The Bay
342 E Silver Spring Dr, Milwaukee, WI, 53217
The Bay Menu
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Address :
342 E Silver Spring Dr
Milwaukee, WI, 53217 - Phone (414) 455-3045
- Website https://thebayrestaurant.net/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Kelly C.
Service was good and friendly and decor is pleasant for a casual lunch or dinner (with kids). Food is decent - salmon salad was tasty with spinach and grapefruit complimented by a horseradish dressing. My husband ordered a chicken sandwich which was mostly bun and not much chicken. All sandwiches come with tortilla or potato chips or a salad for an upcharge - no fries though. Beer selection is also decent, but nothing offered on draft.
(3)Alice S.
Such mixed emotions! I want so much for this place to survive, because Whitefish Bay is a real desert when it comes to non-chain food, but I have to be honest. I'll start with the pros: it's a nice space, the service is friendly, and the drinks are good. They have what appears to be a decent wine list, same for beer. And hey, a real bar, bringing the total to 3 in WFB. The food ranged from average to, well, less than. The kids Mac and cheese came out cold ("mommy, I wanted hot macaroni and cheese!") and the replacement took awhile and was gluey. My salmon salad was decent, and same for the spouse's grilled veg sandwich. Here's hoping for improvement.
(3)Mark P.
By The Bay, For The Bay. The slogan alone ensures it will be a hit. The Bay is a great new local joint serving sandwiches, salads, seafood, burgers & pizza. My dining partner & I shared the Aged Cheddar Burger & Andouille Encrusted Cod. Both absolutely phenomenal & cooked to perfection. The Andouille Encrusted Cod had a perfect blend of flavors & a spicy bite that did not overwhelm the fish. The presentation was 5 star. The Burger has all the makings of an iconic burger & was served with made to order potato chips. Our server was attentive & orders are expedited via mini I Pads. The Community oriented Bay prides itself on buying locally. Décor is modern yet casual with big beautiful picture windows & historical photos of Whitefish Bay adorning the walls.
(5)Mortie S.
Casual, local, great food . . . what more could you ask for, the irish coffee was warming, the prices were good and parking was plentiful . . .
(5)Olga L.
As a Whitefish Bay resident, I really want the Bay to be a thriving restaurant. I went 3 times to the Bay before I decided to write the review. I hope Management reads these points as constructive criticism, rather than "just another bad review". Let's start with the good. The mixed drinks are great. The beer selection is very good as well. The Bay would get 4 stars for the bar. My favorite the the Moscow mule, which is properly served in the copper mugs. Service is also good. Now with the bad. In our fist visit, we ordered the bay burger. Even though it was $10, it lacked in taste and size. The bay sauce was non existent, the egg was not runny, the bun was probably second worst part about the burger. It was a mushy bun. I would expect a really good quality bun (Scortino's as an example). The beef patty was lacking in flavor. Overall, I would never order that burger again. There are so many places in town that do this kind of burger so much better. Harry's bar and grill has a very similar burger for $12, however it is much bigger and is full of flavor. If price point is the issue, raise the price of the burger by $2-3 and offer something much more delicious with better bun and better beef. The last time we came I had to talk my husband into giving this place one last try. This time it was for lunch. We both ordered buffalo chicken sandwich. I will give this sandwich a half of a star. The chicken was pre-cooked and cold. The sauce was sprinkled over the sandwich. Once again, the bun was mushy. This sandwich tasted like something you buy in a gas station-cold, soggy, not tasty. There are so many ways you can make that sandwich delicious. Change the bun, grill your chicken before serving and toss it with the sauce before putting it on a bun. We will probably stop by here for a summer drink, however, with so many delicious restaurants in the Milwaukee area, the Bay will not be on my list unless they really change the quality of food that they serve.
(2)K. B.
We went there for drinks and appetizers, which were good. Generally speaking, Villagers are excited this place has opened. The menu was normal and well priced. The Bay will be a hit.
(5)Jonute S.
food was pretty good. the apitizers are pretty good. cod and the hanger steak is very good.
(4)Tim C.
