Oscar’s on Pierce: Good Atmosphere, Great Food, Incredible Price [REVIEW]

Cuisine type: American/Pub

Price per Entrée: $4.99-$8.99

Attire: Casual

Reservations: No

Payment: Cash or Credit Cards Accepted

Oscar’s Pub and Grill

1712 W. Pierce St, Milwaukee, WI

(414)-810-1820

Open: Monday-Wednesday, Saturday: 11AM-12AM

Thursday-Friday: 11AM-2AM

Sunday: 11AM-10PM

Downtown Milwaukee does not have a lack of places to find a good burger, and it definitely does not lack a place to grab a good beer. On my quest to find the best burger downtown, I decided to stop in Walker’s Point, where there are quite a few popular places to stop by.

What I came across was a small two-story white brick building on Pierce Street. I actually almost missed it, despite the mural on the side of the building that reads “Oscar’s Pub and Grill” with a big arrow, and I had to circle back around the block to park. 

Oscar’s Pub and Grill, commonly referred to as Oscar’s on Peirce, is owned by Oscar and Elisabeth Castaneda. Oscar is a Mexico native who has worked in many Milwaukee restaurants since living here including The Wicked Hop and Sobelman’s Pub. Elisabeth is from Austria, and she met Oscar at Sobelman’s.

They set out to open a restaurant with great burgers and great beer, at a price that was fair. I think they did just that.

It is a classic pub-style restaurant. On the outside, there might not be anything entirely special about Oscar’s. However, the quality of food is very high for the low prices on the menu, and in the Walker’s Point area, where tapas and Italian restaurants can run upwards of $15 per plate, it is a treat to get great food for an approachable price. 

Being a college student, a good price tag for a good burger is hard to find. So, during a closing at work one Sunday night with my favorite coworker, we googled “best burger in Milwaukee,” and a list of the 15 best burgers came up from onmilwaukee.com. Because of the proximity to work, we decided to stop by Oscar’s. 

On a Sunday night, there wasn’t much going on inside the restaurant, and the bartender greeted us and told us that we may seat ourselves. It was dark, as many bars are, and there was a soft music playing. It was loud, but only because of the people around us enjoying themselves. 

There is a bar area, with a couple high-top tables on the left and a long bar with seating on the right. We walked past the bar area and sat in a small room with a few high-top and a few low-top tables. If you continue walking, there is a dining room with more tables, however on the slow night they closed the dining room early.

The restaurant was very casual, but it was clean and cared for and felt comfortable for a meal with friends. It was as I expected: a calm, neighborhood bar with a kind staff. 

The bartender followed us to the table of our choosing and asked if we wanted to see a menu, which we did, and asked if we wanted anything to drink right away. We had no idea, which she noticed, and kindly offered to come back in a few minutes.

After she came back, in reasonable timing, we each ordered a bottled beer, nothing fancy and got to looking at the menu. It is not large or intimidating, remaining on two pages with a readable font and a good layout. Each item is clearly priced. 

The appetizers include items with fun names such as “Drummies & Wings” and “’O’ Rings” (onion rings), with each appetizer ranging from $5.99-$7.99. The burger menu is impressive, with six half-pound burgers listed. “The Big ‘O’” is their featured burger, with chipotle jack cheese, guacamole and jalapenos. “The Big Veggie Burger” is also available for vegan diners. The menu also includes a Caesar Salad ($4.99), a Friday fish fry ($9.99) and three different sandwiches. 

Both myself and my coworker chose the “build your own Oscar’s burger” option, and we personalized our burgers from a list of ingredients. After my toppings, my burger came out to $6.75, and my coworker’s burger was $7.25. 

The ordering process was smooth, and the service was exactly what I prefer it to be. When sitting with friends for a meal, I do not want to be bothered or watched over, but I also want my cup to always have water in it, and to feel cared for at the establishment. The bartender achieved this comfortable, kind expectation. 

We only waited about 15 minutes for our food to be brought out, likely due to the lack of customers in the building. Our plates came to the table hot, and the size of the burgers threw us off. 

Stacked tall with red onion, dill pickles, lettuce, cheese and garlic aioli, and kept together with a wooden skewer, you could still see the glisten of the butter on top of the toasted bun. It was honestly a little intimidating to take that first bite and I had to cut mine in half to make it more manageable.

After squishing the burger down to a bitable size, I went to work and it was incredible. The meat was juicy, which made the burger very messy but I would expect that. There were ample napkins set on the table for that reason exactly. 

The fries, which came free on the side, were sprinkled with a parmesan cheese and had a light but delicious garlic flavor to them. They weren’t soggy or too crunchy, and they made a perfect side to the burger. If I didn’t enjoy the burger so much, I would’ve went back just for the fries. 

Oscar’s ambiance and food are superb for a pub, and the prices matches the pub-style but exceed the quality of the food being made. For our night out, with burgers, fries and beers, our ticket total was less than $25. It is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy a beer with friends or come to dine with your family on a weeknight.