Grumpy Troll Pub & Brewery
105 S 2nd St, Mount Horeb, WI, 53572
Grumpy Troll Pub & Brewery Menu
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Address :
105 S 2nd St
Mount Horeb, WI, 53572 - Phone (608) 437-2739
- Website https://www.thegrumpytroll.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
- Mon : 11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, 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
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Sarah T.
The Grumpy Troll is an awesome little brewpub in Mt. Horeb that is definitely worth the drive from Milwaukee or Madison. Going on a day trip to Madison? Make this place your pit stop! Their beers are especially tasty and absolutely turn the Grumpy Troll into a necessary destination for anyone who enjoys sampling craft beers (my boyfriend, a self-proclaimed beer snob, always brings home a few bottles whenever we visit). The burgers, soups, and sandwiches are excellent (the reuben is particularly good and rivals anything you can find in Milwaukee), and their beer-battered fries are some of the BEST I've ever eaten.
(5)Katrina T.
Memorable for the wrong reasons. I ordered a bowl of seafood chowder and a side salad with raspberry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was extremely sweet - basically raspberry sauce on an OK mixed greens salad. The seafood chowder was very thin and had a decent overall flavor. However the amount of salt in the soup was at least 3x the necessary amount. It was so salty that I only finished it due to hunger. The cornbread muffin that accompanied the dish was incredibly underbaked. I don't understand how you can screw up a cornbread muffin. Half of it was inedible because half of it was raw dough. The only reason this gets 2 stars was the service. The waitress was very sweet and efficient. Otherwise, would never come back.
(2)Evin J.
I've been here twice now. The first time, we ate downstairs. The beer is good the food is 'meh'. I ordered chicken wings that were not good. The salads looked great, though! The second time was tonight. We veered upstairs to the pizzeria. Holy smokes was it good!! Crust was thin and perfectly cooked. Toppings were plentiful with lots of veggies!! I will definitely be back upstairs to the pizzeria. The menu was well priced and the service was good:).
(4)Colleen F.
This place is fantastic. The selection of beer is outstanding. I did a sampling of all of their beers and not one was a disappointment. The cheese curds were some of the best I've had in Wisconsin. Burger was good.
(5)Joshua B.
This place has not changed much from my first time visiting a few years ago. The service is ok, not bad and not great. Maybe have servers stop by a bit more frequently? The food is ok to good. It really depends on what you order. I enjoyed the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. The fish is good too. A family member ordered a flatbread and it was not even remotely good. I think they've since removed it from the menu. The beer here is ok. I've only enjoyed "Erik the Red." The others I just didn't care for. This place always seem to be busy in the bar, the dining area comes and goes as far as traffic. I'd maybe come back if I knew that they improved the service.
(3)Michelle N.
Great service friendly people, love the curds, not a bad place to stop and eat. Great location
(3)Janelle M.
We stopped here on our way towards the Mississippi River for a camping trip. Bryan and I are always looking for breweries whilst road-tripping, so when we saw signs for The Grumpy Troll it was time to pull over for a couple of beers and some dinner. Our waitress was great, and brought us beer samples to try as we perused the menu. She was even patient when I asked what was up with all of the trolls in town. To be honest, I was about to google their menu because I completely forgot which beers we had. I guess that kind of speaks to their memorability...I wasn't blown away, but it was cold beer so I drank it. Dinner was great though. I enjoyed the best fried walleye sandwich I've ever tasted, served on a deliciously soft hoagie roll with tartar sauce and LTO. Alongside the sandwich I ordered the beer battered fries, which were perfectly crispy and satisfying. Bryan had a reuben which ended up being average when stacked up against others we've had. The hostess stand is located in the back of the restaurant, which I could see being an issue when the restaurant gets busy. Due to this, the dining room had so many signs explaining where to go that I was waiting for someone to tell me to grab a rope and hold on tight as I walked to my table. It took away from the ambiance a little bit, but I just decided to focus on the troll dolls staring at me from above the bar. Overall, Grumpy Troll is probably one of the best places to stop if you're in the area and looking for something that isn't a chain. I enjoyed my experience and the town of Mt. Horeb looks like it's worth a walkthrough too.
(3)Elisabet R.
LOVED the cheese curds!! I'm not a Wisconsin native, so perhaps I'm not the best to judge, but I absolutely loved them! Gooey goodness! The burger was pretty good-- threw some extra cheese on there and the veggies were fresh! The side of chips was delicious-- also perfectly seasoned and with toasted cheese! The enchilada soup and side salad were pretty good as well; however, the raspberry vinaigrette was far too sweet (I actually think they might have forgotten to add the vinegar because it was sweet enough for a pastry). The service was great and the outside patio was wonderful as well. Wish I would've had more room in my belly for the deep fried Snickers bar, but the portions were huge and I left very satisfied.
(4)Shannon C.
Every time we tell someone that we are going to Mt. Horeb, he or she will inevitably say "Oh! Are you going to the Grumpy Troll?" Or something to that effect. This time, we finally went. Husb. tried one of their red ales, I sampled their Boreas, and we split the nachos. We both enjoyed our beers, but the nachos were typical subpar bar nachos. They used a three-cheese blend, one of them being liquid nacho cheese, and within ten minutes our stomachs were turning! People around us ordered the sweet potato tots, and in hindsight we wished we would have tried them.
(3)Randall G.
Nice stop for lunch on the way back from Madison to Iowa. Good service, nice and clean atmosphere and tasty food.
(4)A W.
In my most recent visit, I order the Ensalata Fiesta, which I would recommend to anyone trying to avoid the taste of average, fried bar food. This was much better than past sandwiches I've ordered. I do miss the artichoke or asparagus flatbread. Huge portions. Had a pretty good bloody mary but wasn't served the more extravagant one advertised...oh well probably saved some money and it still came with a chaser of any quality (yes!). Sat at the bar to avoid a wait during a busy Sunday. It was pleasant, plenty spacious with quick attention by the bartender.
(4)Steve L.
I've been meaning to write an update for the Troll... I've been back at least six times over the past few years, and none of the additional visits have been worthy of anything more than 1 star. Why? - The beer. It doesn't suit my palette. There are a few that I can stomach (barely) - the Pale Ale isn't awful, but as another review mentions, there is beer elsewhere that tastes better to me. - The service. With the exception of 1 abnormally decent visit, the servers are quite absent; when they do drop-by, everything feels rushed. - Why is your hostess stand in the far back corner?????????? ???? ???? ??? I hate having to slither through drunken patrons just to get to the hostess stand and request a table. - The food. I've had a few more fish frys (including fried options), a wrap, a burger, and a salad - none have been memorable. So... I don't think I'll be back. It's a good looking place, and I like the idea/concept. Unfortunately, my half-a-dozen visits haven't been positive.
(1)Mike W.
Awesome service and great food. One of the best Bloody Mary's I have had. The prime rib sandwich is delicious.
(5)Shane B.
Great food and atmosphere, the town itself is very charming and welcoming to visitors. If you like beer you'll love their home brewed flavors and their prices are very fair for the quality of food.
(5)Larry W.
Good food! Good beer! Right off Military Ridge Trail if you like to bike and stop for a few...Awesome!
(5)Sarah H.
Again, found this place on Yelp. So I looked up the menu and my eyes immediately found the soft pretzel. A ONE AND A HALF POUND soft pretzel mind you. I was sold. So away we went. There was a wait, but that was okay. We looked over the menu while were waiting. When we were seated, we were ready to go. When they brought that pretzel out - well - it was - amazing. Very tasty and we enjoyed the dipping trio that it comes with. My kids each got a turkey BLT (minus the "T"), my husband a burger (I forget which variety) and I had the reuben. I got the grump chips with mine, which were very tasty. Chips with parmesan cheese baked on top, with a seasoning (reminded me of a taco seasoning). Very tasty. Food was good. Service was good. Place was busy the whole time we were there (a Saturday afternoon).
(5)Corey D.