My wife and I had a great dinner at The Bay. Hanger steak and Chicken Caesar work really nice. Prices were very cheap. Will be back!
(4)Bonnie M.
So sad. Lunch yesterday. I had such high hopes. We were a party of five. The staff seemed totally unprepared to be busy. Took forever. Things could have moved more smoothly if workers that were not busy pitched in to help others. Then the icing on the cake was when two moms came in with a their young kids. Now I LOVE children. I have three. My kids know that they must use inside voices and remain seated in all restaurants. This children were permitted to scream and literally run in circles. Not the restaurants fault but clearly nobody knew how to handle the situation. That seemed to be one of the problems. Nobody at the helm for the entire drawn out lunch. Food was really ok though. I liked that they are supporting other local businesses. Food didn't interest me enough to go back however.
(2)Jeremy E.
Had dinner there during their soft opening and I have to say...amazing! The burger was perfectly cooked with a unique combo of flavors. The bay sauce is to die for! The service was great despite, some of our food being a bit slow, but was made well again by Mr. McMahon coming thank us for our patience. Great food! Friendly staff! GO!!!!
(5)Rob V.
Great beer selection and really good pizza. Super-friendly staff. I'll be back soon for a burger. Love this place already!
(5)Jackie Z.
Great neighborhood place! Glad to see such a friendly and delicious option in Whitefish Bay. I had the salmon and it was excellent. I would go back JUST FOR THIS ENTREE! The staff is working very hard to make this place a success, and it shows. Kudos. I hope this restaurant is around for many years and helps to grow the Silver Spring business district. Dining there on a Wednesday at 6pm and there was a wait for a table is a great sign of what is to come.
(5)Christine C.
Meh. I've eaten here three times in the past 6 months and they've screwed up my order every time. Today I ordered a wrap but I got a bun instead. Even though I specified wrap and pointed to the item on the menu. The food is good, not stellar.
(3)Ann L.
We went for dinner the other night, and it was a pretty weak experience. It was a Friday and the place was busy so we were pleasantly surprised when they could seat us outside immediately. Sadly, that was the last of the pleasant surprises. The server was nice, but rarely present. The menu looked interesting at first with with a nice variety, so we ordered steak samosas, the 'bay burger' with chips, and the roast vegetable sandwich. When the food came (35 minutes later) it all looked good, but had no taste. The burger was ordered medium rare and was a bit overcooked, and neither the meat nor the sauce tasted like anything. At all. The veggie sandwich was bland too. In all, not a place we'd visit again anytime soon.
(2)Kate P.
*Update* So after two-months, we decided to give it another try. Suggestions: 1) Get a better copywriter for the menu. Don't use the words 'pig parts.' I like to eat pizza and meat, but 'pig parts' does not make me think of crisp, cheesy covered pepperoni and sausage. 2) The appetizers need something not served with chips or crackers - if they're opting for a Wisco theme, how about a relish tray or fried cheese curds? 3) Get better buns - the veggie sandwich should be on tasty ciabatta and not a hoagie roll. The veggie sandwich was tasty and the large substituted side salad made up for the lackluster roll. 4) Add one or more of the following: a club sandwich, a breaded chicken sandwich, a fried fish sandwich, a portobello sandwich, or a hummus wrap. 5) The addition of French fries and tater tots would go a long way. If that's not possible, then offer a side of pico de gallo or dip for those getting tortilla chips with their sandwiches. 6) Add some color to the place. -------- I am so happy that this restaurant opened up. As a new resident to Whitefish Bay, I am still surprised that there aren't more small, local resaturants here. I have been told that whatever goes in the spot, that The Bay is now in, doesn't last. I think The Bay stands a chance... but needs some changes. The place is inviting, as are the staff. I appreciated the limited menu... they didn't try to outdo the Cheesecakes factory... and that is a good thing. However, the menu is weird. The appetizer options are random and seem pricey. Same thing goes for the entire menu. The addition of pizza is odd too. I think they need to refine their food theme, trim some prices and add fries or tots. I don't mind paying $10 for a burger... but it should be a little bigger, on a Breadsmith bun, and come with something better than potato chips.
