Klinger’s East
920 E Locust St, Milwaukee, WI, 53212
Klinger’s East Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
920 E Locust St
Milwaukee, WI, 53212 - Phone (414) 263-2424
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Average
Music : Background
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Tue, Fri
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Erik R.
Great cod fish fry, Blatz on tap!
(5)Gretel B.
Klinger's is my new favorite dive bar! The bartenders are friendly and the patrons (many of them "regulars") love to engage in conversation! I recently closed it down on a Saturday night and went back the next morning for their famous breakfast! Drink prices are very reasonable. Sunday morning bloodies were $5.75 with the basic fixings and a chaser. Breakfast was cheap for how much food you got -- a three egg veggie omelet with two pieces of toast and hash browns was only about $7! The food was delicious! Ask to try their home made hot sauces, your taste buds will be tingling all morning (watch out for the Triple X sauce, it makes me sweat just thinking about it)! The bartender mentioned they're only going to cook breakfast once a month during the summer season so call before you go!
(4)Shaw E.
If you are looking for a great local bar to watch the Packer game at, this is a great choice. Everyone knows each other and could not be more welcoming to new faces (like me). Bloody Mary's are awesome and they have a good brunch menu if you are okay with basic bar food. Come check it out!!
(4)Shane H.
I think the reason I like this place so much is because it reminds me of my rural wisco roots. Divey little bar/restaurants in a town that's one street long. There's probably a video gambling sot sitting in the corner, alone and chain-smoking. You are not coming here for a gourmet experience. You are coming for a cheap-ass fish fry. The fish is probably frozen, yes. It's still hot and greasy and plentiful. What more do you really need? When I think back to all of the Friday fish fries I have eaten in my life, I'm always left thinking "I wonder how much mercury is in my liver right now".
(3)Melanie B.
I just had try their fish fry since I had heard so much about it and I had this feeling that I was missin' out. Umm...not so much. I should mention we LOVE Tracks' fish fry (Wed and Fri) primarily because everytime we go it's consistently good. At Klinger's, we were disappointed in the quality of the fish and the breading that fell right off. My husband ordered the Walleye, which was a frozen patty right from a box that tasted like fish sticks. Ick. I ordered the broiled fish fry (which is usually cod but this was perch) and it was decent. It could have been cooked a few more minutes. I also ordered a piece of fried fish (extra $1.50) and it was not good. The breading literally fell off when I picked it up to eat with a fork. The coleslaw? Tasted like rancid onions. Plus, the gave you about a teaspoons worth- but trust, it was plenty with that flavor. Standard rye bread, nothing special there. The atmosphere kind of reminded me of a place up north, when you walk in everyone turns to stare at you. Whatevs. I know fish fry's are a very contentious topic and to each their own but I'll order mine at Tracks. Thanks!
(2)Nati K.
Klingers has had my mom's favorite fish fry in Milwaukee for as long as she's lived here. I just started going because it's only a few blocks from my house and I'll occasionally want a simple lunch before I head to work. Klinger's is cheap and the service is super friendly. It's got that often mimicked but never equalled Wisconsin realness going on. You know what I mean: packers paraphernalia everywhere, humble decor, greasy food, and honest to goodness authentic *nice* people. I had the wings today and they were PERFECT. The menu said that 7 wings would be served but they gave me a few extras because they're just so gosh darned generous. When I told my server that I loved hot sauce she brought over six or seven varieties, several of which were home-made varieties. I was on cloud nine. The food is so fairly priced that I could afford to come here every day. Love it!
(4)Nina Y.
Fish fry and Klinger Melt. I don't know why anyone would choose the other bars on this side of town for their Friday fish fix but they are missing out. First: the deal (dirt cheap with huge portions). Second: the quality and quantity (you'd expect with the price that they're going to throw some Van de Kamp's in the microwave for you but you get two slabs of fish, rye, coleslaw and choice of potato). Third: the taste (love the coating on the fish fry and holy god try the Klinger melt, seriously, like what are you doing with your life? Try it now).
