DINING

Summerfest satisfies your deep-fried dreams with new food and beer options

Katie O'Connell
Milwaukee

If you come to Summerfest for the beer (or music), this year’s deep-fried lineup will give you a good reason to stay for the food. 

Just in time for the Summerfest 50, festival officials announced the addition of 50 new food and beverage items Wednesday. The festival leans heavy on local options, with 45 local food and beverage suppliers. 

This includes two new “beverage experiences” at the Miller Lite Oasis. The Miller Long Bar now offers four beverage beer flights. Pick from 14 available brews to create your own flight, available in full-size pours or “taste explorer” sizes. Those who’ve participated in Miller promotions can avoid sunburn in the Miller Brew House, a covered area that includes front-row access, additional seating and a bar. 

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Beyond the Miller Stage, fans of Henry’s Hard, Lakefront Brewery, Leinenkugel’s and Redd’s are in luck. The festival will serve flavors from Lakefront's El Wisco, its summer seasonal, to Steel Reserved Spiked Watermelon, available along the lake walk near the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse. 

Soak up the beverage options with longtime fest favorite Saz's, which will offer house-made cheddar potato tots with BBQ pork and chives. You'll find those at the location by the Northwestern Mutual Children's Area. The Saz's by the BMO Harris Pavilion will dish out BBQ-stuffed, deep-fried bacon-wrapped jalapeños and a deep-fried bread pudding bites ice cream sundae. 

And local roaster Valentine Coffee will be on deck near the BMO Harris Pavilion to serve hot or iced coffee, cafe mocha, espresso and any other beverages necessary to fuel your Summerfest visit. 

Other noteworthy options include:

  • Angelo's (Harley-Davidson Roadhouse): Stuffed pasta pizza
  • Cedar Crest (Northwestern Mutual Children's Area): Waffle nachos hot fudge sundae
  • Chubby's Cheesesteaks (American Family Insurance Amphitheater Forecourt): Spicy pepper jack cheese bites and tater tot and bacon cheesesteak
  • Island Noodles (Ethnic Village): Gluten-free Island Coleslaw salad with teriyaki chicken
  • Louise's Trattoria (Water Street Brewery): Short rib arancini with truffle cream
  • Mader's (Ethnic Village): Beer-battered bratwurst on a stick and bacon spatzle "Mac" and cheese with Swiss cheese sauce
  • Peter Sciortino's Bakery (Miller Lite Oasis): Cupcakes, including the jumbo salty dog cupcake, a vanilla cupcake filled with a light caramel buttercream, roasted pecans and sea salt
  • Solo (American Family Insurance Amphitheater Forecourt): Completely noodle-less bacon ravioli, with six slices of bacon hand woven into ravioli, filled with ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella, served with BBQ ranch dipping sauce.
  • Trinity Three Irish Pubs (Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard): Deep South twister dog, consisting of a Usinger's smoked sausage wrapped with twisted sweet potato and deep-fried. If that's not enough, they load it up with pimiento cheese sauce, WSB Amber braised onions, chipotle ketchup and pickled peppers. 
  • Vagabond (Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard): Deep-fried mojito, featuring lime rum-flavored cake soaked in lime rum flavored with simple syrup with mint cream cheese filling, battered and deep fried. The concoction is then topped with lime rum flavored syrup and mint flavored whipped cream.

For a full list of new offerings, visit summerfest.com.