(3)John N.
We opted for a late lunch at The Bay recently. We'd never been there previously and just happened to run across it driving up Silver Spring Drive. The ambiance was pleasing and the server very helpful. I had a great Waldorf salad and my wife liked her veggie sandwich a lot. They didn't skimp on the wine either. We'll return when we're in Milwaukee again. Jan Nylander
(4)Christopher K.
I really want this place to make it. Kudos to them for bringing this place to fruition-as it's sorely needed in WFB. I stopped in for a burger 6/2-the same day as another yelper--and I think I saw him there-back in the corner. The service was solid, decor was great, the staff was friendly, and the menu seemed to have something for everyone. I did notice they didn't offer fries, which for some reason, I like. That brings me to the food: I had the aged cheddar burger with the house chips. I ordered the burger medium and it came medium-rare, maybe even rare. It was quite thick, which obviously led to the undercooking. To compound matters, the carmelized onions were cold, making the undercooked burger seem even more undercooked. The onions obviously weren't done as the burger was being cooked, rather just pulled out of the cooler and popped on after cooking. Despite this, the rather sharp cheddar shined through and the burger wasn't "that" bad. The chips were good, some salty, some not, but they seem to be made in-house, which is good. Based on the other reviews, the issue may have only been that day. The menu shows promise, I think it was just an execution issue. That being said, I'll still be back. The wine list was extensive, as is their scotch selection. I noticed copper mugs on the back bar, as well as dark and stormys and Moscow Mules specifically offered on the menu. It seems like a great place to have an evening drink or two. Whitefish Bay needs this place, and I think they're going to do well after working through the "just opened" issues.
(3)Jerry R.
I joined yelp to write this review - and I wish it was a good one! My wife and I decided to give this new place a try and would be hard pressed to come back. We thought the hostess was friendly and the decor nice and inviting. We were sat in the back corner despite maybe only 4 or 5 other tables being occupied. Seemed odd but we didn't mind. The menu looked good and we decided to start with the Milwaukee Chips and queso. We also ordered an aged cheddar burger and a buffalo chicken sandwich, both with their homemade chips. The problems began we we got our food entrees before our appetizer. The server just made a joke about it and said nothing else. My burger we bright pink in the center and slightly bloody - nothing close to the medium well I ordered. I mentioned how rare the burger was to the server and told her that if "this is med-well than med-rare must be scary"! She totally agreed that the burger was way under cooked. Worse the burger was my wife's sandwich. To call that a buffalo chicken sandwich is an injustice. I can't fathom a single person ever writes a positive review in that sandwich. There was hardly any sauce on it and what there was didn't have much flavor at all. The server noticed my wife picking at it and asked if it was ok. My wife told her that it really wasn't good to which she offered more of the bland sauce. After passing on the servers offer my wife asked for Franks hot sauce. Any home cook could have tossed some chicken in some store bought buffalo sauce and they'd have a much better sandwich. The homemade chips had absolutely no salt on them and had no flavor. They should either have some type of salt or e served with a dip. Overall I don't expect things to be perfect and if it was just the under cooked burger we could have rolled with everything else. However, the fact that no manager ever stopped over and we were charged for the app. and everything else meant no tip at all (which I Hated to do) and no repeat visits....although I can't imagine it being open all that long unless major changes are made.
(1)Basam A.
The Bay is a solid local place with great service and is in an active location. Outdoor seating is right on silver spring and there are plenty of friendly people around. Now the food. I had the bay burger, nothing bad to say about it. Meat was fresh, burger was tasty and the toppings where all good. The bun could use some work, it was good but would have been nice if it wasn't something I could grab at the local Sendiks. Wife had the margerita pizza, good size for one person, sauce may have been canned, but was flavorful. All around, with checking out. I say solid 4 stars maybe 5 when the live music is playing.
(4)Laura K.