Call me a grump, but I find absolutely no reason to return. Our waitress was lovely, which is why I'm not giving the place one star, but all the smiles in the world wouldn't make up for the crummy experience. Their beer is downright awful. The spectrum of offerings runs from flat and lifeless to bitter and tar-like. I went with a group of four and between us we tried 8 different drafts. There wasn't a single one we liked, nor a single one we finished. I realize this is personal preference, you might like their beer, but you'd be wrong. (I kid, I kid... go and try them, you might decide I'm crazy, but there's much better beer brewed in the state.) The food didn't fare much better. I was excited to see they use Black Earth Meats, but holy cats... they cooked my burger to death, they should have just used some crappy ground from a food service provider. The hockey puck of a patty was so dry, so flavorless, I almost wanted to write Black Earth Meats to tell them Grumpy Troll is abusing their beef. So sad. Fries weren't much better. Cold and soggy. Heads up, the hostess station is in a weird location, so when you arrive, you aren't really met by anyone. You need to walk around the bar to get to her, THEN you need to go up there to pay at the end of your meal. I realize this is a tiny little thing, I probably sound whiny mentioning it, but I'm not certain why you can't settle up with your waitress? It's very "Perkin's" feeling to me. Last up, the fact that you can't order pizza downstairs and you can't get a burger upstairs is downright silly. People have mentioned it in reviews before and I'm bringing it up again. How hard is it to walk a pizza downstairs if that's where someone wants to sit because there are booths open. Alternatively if you can only host a party of 12 upstairs where there's more open seating, and if they want burgers or other items from the menu downstairs, grab all your servers and run food up at once. I'm no restaurant owner but this simply doesn't make sense to me. It's one building. If I did own a restaurant and this restaurant was multiple floors, I'd let you eat whatever the heck you wanted wherever you wanted. I realize there's not much in Mt. Horeb, but that's no excuse in my opinion for sub-par beer, a burger that's overcooked although I ordered it medium, and odd restaurant practices that just don't make sense.
(2)Trent P.
One word... EPIC! My brother and I talked to a local during the Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Endurance Run about places to go near Madison. He couldn't recommend this place more and wrong he was not. We got excited to try it because we love little craft breweries. The place had a great atmosphere, fast, courteous staff, and EPIC food and beer. We had the cheese curds, which were a new experience for an AZ desert rat like me. The giant pretzel was amazing. The brat was well cooked and came in a pretzel bun (try the mustards). The beer topped off a great meal and experience! We bought t-shirts on the way out and are now members of "Team Grumpy". Ask your server about the Trollway and the restaurant's name.
(5)Faith B.
I stopped here while on a road trip to Wisconsin for a bite and a brief respite, encouraged by the highway signs. This was the only place listed that was not a chain. It's a couple miles off the road, but easy to get to and easy to get back from. I tried a wheat beer. It was good, if perhaps a tiny bit more bitter on the finish than I'm used to. BF had a red, which he thought was good. He ordered the "Uff-Da" pretzel, as he was not terribly hungry. Joke was on him. It was huge. It was bigger than a small pizza.It was 1 1/2 pounds of pretzel goodness. It came with two different mustard and a cheese sauce. The mustards were good, the pretzel was amazing, but the cheese was the generic day glow yellow crap. He also had a cup of beer cheese soup, unusual in that it contained andouille. He said it was okay, but the sausage addition was a bit odd. I had cheese curds, as we'd recently crossed the border into WI and they were calling to me (a former native). They were good, but not amazing. They make the white variety and serve them with a sweet mustard. This was a good spot and a nice stop from the road.
(4)C L.
Went on a recent Saturday evening, decided to just go upstairs and do the pizza. We had our 2 year old with us ... So good idea to be more kid friendly... Which you would think it is as upon entering there is a bunch of kid arcade games. So the four adults ordered 2 pizzas and I asked just for kids Mac and cheese for my daughter. I was told there is no kids menu upstairs ... I would have to go downstairs and place a to go order for Mac and cheese for kids, pay separately and take a buzzer back upstairs, and then proceed back downstairs and pick it up when ready. REALLY????!! This is the same restaurant - same owner ?? And why wouldn't the staff offer to do this for you???? So--- I proceeded to do as I was instructed -- which the staff downstairs seemed perturbed I even came down to ask for this... Saying don't they have Mac and cheese up there?? Yes they do, with pesto and bacon apparently all pre mixed because they wouldn't make a kid friendly version!! Honestly how hard is it to boil some noodles and put on some milk and cheese and butter? So I paid my $4.99 and got my buzzer. About 15 minutes later went and got my to go container of Kraft Mac and cheese that you make in the microwave at home with my 2tbs of applesauce. My daughter didn't care she was hungry.... It was me. So we wait and wait and wait for our pizzas ... One came out an hour and 15 minutes later ... While good, really an hour and 15? As most can imagine... Over an hour with a 2year old is hard.... Thy aren't programmed to sit that long. Our other pizza we were told wasn't ready yet ... So we had to get a box to go. The unenthusiastic waitstaff proceeded to say sorry, I should have mentioned that the kitchen was almost 2 hrs behind. Really?? The whole place was unorganized and and not friendly at all. We won't me returning anytime soon. .... Too bad, the pizza was pretty darn good.
(2)Megan E.
I originally fell in love with this place while on a road-trip to the western part of the state. They made a lot of fantastic beers and the best spinach dip I've ever had. As I've went back over the years, I started to like the beer less. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but I think either my palate expanded or the quality went down (I heard the original brewmaster left?). It also didn't help that I don't like bitter beers (i.e. IPA's) and those seemed to dominate the beer list year after year. The food has consistently remained excellent. Each time I go I try something different and never leave unsatisfied. I didn't even realize they made potatoes au gratin until this last trip; I wanted to cry with joy when eating them, they were so cheesy and good. Also, the walnut burger was fantastic, as was the Belgian beer I had--the best beer I've tried of theirs in recent years. Great service--the staff makes you feel right at home, and will give you samples of beer to try if you're undecided on what to select. Whenever I'm in the area, I make it a point to stop here. You should too!
(5)Nichole C.
Cute restaurant with a menu that has a lot to choose from. Came here with my family for my mother's birthday. They were accommodating to a large group. We liked their beer selection as well. My favorite thing our table ordered was the chicken pot pie. It was so delicious. I was however very disappointed in my burger. When I ordered it I was very excited to try it because it had cheese curds on the burger. When I tried the burger though the only taste I got was that of a grill. It was actually very hard to even finish my food because it taste so bad. But everyone else enjoyed their meals. I would go back and try something else.
(4)Samantha S.
Ohmygod. Their waitresses always seem like they hate their lives and the food is always average. Beers nice though ;)
(2)Dave L.
Good food and beer but shitty service! Bartender looked at my empty glass 4 times in 5 minutes and didn't bother offering me another one till I finally said something!!!!
(3)Sarah P.
I've had two versions of their BLT and thought both were very good. On my first visit my uncle was visiting from out of town and my mom suggested we all check out Mt. Horeb as they were having a street festival/art fair. We ate at Grumpy Troll for lunch and everyone liked what they ordered. I had the grilled chicken BLT with cheese. It was really good. My second visit I was dining by myself as I was passing through town for work. I took the waitress' suggestion and had the chicken salad BLT with avocado. It was very good. I happened to be working with some locals and was told locals have a love/hate relationship with this restaurant because it can be quite pricey. I think it depends on what you order as they have quite a variety on the menu. I paid about 13 bux for my tasty sandwich and fries.
(3)Kelly D.
We live near Mount Horeb, so I'd say we stop at the Grumpy somewhat regularly. It's a go-to when friends or family are in town and want to go out. The food is good, although my primary gripe is that the menu doesn't change at all. I wouldn't complain if they added at least a small seasonal or rotating section. They have good burgers, but some of the rest is lacking. Some of the Grumpy's beers and drinks do change, and I'm a fan of their hot winter drinks. They also make a very tasty root beer. My husband loves their dark beers. Their fried green beans are one of my favorite appetizers anywhere. The pizza is tasty, but nothing too special, and the pizzeria is more family friendly than the brew-pub area. Both sections can get pretty loud at times. They also don't have a lot of options for vegetarians. I haven't witnessed any of the server complaints others have posted here. We've had groups of two, four, six and twelve without problem. There are times when they are very busy, but that's pretty obvious when you get there and I'm not going to get upset over a little bit of a wait if that's the case. You should call ahead if you have a larger group, they do take reservations. Overall, this is a good brew-pub but I think there are others in the area which are better.