(5)Brad K.
I haven't been to Klinger's East in several several years since the time that I waited 1.5 hours AFTER I sat down for our fish fry to arrive. People say the fish fry here is great, I think I recall it being good but I think any food after 1.5 hours would be good. I haven't given Klinger's East another chance and maybe they deserve one, but in an area that needs to be explored, Klinger's isn't on my priority list of places to stop at. Regardless of all that, I decided to try out their cheeseburger at the Locust Street festival because $5 seemed like a decent deal. Now I'm not sure if they used a different / cheaper burger for the festival (which I hope in their case they did) but it was awful. It looked like a turkey burger and tasted like an iguana burger. It was gross. I had to quit trying to convince myself it'd be good eventually and gave the remains to a friend to finish off. He agreed that the burger tasted like woodchips. Maybe I still haven't given Klinger's a fair chance, and maybe that's not the cheeseburger they actually serve inside, but I don't see myself coming back here for at least another several years.
(2)Rick R.
I had a friend highly recommend the fish fry at Klinger's East, so I finally went to try it. There were several options to choose from such as cod, walleye, bluegill and perch. I asked my server which was most popular and she said the standard cod fry for $8. I decided to start with a cup of their New England Clam Chowder. The base was a bit bland. I added salt and pepper to try and help. The chowder was hearty, filled with potato, corn, potato, a few bits of clams, and potato, so it was like a potato chowder. When the fish fry arrived, almost immediately after my clam chowder arrived, so I had to pick up the pace on the chowder, I was impressed with the large pieces of fish. It appeared lightly battered which was encouraging. I'm not a fan of thick greasy batter. Unfortunately, it was still greasy, really, really greasy. As I picked up a piece with my fork, I saw a small puddle of grease that it was sitting in before I picked it up. Also, the fish pretty much fell apart as the fork lifted it. The batter slid off and broke apart, revealing the grayish and slimy interior. Blah! I was happy that potato pancakes were an option. They tasted decent but were from a distributor. The texture of the rye bread was like it was a few days old and refrigerated. The cole slaw was served in a small paper cup and also disappointed. I really have to do a better job at considering the source when I get restaurant recommendations.
(2)Cosmo K.
Perfect river west bar to have a fun day on a Sunday! Nice crowd, friendly bartender. We had burgers all around with good Bloody Mary's. It's such a classic place to hangout and enjoy a football game or talk about life.
(4)Bradley J.
Klinger's is a quintessential old school dive bar with great people, affordable food, and reasonably priced drinks. For some of these previous low ratings, those reviewers should not be given the right to vote on such a great establishment. This bar has the nicest owners I have ever met. They are always willing to talk to anyone about their bar, food, or anything else. One must go there for two things: their patty melt and Sunday breakfast. They only serve breakfast on Sunday's and it is all prepared by the owner. I had the country fried steak and gravy meal which comes with buttered rye toast, 2 eggs, and choice of potatoes for a mere $7.25. Just a great place with great people.
(5)Brianna N.
Friday fish fry circa $7. No need to splurge on an extra piece, cuz this is big, greasy, crispy, and delicious as is. (Heads up: there are NO baked options, so don't bring your skinny friends.) Huge squeezy bottle of tartar sauce on each table. Shouldn't this delectable, mayo-based condiment be refrigerated? No? Ok, I will trust you, Mr. Klinger. As this beats a mini plastic cup of "the good stuff" anyday and I can always blame the morning-after diarrhea on something else. Friendly waitstaff? Check. Interesting clientele? Double check. Atmosphere that bears resemblance to a dark bowling alley from the 1980's? Yes. And its cheap and pretty tasty? What more could you possibly want in traditional Friday fish fry?! Worth a try, in my opinion!
(3)Corey B.