The food is FANTASTIC. I ordered a black and bleu burger with fries and it was cooked to perfection. The fries were out of this world. My husband loved his bay burger - it had a fried egg, Frank's Red Hot, and butter on top. We also split an appetizer of chips and dip - the chips were made in house and they were perfectly done, and the caramelized onion sauce was incredible! I'd go back just for that one dish! Our waitress was friendly and competent, but the service was a little slow. However, it was a Saturday night so we gave her the benefit of the doubt. We chose to dine outside and the atmosphere was quite nice, but unfortunately our table was pretty dirty. The outdoor tables are wooden and could do with some refinishing; spilled food kind of just soaks into the table top. That's why I only rated this place 4 stars. We will definitely be going to this restaurant again, and I hope you will too!
(4)Monica M.
I really like The Bay! It serves a much needed presence for a good bar and restaurant outside of everything at Bayshore, and I've liked every entree I've ordered so far. As a 30-year-old sans kids, personally it's a nice place to go for a glass of wine and live music (I love that they're doing that). The patio is fantastic in the nice weather, too. The one thing that frustrates me immensely is slow service. If it's remotely busy, there is often no one up front to greet and seat you when you walk in. Sometimes they almost seem frustrated that you walked in. Maybe they haven't learned how to staff up properly for bigger crowd dinner shifts. Also, one of the bartenders isn't the friendliest, which kinda kills the vibe if you just want to saddle up for a drink. I have positive hopes for this place, and hope it thrives. The live music is definitely one of the reasons we keep going back.
(4)Layla B.
There will forever remain one unanswered question in my life: how do the residents of WFB deal with such bad restaurants? Totally empty early on a Sunday evening. Extensive wine, beer and cocktail list (but none of the beers are on tap). We skipped the appetizers and ordered entrees. The waitstaff here plugs the orders into iPads, so you'd think it would be accurate. Nope. 2 screwed up orders, 0 apologizes, subpar food. We've given The Bay 3 chances and it hasn't ever come close to good. I think their food is arbitrarily priced - $9 for a tofu stir fry with veg and peanut sauce seems quite low, while $16 for a restaurant pizza seems a bit high. I get why families keep coming... It's close enough and (I guess) good "enough". Skip it, folks!
(2)Warren D.
Went in on Monday June 29 at 630 to get a gift card for a friend that will be living down the street soon. Thought it would be a great gift. The hostess seemed super confused at my request but said someone at the bar would help me. There was no one behind the bar. Five minutes later, Hipster McBeard went behind the bar, glanced at me and proceeded to make some drinks. Hostess came back and said he would be right with me. Hipster took the drinks somewhere and then was gone for several minutes. He came back and talked to someone sitting at the bar and then played with the iPad for a couple minutes. After 10 minutes of waiting I gave up and left. I tried to tell the hostess how disappointed I was but couldn't get her attention. I went next door to the Fox Bay and got a gift card there in 60 seconds. I'm not likely to dine here, either anymore. Which is a shame, I liked their overpriced pizza.
(1)Kevin B.
The Bay fills the void of a nice place to get a drink, beer or glass of wine -- previously the only bar in downtown WFB was in the Fox Bay Cinema. The Bay also has excellent food, from homemade chips and dip to seriously good entrees. The atmosphere is relaxed but classy. Live music every Thurs (and occasionally other nights) adds to the appeal. During temperate months, outdoor seating is available.
(5)Gary H.
On a recent rainy evening I stopped for my first time at this area eatery. There were two other tables of diners and 5 or 6 people at the bar. By the time we left an hour or so later, two more people came to the bar and two more tables were taken by diners. There was a bar tender, a few people in the kitchen and three servers. I point this out because there were almost as many servers as patrons and still the service was haphazard and inattentive. To be clear, this is a bar with burgers, pizza, and salad. Not a bad idea to grab a bite, but it is more of a family restaurant mash up with bar than anything more interesting. This is not completely unlike Applebees except the bar is more prominent here. Given the number of failed business attempts at this location, it might be a good idea to decide what this place is quite soon or it also will fail. Maybe the Bay just needs to confess itself as a bar (if the village would allow that); or maybe it is a restaurant. The pizza was okay. The burger quite good. The service, meh. I think The Bay may have its kitchen inorder, but the concept and front of house suggests it needs a manager/owner.