(3)Pedro D.
Good food, great beer, good service. I had the Grumpy burger, my wife the Black bean burger, not quite a burger. Mostly it was open face black bean taco served on pita bread. My Grump burger was bacon cheese burger, good but a little too charred fort taste. Beer was Troll's gold lager, delicious. Service was good. I would recommend coming here, overall was a good experience.
(4)Jason A.
My wife, daughter, and I had spent the afternoon at Blue Mounds State Park and decided to stop here for dinner. This was my second visit with similar results. I thought service and food were perfectly fine. We had sweet potato tots, which were decent. Mainly because they were different than the usual tots. We also had chicken enchilada soup (good), side salad (really good), and a cheese burger (OK). As someone else had previously mentioned, the burger was very well done, although we ordered it with a little pink, it was pretty much gray. We had about a 35 minute wait as it was pretty busy. I'd happily go there again, but might opt to try the pizza next time for something different.
(3)D L.
We came here to watch a Packer game with family and had a super fun time. Grumpy Troll has a family restaurant downstairs and a pizzeria/pub upstairs. We had pizza upstairs and it was delicious, as well as a tasty artichoke dip and chips. The large selection of handcrafted beer is tasty, especially if you're into the IPA styles. To me, atmosphere is a huge part of the dining experience. Grumpy Troll is great. I love the historic building. It's renovated respectfully to its character, yet is still fun and suitable for its purpose. The staff was super friendly and accommodating.
(5)John K.
Saturday evenings are frequently busy, typical 45-60 min waiting w/ no reservations. The burgers (Grumpy, walnut) are good, yet I usually get the chicken enchilada soup and pan-fried walleye sandwich. The Reuben is way too salty and meager for my tastes.
(4)Thaddeus N.
Excellent food and love the trolls. Had a burger and liked there house made spicy mustard.
(5)Laura A.
Go for the beer. The food. Not so much. The dining room is set up in such a way that it is EXTREMELY loud making conversation very difficult. The beers were good and would stop by again for a quick beer at the bar and have a meal elsewhere.
(3)Brendon O.
Pretty poor hostess. Had a group of 4 sitting at a table for 8 and asked our group of 7 to wait 45 for two tables of 4 to open up. Really too bad because we travelled to get there. Going to think twice about traveling to Mt. Horeb for this again.
(1)Rowan C.
Food: Main floor delicious pub food and delectable brews. Pizzeria upstairs keeps improving every time we go. Kids: Good for with the kids or without. If there is a wait go upstairs to the Pizzeria. Never disappointed and not to be missed when visiting Mount Horeb.
(5)Jennifer P.
Busy and a bit slower on service, but what can you expect from a one street town that gets slammed by people driving through. We loved it! The big pretzel was amazing...the kids would not stop eating it even when their food came. Burgers were fabulous...I had the creole blue cheese. Great beer sampler an friendly server.
(5)Chris K.
Great place for beer and a fabulous soft pretzel. That's the only reason that I gave this place 3 stars. However, the food was NOT great. Okay, it wasn't even good. I was disappointed in the quality of the food and lack of fresh ingredients. You know it's bad when the waitress steers you away from the vegetable of the day because the vegetables are not fresh.. But, if you are out for a beer and appetizer it's worth the stop. Note: The hostess stand is located in the back of the restaurant so if it's busy be prepared to maneuver through a bunch of people to get there.
(3)Linda Z.
I found the food and brew nothing to write home about...just your typical pub fare. We ordered the Grump Chips...they were mediocre but the Gorgonzola sauce accompanying them was very good. The seasoning on the chips tasted like tacos and the Parmesan cheese topping was cooked to a crisp. My lunch companion ordered a burger which she seemed to enjoy. I had a dinner salad which was fresh and tasty, a half sandwich of turkey and cheddar on marbled rye (the thinly sliced turkey was grilled before assembling the sandwich, which made the entire offering dry), and a cup of the beer cheese soup, which I found just so-so (it had a bitter bite to it, probably from the beer used). Our server Anessa was very personable and helpful when she was present, but was conspicuously absent most the time. However, it was rather busy. The kitchen must have been a bit overwhelmed as our food was slow in arriving.
(3)Allison O.
Food was below average. Service was nice when present. My burger was burnt and tasted like char. Cheese curds were ok. Just nothing stood out. I toyed with a 2-star but ultimately there are many, many other places I would try or go back to before giving The Grumpy Troll another shot.
(1)Cat D.
The place can get pretty crowded and it could be a long wait for a table. We prefer the bar area. Seem to get better service from the bartender.The pretzel is beyond huge and filling. The beer cheese soup and chicken salad are excellent. Not a huge fan of the beers, myself. I stick to the Bloody Marys.
(4)Jenny Z.
After a 15 mile bike ride from Verona to Mt. Horeb, my friends and I were tired, hungry, and excited to finally have arrived for a meal at Grumpy Troll, a place we've heard so much about! The restaurant itself is very nice-clean, pretty bar...and an endearing troll obsession. Our first disappointment was that they have a pizzeria and a brewery on different floors and you CANNOT order a pizza if you're at the restaurant....I find this quite rigid and odd. What's the big deal to carry a pizza up the stairs? Oh well. Our waitress, Dawn, was initially perfectly nice and asked us what we wanted to start with. We asked her to give us a minute because we weren't quite sure yet. After enough time to go through the menu three times and change our mind a couple of times, I finally got up to ask the hostess to find our waitress. Dawn came back and was quite the grumpy troll. I said we were ready to order both our drinks and our food, she snapped that she had a seven top whose food was ready and it was going to get cold. Err...ok lady....a quick, even insincere apology would have been fine. We don't need to know what is going on at other tables. I've been a waitress in many establishments and I know a quick apology can go a long way. As time went on she was fine and as she gave us the bill, she apologized for being slow to get our order. At that point we didn't want to hear it. As far as the food, my salmon salad was really very good but overloaded with cranberries. I'm not a cranberry fan and therefore picked them out of my salad- there were literally 8,000 dried cranberries. Why so many? My husband was very satisfied with his burger and our friends reported that their meals left them something to be desired......everyone except my husband was still hungry when finished.
(3)Kent A.
My wife and I were entertaining friends from out of town and decided to try a new place--and we we very pleased with the Grumpy Troll! My beer was a bit hoppy for my tastes, so next time I'll try their sampler glasses. The four of us ordered very diverse items and were thrilled with each one. My fish tacos were the best I've ever had anywhere and I can't wait to return and do their fish fry It was a Monday evening right at dinnertime, and the restaurant was moderately busy, but we were seated immediately. The service was very good and the only reason that I'm not giving them top marks is that we had a tribe of small children in the next booth constantly pounding on the common wall between us. Had we not had guests, I probably would have said something, but I didn't want to look like a.......grumpy troll. We'll be returning soon
(4)Josh S.
There's a reason that it's so busy: the burgers and beers are amazing. The wait is a bit annoying but definitely worth it.
(5)Alyssa F.
I've been to the Grumpy Troll twice as I was passing through town. I wish I lived closer so I could come more often! This is a fun little place. The beers selection is limited to their brews - but they are all very good. We had the sampler the first time visiting and then this time around I had the Sunflower beer which was very refreshing. Both times, I walked out with purchasing some beer to go! Their beer cheese soup is a must-have if you are in a soup mood. It was delicious. We also ordered the cheese curds which were a good greasy treat! I All of the food I saw being delivered out looked very tasty. I saw someone order the Bavarian pretzel which looked like it could feed a family of 4. I love the ambiance of this place. Being an out-of-towner, I loved how friendly everyone was. It seems like a local establishment where many regulars know each other and the employees are all very attentive and nice as well. Will definitely be back.
(5)Brendon H.
Had a perfect little lunch here. Beer was excellent. Service was friendly, and prompt. Would come back if I'm ever in this area again.
