My mom, grandma, cousin and I stopped here during a girls weekend up north. We were seated right away at 12:30 on a Saturday. It's in downtown Menasha (close to Appleton) and we tried to hit a few shops nearby afterward but most of them seemed to be closed. Our server was beyond friendly and checked in on us very frequently. I ordered the elk burger which comes with apple butter, Gruyère cheese and caramelized onions as well as thick-yet-crispy steak fries and a smoked tomato aioli. My cousin ordered the same, but with maple aioli--and wow! I'm definitely going to have to try to make maple aioli at home. I appreciated the creativity yet approachability of the dishes. Rusted Root is the perfect type of spot to go when you want a good burger or sandwich that's more inventive than the average casual spot. Since I went in the wintertime, I wasn't able to check out the rooftop. I spotted on the cocktail menu that they make a vodka cran with lavender I've never seen that combo! read more

Rusted Roost Restaurant & Bar - Elk burger w/fried and smoked tomato aioli - Bars Near Me - Menasha, Wisconsin

Great food, great service! Highly recommended. Menu changes every few months. Never had a bad meal or a bad experience.. read more

Very cozy atmosphere with a classy design. The food was delicious and hearty! The staff were friendly and treated us well. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place as a good comfort food spot or even just a great place to grab a drink with some friends! read more

Rusted Roost Restaurant & Bar - The bar - Bars Near Me - Menasha, Wisconsin

See all

Atmosphere: The inside is really clean and open. The tables don't have a great spot to put a purse since the back of the chairs are rounded and so your purse strap will just fall off. You're going to have to put your purse on the floor or in your lap ladies. The bathrooms were super tiny but fairly clean. Service: Our waiter was patient and friendly. There wasn't a lot of people here so the staff was all just kind of hanging around the bar and they seemed like they got along. Drinks: I ordered a dirty martini with hendricks. Now, a gin martini is my go to drink for the last 6 years. I do not know WHAT they did, but this martini tasted like rubbing alcohol. I almost spat it out after my first sip. If this is what martinis tasted like, I would never drink one again. I had to do a huge gulp of water after every sip in order to choke it down. Do not recommend. Food: We ordered the truffle fries as an app. The fries had no truffle seasoning, were undersalted and bland. The sauce that we ordered with it also had no flavor. My friend ordered the pork verde. The dish consisted of 4 pieces of corn, 3 pieces of bell pepper, and the fattiest pork I've ever seen. I couldn't even tell what the cut of meat they used because it was so weird. I ordered the flat bread. The crust was so overcooked and hard I couldn't bite through it and the ingredients on top had no flavor. It was so dry. They comped the flat bread because I ate less than one piece. They offered to make me something else but based on everything else we ate I opted out of that. Left hungry, beyond disappointed with my drink, and a bill of $80 before tip (after the comp). I've wanted to come here for ages but I will never come back. The reviews deceived me. read more

Rusted Roost Restaurant & Bar - Peck a doodle flat bread - Bars Near Me - Menasha, Wisconsin

I had high hopes for this newer restaurant in downtown Menasha. I was disappointed. It feels like this place wants to be upscale, but they failed on many levels, most notably the attitude of the front end staff. I could overlook or even forgive a single person who might be having a bad day, but we had negative experiences with 3 individuals. I went for dinner on a Tuesday evening with a small group of friends. We had a reservation for a table indoors, but were still considering the rooftop seating. When the first member of our group arrived, an employee was standing at the hostess stand but walked away without greeting her. It was not busy. Nobody else was waiting. She did not leave to go seat another party. She just walked away. This was the first moment of awkwardness. The menus: Before arriving, some of our group had looked at the regular menu and others had looked at the rooftop menu online. There was some confusion about why we couldn't order an item from the rooftop menu. (As I recall, the item in question was a flatbread available on the lunch menu for the regular dining room, but not on the dinner menu.) We were told that we would need to move to the rooftop if we wanted that item. Everything about the server's posture, facial expression including a visible eye roll, and even a loud sigh was very offputting from the start. We considered leaving before we even ordered our food, and in hindsight that may have been a better decision. Ultimately, we decided to stay and dine indoors, on the lower level at a table near a window looking onto the sidewalk. This may have been another mistake. It was very warm and stuffy. Even though there were only two other groups of people inside, it was so loud I could hardly hear people talking at my own table. I ordered the Agave Lime Chicken. It was good but not great. Two members of our party ordered flatbreads; two others ordered chicken tenders. This was where our evening really took a turn. On one of the flat boards used to serve the flatbread, there was a very small dead bug. It was a light gray-green color and so small that we weren't sure at first if it was a bug or a piece of some herb. We zoomed in on a phone camera and confirmed that it was indeed a dead bug. The member of our party who ordered this item had eaten one piece of her flatbread and was no longer interested in eating the rest. She did not want a box. She just wanted it taken away. The reaction of the staff was shocking. After clearing the board, one member of the staff returned and remarked that they were "still trying to find that bug." My jaw dropped at her tone - it was incredibly unprofessional. Thankfully, we had a picture. Another member of the staff came back to look at the photo as well, claiming that they could find no bug. They removed the meal from our bill, which is all I would really expect. I would still have considered returning another time if it had not been for the attitude and attempted gaslighting. read more