A friend of mine told me that Klinger's had the best breakfast he had experienced in awhile. My friend lied to me. I like the idea of having only 3 options for breakfast, but this should help you be efficient in the kitchen. The cook was late to work, and outside of the eggs, everything was frozen. I asked for over easy eggs, and I got burned eggs with a solid yolk. The plus side of the bad dining experience was friendly staff and a great bloody. They aren't playing games when you order one extra spicy. I'd go back for drinks, but I'd avoid eating here when there's other good places in Riverwest to choose from.
(2)Katy G.
Update: Went not during Lent, and service was much better and quicker overall. Also tried the seafood bisque, which was freakin' awesome. **** The fish fry here was great, but the service was slow and unorganized. I realize the first Friday in Lent is going to be busy, but it was still frustrating to wait for a table and then to get bread and coleslaw twenty minutes before our meals. The fish was delicious, and they serve a lot of it. The waffle fries were also delicious. I'd come back here again, but it would be nice to find a time when it wasn't so crazy busy.
(4)Marshall S.
This 5 star rating is based on the Friday fish fry. What is a WI Friday fish fry, you ask. In short, it's Klingers. A divey looking place with cheap table cloths and a ton of Milwaukee beer on tap...oh and some great fish at a cheap price. It can get pretty busy and don't go if you're in a hurry, but otherwise grab a beer and enjoy! I started with the clam chowder (although it came just before the food), and wow- flavorful and hearty. I had the regular fish platter with waffle fries and Sarah had the seafood platter (scallop, shrimp, cod, walleye) with the potato pancakes (recommended) and everything was great. Came with coleslaw and bread. Biggest problem was we left so full. What a place for fish fry!
(5)Chad C.
"Overrated" comes to mind. I didn't enjoy the fish fry. The breading was falling off the fish and overall I thought the food was kind of greasy. I know you're going to get a certain level of grease with any fried food but I felt it was excessive. Nice enough people and a nice little bar, but I doubt I'll be back... Tracks is right next door and has better bar food.
(2)Jake N.
Ok. I recently came back here for a fish fry. I don't know what changed but the quality seemed to have gone downhill on the fish frys. I hope they can get it together again.
(2)Virginia L.
Horrible fish fry with sub par ingredients. A cheap, thin slice of rye bread was pre-buttered for me. How nice. Fish was awful, they don't even give you enough coleslaw to taste it. Go one block down to Tracks for much better quality Fish Fry. The bar seems like it might be okay.
(2)Jessica Z.
I brought a well-respected food columnist couple to this gritty Riverwest dive a few years back when they were doing a story about Milwaukee fish fries for Gourmet. Serb Hall ("world's biggest fish fry" and most generic), McBob's (see my review), Karl Ratszch's and Pandl's Whitefish Bay Inn were also visited. I wish now I had steered them toward so many others, but I had recently "discovered" Klinger's after moving to Riverwest and felt proud. They had bluegill, fresh smelt in the spring, and, most importantly, hand-cut fries you could watch being made on an old-tymey lever-operated potato press. Sadly, the analog tater machine finally broke before our royal visit, and although they featured Klinger's in their article, They glaringly captured the essence of the dive -- grim exterior, oilcloth toppings, tacky televisions. However, they raved about the food. After not dining here for a while I re-visited last year after hearing the owner let the article direct his vision, adding a white-tablecloth (real fabric), no-smoking back room to accommodate extra diners. I brought some out-of-town friends and, honestly, the experience sucked. That back room was stagnant, sterile, and completely overwhelmed by the giant TV blaring NASCAR. But last Friday I had a half-bluegill/half-smelt fry at the bar and it was awesome. For real. $8, super-fresh (I watched the clean-looking guy bread the fresh fish) and article-worthy.
(3)Mike M.
This is the greatest place to watch a Packer game ever. Free shots every touchdown, great food, amazing staff. I went here for the Super Bowl and they even had a huge free buffet for every patron.
(5)