(5)Candice G.
Party Foul. Never have I ever experienced a more unfortunate series of events when it comes to service. In fact, even using the word 'unfortunate' is still being WAY too kind, 'FUBAR' is a whole lot closer to the type of service+management we experienced. I'm going to start off with a mildly irrelevant tidbit and then move into the real nitty gritty of how Grumpy Troll turned my group grumpy. I know this is just a taste thing and not at all what I'm basing my review on, but I felt it was still worth mentioning that their bourbon barrel aged porter is a joke, also, more like a farmhouse sour than a porter. Defo NOT what you're expecting or wanting when you order a porter. We dined with another couple in the upstairs pizzeria... I think going upstairs was not a great idea as it was empty, less one guy at the 'bar' and a staff that looked barely legal to be serving beer. For 2 couples, who ordered one round of beers and 2 pizzas, the number of mistakes made by the restaurant became almost comical until the bill came and we were still not appropriately compensated for the excessive amount of time wasted waiting for them to attempt to make our make our food correctly, which they still ended up not doing. First mistake: The other couple ordered the large Thai Pie pizza, veggie style (no chicken, sub pineapple) and requested for one half of that to be made w/o cheese and noted that it was because one of the diners is lactose intolerant. When that pizza came, the server acknowledged that pizza had been made incorrectly, with only half being the veggie Thai Pie and the other half being only cheese, which obvi wouldn't work for the lactose intolerant diner. She said they were making her up a new smaller pizza that was the Thai Pie as she requested. Second mistake: After looking closer at what was on the Thai Pie portion of the above pizza, they realized that they had also not gotten half the ingredients that were meant to come on the Thai Pie. No shredded carrots, no cilantro, nada. When we let the server know she brought it back to the kitchen area and had the kid toss some shredded carrots and cilantro on top. Third mistake: Our pizza arrives well after the other couple's first pizza at the table had arrived (what was the hold up with ours? Can they not make 2 pizzas at once?). We had ordered the large Thai Pie as well, veggie style (no chicken, sub basil). The server dropped the pie off and swiftly left. As we looked at the pizza, we noticed that there was no basil and there was chicken. Since neither of us eat meat, this was obvi not going to fly. We had to AGAIN get up, find the server, tell here the issue and wait for her to come back for the old pizza. They said they'd make us up a correct one right away. Fine, no prob, I worked in restaurants for well over a decade, I've had sh*tty days and I know there are times when it seems like a chain of everyone is messing up one table's order. Fourth mistake: Our pizza FINALLY comes, after he other couple is done with both their first and second round of incorrect pizzas and just waiting on us. We check out the pizza and not only did they bring us the small sized pizza, instead of the large that we had ordered, but there still was no basil, and they added pineapple. So apparently they remade the other couple's first half of the pizza they ordered. Whatever. Fuck it. We're all hungry, we have a long drive back, I'll pick the f*cking pineapple off the pizza. Another person at our table went to ask for a side of basil to add so at least we could have that, but it was still some kind of bullsh*t that they still could not manage to make a single pizza correctly, when there was only 1 table in there eating. Fifth mistake: The manager came by and stood with her hands on her hips in a kind of 'Look guys, I don't know how we managed to f*ck this much ish up' type of manner. Everyone at the table had all or does still work or manage a restaurant so we understood and she just checked to see if everything "at least tastes okay" and said she'd take care of some of our bill, but when the bill came for the BF and I we were still charged the full price for our drinks and she had only mildly discounted the price of a large Thai Pie, when we still had only received a small one. So basically, she cut us a deal on *maybe* $3 after we had been sitting there getting the wrong sh*t for the past 2 hours, and then, to top it off, she blamed everything on the poor server girl. Using her name and saying she was new and making a face. As a former server, I thought this was totally inappropriate. For that many mistakes to happen it's not only the server, but the kitchen, and now, in my opinion, the manager's fault. If you have a server who is new and is clearly having an issue after 3 wrong pizzas come out, you obviously need to stand by and help them out instead of sitting back by the bar. Shame on you for throwing the server under the bus. We won't be back. Never again.
(2)Nina O.
Awww.....what a drag that was. We were so hungry and excited to have a beer and some lunch after a ride on the bike trails. The menu reads really well- lots of great-sounding choices and reasonable prices. I've got a tendency to order the special at local places-it's usually a great experience. Not so much here- today's special was a ground beef/black bean burrito that I thought was horrid. Ground beef and black beans have the same gritty texture, so the burrito was a huge mound of grit to me. The whole wheat tortilla would have been a bonus, but it didn't add anything to either the flavor or texture. Blech. The chicken enchilada soup was good, but really thick. Service was super spotty as well- we asked for waters with lemon as we decided on a beer. Water came, no lemon. Ok. Ordered weiss beers, requested lemons. Beers came, no lemons. The bartender was happy to oblige, but still. We were told the special came with a choice of side, but that adding soup would be $2.00 more. Nope, on the bill the soup was $3.25 without a word from our server. The kicker was leaving the bills sitting there with cash in them, hoping we would get tired of waiting for our change and leave a HUGE tip. I hate it when people play these kinds of games....not going back.
(2)Jeremy O.
Returned here this summer after a 5 year hiatus. It's still not bad but the service is absolutely abyssmal. We were shown to a table...and then promptly forgotten about. It was busy but my family and I sat there for a good 10 minutes, with servers coming and going, and we only got service after asking one of the passing servers at random. We understand that it was a Friday night but it just wasn't THAT busy, especially since the hostess station was literally next to our table.
(3)Michele D.
This place is the best!!! They always have 12 beers on tap in a rotating schedule with new ones every few weeks. The food is deliciously prepared with lots of unique choices you wouldn't expect in a small town. Cheese curds are some of the best we have had. Boneless wings are great with 4 sauces to choose from. Salads are fresh and tasty. The fish fry is awesome on Fridays. Prime rib great on Saturdays. Servers are top notch. Best bartenders: Rob, Nate, Dawn. Best servers: Angela, Taylor, Kathy, Marca. You should go. Now.
(5)Daniel M.
Overall it's a good place to grab some food. The appetizers are spot on, the giant pretzel is delicious and the entrees are average. I had the beer brat and sweet potato tots. Beer brat was good just very simple and the pretzel bun wasn't even as good as the pretzel appetizer. The sweet potato tots were good. The wait was ridiculous on a Saturday afternoon. But the wait staff was very nice.
(4)Katrina T.
Good burgers, friendly service, reasonable prices.
(3)Rachel H.
Grumpity grumpity groo... oh, wait, that's the Grumple. En route to House on the Rock, we stopped here to build up our strength and drink a little liquid courage (boyfriend is afraid of dolls, and there's a freaking doll carousel at House on the Rock). I am a sucker for hilarious, offbeat places so Mt. Horeb was a natural win for me. Trolls everywhere. I even brought my own because the concept of BYOT cracked me up to no end. We did the little tasters of several of the beers, including a jalapeno one which wasn't as scary as it sounded. I think the wheat was my fave. Foodwise, we had started with the grump chips which were good and I enjoyed a half corned beef sandwich and chicken enchilada soup. Boyfriend had some black bean dish which was massive and apparently enjoyable. Our waitress was friendly and she laughed at my troll. The atmosphere is a little blah, and could have used more trolls, but it's some tiny town in Wisconsin, it'll do.
(4)Isaac V.
Great service and food, we came hungry and were rewarded with 1/2 lb local meat burgers. Anything that they brew in house is amazing, especially the root beer. On the spendy side, but you do get your moneys worth.
(5)Brandy L.
We went for a Sunday drive and found this restaurant. It was a Sunday afternoon and they were so busy. We think there was a bike race or marathon in town. We waited at the bar 45 minutes to be seated. Were seated outside on the patio. The server was good and took our drink and food order quickly. The food was good. We order a burger and steak sandwich with fries. My husband loved his burger.
(4)Adam F.
Beer was good as usual...but the burgers were much to be desired. My son's burger was black charred. He asked for medium. Mine was medium and I asked for medium rare. I have never been impressed with the food or service. I'll stick to their beer from now on.
