorial Bridge. Great place to relax over lunch or dinner and enjoy watching boats go by. read more

Atmosphere and environment is good. Right on the lake. Food wise is subpar. Waiter staff forgot a few things and did mentioned we are all new here. Big issue was that bar only had baseball games on which is ok but What about the NBA playoffs and NHL playoffs. I know they Bucks are out of it but try to appease your guest..... Pro Tip: I am from Baltimore, Maryland. DO NOT GET The CRAB CAKES!!! Not authentic! read more

See all

The location is definitely beautiful and great if you want to eat by the water. We ate outside and loved watching the boats go by. However, service was slow and drinks were never refilled. The Lobster Roll is overpriced and not a big meal. It is about the portion size of a small hot dog. You have to pay $3 more for sides. Fries came out stale and had to ask for fresh ones. The Cajun Chicken Wrap would have been delicious if they did not char my chicken black. Overall, the location made it a neat experience but unfortunately we will not be back. This review is more about their food rather than service as I acknowledge their is a staffing shortage across the country. read more

Fantastic restaurant right on the wacky river. Beautiful scenery. Fantastic food. Exciting atmosphere.

First, let me state that I grew up on fish n chips back in the UK and am therefore rather picky when it comes to getting the real thing outside of the UK. That said, this was easily the best I've had state-side. The batter was perfect and not soggy, the chips (that's fries for those who don't know) we're delectable, the slaw was an amazing pickled slaw that was perfectly complex and different. The tartar sauce was phenomenal and my fiancé actually ate all of it and he tends not to like tartar sauce, ever. The fish itself was soft, light and perfect. I 100% will return and I highly encourage anyone trying to figure out where to go, to go here. read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - the outside of a restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

Last night, again, had the worst bar service. Knowing, being from the industry, previous bar/restaurant owner, it's hard to ignore. **It takes A LOT for me to post a negative review!** Their female bartender has the personality of a cardboard box, not even a colorful shoebox. She didn't give us the "groups qualified happy hour pricing" any of the times I've attended a meeting (Dec & Feb). I am new to the group, so I didn't know until now, so only wished to have a correction on the $13 drink + gave a $2 tip. So when it was confirmed by a leader of the group (by a manager over the phone) that sthe bartender should adjust our costs, she didn't address my purchase. The others ran a tab, I was only having one drink, so I paid for mine at the time of ordering. When she was questioned by our admin that she didn't give me a discount adjustment, she replied, "she already paid" and left it at that, no offer to give a drink 1/2 price to make up for it, which would have been like a happy hour price, or offer a discount on a second drink, OR make some sort of drink chip...note on the business card, nothing. She stated her reply and walked away. I am not one to start a quarrel about things like this, too many angry people out there, nor will I put her "in her place". I think posting this since she always has this horrible attitude, I won't tip her again; I won't buy a drink or food when we meet there again. **There are too many other places in the area that are willing to provide "customer service, with a smile" and show they appreciate the patrons and train staff to be friendly and social. ** They get one star for the views of the River from their establishment. read more

Treated myself to a little Galentine's Day date, and the Milwaukee Sail Loft did not disappoint! The oysters and fish fry were delicious. The dining area was spacious, yet quiet. Despite being incredibly full, we ended the night by splitting the lemon lavender creme brûlée. read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

This is a modern unique take on seafood and upscale pub dining. We ordered the Maryland Crab Cakes to start and the Char Crusted Ahi Tuna and Seafood Diablo after. The crab cakes were flavorful, the tuna seasoned wonderfully, and the Diablo the perfect combination of savory and spicy, if not slightly oily. The views of the river with the modern nautical decor and bar atmosphere with genuine hospitality make this for a great night out for dinner and drinks. read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Seafood Diablo and Char-Crusted Ahi Tuna* - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The location is nice. The food was not great. I had the fish tacos and it was pretty bland. My daughter said her lobster roll was ok, but I had a bite and meh. My fiance had the steak and brussel sprouts and both were not really very good at all. Kinda felt unfortunate to waste calories on the meal. read more

Friendly place and always consistent great food. They just started to serve brunch again on Saturday and Sunday. They have a new Candied Cajun Bacon that is amazing! It is normally only on the breakfast burger, but they will do a side of it if you ask. We frequent the Sail Loft for the food, but we stay because of all the great employees! read more