(2)Gina L.
Went on Friday August 31 to celebrate a friend's birthday. I am not sure where to start- this was beyond the worst service I have ever experienced. It took over 30 minutes to receive drinks. Salads were served without dressing, which took another 15 minutes to receive. Side orders were missed, not to mention an entire pizza was missed from the order. Tall cocktails were delivered as short cocktails or never showed up at all. Some of our entrees were delivered 20 minutes before the rest. We will not be returning, I hope management does something to turn thus around. Service here has always been on the slow side, drinks over priced......
(1)Jake B.
Meh. What whitefish bay could really use: a tasty, modern restaurant. This place is between a gyro restaurant a bar and a, well, bar that serves food. Burgers that should be served to patrons of the local swimming pool.
(2)Michael G.
They don't have s clue how to run an establishment. Food average at best. Service below average Prices on the nigh side compared to quality and portions are small. Management doesn't really care if you have an issue. Finally there were drinks on our bill that we never ordered. To bad to sad another one will bite the dust.
(1)Food L.
Slow service, drinks are way overpriced, no beer on tap, no specials even on a Friday night. Food was subpar wouldn't advise going here. I have tried it twice and won't be trying this establishment again.
(1)Erin S.
Just can't bring myself to like this place even though it's so convenient. Had dinner there once. So overpriced and just eh. Went for lunch on a Sunday. Menu was so limited. Ordered chicken salad sandwich which was a tiny bit of chicken salad in between two pieces of dried toast. It was worse than something I could have made myself.
(2)Jeremiah T.
Took my extended family there this past Sunday. 16 people including six kids arrived unannounced and The Bay staff took it all in stride. The service was excellent especially considering the size of our group. Two servers took our orders. I had the Bourbon BBQ Chicken Pizza. The crust was crisp yet chewy. The pizza pared well with a Spotted Cow. Our total bill was extremely reasonable for the number of guests plus drinks. We'll be back!!
(5)Jen D.
We waited a while to try this place, and we were really underwhelmed. If I only had one word to use, I would say boring, but it was a little worse than just boring, as the food was definitely below average. It is probably a fun place to meet up with friends for drinks, and that menu seemed OK, but I won't order food again unless something changes here.
(2)Rick R.
I ordered the Bay Burger ($10), which is topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, a fried egg and "Bay Sauce." The burger patty is grilled per the description, but didn't taste grilled. The patty didn't have much seasoning, so not much flavor. The fried egg was a beautifully cooked sunny side up egg, but when I broke the yolk, not much flowed out, which helped prevent the burger from being too messy. The Bay sauce was pretty good. I couldn't make out specific ingredients, but it was a little spicy. The house made chips looked appetizing, so they must do a nice job keeping the cooking oil clean. They would have been good with the right amount of seasoning. They had none. My friend ordered the house made tortilla chips with her chicken sandwich, which she enjoyed. I tried one of the tortilla chips and thought it was great. I would buy a bag of them to take home and eat with guac or pico. The menu has six burgers/sandwiches, four salads, and four entrees. Some items on the menu are changed out frequently. Some of the entrees looked good, such as the Andouille sausage crusted cod, but I'm leary about a chef who can't make a great burger. It was good, but not great. I'd call it a $6 burger, not a $10 burger. I might go back to try an entree - maybe.
(3)Kathleen R.
I have been holding off on a review but I think now is the time. The Bay is a beautiful space located on Silver Spring. The service is always excellent. Seating inside and out when weather permits. They offer club pours on wine and bottled beers in addition to cocktails. The food has not been so good. I think they are trying to strike a balance between upscale and kid friendly. I hope the quality and presentation improve. For example, on the burgers I wish they threw the buns on the grill to be slightly toasted before serving. Perhaps some more interesting sides like vegetables or mashed potatoes.
(3)Heidi A.
