Restaurant Review: Whitewater’s Lakefront Pub

Whitewater, Wisconsin is a college town with a plentiful selection of bars, but a suitable pub with good food, a wide selection of beers, and a congenial atmosphere is always hard to find. Those in, or visiting, Whitewater would find that experience at the Lakefront Pub, named for its location along Cravath Lake in downtown Whitewater.

The Lakefront Pub offers a tavern’s menu, and more: a full bar, burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches, several full entrées, appetizers of all kinds, but salads, too. Patrons will find excellent draft beers, mixed drinks of their choice, and a generous wine selection for a pub. (Where sometimes there are practically no wine selections at a tavern, and definitely nothing worth considering, you’ll find suitable offerings at the Lakefront Pub.)

Walk in, and one discovers a full bar, with seating for fifteen at the bar, about ten interior tables, and I’d guess a dozen patio tables overlooking Cravath for warmer-weather dining. Seating is comfortable: you’ll find yourself with ample space between tables for a more causal experience.

It’s a sharp and attractive bar, too. Dark wood as one would expect, but impressive in a room that’s been designed with care. The lighting is conventional, low without being too dark, with fixtures that complement an antiqued, attractive industrial ductwork.

The logo of the establishment, a small red fish skeleton, appears on the mirrors by the bar, and on the tables of the pub. It says something – something good – that the proprietor (Christ Christon) thought about the establishment as a brand, with a definite look and feel. One can see that thought and care went into the design.

American pubs don’t offer food if they don’t offer burgers: a good pint and a burger are the foundation on which the experience rests. The burgers are large, prepared as you’d like them, with an accompanying side (pub chips), or an alternative for an additional charge. I found my burger properly cooked, suitably juicy without being underdone, and in a generous portion.

The pub chips are fine, but I’d recommend sweet potato fries for a slight, additional charge. They’re a personal favorite, at any establishment: they’re a sweeter accompaniment, their texture is softer, and so closer to a burger’s.

I’ll mention, in particular, a selection of a salmon sandwich on my second visit, while my companion selected a salad. Although salmon’s an easy fish to prepare (especially as a sandwich), fish is always a good test of a menu: one goes wrong with fish very quickly. In my experience, the salmon was (to use an expression that should summarize one’s experience of pub fare) tasty.

Here’s what made the sandwich yet better: while taking my order, our server mentioned that the salmon was prepared with a particularly spicy sauce. She asked if I’d like it that way. That’s the right practice: one may prepare as one wishes. If the patron knows that there’s something particular about the preparation of the meal, he can accept or decline the unique preparation.

A meal’s not a quiz – one shouldn’t be guessing, or be stumped by what one finds.

That’s a confident kitchen: one can have the sandwich with or without spices. Here one sees not just a friendly, but an attentive, waitress: aware of the offerings and offering an alternative to patrons.

A pub only has salads, needless to say, if it has a larger kitchen nearby, and that’s true of the Lakeront Pub: it shares a full kitchen with the Whitewater Street Restaurant.

Both of my experiences with dining companions (dinner, lunch) saw those with me pleased in their selections (salad, chicken wrap, fish).

I was curious, though, how the experience might seem to a patron dining alone. So I made a third visit, and chose to eat at a table, rather than the bar (as a sole patron typically would). It’s hard to tell, but the reaction of the staff suggested that they don’t have many patrons who order dinner, and then sit by themselves at a table while dining.

They were friendly and attentive, though, and that’s what underlay my curiosity: how friendly was the pub to just one diner? It may seem odd to those who are adventuresome, but sometimes a pub will intimidate someone not familiar with the atmosphere. (Longtime readers can guess that worrying about these things is not a concern of mine, but it is for some people.)

Diners may be reassured: the Lakefront Pub is a friendly place, and the experience will prove comfortable and enjoyable whether with a group or on your own.

Easily recommended.

Enjoy.

LOCATION: 111 W. Whitewater Street, Whitewater, WI 53190 (262) 473-2920 See, Google Maps.

OPEN: Daily, with grill available until 10 PM.

PRICES: Burger, sides, and a pint available for about $13.

RESERVATIONS: Unnecessary.

DRINKS & WINE: Full bar, with wide selection of imported and domestic beer, plentiful choices on tap, conktails, and wine.

SOUND: Music at a moderate level – conversation at one’s table is comfortable.

SERVICE: Friendly, attentive, casually-attired (as one would expect for a pub).

VISITS: Three for this review, two with dining companions (lunch, dinner), and one without (dinner).

RATING: Recommended.

RATING SCALE: From one to four stars, representing the full experience of food, atmosphere, service, and pricing.

INDEPENDENCE: This review is delivered without financial or other connection to the establishment or its owner. The dining experience was that of an ordinary patron, without notice to the staff or requests for special consideration.