Hello! The V had been open for too long for me only to have just stopped in. Creative, homemade sausages with local and international flair. You can choose an eclectic or classic toppings. I went with the Cheddar bratwurst (you can take the girl out of the city but her tastes stay true ;-). In sticking to the region I added the traditional #Chicago-style toppings. There's creative poutine on the menu, which I must try soon. A daily choice of deviled egg rocks. Love trying new models! (Smoked trout with sea salt in Washington DC remains a favorite!) Bravo creators of The Vangaurd. Wilkommen a Bay View...you fit right in! read more

The Vanguard - Milwaukee Cheddar brat with Chicago toppings. - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Okay. One of my favorite places. When you want some unique sausage this is where you go. Laid back, kicky craft draft cocktails & a hipster vibe that chills Chicago. Have never been disappointed. Sorry for being so selfish & not reviewing sooner. read more

The Vanguard - Duck BLT - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The sausages here are amazing. Hand crafted sausages cooked to order with amazing sides. I've never had a bad thing on the menu.

Solid. Can compete with any Chicago restaurant, not that they are trying too. I personally don't think they give a shit about that, but still worth mentioning. Great house made sausages, I'd stop here again on my way back home. Unlike almost all other Wisconsin places, they know who they are. Having an identity is more important than hosting another useless fish fry, I dont care what the locals say They need more places of variety but have their shit down like vanguard on this area. Cool name, dig the vibe, decent service, and baller food. Sounds easy enough but most Wisconsin restaurants can't even get the name right, the food is damn near impossible. read more

It's definitely a trendy spot and I liked the Chicago hot dog. Didn't like how we had to grab our own water or order from the bar. You don't get a server but you get sat by a hostess which I found confusing. read more

Quality never fails, absolutely love this place. Good vibes and good food. Definitely recommend

Have been hearing a lot about this place so I was excited to check it out. Had the house Manhattan, was delicious. Severed properly with a high quality cherry and just the right amount of ice. The atmosphere was really unique- local 'hipster' sort of vibe, but classy at the same time. Old videos of wrestling matches were playing and made for a great conversation piece. For dinner I had the duck BLT. Fantastic. Slightly spicy from the sausage but was perfectly balanced with a garlic aioli and of course crumbled bacon and lettuce. I great the sandwich 4.5/5 only because it was slightly drippy and messy. I'll be back to try the spicy fries! read more

The Vanguard - Duck BLT - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

So, first things first...we drive from Arlington Heights, IL for this place. Have never had a bad anything here. Worth the trip for sure. Great ambiance, atmosphere...better food. Best word to describe the people? "Cool" How many places can you get an amazing sausage AND watch Little Ralphie Valladares of the LA T-Birds roller derby on the tube? And, don't recall her name, I asked the bartender for a drink, her choice, whatever she wanted to pour and she combined a Wisconsin Classic Old Fashioned with Blueberries for one of the best, if not the best, drink I have ever had....in other words, leave your comfort zone, put yourself in the hands of people who are clearly experts and care about the food and drink and enjoy a new experience that will make your life better. read more

Geez, it's good ya'll. Go. Coming from Chicago, I turned to Yelp to see what delicious foods were in the area. The Vanguard not only had a good Yelp profile but also had unique offerings. The menu isn't too big but will have you scratching your head because of how delicious everything sounds. I ordered the duck BLT, cheddarwurst, and seasoned fries with ranch. Dinner for two. These are probably the best sausages I've tasted. The duck blt was incredibly flavorful. The seasoned fries had a kick. There was actually a little sugar in the seasoning which paired well with everything. The cheddarwurst was also a hit. You know a brat is good by the crispness of it's casing. The cheddarwurst has a snappier casing than the duck BLT but I enjoyed the unique flavor of the duck best. We were told 20 minutes. We got there right at the 20 minute marker but it wasn't ready. I waited another 10 minutes inside. I ordered a side of ranch which they forgot. Luckily I checked before exiting. They were happy to give me a side of ranch. I'm looking forward to going to The Vanguard again. Next time I'm getting the lamb currywurst. read more

This place is great! Try the Detroit coney dog and the potato balls. You will not be disappointed!