Menasha, Wi. Interesting setting, spacious with a high ceiling and what appears to be professionally appointed decor. Very nice, especially the bar with the rolling library ladder. We came in around 2:30 for late lunch/early dinner. We just went with water to drink because there were no mocktails offered, just soda's. My chicken pot pie was delicious, it had some very nice flavors from spices, or perhaps cheese. It was about 4 inches in diameter and cost $18. I got a side of salad that was a good size and tasted fresh. The horseradish dressing is excellent, be sure to try it. The shrimp and frites were not a winner for us. The style of cooking was more reminiscent of boiled shrimp rather than roasted as described. The large prawn like shrimp ended up with that somewhat tasteless meat that was just ok but certainly nothing I would ever order again. The saving grace of the shrimp was their large size and how meaty they were. Flavor was to be found using the dipping sauce, but the mushy texture was not to be disguised. The potato spears are very good and nicely cooked and come with an aioli. They are blue potatoes with good flavor. The crème brûlée was a failure. The.custard was overcooked and pasty with a texture I would equate with gritty applesauce. It was sadly shrunken. I did like the hint of orange though, it had potential before any recognizable feature of a custard ceased to exist. The coffee was a disappointment. I drank it because I needed a bit of caffeine. Unfortunately it was a flavored coffee that I quite simply detest. read more

See all

Rusted Roost gives downtown Menasha ambiance, amazing food and an updated vibe that is welcomed! From the rooftop bar and live music to the garage door store front, we can't wait to go back. The menu isn't over the top but it's far from basic which we love. The owners are always on hand making sure guests are happy and the service has always been on par. Amazing addition! read more

Finally made it to The Rusted Rooster last night. What a GEM downtown #Menasha The place is Industrial, yet Beautiful. Classy yet Cozy! Drinks were spot on & supper was soo yummy!!! They offered many of the menu items in vegetarian or vegan options as well. We loved the Chicken picatta, eggplant parmesan and friday night fish fry!!! 100% recommended!!! Can't wait till their rooftop is opened! read more

Rusted Roost is a welcome addition for restaurants in Menasha. The place has a casual and relaxing ambiance. On a weeknight, our party of 4 was seated immediately. Service was attentive. A choice of soup or salad was part of the meal. I had the potato soup which was very good. For the main dish, I chose Pollo en crema, which was delicious. My wife had the Hunter's chicken. A 4 star rating was given as both portion sizes were less than desired. read more

Rusted Roost Restaurant & Bar - Menu - Bars Near Me - Menasha, Wisconsin

See all

Another very mediocre restaurant. This seems to be a thing here in the fox valley. Under seasoned, poorly presented/prepared food with little to no thought put into it and even less care put into the way it tastes. I'm not even sure what the menu is advertising here. It's just a mish mash poorly executed dishes that leave so much to be desired. Service was very meh and the wine list is so incredibly uninspired it's barely worth looking at. Drinks are weak and not great either. Nice patio, but for the price point this restaurant is attempting to aspire to they have a very long way to go. Can't see myself ever coming back here. read more

Five of us get together monthly to try new restaurants or to revisit old favorites. June was my pick and I'd been eyeing the Rusted Roost Restaurant and Bar for a while. We arrived by 5:30 on a Thursday night. It's kind of dark and moody, cool vibe, with parking and a door in the back and also a door in the front and parking on Main Street in Menasha. Service was good, at the bar and at the table. The food a bit dry and disappointing. For example, the brisket Mac had maybe 2 oz. of brisket on top and not enough sauce to even coat the bowl. The chicken pot pie lacked the cream sauce mentioned in the description. I bought one round of drinks (2 double Hendricks and tonic, one glass of red wine, one glass of beer and one soda with a 21% tip.) We split a few appetizers before dinner. I bought the Beet Salad to share,, my dinner was the Fig and Brie Baked Chicken, and I ordered the bread pudding to go for dessert. I again tipped over 20% and my total for the night was over $130. We were happy to have tried it but don't see ourselves going back. UPDATE: I've learned since this post that the Rusted Roost has hired a new chef and revamped the menu. Watch for new reviews to see how it's going! read more

