Grill 164 - Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

R A.

The food here is fantastic! I had the jumbo shrimp and it was great. The batter was light and crispy, not greasy at all, allowing me to really taste the shrimp.

The clam chowder was nice and fresh, the base was lighter, not such a heavy cream. You can taste the clams in every spoonful.

And everyone was so nice. The bartender greeted us as we walked in the door, and the service at our table was attentive without interrupting too often.

We look forward to dining here again at Grill 164.

Todd

We really enjoyed this bar and grill!

The battered mushrooms are the best I’ve had. Order them. Eat them. Go back and order them again!

The burger was very good! The club sandwich’s chicken was a little thin, but tasty!

Also, Home to one of the best fish fries in the area! Arrive early on frost Fridays…or better yet, plan to have a drink or two while you wait.

Bob R.

To start with I should say that having been a Chef I am somewhat picky.

I have eaten at Grill 164 five times over the past two months. During those visits they have become one of my top 10 restaurants in the Waukesha to Oconomowoc area.
During our visits we have enjoyed the half pound char-grilled Black Angus burgers, perfectly cooked to medium with a full-bodied taste served with homemade chips, Hay stack onions (thin sliced breaded fried onions), lightly battered and golden brown with very little salt taste, Mozzarella Sticks wrapped in an eggroll fashion served with marinara sauce and perfectly browned, char-grilled Beef Tenderloin Sandwich served medium rare to medium with potato salad.

However, our favorite meals have been on Fridays. They have a Friday fish fry that offers something for every fish lover. They have fried or baked Cod, fried Lake Perch, fried Bluegill, Pan seared Walleye and Jumbo Shrimp. For those who have a big appetite they offer an AYCE fish fry. The fried cod is pure white, lightly hand battered, fried to golden brown and is moist, and flaky. The coleslaw is creamy and has a slight smokey undertone that I have only ever enjoyed before at a few restaurants in the deep south. The lemon pepper and butter Baked Cod was pure white filets, moist and flaky served with drawn butter. The Fish Fries are all fish fries are served with coleslaw, potato salad, rye bread and choice of French Fries or Homemade Potato Pancake.

While the food is the star of this restaurant/Pub the service is very good and the atmosphere is that of a small-town family grill.

The one thing that may upset some people is that they are often so busy that you may have a 40-minute wait for a table. However, I have found that if you do a little planning, you can either arrive early (3:30pm) or make a reservation.

Therefore, if you find yourself getting hungry and you are in the Oconomowoc WI area I recommend that you try Grill 164!

Brian M.

I just checked my timeline and saw that I have visited Grill 164 thirty times, and I haven't had a bad experience yet. I really love the staff, and Todd the owner is an outstanding restaurateur. Prices are so reasonable and the food preparation is a always excellent. There are a ton of dining options in the lake country area, but this is one of those spots where the locals go and you can really tell that they are appreciated. I look forward to my next visit.

Anita M.

Service, great. Atmosphere, great. Food, not so much. My party of 3 had bluegill & and cod, all of which seemed like the crust had sweated. It was not crisp & crunchy. Potato pancakes were fair. The potato salad was ok, the slaw was not good... had way too much onion- overpowering the slaw. The bread was great. French onion soup & mozzarella sticks were the star of our meal, which is the reason for 3-stars on the food. Sweet old fashion was good.

Lisa H.

Fish Fry was Amazing! 🤩
Waitress was super helpful
Food and price was on point (minus the mozzarella sticks it wasn’t my vibe but the rest of my party like them)
Check them out!

Christen B.

Came here for a Packer-Sunday. Long bar, with a huge room off to the side. The bloodies were spicy / well done, and so was the breakfast. We ordered on paper menus, and it was no-frills awesome. The bartender was also our waitress, was positive, accommodating during the game, and hustled her tail off. We had an omelet, eggs/prime rib combo, and well - plenty of drinks. Not necessarily the most COVID - friendly, as the bar is long /narrow, and a lot of people at the bar enjoying their libations with out much space between them. Still a good spot to chill.

Curtis D.

Had lunch with a friend; most booths weren’t cleaned so we had to take a table near the kitchen, noisy and uncomfortable. First impression, bartender/waitress seemed pleasant, but was odd and a bit crass.
When she brought my friend’s wine, it was a good pour, but nothing crazy. She joked “take a big sip right away so I don’t get in trouble from my boss” (then felt compelled to mention it again when giving the check.) Tacky.
She took my fish fry order and just before entering the kitchen she stops and says “the fish comes with coleslaw and potato salad” and asked if I wanted those. I said yes. Get this, she then asks…”Are you gunna eat it?” and did the same thing about the rye bread - all included w/the fish fry. Wtf? If it’s included, just bring it and don’t interrogate the diners. I don’t like wasting food, but if it’s not tasty, no, I’m not going to eat it. And how would I know - it was my first time there. She had a bad vibe and it’s in poor taste to ask “are you gunna eat it?” for items included! Maybe they were low on sides. lol
Two piece cod fish fry was decent, potato pancakes were tasty, potato salad was just ok, coleslaw was blah, marble rye was ok. My friend enjoyed his Cajun chicken salad. Overall, fish fry was ok, but the vibe from the bartender/waitress was a turn off.
I won’t be back.