Take everything that every other 4-5 star review says and just say ditto. Yes, it's a bit of work if you sit at a table, but the encased meats are amazing - the bunkhouse splendid and the duck sausage a party...well you know the saying. Yes the potato balls are lovely, but really the meat is the story. Want to bundle this place up and bring it home read more

I LOVE Vanguard. Their food is always incredible. My current favorite is the Diablo Verde. But I also love the burnt ginger tofu, the soft pretzel with cheddar schmear, the everything they make. I've been so grateful for a restaurant that consistently puts out incredible food, and takes their customers' safety seriously. Vanguard is a restaurant that does it right. read more

The food was good and the drinks were fine. That being said, the legitimately worst service I've had in my entire life. I asked the bartender to put on the football games because it was, in fact, Noon on a Sunday. He reluctantly switched it from the captivating 1970s row boat races. Proceeds to tell me, "just know most people won't put on sports for you here." ..... okay bro. Maybe the restaraunt wouldn't have wide open spots at Sunday brunch if they didn't have incel row boat races over the NFL. Worst combination of people:Incel/hipster. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.​ read more

Cooks don't wear gloves. Service was poor and rude. I'd suggest management to work with the employees on customer service as they are the patrons keeping the business alive. read more

Cannot speak highly enough of this place. As a vegetarian, it is usually pretty hard to find a place that you can order right off the menu. Here they have tons of options and any sausage can be made vegetarian. The buffalo tofu is AWESOME. The tofu must be pre-baked or pressed because it is not soft or watery like other places. The flavors are awesome and they pair a lot of their sausages with beer. This place is super vegetarian friendly, but also caters to normal people who eat meat!! We go here a ton and I HIGHLY recommend this place!! read more

Visited here last Friday night in a party of four. I liked the decor, the super casual vibe and that you order your food and pay for everything all up front, and it is brought to your table when it is ready. It was nice to have a break from hovering wait staff having to attend to our every beck and call and be able to fully focus on our convo, food and beer. And also, no awkwardness about splitting a check among a multi-household party. The service was quick, even though it was Friday night, the place was pretty packed, and we ordered a LOT of stuff. I appreciate that you can pick your type of sausage (made in-house!) and the style its served in. Or just pick amongst their self styled options. I did this and chose the duck BLT, and the suggested KWAK to pair. Loved the perky hollandaise aioli. But really the best part of what we ate was the appetizers we split: chili cheese fries, cheese curds and baked potato balls. Next time I go (and I really hope to go again) I may just get another KWAK and eat them chili cheese fries all night long. Because......DANG. read more

I've been going here for approx 4 years and it's easily my favorite place in milwaukee! I've never had anything here I wouldn't order again and I crave most of it weekly! The kimchi fries and buffalo poutine are my go to's! The baked beans are amazing too. Cocktails on tap are consistently delicious and most of the bartenders are so fun! Hands down the place I've missed the most with this damn pandemic read more

I go all around to diff restaurants to try their brussel sprouts and The Vanguard has top tier flavoring! It's a must try!

Everything is very affordable and unique. There's nothing like this in Milwaukee definitely a great experience.

Wow! If you haven't been to The Vanguard, you don't know what you're missing. A Bay View icon. Seriously... Look at the menu then go check them out!!! read more

Omg! First off, my tastebuds we're in overdrive before I had a single bite of food. The menu was dripping with creative and unusual pairings of flavors. Unusual in the sense that I'd never of thought that such flavors and spices would pair well together by they did, very well. Our bartender was AWESOME SAUCE as well, offering his suggestion on drinks based off what I usually like and even giving me a sample to try before hand. Just look at this mouthwatering food! Meet the Jamaican Lamb Currywurst! I can't wait to go back. Thank you Vanguard! read more

The Vanguard - Jamaican Lamb Currywurst - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Horrible horrible customer service at this bar. We waited an hour and a half for our food for 3 people on a Friday. We had complained multiple times and each time they told us our order was up next but then the cooks kept forgetting it. We thought going to a brat place was a good call for a 2 hour window where we needed to get to a show but alas, we were late and we didn't get half of our food. Horrible management, I can't stress enough how bad of a time we had here. read more

I've only been here once and I had a hot dog with sauerkraut. It was good. The bun was exceptional. My husband had the chili cheese fries. They were decent. Good beer selection, nice cocktails. The service was good, chilly at first, but warmed up as we sat there. They were showing MTV footage from 1991 and that was awesome. read more