My husband and I had lunch here today. We came early, like 11:15am and were the only 2 there. Kinda surprising on a warm sunny Friday. Then again, it is the Friday before Labor Day. Anyway, that's not the issue. I ordered the salmon topped spinach salad for $11.50. My husband ordered the Bay Burger with chips. We ordered right away with our server, Ashley H. She was pleasant but nor very personable. It took over 15 minutes for us to get our salad and burger. It was the lunch hour and we were the only people there. I was VERY disappointed when my salad arrived. The piece of salmon was more like a strip about 1 in.wide by 4 inches long. It was more like a spinach salad with essence on salmon. When Ashley asked how we liked everything I told her of my disappointment and all she did was nervously giggle and say she was sorry. I appreciate the apology however she should have offered to bring me another strip of salmon or a side dish of something or sent the restaurant manager over. She did none of those things. I hate when I have a negative experience at a restaurant whether due in part or whole as a result of the service and still feel obligated to tip fully. I don't feel Ashley earned her tip, nor The Bay restaurant earned a rating better than 1 star. We won't be back!
(1)Marc P.
Awesome fries. The bay burger was great also if you like egg on a burger thing. Nice selection of sandwiches and pizza to go with the burger selection
(5)George T.
The Bay restaurant has been open for at least 2 months. I've got a few friends who have been regularly going here 1-2X per week and always asking me to go with. My rule is to wait at least 2 months for systems, staff and procedures to reach operational efficiency. Otherwise I've experienced spotty service mixed with either good or bla food. From newly opened locations. On the topic of spotty service. This building was not a good match with my phone the manager suggested I use the free Guest WIFI. This place is innovative to have staff use iPads to enter drink and food orders instead of clumping around POS terminals. Tsk tsk (Point of sale) I came in around 6:00pm 7/11/13 to try a new place. Instead of my old routine of the trivia buzztime. I was quickly greeted. Staff were all sharp looking dressed in black. Plenty of bottle beers range 4.00-6.25. Wine in club pours=(approx 9 oz) range 9-11. Menu was very easy select off. Each section had 4-6 choices. Ranging from 2-15 dollars. I was glad to find a majority of the menu that was to my liking. I really wasn't too hungry but I seen 2 people order the Andouille crusted cod, and they were happy. 1 other couple had a burger and cod. Since I'm a picky eater. I ordered the 14 inch pizza partially to go while it was busy and it came out within 10 minutes. It's a hand stretched crust with pepperoni and freshly pinched Italian sausage good for 2 people. The manager made rounds to check on how everyone's meal was. I think his name was Kevin, and he asked if I needed a box for my unfinished pizza to go. On the topic of going, they have a side door to exit across from the restrooms it can be a bottle neck if people are running food since they share the same hallway. They have metered parking up front while the back lot has 2 hour free parking. Most of the outside tables were occupied as the weather was great. Inside was 80% full. They were staffed up pretty good 3-4 tables per server. I sat at the bar. Bartender was friendly offering a drink menu and a food menu. Beer can get spendy if you have more than 2 same goes for wine. The food menu looks very professional while the Beer and wine list was done in two separate fonts giving the appearance of Cut and Paste I hope they continue to add and change till the final edition. I could see coming back for the pizza, steak sandwich. Food: 4. The chocolate cake is house made without flour. I'm sure it's unhealthy since it tastes so good! Moderation and self restrain in this case is called for. Ambiance: 4 Cloth napkins and fancy utensils. A nice mix of old B/W pictures and local paintings. Dark ceilings and dark wood tables chair and bar. The seats could use a bit of padding if you plan on staying for a game. Service: 5 Very attentive. Location: 4 Value: 3 I can't drink like I want here so one beer is my limit. $$ two max. 3 beers exceeds the price of most entrees and the meal is price is now doubled?? Grrr. Please upgrade the bun for the burger.
(4)John R.
Very good beer list. I had an aged cheddar burger, and was excellent... If not a bit on the small side for a restaurant burger. The menu had standard pub grub plus some interesting pizza options, but I wouldn't call it extensive. The staff was friendly and attentive, and we enjoyed our time here. One thing, the wine seemed unusually expensive.
(4)Mari L.
