There are only ... no more days until the 55th opening day of Summerfest. That means it's time to loosen up your belt and make room for all the new foods that kick off festival season in Milwaukee.
While Summerfest favorites including the Saz's sampler platter, Wong’s Wok eggrolls and Sil’s mini doughnuts will have their place at this year’s music festival, guests also have 20-plus new food and beverage offerings to which they can look forward.
New bars & beverages
Two new bar areas have been announced for the grounds. First up is Keg & Cask, which will be located on the south end of the grounds. They will offer 12 tap brews from Terrapin, Hop Valley, and Leinenkugel’s.
Guests can also look for craft cocktails including the Five Trail Sweet & Sour and Bourbon Rickey, utilizing Five Trail Whiskey and Barmen Bourbon.
Keg & Cask is also one of three locations on the grounds where can also enjoy the exclusive Summerfest 55th Anniversary beer (while supplies last).
Festgoers can also belly up to the STARRY Bar with Pepsi, which will be located along the waterfront. The bar will serve up a variety of cocktails and mocktails.
In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to customize STARRY swag and visit the 360-degree content studio while sampling the new Pepsi lemon-lime flavored soda.
Additional new beverages during Summerfest’s 55th anniversary include zero-proof options including the Seedlip Prickly Pear Watermelon and Seedlip Passion Grapefruit, which will be served at the Summerfest Corkscrew.
Meanwhile, Topo Chico is offering new offerings including their Spirited Tequila Grapefruit and Topo Chico Spirited Vodka Lemon.
Central Standard Craft Distillery will be showcasing their Lemon Honey Bourbon Smash.
Select Summerfest bar locations will also feature assorted Frito Lay products and Johnsonville Summer Sausage Snack Sticks.
New vendors and food items
A number of new vendors will make their debut at this year’s festival, including:
- Chubby’s Wings (North Gate): wings, boneless wings, chicken tenders, crispy chicken sandwich, seasoned fries
- Ian’s Pizza (North Gate): breadsticks, pizza by the slice and desserts including Puppy Chow and Churro Chow
- Johnsonville Summerville (North Gate): assorted sausages, hot dogs, sausage sticks, Johnsonville Sausage sampler and Summerville nachos
- Mac-A-Do’s (Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard): mac-n-cheese, chili mac, brat mac, jalapeno bacon mac, Swine mac, buffalo mac and The Mac-Cohen
- Nashville North (Generac Power Stage): wings, boneless wings, chicken tenders, crispy chicken sandwich, seasoned fries
At the Amp
The American Family Amphitheater has added a number of new concessions for concert-goers. Among them are bacon cheese dogs, chili cheese dogs and loaded nachos. You'll also find chili cheese fries and bacon cheese fries.
Additional items include a Buffalo chicken sandwich (with fries) and Buffalo chicken tenders with fries.
Prefer sweet heat? There's also a sweet Thai chili chicken sandwich (with fries) and sweet Thai chili chicken tenders with fries.
Snacks and sides
El Hefe Mexican Grill, located near the Generac Power Stage, will be kicking off their second year at Summerfest with their new Walking Nachos served up in a Doritos bag with all the fixin’s.
At the North Gate, Ian’s Pizza will be offering three-packs of breadsticks with ranch dipping sauce for snacking.
Johnsonville will be slinging sausages at the North Gate, along with their new Summerville Nachos.
Lou Malnati’s isn’t new to the festival, but their Malnati Salad is making its first appearance in 2023 at their stand near the Miller Lite Oasis.
The folks at Saz’s are also back with new offerings. This time it’s their Italian beef and giardiniera stuffed bites which will be available at the Miller Lite Oasis and BMO Pavilion.
Sandwiches and entrees
Charcoal Grill and Rotisserie will be offering up the Oostburger – a double burger with both a Johnsonville brat patty and beef patty – at the Generac Power Stage.
Meanwhile, Cousins Subs will be tempting daring palates with their Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Cheese Steak at the Miller Lite Oasis.
Ian’s Pizza will be near the North Gate serving up slices of cheese or pepperoni pizza along with slices of their famous mac & cheese and Smokey the Bandit (BBQ sauce, mozzarella, bbq chicken, bacon, ranch and cheddar) pizzas.
Also at the North Gate, Johnsonville Summerville will offer Summerville bratwurst along with a Johnsonville sausage sampler.
Meanwhile, Mac-A-Do’s will be introducing their porkiest mac: Swine Mac at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard.
Looking for something hot? Head over to Nashville North at the Generac Power Stage and pick up their Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
Speaking of chicken, Saz’s is also introducing a new sandwich: the “Stephanie” Fried Chicken Sandwich with bacon, cheddar and mayo, which will be available at the Miller Lite Oasis and BMO Pavilion stands.
Sweets
Screaming for ice cream? Cedar Crest Ice Cream will be offering ice cream flights featuring guests’ choice of four flavors at their stand near the Northwestern Mutual Community Park and Miller Lite Oasis.
Cedar Crest will also be serving up ice cream nachos featuring "chips" made of waffle cone.
Cousins Subs has also introduced a brand new cherry-lime shake (to wash down their new flamin' hot cheesesteak, no doubt).
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria will also be serving up their Chocolate Obsession featuring layers of thin brownie, fluffy mascarpone chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache. Chocoholics can get their fix at their stand near the Miller Lite Oasis.
Speaking of sweet, Ultimate Confections is also back with a doozie: frozen chocolate-covered cheesecake, available in plain, chocolate, Turtle or Peanut Butter Dream. Get yours at their location near the South Skyglider area.
For the full list of food and beverage options available during Summerfest, including vegan and vegetarian options, visit Summerfest.com. Fans can also find the locations of all their favorite food and beverages on the Official Summerfest App fueled by Pepsi.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