(3)Derek K.
We've been to the Troll at least three times and have always had a great experience. The kids loved the pizza joint upstairs, my wife and I have had enjoyable dinners in the bar area. Food is reasonable, always tasty. I wanted very badly to try their Jalapeno beer, but it was gone when we came by the first time. Not a huge fan of Erik the Red, Maggie is a close friend of mine. Looking forward to what is on tap next time we visit.
(4)Pam D.
We stopped here for dinner the first night of our mini vacation. It was not overly busy, but we headed to the back area of the bar to avoid the crying baby. We had a clear view of the window looking into the brewery part, which was cool, except that aside from about 30 seconds, the lights were off in the brewery. The dining room was very poorly lit. Christopher and I both had to use a flashlight to read the menu. Ok, I have old eyes, but this was a tad ridiculous. The food was fairly good. I had a French dip beef sandwich, with their home made chips. I enjoyed it, though the prime rib was a little overcooked for my taste. Christopher had a burger of some sort, which he pronounced "good". I ordered a seasonal special drink called a "Peach Cobbler". It tasted overwhelmingly of Cinnamon, and I really did not like it. The server noticed I had not really put a dent in it and asked me if I didn't like it. I told her my issue with the drink and she took it off the bill. Christopher had a house brewed bear called the "Jingle Bell", which he liked well enough. All in all, it was a decent enough but if I come through the area again, I will probably try another establishment.
(3)Mitchell H.
Nothing grumpy about it. Burgers, fish fry and fine Wisconsin beer fill the place with fine Wisconsin cheer.
(5)Eric G.
I usually don't miss an opportunity to check out a local brewery, but somehow the Grumpy Troll managed to fly under my radar for a long time - perhaps because it's the same distance to Mt. Horeb as it is to Madison. I wish I would've checked this place out sooner! Their biggest fault is that their facility is too small to satisfy demand on a busy day. I sampled all their brews and I would've been happy with a pint of any of them. The Bourbon Barrel Stout was the hands-down winner! The food was good and reasonably priced. The Uff-Da Pretzel appetizer is a sight in and of itself. Don't expect to be overwhelmed, but this place will definitely meet any expectations you have of a small, local microbrewery! We will absolutely be making a return trip!
(4)Heather Z.
After visiting the Shoe Box in Black Earth, we continued on to Mt. Horeb for a quick bite to eat. The people at this restaurant were fabulous! It was crowded, but we got our food and drinks relatively quick, and we thought everything was fairly good. I don't necessarily recommend the food, it's just standard pub fare, but the Pretzel and the Beer I do recommend!
(4)Catie G.
The beer and wine were great, reasonably priced too! Grump chips were good, a nice change from the local plain pub chips you get. I ordered the Gorgonzola salad and my boyfriend the Italian wrap, and we were both pleased with the food. Our server was bright, friendly, and attentive..my only complaint was the hostess. We waited standing there awkwardly to be acknowledged and there was no "hey, sorry for the long wait..." or any sort of politeness on her end both when we arrived and when we left. We felt a bit uncomfortable! Very family oriented so if you don't have kids you may find the noise irritating.
(3)Amanda C.
My hubby and I originally went for beer and fish fry on a Friday afternoon, but ended up not having room for fish after eating a pound of pretzel. It seems absurd but a pizza size soft pretzel was just perfect for the flight of beer! The regular mustard was yucky, the cheese was too nacho-y, but the honey mustard was just right. The flight is $15 for (12) 4 ounce drinks. I'm a dark beer kinda girl so I liked the porter and the stout, but also the schwarz BIB and the farmhouse Sunflower. Hubby liked the hefeweizen and the saison. A couple were just too hoppy for us, but that's just our taste. Bathrooms clean. Waitstaff mostly middle aged women and very pleasant in an informal way. Be prepared for carved trolls all over the town. Also, it didn't matter to us, but the hostess is at the back of the restaurant and you really do have to go upstairs if you want to order pizza. And if you sit upstairs, pizza (and beer) is all you can order. Something about their kitchen setup...
(4)Scott D.
What makes the Grumpy Troll a 5 star pub is a combination of outstanding award-winning hand crafted beers, phenomenal comfort food options, and a really great staff. The beer sampler is awesome if you want to try a wide variety. The burgers are really good. We have not tried the pizza yet but we have heard that it's great as well.
(5)Moe f.
Good food and pretty good beer. Cheese curds and prime rib is the dinner of champions.
(3)Chad M.
Great beer, and the best BLT you'll find
(5)MacKenzie K.
Great local restaurant. They brew their own beers there (and they change from time to time) so if you like beer it is fun to try the new ones. The food is also good. I like the Cajun bleu burger or the grumpy troll burger (and the french fries with ranch). It can get pretty busy, especially during the weekend, so be prepared to wait. If you have a large group you should call ahead too to avoid waiting for a long time.
(4)Nicholas R.
Not a beer drinker, so I can't weigh in on the pub aspect, but I can certainly say that the food and service make this a great place to stop.
(5)Jessica B.
The Grumpy Troll has great burgers! Our kids all had plenty to eat from the kids' menu. We enjoyed the unique options (chips, dipping sauce, fries). The staff is very helpful and seemed to be happy. My only criticism would be that the hostess station is in an awkward place do the congestion in that area can be bad. I very much dislike waiting for a table two feet from where people are eating. We'll be back, but not when it's busy.
(4)Amy H.
My family went there on Saturday arrived at 1:00pm. there were a few people waiting for tables but wasn't given a wait time. the hostess looked extremely disorganized and was looking around for a table it was games day so it was busy but nothing a quailty bar couldn't handle. there were a few tables open that we could see so we didnt think we'd have to wait long. After about 20mins there were clearly two tables open and cleaned my husband approched the hostess and told her about the tables. She acted like she didn't know they were availble and immediatly sat two other groups in front of us. We waited a total of 40mins for a table for two adults and a toddler and never once got an apology. Extremely disorganized and not personaly at all. The older lady running the hostess both didn't have a clue!! On a postive note the food was good. thank god cause we waited so long for it.
(2)Rebecca H.
Solid burgers, great beer and really friendly service. It's definietly a small town place. Parking is a bitch though, all street and very few spaces.
(4)Kendra C.
Everytime I'm in Mount Horeb, I always want to go to Grumpy Troll! They have amazing rebuens, and before I went GF, I loved the homemade beers. They also have a wonderful pizzeria upstairs.
(5)Tricia B.
We visited the Grumpy Troll based on Yelp reviews; we weren't disappointed. The food was good (not the best I've ever had, but good), the waitress was very friendly and competent, and the beer was surprisingly good. It was a bit of a wait on a Saturday night, but we were able to grab a couple of seats at the bar in the meantime. Prices weren't the cheapest, but the beer was worth it.
(4)Grumpy S.
Mount Horeb is the Troll Capital of the World. It's a theme you will find all over town with many troll statues and carvings, along with quaint shops, many with Norwegian and other imports. The Grumpy Troll fits right in. Located in an old restored brick building, it has a very inviting wood interior, but the best part is the excellent food and beer. You will find a nice variety of delicious burgers and other sandwiches. I highly recommend the Reuben and the Prime Rib French Dip. The beer is hand crafted on site and has won many awards. Anyone that has advanced beyond Bud Light will surely appreciate the fine brews. I am particularly fond of Erik the Red and Spetsnaz Stout. Be assured that you will not leave here grumpy.
(5)jason b.
Oregon beer snob here... This place makes the best beer in Southern Wisconsin. How do I know? Because I've toured them all. New Glarus Brewing and Grumpy Troll are men amongst boys in this region. We had the Troll's beer sampler with 12 beers and what a great variety. Also the fried green beans were good. The bartender's service and knowledge were outstanding. You guys have a jewel right there in Mt. Horeb.
(5)Christina M.