Oh. My. Damn. This place is the shiznit. The bomb diggity. The bees knees. Really. Part bar, part restaurant, where you order food up front and drinks at the bar. And all the brats and dogs you could possibly want... including the vegetarian and vegan options (no one in Wisconsin could possibly want those, right?). But, bravely, I decided to try one of the vegan options. Poutine. And while I'll say it was quite delicious, it was admittedly nothing like poutine. I confess, it was purely experimental. I'd never be vegan: I have a love affair with cheese rivaling Romeo and Juliet. But there were fries, roasted garlic, and gravy. Maybe fried onions. Either way, it was supremely delicious... I just wish vegans would stop trying to copy non-vegan dishes. Just make up your own. It would be better that way. /tangent It's a little dark in there... I don't know how they get those beautiful instas on their page, but they must be staged XD so factor that in, if necessary. It's also a bit loud for a date. But overall, two big thumbs up. read more

Best brats in Milwaukee. Hands down. Ya gotta try a brat Milwaukee style. Don't be afraid to take a risk - everything is good! If it's busy, just wait to get a table, then go up and put your order in - it's that easy. read more

Awesome eats. Was sent here on direction of friend. . I was pleasantly surprised and the menu was hard for me to choose. Our family all chose different sausages and none were dissatisfied. Will definitely be back. Brussels sprouts are a delicious must. Seated in back hall, busy time so understandable. read more

This place is the bomb dot com! The Killig hot dog is so amazing that we came here two days in a row to eat it. This seems like a random place where their specialty is different styles of hot dogs, but they were actually bomb. My friend lost his ID here, so we came back here to see if they had it--the staff was incredibly nice and called around to see if anyone had it, and we ended up finding it through their connection. If I was local, I would probably come here all the time! read more

Delicious and innovative sausage menu. Elevated offerings. The only negative is the big lady behind the food counter. She will ignore you for 15 min even if your the only person in line to order. I don't understand why she can't just take your order and keep working. It's a real turnoff. Also, you must order food and drinks separately, which is a pain. read more

I didn't know it was possible for sausages to be this good. I've had several different items on the menu, and you simply can't go wrong. It's a little expensive both for drinks and for food, but they're both top notch. You won't regret opening your wallet. With a place this good, plan on waiting a little bit. It's often very busy and on the smaller side. Luckily there's plenty to look at while you wait. Staff is friendly and professional. Haven't had any issues. I recommend it. read more

Great food! Great waitstaff! Rude manager/cook/ order taker. Manager got angry with waitress in front of customers and was just generally rude and loud. We wish this would not have ruined this experience for us. Please be nicer to your staff!!! read more

For artisanal "styled" brats, in a nice lively atmosphere, definitely check out Vanguard. I've never left disappointed after six visits and I've tried a variety of their food. Visiting Wisconsin? Get yourself a Milwaukee Brat (covered in cheese curds, cheddar cheese, and wiz). Want the classics? Get a Chicago Dog or Chili Dog. Not feeling a brat or hot dog? Try a delicious "Durty Burger". Feeling like something totally different on a brat? Try the Duck BLT, Khing Khan, or Thai Breaker. Just want a small side? Get an order of their perfect fried cheese curds. Plenty of booze and beers on tap to choose from. Nice day? Check out the patio in the back. Can't go wrong here really. read more

Very cool spot! It was a busy spot on a winter Saturday night... lots of people trying out different sausages! I loved their cheese curds too! If you are hoping for a relaxed lengthy dinner, this is not a great place for that since it's an order-at-the-counter place and people are usually waiting for a table. It's a unique spot and fun to try! read more

I get it, ok. I live in pretentious, popular Bay View so I should be used to packed places with shit service. I know this. So when we do go out, we go on a weeknight or early on a weekend. The man and I have been wanting to try Vanguard since he sampled their weenies at Bay View Bash. We finally got around to trying it tonight, got there early, wanted to love it.....and we were literally ignored. So, you find a table, and then you have to go one place to order food, and one place to order booze. I mean, okay. I guess I don't have to tip then? So we decide to get drinks first. And my boyfriend sits there. And sits there..... And oh wait, the bartender is putting on her coat and leaving? Did she seriously just leave the bar area completely devoid of an employee? At which point we said, fuck this, we will go somewhere our business and hard earned money is wanted. The worst part of this all, was that there appeared to be 2 gentleman sitting at the bar wearing Vanguard shirts (who kept looking at us) who didn't bother to get someone to help us or draw attention to the fact that we would like service. Our opinion of them is completely soured right now, and honestly, next time I want a vegan hot dog and beer, I'll buy it for a ton cheaper at the damn store. read more

