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“Great Food with a View”
Review of Harbor House

Harbor House
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2
Tue, 3/19
20:00
Ranked #20 of 1,686 Restaurants in Milwaukee
Price range: ₱667 - ₱2,892
Cuisines: Seafood
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Romantic, Bar scene
Dining options: Late Night, Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner, Reservations
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Cross street: Harbor Dr & N Lincoln Memorial Dr
Description: Temporarily closed Harbor House is a bright, spacious New England-style seafood restaurant Milwaukee residents and visitors love, set on the shore of Lake Michigan. The restaurant is a result of a partnership between local businessman and philanthropist Michael Cudahy and The Bartolotta Restaurants. After opening in 2010, Harbor House quickly rose to become one of the city's top restaurants. Harbor House offers a premier lakefront dining experience and the freshest seafood flown in daily from both coasts. The interior features a three-sided bar, a raw bar, an open kitchen and a private dining room available for special events and parties. An outdoor patio features a full bar, Adirondack chairs and unparalleled views of the lake, the Milwaukee Art Museum and Milwaukee's skyline.
Reviewed August 16, 2017

Our second visit to the Harbor House and once again we left with a high level of satisfaction. We arrived early for dinner reservation and took a window seat in the bar area at a high top against the bayside window. Terrific view of the museum and skyline to the west. Our sever was a bit slow in recognizing us, but it was happy hour which lasts until 6:00pm during the business week. There is a selection of craft cocktails (8), wines and draught beers at discounted pricing. There are also a dozen or so apps available, but we were saving ourselves for our entrees. We joined our friends on the patio given it was a beautiful, mild night out. Oh I should mention that on the patio the restaurant is dog friendly, a nice touch. We started with the Maryland Crab Cakes with are very savory creamy/mustard glaze. The wine list is extensive and on this evening we went with the Schramsberg Brut Rose, a fantastic Napa sparkling wine! For entrees my wife selected the South African Lobster Tails and again she raved about them, even if they spent a touch to much time on the broiler. I went with the Grilled Yellowfin Tuna that was prepared medium rare. Nice pink center with grill marks on either side. Entrées come with a salad, I selected the house greens and my wife picked the lobster bisque. Both were very high quality. Overall this is our favorite Milwaukee fine dining spot and would never hesitate to recommend this to friends and family.

Date of visit: August 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Kevin O
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe B, Owner at Harbor House, responded to this reviewResponded August 19, 2017

Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad you enjoyed and hope to see you soon.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Reviewed August 15, 2017 via mobile

We were able to make reservations easily online and were given a window seat over looking Lake Michigan at sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous. I ordered the Alaskan Halibut and he ordered the Rainbow Trout, both were cooked nicely. We shared the oysters Rockefeller and a chocolate trifle dessert. The only reason, and it sounds really nit-picky , but to me the flavors were a little too bland. However, we are from the south near the Texas-Louisiana border and we are used to bolder flavors. In all fairness, service was great, the food was made perfectly as described, and we cleaned our plates. I recommend this place, for sure.

Date of visit: August 2017
1  Thank Lmthibaut
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe B, Owner at Harbor House, responded to this reviewResponded August 19, 2017

Thank you for visiting the Harbor House while you were in Milwaukee. Glad you enjoyed. Hope you will stop by the next time you are in town.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed August 15, 2017 via mobile

In milwaukee on business and went to trip advisor for a recommendation for a nice place to have dinner. Harbor house is listed as the #2 place in Milwaukee. It did not disappoint!

It was a beautiful evening, the restaurant is located right on the water. I sat outside with an amazing view. They had a 3-piece live jazz band playing. It was happy hour. Great food and drink selection. It was a Monday, but crowded at best. I was solo so I didn't have a problem getting a seat. I would recommend reservations for a party larger than 2.

I ordered the tuna tartare (so amazing!), white bean hummus and 6 of the chef selection oysters. All were great. I also had 2 glasses of the HH Chardonnay. My bill came to $32! Unbelievable value for great food and atmosphere. HH is M-F 4-6pm. I've attached a photo of the menu.

Scott the bartender was exceptional!

I would recommend to anyone and everyone!!

Date of visit: August 2017
1  Thank Becky H
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe B, Owner at Harbor House, responded to this reviewResponded August 19, 2017

Glad you were able to visit the Harbor House while you were in Milwaukee. Thank you and hope to see you next time you make it into town.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed August 15, 2017

We had a great lunch here on a weekend Milwaukee trip. Service was prompt, and sandwiches were tasty.

Date of visit: August 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank redhawk47988
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe B, Owner at Harbor House, responded to this reviewResponded August 19, 2017

Glad you were able to come by the Harbor House on your trip to Milwaukee. Thank you for sharing and hope you will stop in the next time you are in town.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed August 14, 2017

Popular more for the location than the food which is ok, not "wow." Tomato/cucumber salad was drenched in dressing which took away from any chance of tasting summer tomato's or cucumber. Bronzino was pan seared nicely but lost opportunity to be stellar as accompanying potatoes and peppers were too oily for the dish. Salmon dish was served in nicely wrapped paper which kept it moist and tasty. Trout was similar to Bronzino in that the heavy oil hand was at work somewhere on the line in the kitchen. Service was decent. Go for the view, wine and raw bar.....

Date of visit: August 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
1  Thank BillyTeddy
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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