Service was horrible. Sat at bar and had beer without knowledge they don't serve food at bar---good to know after very bad brew; bar maid was rude and impatient. Put our name in for table and waited a bit; hostess or waitress seated us by tossing wrapped silverware on table for midgets, both sides of table had seats pushed in with "patrons" jackets on one side and on the other, a guy sitting back with legs crossed with no thoughts of moving. "You sitting?" the waitress asked. Progosis negative. Went back to bar (filled), paid tab, drank quick and left. What a disapointment. Not the only place in town; only place we found rude and living a bit above stature. Burgers and beer is not a delicacy in WI, Grumpy.
(2)Tom A.
Being from Chicago I tried the pizza and it was pretty decent. Nothing great but the beers were fantastic. I got the 12 beer sampler. Erik the Red, Belsconcin and the Anniversary Ale really stood out. Will return if I am in the area again
(4)T J.
Great food, relaxing atmosphere, and amazing service. If you're in the area you have to stop here.
(5)Valerie K.
I have found myself visiting Mt. Horeb over the years, and have tried to give Grumpy Troll a chance on several different occasions. The beer can be pretty good, if you know what to order, and the menu has improved in recent years. Recently, I thought I would again give it a try, and to avoid the noisy lunchtime crowds, stopped in at 3 on a weekday afternoon. There was a fussy baby, and another small kid who shouted, rather than talked. This is the norm for the place, which the owner seems to encourage (according to other reviews on this site). Granted there are almost all hard surfaces, and nothing to absorb the sound. Bottom line, If you enjoy being jolted out of your by random shrieks, this is your place. I won't be back, but I will encourage those with small children that this is the place for them.
(1)Scott S.
Don't be stupid. . .get the cheese curds.
(4)Sarah B.
Perfectly fine pub food, with a decent beer selection. Pleasant but rather frazzled waitress, who did not come round often enough, and the place was VERY crowded and loud.
(3)Frank C.
One of our favorite stops on the way to Platteville. We stumbled across The Grumpy Troll while visiting the Mustard Museum. Our experience has always been good. The beer is great. The food always hot and flavorful. The service is friendly and efficient.
(4)Don Z.
I specifically visited Mt. Horeb because I did a search for brewpubs and came across the Grumpy Troll. I was not disappointed. The decor was fairly typical for a brewpub. Clean with wood accents and the requisite brewing equipment view. It is a little on the small side compared to the big corporate brewpubs, but there is nothing wrong with that. I liked the cozy feel and it makes sense considering the size of the town that the Grumpy Troll is hiding in. So we came for the beer and we tried everything that they had. We started drinking pints, but later found out from the manager that they offer samplers as well. ($1 / 5oz) The waitress had failed to mention that to us. It was a good thing because I am not sure I could have made it through all of the beers otherwise. The selection was broad enough to keep a beer lover like me satisfied all night long. Maggie (cask conditioned) flowery, fruity... hard to describe, but delicious! Served at the perfect slightly cool temperature. Maggie: The normally tapped version of the Maggie was also very good. This beer is a stand out among the beers offered at the Grumpy Troll. We liked this so much that we took a growler home for the night. (But be careful, the local laws won't let them sell a growler after 9PM We were practically rushed out the door at 8:59 with ours.) Curly: dark and slightly smokey. Very pleasant tasting. My wife liked this one more than I did. Trailside Wheat: smells great - like bananas. Good fruity flavor, but could stand to be a bit more flavorful. Saison: good initial aroma, but very watery tasting. Kinda sour as it warms. I have had other examples of this style of beer and liked them very much, so I was very disappointed. I would not get this again. Dry Irish Stout: creamy, deliciously dark and chocolatey. Spetsnaz: good, dark - like burnt chocolate, but in a good way. A little more sour than the Irish stout, but good in a different way. BIPA: bitter, citrousy like a bitter grapefruit. Not unpleasant, but not very impressive when compared to the Maggie. Freedom IPA: nicely bitter, but I couldn't help comparing it to the Maggie that I had earlier and it just didn't stand out. Eric the Red: good flavor without and extremes - just right. Not too anything. Nicely balanced, easy drinking beer. Captain Fred: kinda stinky aroma. Not a horrible taste, but I just don't like this style of beer very much. Slow Eddie: very mild jalepeno flavor. I am not a big fan of this style, but I thought I would try it to make sure. In between all that beer we ate a little food too. Wisconsin Cheddar Curds: yummy! Nice batter based coating rather than the usual crumb based breading. Good cheddar flavor. The accompanying honey mustard dipping sauce was just right. Troll's Beer & Cheese soup: not quite as flavorful as other beer/cheese soups I've had. A little watery. Brat: tasted good, but nothing special. I was in Wisconsin, so I felt like I had to have one. Walleye: this was a decently sized portion of well cooked fish. The Grump chips were fun. Sautéed green bean were a nice side dish too. The one thing that bugged me about this place is that it was very "family" friendly. There were too many kids. At one point my wife and I changed tables when a table of 10 was set up next to us with 6 kids. Come on people, it's a brewpub, not a Chuck E Cheese! I mentioned this to the manager, but he was proud of the kid friendliness of his establishment. I guess there are just not enough people like me to keep him in business. Overall I would go back again. In fact, we went back again the following night for a few more beers. We also left with several large bottles of their beer to enjoy once we got back to Illinois. I don't know when we will make it back, but if you are in Mt. Horeb, be sure to tip a pint at the Grumpy Troll.
(3)Darryl A.
Decent food, very good beer. Not much better in town and the beer is worth going for by itself. I prefer the pizza upstairs to their regular food in the dining room. That stuff is the same as any other bar in town.
(4)Mike S.
Biked about 25 miles and was ready for something cold and something to eat -- behold, a brewery just off the trail! The Grumpy Troll was packed, but we (2 of us) were seated in just a few minutes. Moments later we had a beer sampler and some fried green beans before us. All of the beers at the Grumpy Troll were good; it's rare to find a brewery with such consistency! We had pan-fried walleye for dinner -- maybe I was just starving, but it disappeared in mere seconds. The decor wasn't anything to write home about, but everything else was grand. Great place to stop if you're on the bike trail!
(5)Zachary N.
Enjoyed the grumpy troll on a quiet saturday afternoon in March. It was around 2-3 pm and the place was pretty vacant. We were the only three at the bar, but 3 pm is a weird hour for visiting a brewpub. Our crew ordered a salad, reuben, and some soup. All were good. The beer sampler was the highlight. Quality brews made in small batches. Some were great, others were mehhhhh, but overall, a solid offering from a small town brewpub. The troll has a nice, homey feel to it and doesn't seem manufactured or fake. It has a solid amount of personality and the atmosphere is certainly inviting for families. Good service, good food, good beer. Notice there were no "greats" in that statement, but that word is rare from this picky patron. ;) Edit: Returned last week for a beer. I liked the beer a lot more than i did a few months ago. Didnt eat but the vibe was great and had some good conversation. Good music playing on the speakers too.
(4)Joshua R.
During the last three years, we've stopped at the Troll on our way home to Madison from Governor Dodge State Park. Yesterday was our last stop, for dinner anyway. Two reasons. First, the vegetarian chili is the absolute worst chili I have ever come across. It was 95% black beans, so they either ran out of chili and just threw some beans in a bowl, or they use a cookbook that is missing some of its pages. In either case, it was awful. Second, they closed the kitchen without asking us if we wanted anything else - which we did! The primary reason we stop at the Troll is for the deep-fried snickers. Were it not for this tasty dessert, we wouldn't stop here, especially when we keep hearing about this tasty little bistro which is also in Mt. Horeb. When it was time to order dessert, oops, sorry, the kitchen is closed. Oh, that's fine, we didn't want anything anyway. I'll just get back to work on this bowl-o-beans here. Sheesh! The Troll does have some positives, such as good microbrews, a friendly staff and mostly decent ingredients. But whatever you do, don't get the veggie chili.
(2)Stretch A.
Stopped by this place because it was lunchtime and the family was HUNGRY! We were not disappointed! We started out with the uf dah pretzel which was huge and freshly baked. They provided two different mustards for dipping but they both really tasted the same to me but the nacho cheese sauce was very tasty. The wife had a reuben sandwich which she said was very good. I had the brat burger which was okay but nothing to brag about. My side of coleslaw was very good though. Our sons both had the chicken enchilada soup which was excellent. The wife and I split the beer sampler and I found the brews to be quite good and varied. Only found one I didn't care for and the wife found four out of the twelve. The atmosphere was nice and the staff was attentive and very friendly even though the place was packed. Would definitely visit again.
