There are only three more days of Summerfest. And that means three more days of loosening your belt to make room for some of the delicious new festival foods.
As usual, Summerfest favorites like Saz's sampler platter, Venice Club’s fried eggplant and Sil’s mini doughnuts aren't going anywhere. However, there are a number of new vendors, as well as 20-plus new food and beverage offerings which will make their debut.
Here’s a peek at the new offerings in store (as well as where to find them):
New vendors
New vendors for 2022 include El Hefe Mexican Grill, La Masa Empanada Bar, Lou Malnati’s Pizza and Toro Tacos & Bowls. Cedar Crest will also add a second location at the fest where they will serve frozen custard and sorbet by the pint. Pete’s Pops will also return to Summerfest, but this time, they’ll have their very own vendor stand where they’ll be serving up the city’s favorite frozen pops.
Beverages
Sil’s Mini Donuts will offer two new smoothies (Mango Fandango and Purple Rain) at their locations at the North Gate, Miller Lite Oasis and BMO Harris Pavilion.
Mountain Dew Spark, a take on raspberry lemonade, will be a feature at stands across the park.
But there’s more.
Milwaukee's own Central Standard Craft Distillery will serve up their Door County Cherry Vodka lemonades, Top Chico will feature their new Tangy Lemon Lime Seltzer, Vizzy will showcase new strawberry mimosa hard seltzer, and Bubly will feature both a “Weekend Ready” cocktail and “Hay Bay Hay” mocktail.
Snacks & sides
Cousins Subs will feature two new items, which might just beg to be paired together: deep fried cheese curds and a new Blue Jazzberry shake at their location at the Miller Lite Oasis.
Fazio’s Popcorn will introduce a brand new Summerfest Red Velvet Popcorn at their popcorn wagons throughout the grounds.
Klement’s Sausage and Beer Garden will feature German Nachos made with potato chips, nacho fixin's and grilled Klement’s traditional bratwurst at their location near the North Gate.
In addition to their whole pizzas, slices and salads, Pizza Man will also introduce fried brussels sprouts to the mix at their stand at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater Forecourt.
Guests will also be able to order up Lou Malnati’s three cheese bread, served with marinara at their new vendor location at the North Gate.
Sandwiches & entrees
Bottle House 42 will introduce Korean corn dogs as well as a brand new Funky Chicken Sandwich at their stand near Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard.
Cousins Subs will serve up East Coast Steak Phillys at their stand at the Miller Lite Oasis.
El Hefe Mexican Grill will offer platters of Pollo Asado, along with churros, nachos, street tacos and bowls at their brand new vendor stall at the Miller Lite Oasis.
La Masa Empanada Bar will feature their oven-baked Argentinian inspired empanadas in flavors in including Argentine Beef, Chicken Tinga, Spicy Shrimp Curry, Cheese Curd N’ Bacon and Wisco Corn.
Guests can also enjoy La Masa's pineapple goat cheese salad, signature jicama slaw, Iberia plantain chips, skinny fries and a special cookie dough empanada served a la mode. Their new stand will be located near the North Gate.
Meanwhile, Lou Malnati’s Pizza will offer their famous deep dish pizza at their new vendor location at the North Gate.
Saz’s Express will introduce a classic fried chicken sandwich at their North Gate location.
Guests will also find a new Saz’s Express Thai fried chicken sandwich at their North Gate location.
Toro Tacos & Bowls will serve up Esquite Ramen (ramen noodles dressed with the classic flavors of Mexican street corn) along with tacos (pork belly, beef bulgogi, cauliflower), a beef bulgogi noodle bowl, nachos (cauliflower and pork belly) and chips and queso at their new location at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard.
Sweet treats
Minute maid soft frozen lemonade and cherry limeade will be on offer from Bobalou Stuffed Gourmet Pretzels and Soft Frozen Lemonade (stands at the North Gate, Miller Lite Oasis and BMO Harris Pavilion).
Cedar Crest will offer pints of frozen custard and sorbet at their new vendor location at the UScellular Connection Stage.
Lou Malnati’s Pizza will offer Carol’s Cookies as well as Italian ice at their new vendor location at the North Gate.
Pete’s Pops will also have their very own stand at the North Gate where they will serve up a variety of their frozen pops including Georgia Peach (vegan), Salted Watermelon (vegan), Strawberry Lemonade (vegan), Blue Moon (vegan) and Root Beer Float.
Check out ALL the options
Get the full list of Summerfest food vendors and offerings at summerfest.com You can also download the official 2022 Summerfest app which features GPS enabled maps to help you find your favorite restaurants at the Fest.
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.
