The Yard at The Iron Horse Hotel Lives Up to Its Reputation

Restaurant review

SERVICE: *****

SETTING: *****

FOOD: *****

VALUE: ****

OVERALL: *****

Cuisine type:  AMERICAN

Price per entrée: From $10 to $19

Attire: NICER CASUAL

Reservations:  ACCEPTED

Payment: CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

 

The Yard at the Iron Horse Hotel

500 W. Florida St, Milwaukee, WI 53204

(414) 374 – 4766

Summer hours:

Sunday -Thursday: 10 am – 11 pm

Friday – Saturday: 10 am – 2 am

 

The Yard at the Iron Horse Hotel

The Iron Horse Hotel has been a popular Milwaukee icon since it was renovated from a 100-year-old warehouse in 2005.  Although I had always heard it had a reputation of having a great restaurant, I hadn’t taken the opportunity to try it out until the other day, and it lived up to my expectations.  It was apparent from the rustic decor when we first walked through the lobby that this was a place that paid attention to details.  The atmosphere was hip but relaxed, the service was good, the food was delicious and the prices, although not cheap by any means, weren’t as bad as I had expected.

The day we went was gorgeous, 82 degrees and hardly a cloud in the sky, so we chose to sit in The Yard for lunch.  The Yard is partially shaded by large, colorful sails that hang above the patio.  We were seated on big couches arranged around coffee tables.  It was comfortable and relaxing.  Even though it sits right near the Sixth Street Bridge, the railroad tracks and the river, it didn’t seem noisy, but you feel like you’re in the midst of daily hustle and bustle and you get an interesting view.

The girl who waited on us was cheerful, friendly, accommodating and efficient.  She made sure that we had everything we needed while being pleasant and not overly intrusive.

The coffee my daughter Mary ordered was freshly made and delicious.  They serve Colectivo coffee in a nice, solid, round white cup and saucer.  My mom always thought that if a restaurant served good coffee, it was a sign that they were conscientious about everything else.

The same could be said about the iced tea that my daughter Carrie and I had.  They brew it themselves and it was crisp yet smooth, served in a tall glass with a lemon wedge and a lot of ice, just the way I like it.  I’m pretty fussy about my coffee and tea.

There’s an extensive liquor menu, which we didn’t partake of, a small but interesting appetizer menu and the lunch menu offers a good enough selection to make it hard to make a decision.

The sandwich that Carrie ordered was an outstanding house-smoked turkey, bacon, avocado and roasted tomato aioli ($13).  It comes on Rocket Baby Bakery’s sourdough, which is another minor, but very important detail.  Rocket Baby’s sourdough is sourdough to go out of your way for.

Mary and I both enjoyed the Chopper Salads that we ordered ($13).  They were good-sized salads made of romaine, kale, quinoa, chicken, cranberries, almonds, avocado, Manchego cheese and tossed with house-made vinaigrette that was slightly sweet and accented the salad nicely without overpowering it.  All the ingredients in our salads were very fresh and put together well.

The grilled cheese sandwich that my grandson Teaghan and my granddaughter Isla split was made on gluten-free bread that none of us could tell was gluten-free, and we could tell they used good cheese and real butter, which is another often overlooked detail.  Both Carrie’s and the kids’ sandwiches came with fries that were hot and crispy and we all thought were really good.

I would say the prices are competitive with other restaurants in the area unless you’re not looking for a place that offers the quality, ambiance and strict attention to detail that the Iron Horse does.

We enjoyed our visit to The Yard at the Iron Horse Hotel and I look forward to my next visit.