(4)Katie S.
I think Benjamin Franklin said it best, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." The Grumpy Troll makes me happy. They brew a ton of their own beer. My boyfriend and I were on a mission on the eve of New Years Eve. We wanted to bring back the most delicious brews for our following evening. Mission accomplished. Left with a few growlers. $15/ growler and $12 for refills. ALLriiiight. We started with the sampler which consisted of 12 - 3.5oz glasses. There were only 2 of the 12 that I didn't care for. My favorite was the Freedom IPA. The BF's favorite was Eric the Red.... and the Maggie. The most interesting of all was the Slow Eddie. So unique. Brewed with real jalapeno peppers. I loved it. I drank it while chowing down on some amazing fried cheese curds. It's a light tasting, thirst quenching then the bite comes in. You can smell the peppers. It's not spicy on your tongue, but gives you a sense of it. You'd have to try it to know. The Brew-master came by our table to chat. Asked us all sorts of questions and welcomed us to town. Helped us understand a little more about some of our favorite selections. We had lunch and enjoyed our beer samples. Both of us feeling a slight buzz shortly after we started. Decent food, good burger, good fries. They have some interesting things on the menu, and I really wish I could have tried more. I had a quesadilla that had chicken, andouille sausage, artichokes and some other stuff. It was good. I really wanted to try the artichoke cakes, but there were only two of us and we had other breweries to attend that day.
(5)Kara B.
Stopped here on the way back from Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. The food was A-OK and the waitress was constantly absent but the place was so cute I didn't really mind. They also have an interesting selection of their own beers. They let my companion and I sample a half dozen before buying a "growler" (where have I been while this word was proliferating?? I had never heard it before!) of beer for $15 ($12 for a refill). I didn't think the beers really matched their descriptions overall, but what do I know? Basically it is a good, not great, place for a bite to eat on your way back from the frozen north!
(3)A K.
Been here many times, and always return for the beer. They menu is OK, nothing really stands out as a favorite but it always tastes good with the beer. I love their dark beers, my favorite is the Amnesia- it is dark and sweet. We will go back for more delicious brew.
(4)Jane M.
My fellah and I are up in these parts on our mini vacation and were recommended here by a nice gal at the Cave of the Mounds. Always ask the locals where to eat. You almost can't fail unless you're someplace they hate tourists. Ordered the beer sampler, 12 four ounce glasses of beer. Aw yeah. Get the bourbon barrel stout. Omgawd so good! The Belgian style IPA (you heard me right) is also yummy as hell. Anyway, we both ordered burgers, he the Grumpy burger, I the make your own. They both came out grilled perfectly medium with all our trimmings fresh and delicious. I got grilled onions, pineapple and avocado (I also like calamari on my bratwurst, what?) and everything came out perfect. Also? Sweet potato tots. FTW, y'all. Every tot should be made of sweet potatoes. Our food came out lickity split, our waitress was such a doll I tipped her more than my standard 20%, and the brewmaster came and chatted for a minute and told us his favorites. In all fairness I did tell him I loved him after tasting the bourbon barrel stout, which may have prompted him to come and chat. I see this place has mixed as hell reviews, but our experience here was awesome and we'll happily go back when we're in these parts.
(4)Annie J.
Service was slow and sloppy. Took FOREVER to get our food, about 45 minute wait. Waitress never came back to refill drinks or offer appetizers or take away a salad plate that was served long before everyone else's order. . When we stood up to flag one of the waitresses chatting behind the counter over to our table we asked how much longer she didn't know. She started to leave and then we asked for refills. Zero customer service. Pizza was ok; nothing spectacular. Italian beef was flavorless like it had been cooked in water. Tender but no flavor. *Home made* chips were meh. I think they are resting on old reviews or something. A popular hang out but I don;'t think we would go back. Other places near by to try.
(2)Ryan M.
Amazing cheese curds. The service isn't always the best but good food and better beer.
(4)Kimberly N.
I love this place, really. I make an annual trek to House on the Rock from Chicago and always stop here on my way home. I've had some hits and some misses, but last time I went (3/29/08) the food was very good (a burger and soup--I'm a burger snob). The beers are also good--though a designated driver is a must. They lose a star for service. I've always had pretty bad service here... usually young girls who would be better off working at a Fridays or Dennys. Work on it! I'll be back next year and re-review.
(4)Wisconsin Food C.
Very good brew pub beer. Good burgers. Bun nicely toasted, meat about the right proportions. Okay soup. Pretty good fish sandwich. Passible service. French fries had the goopy seasoning coating that is always a disappointment and leaves you wondering just what were they thinking when they signed onto that disaster. Disturbing green wall paint. Industrial look of the brewing room reflected in the visible ductwork in the eating chamber. Really about 3.5 stars, would probably improve if they got rid of the TVs and used a less unsettling wall color and served actual unadulterated french fries.
(3)Chad D.
I stopped at the Grumpy Troll on a whim while driving back to Madison from Cave of the Mounds. This was probably the best decision I made that day. The atmosphere in the Troll was great. The beer I tried was cold, crisp and refreshing (Angry Fred). I was really impressed with the variety of brews they offered. I think there were 10 or 12. For lunch, I had a bowl of their beer cheese soup and a salad. You can't really screw up a salad, but I was impressed that they use spring mix lettuce instead of blah iceberg lettuce. The beer cheese soup was pretty incredible. While it wasn't the best I've ever had, it had a delightful taste - and chunks of sausage for some extra flavor. The people I was with had the whitefish sandwich with fries and the chicken bacon ranch sandwich with the grump chips and gorgonzola dipping sauce. I tried all of it and it was GREAT! The chips and dipping sauce were particularly awesome. All of this in Mt. Horeb? Who knew?
(5)Priestess A.
This place is good for a beer....just like any other bar in Mt. Horeb, except you will pay more because they brew their own. It's nothing special and the fact that they serve pizza when they are right next to Sole Sapori pizzeria is a joke! Stick with a beer and basic bar fare and you will be satisfied, for anything else MOVE ON!
(2)Chad L.
Food was atrocious all heated up. Manager/owner was less than friendly. Mold on food. Ugh
(1)Krissie A.
I cannot be grumpy about this place...it is incredible! The food is simply delicious! My husband tried one of their home brews...so impressed that he had to have another and we ordered their deep fried green beans as an appetizer--yummy! I ate beer cheese soup and a grilled turkey and cheddar sandwich and my husband had a brat sandwich with sweet potato tots---all yummy! The service was good and the place had a great atmosphere (although a tiny bit crowded in the lower level)! We really like this place--it sure offers quality at a reasonable price!!!
(5)Tom M.
My girlfriend and I and another couple were in town to ride the bike trail and decided to go here for dinner Friday night (7/27). Of course on Friday night the place was packed so we waited with a couple of their brews which were good. When we were seated we had a huge pretzal that was served with three different mustards and a bowl of melted cheese. It was delicious and a great way to start the meal. For dinner, we all ordered the fish fry(what else do you do on a Friday night in a Wisconsin bar?). The cod fish fry was very good and the sweet potato tater tots were terrific. We will definitely come again.
(4)Jedd J.
I was torn between two soups, and the awesome server resolved my dilemma by giving me two for the price of one! Both were excellent. Sandwiches were great. We really enjoyed this place and will definitely be back.
(5)Brendan S.
Beer and Trolls! Huh? Seriously though, delicious beer. I took a growler of the Maggie IPA to-go. The food was decent, but thankfully we'd just been down the street to the Mustard Museum and had some amazing pretzels and mustard to snack on with the beers. I love the woodwork on the sign out front too. If you're in the Troll Capital of the World, make sure to stop by this gem.
(4)Alison Y.
Basically the only reason I've ever been in Mt Horeb is because of the Mustard Museum. I'm not going to lie about that. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Grumpy Troll kinda across the street. They serve some pretty tasty food, and although Im not really a fan of beer, my dining companions have thought that the little beer sampler thing was good enough to get a Growler of beer to go. That's right, a Growler, which is basically a big glass jug.
