Red Eye Brewing Company — Restaurant in Wausau

So I went here about a year ago and i was able to eat a few different things here, the pizza, a burger, a couple different appetizers, etc. We had a group of 8, so I was able to sample quite a bit. Quite literally everything I tried was over-the-top good. It was a fun atmosphere, friendly servers, and delicious food. However... something has changed. I went with the family last night. We had the bbq chicken wings, kids cheese pizza, kids chicken strips, an adult pizza, and the Wisconsin burger.

I'm going into this detail in hopes that... well I dont know. The atmosphere was still good. The service was still really good, but the food was terrible. All the way down to their homemade ranch and bleu cheese sauce. My daughter loves chicken tenders and ranch, she said the ranch tasted gross. Sure enough it was basically just sour cream. It's like they forgot to put in the ranch seasoning. But it didn't end there. The blue cheese was also bland. And that's nearly impossible to do. That is a STRONG sauce. But it basically was sour cream with blue cheese chunks.

The burger came to us with the bottom bun soaked in blood. Literally, red blood. Practically inedible. It was actually dripping as you held onto it. :( We ordered it "Medium". I LOVE a medium rare steak, but a bloody hamburger is just not cool. And again the burger was bland. So all that you could taste was blood and beef. No bbq sauce, nothing. Just blood flavored burger. My daughters chicken strips looked very unappetizing as well. Granted, they are chicken strips, not fancy at all to begin with. But they looked like they were reheated in a microwave and bought from Walmart. Now I can almost positively assure you that they were NOT heated in the microwave, and I'll assume they were likely made there at the restaurant. But she didnt even finish them. She thought they were gross. And hard. And it didnt help that they gave us a side of sour cream for her to dip it in. The adult pizza was also very bland. And it had burnt lettuce on it. Lots of it. Legit crunchy, burnt, lettuce. When you touched it, it fell to crumbs like a November maple leaf. Everything was so dang bland that I was beginning to wonder if the cooks were just recently excoriate for putting TOO much seasoning the day before, and they were fearful of their jobs.

The one and only thing that actually tasted pretty dang good... the $6 kids cheese pizza. Sauce and crust were good. And the cheese was plentiful for a native Wisconsinite.

Not sure what happened with this restaurant. But it is not the same delicious restaurant from a year ago. Hopefully they make...

Short version:

Great food, better beer, and easily the best server I have ever had in a brew pub. Good, better, best = mandatory stop when you're in town. Expect a wait, but it will be worth it. Oh, and get the tater tots. So good...

Long version:

This is the place I would recommend to anyone visiting Wausau. The food is excellent, the service some of the finest I have had the pleasure of experiencing, and the environment very cozy. It is notable that I say all this after having waited over an hour just to get a table.

We were a bit surprised by the length of the wait but, never having visited the city, we decided that trying to find another restaurant would be unlikely to get us seated any sooner. The staff very helpfully recommended several other places and after calling them, we confirmed our suspicion. We consoled ourselves by sampling some of the fine beverages available. I have brewed beer for many years and can be a little picky, so I can say with some small authority that all the the beers I tried were excellent.

When we sat down our server came over immediately and took our drink order. She was an absolute delight. I love it when a staff member gives legit tips on what dishes were the best value. She pointed me at a burger (which I cannot recall the name of now - dang it!) that was delicious. I tried bites of other dishes and they were great. My kids shared an order of mac&cheese with bacon and really enjoyed it I saw some tater-tots on another table and asked for they in lieu of the kettle chips. Our server said she would bring an order for the table and that substituting for the chips wouldn't save me anything, so I may as well get them as well. It was a good thing too - the tots were finished with a truffle oil and were awesome! I am surprised I got the few that I did!

Bottom line: This place is a gem in Wausau and one I will go back to if and when I'm back in town. I cannot recommend it...

I’ve been to Red Eye Brewing Company a handful of times; it has always been delish and this visit was no exception. As an out-of-towner I look forward to visiting when we day trip to Wausau.

When my husband and I arrived for lunch at noon on Friday we had a short 15 minute wait to be seated. It was nice that they had couches and benches to sit on while we waited.

We each ordered a beer— he chose Awesome Sauce and I picked Xanadu. We both enjoyed our choices!

For lunch my husband ordered the Wisconsin burger and upgraded his side to fries. He thought the burger was very tasty and particularly noted the use of aged cheddar and the caramelized onions. He did think that the bacon got a bit lost in the taste of the beef. Several times he also commented on how good the fries were; the garam masala ketchup they were served with was also interesting.

As my meal, I chose the buttermilk chicken BLT and I upgraded my side to sweet potatoes. This sandwich was sooooooo yummy and perfectly balanced. The chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The bacon was smoky and added depth, the tomato was fresh, in-season, and juicy, and the chipotle mayo added a delightful kick. Although I think brioche buns are sometimes pretentious, the heartiness of the bun was needed to hold up to the sandwich. Even my husband, who finds chicken rather boring, thought this was an incredibly tasty sandwich. I watched him eyeing it jealously as I ate. I also liked the wood-fired char on the sweet potatoes and the rosemary crème-fraise they were served with was tasty; I only wished the sweet potatoes were cut just a bit thinner.

Other notes: ✔️Our server was sweet and attentive ✔️The total was $63 for 2 lunches with upgraded sides and 2 beers (well worth it in my opinion) ✔️The dining room is very open and can be loud; it’s hard to have conversation

This was one yummy meal and I dream of our next...