Q: What do you get when a bunch of friends go out for dinner together at the Vanguard? A: A sausage party, of course! Of all of the sausages I have consumed in my day, and let me say that I am quite the aficionado of tube- shaped meats, the cheddarwurst I had here stands out as one of the most memorable. This is quite a compliment in a town known not just for beer, but also for its brats. All sausages at the Vanguard are made in-house. My wife had the Piri Piri pork and proclaimed with glee that she "would sausage again". The cheddarwurst was so juicy and cheesy that when my dining companion sitting across from me bit into his, I was splashed with the juices from across the table. For $6.00, a better brat can not be had in this city. We also enjoyed poutine, potato balls, and cheese fries. All we Ok, but the fries weren't crispy enough for me and the poutine was a bit greasy. Their menu offers more than just encased meats; there are sandwiches as well as daily/ weekly specials. I'm not sure about the pay as you go method here. It almost seems like the grill and the bar are two separate businesses. I had no problem getting served at the bar even though it was pretty busy. As others have noted, this place is pretty small. We would have liked to lingered a bit longer, but i felt like we were getting the stink eye to move it along. I do like the communal tables and I'm glad that this is something that we Americans are finally starting to accept. I've met so many fun and interesting people in Europe just because we were sat at a communal table. I can tell that this place is still new, they have a few kinks to work out yet, but I feel they have a solid foundation and have the potential to be very successful. Plus, they have a bit of a smartass attitude. I appreciate that. read more

I'm a meat eater, so of course I loved the Vanguard. Best damn brat I've ever consumed in my life, and I've consumed A LOT of brats. Heck, during one Bratfest weekend in Madison, I put down over 30 brats to win a competition among roommates....but enough about my glory days. First things first, service was OUTSTANDING. It really seems like an all hands on deck thing to make sure the service is good, and it was better than good, it was great. The food.....is borderline legen.....wait for it......dary. My brat was perfect. Perfect toppings, perfect snap to the brat, perfectly well prepared, and the bun was like laying on a big fluffy pillow in heaven.....for real doe. I'll say my cheddarwurst and my cheese curds were a bit overdone.....but I couldn't care less. I'll go back and pound brats at this place any day. read more

Total hipster hangout, but worth wading through the sea of flannel and neck tattoos. I've eaten here 3 or 4 times and it's been good every time! The Thai Breaker is my favorite. Delish! read more

Love the atmosphere here and the food. Probably some of the best hot dogs I've ever had. Lots to choose from and do try them all. Great bar, lots of spirits to choose from. I will definitely be returning next time I am in the area. read more

I like it! It's better than what I was expecting. I would bring guests from out of town here. You order your food (counter service) and drinks (bar) separately. On our last visit we sat at the bar and were given food and drink menu's. We were able to order our food and drink at the bar. That was great, but I don't think that's how it usually works. This place gets busy, and it's popular with the local hipsters. It can get a bit loud too, but we were still able to chat with some locals next to us. We had good service, and were never left hanging. They've got a decent selection of good tap beers, but after having Spaten Optimator for breakfast, I decided on a couple cans of Hamms (it's a weekend, and I get up late). They have about 8 cocktails on tap (It's a good thing, trust me, I've had some of them) They also have a full bar. The food is delicious! REALLY good sausage; the Piri Piri in particular. It's got a spicy kick and comes with pickled cactus and blue cheese. Thee DVR (elk sausage w/cottage cheese) was good too. The potato balls were delicious as well. Me and the Mrs. met up with about 20 Yelpers for a Packer game on our first visit (great idea Maggie I). Lots of different menu Items were ordered by our group and I don't recall any complaints about the food. They even have Tofu and other choices (I believe) for vegans. We'll go back for sure. There's a lot of food that I want to try, except for the Tofu. I've heard it's delicious if you're into that kind of thing. read more

I took two sausages at once while gobbling baked potato balls! I was half in the bag when my friends and I decided to eat here, and of course I felt invincible at the time, so I over ordered...but I ate everything anyway! I got the Piri Piri Pork which is such an interesting blend of flavors. A must try for the adventurous! I also got the Duck BLT which just confirmed that I really fucking love eating ducks! I can't say no to the D...uck! I also thought it would be a good idea to drink more while I was there so I got the Hank Scorpio because I also can't say no to the Simpsons. I'm sure it's a great drink, but I don't think I like mezcal. read more

Very fun bar- restaurant, sausage based menu all made on site, intimate and clean setting, go to the bar for drinks and order food at the counter. Just a bit hip and funky, great area, nice place to walk around, sit and enjoy a couple beers and a sausage, nothing much healthy here but who cares. Nice mix of beers, food is outstanding, nice presentation and fun. Highly recommend and will return when back in town read more