Milwaukee Sail Loft - Bar - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

We really liked this place. It would have been more fun if there still wasn't clumps of snow around, but the view of the water is still pretty. We we're in town to visit son #2 at college and decided to check this place out. Our GPS kind of took us the long way around but we ended up on the right street and scored free parking a few blocks down. The place was busy, yet they didn't seemed frazzled or hurried when they dealt with us. I don't know if our server was new or had too many tables but we had a few people taking care of us. We had the chicken lettuce boats to start and the serving was VERY generous. It was quite tasty! Hubby had shrimp Diablo and I had the Mahi tacos. The Diablo had a spicy sauce that was not really creamy, it had some but the focus was on the seasoning not the spice. There were too many tacos for me to eat after I had polished off most of the lettuce boats. Minus one star for their being way too much aioli on the tacos. They had plenty of flavor and less alioli would not have changed that. The sweet potato fries here were the best I've ever had! Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside with great flavor. I would return just for those! The bar was well stocked with a wide beer selection including some of the local brews. Can't wait to revisit this place out in warmer weather! read more

See all

Well it was a warm night and we came by boat. Checked in with host and he said 20-30 min. Said we would be at outside bar, he said bar is cash only, and they don't serve food. We decided to gave beer on our boat. We decided to order food via phone and picked it up to take back to our boat. We ordered the crabby dip, Friday fish fry and tuna. The fish fry was awful, the fish was wet and soggy the batter falling off fish, the fries where inedible as they tasted like they where re-fried several times and given to the unlucky person who called for take out. The tuna was at least passable as was the crabby dip. Don't go here to eat go else where you won't regret passing on this place. Wish I could leave less stars. Doubt the place even cares. read more

I had the lobster ravioli which had great flavor but each ravioli was a bit anemic, needing more of the lobster filling, and for the price I expected more ravioli on the dish. Our waiter was pleasant and efficient, but most of the staff looked exhausted. The host was a bit short and just stared at us when we walked in before finally asking "can I help you?" Oh I don't know, maybe we'd like a table. There is a possibility that he did say something prior and we just didn't hear him because the restaurant was so loud. Acoustics obviously weren't taken into consideration with this interior design. There was a big group in a private room but they didn't keep the door closed so their rowdiness drowned out any hope of a conversation at our table. read more

Fantastic food great atmosphere amazing people food was pricey but worth it. Not to bad for parking

I have been to the Sail Loft twice now, both for post-dinner drinks. While they do have a full menu, I have had a desire to go for the environment. It is situated in the large part of the river, down from the hectic area of the Third Ward, across from two marinas and Milwaukee's signature bridge to the far left. It is so peaceful to sit, have a beer and watch the boats drive by while the sun sets. I do, however, have a few complaints. First is their seating. We were informed that they reserve the good outdoor seats for dining, and leave the outdoor bar area open for those that want to just have a drink. The problem is it's not really right by the water. In my opinion, it shouldn't matter who sits where, as I'm still spending money if I'm getting drinks, and I can tell you I would've stayed longer and spent more money on drinks had I been permitted to sit right by the water. Second complaint is their limited bar. I asked for three different kinds of beers, and they did not have any of them. They do have pretty good happy hour drinks Monday through Friday, but I really wish I could get the beer I want. More of this review to come when I try the food, but from what I hear it is pretty good. I am planning on trying the Friday night fish fry (and finally getting my seat next to the water ). read more

Service is friendly and ambience is great! But beware that no lobsters are harmed in the preparation of the "Maine" lobster roll! Get yours at the Public Market instead. Makes me suspicious of all of the actual seafood on the menu. Go to Sail Loft for drinks, burgers or trivia only. read more

Sad evening of missed expectations began the first moment we entered. The manager or owner (unsure) was chatting at the bar for five minutes after making eye contact with my family of 5; he never came to talk to us. Finally, a hostess (there seemed to be 4-5 of them) finally came. She was nice, but scattered as it took her 5-7 minutes to prepare a table for us when only 20% was full. While we were waiting for her, 2-3 other hosts asked us if we'd been helped. After we were seated, we waited 15 minutes with no waiter. We were thirsty so my wife went to the bar and asked for waters for the table. The bartender seemed pretentious and below that level of service and said he'd let a waiter know. He didn't give us water. We waited another 10 minutes at our table with no waiter to ever come and say a single word to us. We waited over 20 minutes and just left. I'm not sure what sort of operation this restaurant hopes to accomplish, but if this happens on repeat expect it to be gone in the next year. read more

We came in on a Thursday afternoon around 1230, super excited to try a new place out. We were seated, looked over the menu, and was excited for our lunch. The waiter came, I ordered the crab cake sandwich and was told that was sold out as well as 6 other options. He said he'd give us a couple minutes. Settled for something else. The waiter returned, I ordered the lobster roll, and was told that was also sold out. My boyfriend ended up ordering two things for us to share because I was a little turned off by the fact that basically all the seafood options were sold out. The food was delicious but I would be hesitant to come back in fear that they were out of half their lunch menu again. read more