See all

The food was excellent, we just had appetizers but the whole menu looked amazing. Ate dinner downstairs and then went upstairs to the rooftop bar for a drink. Loved the theme of the whole place and it was carried out everywhere from the pictures, to the salt and pepper shakers. read more

See all

We had a wonderful time at this gem in Menasha. The drinks were right on par, Eric our server was a pleasure and the food was outstanding. Had the wagyu burger and fries (they were thick cut) and it was very tasty and not over salted or spiced. Just perfect and Medium Rare which is the way I like it. Wife had the pork verde and son had the chicken pot pie, and both were just right. They just wish the portions were were just a little bit bigger, but it's nothing to complain over. We also had the Mediterranean Platter and that was extremely good and the enough to share between 3 people. If more, you might want to order 2 appetizers so you have enough to go around. After that, we headed upstairs to the rooftop. This is where they really shined. It's clean, cozy and chic, there are very nice cozy couches, and the mixed drinks are right on par. Why? Because Zack and Bri are phenomenal people who greet you with the warmest of hospitality, and they're just all around great people to know. You can tell they care about their business and making sure the guests are treated right. We got to know the both of them and "they" us... The top floor is dedicated to Zack's brother, and purple is dedicated to his memory... (just an fyi, no food is allowed upstairs), which we completely understand...it's much too nice up there to slob it up. Came there the first night, and we liked the place so much, we stopped in the following to have a final farewell drink with them before heading back down "south". Ambiance is perfect, service is right on par, costs for food and drink is EXTREMELY reasonable due to the presentations of what you get in return. When we come back to the Oshkosh area, we are most definitely coming back to this little nest egg. Just remember Zack, I gave you that "idea" of the next saying for the back of the T-shirts!! Haha! (Thank you for the Complementary Birthday Shot as well! Take Care, and Much Success In Your Business, "The Nice People" T, V & M read more

Nice people, good food, and amazing dessert. The atmosphere is really nice with all the wood and Edison bulbs and the open garage door. Will be interesting to try more things on the menu, they have a large vegan menu as well as lots of unique items (not vegan) that you won't find elsewhere in the Fox Cities. read more

Rusted Roost Restaurant & Bar - people sitting at tables - Bars Near Me - Menasha, Wisconsin

They serve the best roasted beet salad I've ever tasted! It's a wonderful place to dine!

The food here is delicious! Large vegetarian menu and unique entrees! Server was kind and attentive. Will definitely be back!

Ambiance and food are excellent. There can be a longer wait and they are a bit expensive.

Food is fine overall. I do not recommend the roast beef Sammy as it's incredibly generic and underwhelming. Shakshuka was ok, but nothing to write home about. Service was great! read more

Excellent experience! The Cocktails and Food were unique and delicious. Pricing is appropriate for the quality and unique flavors! read more

My husband and I go to Rusted Roost very often and we love it! Food is excellent, craft cocktails are interesting and delicious. We can't wait for the weather to get warm enough to frequent the rooftop lounge! read more

We finally got over here for dinner and I'm upset we didn't go sooner. The interior is super cool and the food was really great. I had the hay and straw pasta, a cream covered cavatappi with ham and peas, and it was seriously delicious. My husband went for the potato latkes as a meal and really liked them. We finished up with coffee and the Oreo mint loaf. I'd prefer stronger coffee and please serve more ice cream with the Oreo mint loaf! Other than those minor critiques, we really enjoyed our dinner there and look forward to visiting again. read more

We went to try it out at lunchtime. We were the only ones in the place since it had just opened. The atmosphere is great - it's right in the heart of Menasha's "cool" downtown. The food was excellent although our server was a little "scattered". The owner did come around to see how things were and we talked briefly with her. I would definitely go back - next time for dinner and drinks. The prices are a little high for what you get but I think that is pretty much everywhere. read more

We visited the Rusted Rooster on the recommendation of a local shopkeeper. I recently switched to a vegetarian diet, and we were pleasantly surprised to see they have a vegan section on their menu. We got Shakshushkah from the appetizer menu--it's a an African spiced tomato stew served cold with toasted focaccia bread. It's also vegan. I got the ratatouille, and both were excellent. The service was great. We'll definitely go back. read more

Overall an excellent experience, sophisticated ambiance coupled with tasty original cocktails and delicious varied menu.