I have a tendency to revisit the same places because I know I what I want and I will be happy. So when an old friend wanted to get together and suggested a new place, I was all in!! Located on Silver Spring in Whitefish Bay, The Bay offers a great atmosphere as well as good prices. The parking was easy (for a Tuesday) and Fox Bay Cinema is right next door. Great opportunity for dinner and a movie. :) We started with the Artichoke dip to warm up. The dip was a little too greasy, there were literally pools of grease pockets sitting on top. I like greasy food but that was just too much. When it came to my entree, I narrowed it down to 4 things but simply could not decide. That's always a good sign right there!! I finally decided on The Bay burger with cheddar cheese and deep fried onion strings. I prefer a well done burger and there was no pink in the middle, big marks for that!! My friend got the margarita pizza which I am always critical of. The crust wasn't too thick and there was an even portion of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Good work!! All in all I would most likely go back. My only negatives would be the greasy Artichoke dip and the service was a little slow. I like to see water on the table right away and it came after our drinks. But that's just a personal preference. Go try it out!!
(3)Phil T.
Drink a Big Bay at The Bay! It was great to see a local bar carry a local brewery!! Nice bar with a nice bar menu.
(4)Peter K.
The Bay is a great place for a quick, tasty meal in Whitefish Bay. The atmosphere inside is pleasant, the servers are friendly, and the old photos of Whitefish Bay are really neat to look at. I choose to sit outside, and the outdoor seating had a nice view of downtown Whitefish Bay. The house potato chips were salty and crispy, and the onion/bacon marmalade on my cheddar burger was a nice touch. The burger came out more thoroughly cooked than I had hoped it would, but I still liked my meal. I hope to return next time I'm on the North Shore.
(4)Laura D.
Love this place! The food is great, the service is awesome and it has a cool atmosphere.
(5)Nancy R.
Hosted the Yelp Supper Club at the Bay tonight and James did not disappoint. We began with the homemade potato chips fresh from the fryer served with a very tasty french onion dip. The second appetizer was Milwaukee con queso served with three different types of taco chips. The chips were fresh, but I would have liked more spiciness in the queso, For my entree, I had the aged cheddar burger cooked medium. Since the burgers are ground fresh from local steak, I was not afraid to order a bit more rare than normal and it was very good. Another Yelper actually ordered his rare and seemed to enjoy it. Other orders included the cedar plank salmon and chicken BBQ pizza. Everyone seemed pleased with their selections. If you've not tried The Bay yet, give it a go. I have always had wonderful service and a great meal. They also have a good local beer selection, but alas no draft beers.
(5)Nick S.
I have been a couple of times. Menu continues to evolve with food variety getting better in my opinion. Everything seems well made and authentic. The Mac and cheese bacon pizza is excellent.
(4)Gina S.
I really wanted to love dinner by The Bay...but I was just feeling simply mediocre afterwards. The restaurant vibe is what I might call a minimalist contemporary cafe that serves dinner. There's really not a whole lot going on in the decor department. Sure, they've got nice tables and chairs and threw a couple paintings on the wall, but other than that it's pretty simple and I was simply bored. I had been the this location when it was under a different restaurant ownership and nothing looked different except the name and the menu. It's still a nice casual place to grab a quieter dinner at. We were seated right away during what should have been the 6:30 weekend dinner rush. Our server was nice and the food and drinks came out in a timely fashion. I went with the Moscow Mule, I would do it again. I split the Veg Out-Man pizza with my wo-Man friend. A good variety of veggies with both mozzarella and parmesan then topped off with a lil basil pesto. It was good, nothing exceptional but it definitely looked better than the hubby's burger. His buns look like they had seen better days. Seriously, if a restaurant wants to do a burger right all it needs it decent buns and they're in the clear with me...not some has been, sloppy, saggy, wonder white as arse, worn out looking buns from the store brand buns section. I would say food presentation needs work.
(3)Sarah M.
I thought my burger was great. I like the speciality kinds they offer. Fries were luke warm which was kinda disappointing. Service was ok. They take orders on iPads which I think is great (assuming it goes right to the kitchen). I did feel it was over priced but probably would visit again.