(4)Doug R.
Diddnt have the amazing cheese curds, maybe that would have helped. Had a mushroom and Swiss burger, wife had a walleye sandwhich. Both were ok, but not enough to go back for. Service left something to be desired. Felt like we were forgotten several times.
(2)Brad C.
Who would of thunk it, a brewery in Mount Horeb. I wouldn't of been in Mount Horeb if it wasn't for the mustard museum. Speaking of mustard, Grumpy Troll serves mustard from the mustard museum with their food. Ok the beer, that was the reason I was at grumpy troll and I am happy to report that it was some very tasty brew. The beer flight offered 8 tasty samples... 8 thats a pretty pretty pretty good deal! I think my favorite was the ''Red Eyed Troll.' Lots of seating and great service.
(4)Robert F.
We have eaten at the Grumpy Troll several times with a group of 4, and each time was very enjoyable. Can get very busy/crowded. We make it a practice to get there early, whether for a Saturday lunch or any day for dinner. The award winning beers are excellent. Wine is by the glass and rather expensive ($6 for red), particularly for non-vintage and the serving size. We have had very good sandwiches. The salads, which we each had this past visit, were outstanding! Service has been excellent. Will we return? Yes!
(4)Nicole S.
Decided to stop in for dinner on Saturday night since I was staying in town. What a great place! Nice atmosphere, great friendly service. I sampled some beers and ended up enjoying the Trailside Wheat with some awesome appetizers, the cheesecurd's and grump chips with gorgonzola dip mmmm.... I also had the panfried walleye sandwich. The fish was so fresh and served on a warm toasted roll. This is the kind of place that has a lot of things on the menu you'd like to come back and try so If I'm every out on the search for grumpy trolls again I'll be stopping back in for more!
(4)Jeremy D.
Have always enjoyed stopping in at the Troll for a great meal when we're in Mt. Horeb. Haven't been disappointed yet. The wife tells me the beer selection is great, since I don't partake in the fermented and distilled beverages. Stop in next time you're in Mt. Horeb, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Wes K.
The girlfriend and I stopped in here during our mini-vacation to House on the Rock. Pretty darn cool place! Honestly, we were in Mount Horeb where everything seemed to close drastically early, and were about to drive back to the hotel when we spotted The Grumpy Troll. Pretty awesome experience. Being from Chicago, I am used to microbrews being abundant, but the beer was pretty impressive. The food was also pretty darn awesome. Loved the Grump Chips. Note about this establishment: I think other reviewers are being a little too hard on this place when it comes to food. It's a brewpub. Generally, people come to these places for the beer and grab a bite to eat while they're there, not the other way around. I've never walked into a brewpub with food being the primary reason.
(4)N T.
New Brewmaster now at the Grumpy... so far I like the selection a lot better. Food is still overpriced.
(3)Kate D.
We live about 30 miles from Mt. Horeb, but have been there often for our kids' sporting events. Wish we had discovered this little gem years ago. Our experience there last night was a pleasure from start to finish. The restaurant was pretty busy when we arrived, and we were glad to snag the last outdoor table available. Our waitress was prompt and very knowledgeable about the beers as she helped us make our selections. (We ended up with the Trollfest and the Sunflower - both lagers, and very good.) The food was all excellent - chicken enchilada soup was delicious, the burgers were huge and cooked to perfection, the beer battered fries were awesome and the chicken Gorgonzola salad was filling and tasty. The hostess was extremely friendly and checked in with us several times throughout the meal to ensure all was well. We will definitely make it a point to return to the Grumpy Troll whenever we have a chance!
(5)Jenny H.
Good food, fun atmosphere. If you're in Mt. Horeb, the Grumpy Troll is a fun place to catch a quick bite to eat. I don't think it's as good as The Great Dane, but it's a place I will return to many times. The beer is decent; the food is good.
(4)Babs H.
Like many other Yelpers below, I stopped here on a whim while passing through (on a self guided southern Wisconsin wide brewery tour). My bf and I browsed the lunch menu and decided on the 1/2 salad and a cup of soup deal with one of their beers to wash it down. Unfortunately, I didn't read the menu more carefully and what should have been a $20 lunch turned into $40 because the salads listed below that deal were not actually included in that deal, only a small house salad. It was too late though, we had both already devoured our soups (the super delicious chicken enchilada soup) and salads (mine was the ensalada fiesta, his was the chicken gorgonzola salad). Either way, for two cups of soup, two salads, and two beers, I would not expect a $40 bill in rural Wisconsin. GIVE ME A BREAK. If not for the unreasonably steep prices, I'd have given this place four stars. The food was pretty good, the beer was different and tasty, and the server was really nice even with the misunderstanding.
(3)Duane B.
We have been here several times before and have always enjoyed it. The food has always been good. The burgers taste like they just came off the charcoal grill. The fish tacos are good. They are very accommodating and will make the item to your liking. When they are busy the service is a little slow. It is a bit noisy especially if there are young children screaming. The beer selection is fantastic and the wait-persons can explain the nuances of all.
(4)Lisa S.
Awesome beer and food - love the sweet potato tots! My stepfather, a hard man to please, even walked out of the place with a t-shirt. I look forward to going back on the way (actually out of the way) to our annual trip to the Dells.
(5)E L.
I don't mind this place. Service is generally okay. The Reuben is decent. Fries are good. Don't bother getting the nachos (meh), fish fry (blech), or beer cheese soup (icky).
(2)Tom P.
Just north of New Glarus and west of Madison, the Grumpy Troll Pub and Brewery is a place worth checking out. Great beer selection, good staff and good food = winning!
(5)Becky A.
Fish fry is great! We love the cheese curds and chips. My husband really likes the beer- too bitter for me. Booths are the best place to sit.
(5)Dalton A.
Was great food, especially the burgers at a good price. The service is also very nice. And its really neat to see inside of the brewery a little while you eat.
(4)Johnny Q.
Beer is good. Food seemed appropriate. Service was a bit scatterbrained. Everyone was very nice. If you're in the area stop in. Otherwise seek out a brewpub near you for similar fare.
(2)Scott U.
good food, great beer
(4)dan l.
I am still dreaming about this place...Stopped off here on a weekend trip with my girlfriend. I had read about the brewery and saw there was a fall festival going on - figured as good a place as any to stop for lunch. Well we breezed through the fall festival but could've spent all weekend here! As for the food, I can't comment a lot...we split some cheese curds and a sandwich, which were decent. But the beer is worth the trip alone...by a longshot! This ranks at the top of all the breweries I've visited. My girlfriend was in love with the ginger jasmie beer they had. I agree with others about the slow service but the beer was so good it was enough to keep it at 5 stars for me.
(5)Ed F.
A rather trendy, upscale brew pub in a touristy little town known for it's trolls and mustard. I had the Grumpy Troll burger - 7 oz preformed ground beef patty with bacon and choice of cheese. I had it with beer battered fries all for $10. A little pricey for a decent (not particularly noteworthy) burger. I didn't try the beer since I was traveling and already a little drowsy, but they have some interesting brews. The dining area could use a good cleaning with dust piled high on the open green painted duct work.
(3)Joseph T.
I was visiting my great aunt for the week in Madison and we stopped in here for a bite to eat. I had the grumpy troll burger, and thought it was excellent. The fries that I had on the side were tasty too! I had to try one of their beers, so I ordered their Belgium Style Session and their Wheat hefe. The Belgium style session was refreshing, with a hint of honey at the end. The Wheat was reminiscent of most Hefe's, and done very well. I had to purchase a beer glass for a souvenir, only wish it was cheaper than the 6 dollars I paid for it. All in all, the service and food were excellent and I would recommend going there to anyone that's in the area.
(4)Aurore t.
Great place for burgers. The vegetarian black bean chili is really yummy. My favorite is the chicken enchilada soup. I had this at Chili's, but it was just some cheese in a bowl. This is really a tasty soup. New Orleans blackened chicken is wonderful. It is just a nice place to unwind, eat and have a great beer.
(5)