(3)Jennifer W.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...the north shore lacks a good inventory of decent restaurants. For the life of me, I can't understand it. I mean really, don't rich people dine out? Maybe all the Northshore Nancies have personal chefs. Anyhoo....The Bay seems to be a nice alternative up in these northern parts of town. I remember back in the day when this was a mediocre Mexican joint. Now it seems to be a decent spot to get a burger, a chicken sandwich, a hearty salad or some fantastic lookin' pizza. I had the Western Chicken sandwich which was decent, and instead of fries got a really nice little side salad for a small upgrade charge. Liked the ambiance and the service was good. I'll keep this in mind for future days of being perplexed about this northshore lack of restaurants weirdness.
(3)Nancy B.
Love this place! Great food, ambiance, and service. A favorite. Try the chips and dip.
(5)Christine W.
After reading the mixed reviews here on Yelp I decided to give The Bay a try. I liked the modern decor and though the atmosphere was good. The place was spotlessly clean. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Bay Burger and my husband ordered one of the other burgers. I was quite surprised at how quickly our food arrived. I read several reviewers complaining that the burger buns weren't good and were rather soggy. I thought that the Sendik's buns were fine. We both really enjoyed our meal and will be back again soon.
(4)Isaac S.
Improving once again. Super service and the food was good. I would like to see more natural/grass fed options on the menu. I was limited to salad which was very good. Solid four stars now.
(4)Bob D.
As I've watched North Oakland Avenue in Shorewood explode with business-activity in the past year or two, it was with moderate anticipation that the family and I went to "The Bay" in the heart of Whitefish Bay's sleepy little boring business district on East Silver Spring Drive. Was this new restaurant going to start the revolution, that WFB families have waited so long for: A GOOD-REASONABLY PRICED FAMILY FRIENDLY restaurant? Not so much... We came to dine in the 6 o'clock hour on a Thursday. Being a beautiful night, all the outside seating was taken, but I wanted to really check this place out so sitting inside was fine. It was about 70% full inside. The decor is pretty simple and straight forward. Maybe even a bit boring. There definitely was no "vibe" although, they seemed to be trying to create a concert vibe from the 80's by playing Journey, Soft Cell, and Survivor at near concert volume. (See my review of El Guapo's, the now defunct restaurant that was the former tenant.) On to the food! Our server was friendly and we ordered drinks, and after perusing the very simple menu, we ordered a simple app: Chips & Queso cheese. The chips were homemade, and pretty decent. The Queso seemed to be straight Velveeta, with a pinch of onions and peppers added--served at 5 degrees above room temperature---Not a good start. Main courses ordered were: The Bay-ffalo Chicken sandwich, steak empanada, and a Waldorf salad. So in order: The Bay-ffalo Chicken Sandwich was rotisserie chicken chunks on a bun with a hand full of iceberg lettuce and chopped celery. Beyond the clever name-play we thought it would be a Buffalo-style chicken sandwich, but the special "bay sauce" was so flavorless, as to be indescribable. There was definitely no Frank's Red Hot in the building. The "buttermilk blue cheese" ordered on the side, turned out to be a large thimble full of crumbled blue cheese... My wife's order of Steak Empanadas was mistaken to be the Hanger Steak dinner, so my wife was left to watch us eat, while they hurriedly corrected her order. The waitress apologized, the manager came over and apologized, and the owner apologized when he presented my wife with her empanadas. They've got the apologizing thing down pat. My Waldorf salad seemed to be a wedge of iceberg with 3-4 burned grapes and charred walnuts, in some kind of dressing, that the closest I could describe it was watery ranch. The chicken seemed to have either been boiled in water, or perhaps microwaved, as it was about as flavorless as you can make chicken be. My wife was comped her empanadas, and there were a few more apologies thrown around, so it's not like they aren't caring. I have heard that this is perhaps a starter menu, and that they are going to slowly ramp up to the good stuff in the coming weeks-months. I can only hope so, or this place won't be around to celebrate the New Year.
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