Brazen Head Pub — Restaurant in West Bend

My husband and I were looking for a new place to try on a rare child-free night and decided on this one. We don't normally go to bars since neither of us drink but that is the standard restaurant model in downtown West Bend outside of a few select places which we've already tried. I was particularly looking forward to see if the fried fungus was similar to Jug's as I love theirs. We sat down right away at one of the high tables which already had menus waiting. It was the only open table and the bar was about 3/4ths full around 5 on a Friday night but it was quiet enough to still have a conversation easily. The music was good (90's-early 2000's pop-rock) and just the right volume. It took the waitress a bit to come over which was fine as we were still figuring out what to try. She got our order in and grabbed drinks quickly.

We started with the cheese curds and fried fungus which came out quickly. The cheese curds have a nice light breading similar to the ones you'd get at King Pin for those familiar with them. The fried fungus which is strips of portobello mushrooms was a bit of a surprise. They seem to be lightly dredged in a seasoned flour and then fried straightaway. It definitely wasn't what I expected but they were good nonetheless. The only thing I do wish is that they'd been a bit more uniform. The thinner slices were a great blend of portobello and spice with a crispness but the thicker ones lacked enough spice to complement the flavor. At least you knew that someone actually had taken fresh mushrooms and prepared them rather than them being air fried out of the freezer.

For the main course, my husband had the Italian Stallion sandwich with the special of the month fries (mesquite I believe) while I opted for the chicken bacon club and swapped out the hoagie roll for a pretzel bun and regular fries. The sandwiches came out just as quickly as the appetizers which, given that almost everyone there including the people at the bar was ordering/eating meals also, was a pleasant surprise. My husband loved his sandwich and said it had just the right amount of heat and plenty of meat. I also enjoyed my sandwich and was glad that I swapped the buns. The chicken is slices of chicken breast instead of a solid single breast which was honestly nice. It was tender and juicy along with allowing all the flavors to come together with each bite. Fair warning, if you are sensitive to garlic, you may want to swap the garlic mayo for regular. Since I love garlic, it was absolutely perfect and tasted like it had been made there with freshly crushed garlic cloves! The specialty fries had a good flavor and kick. The regular fries are pretty standard.

If you're expecting a traditional Irish bar with bagpipe music and Scotch eggs, this isn't it, but it is a great local place to have a delicious and filling dinner worth eating. The bartenders and waitresses were friendly and relaxed as were the other patrons. Always a good sign especially on a busy Friday night. By the time we left, the place was full up. We will be back to try other menu items since the burgers looked...

First time here. We came to taste a burger from the winner of the 2025 Wisconsin Beef Associations, Best Burger contest. And let me just say, if you like a good burger this (may be) the place for you.

It's located on Main Street in West Bend. This area has gone through a real renaissance. The fixed up the street and sidewalks, have angled parking, and the lighting a nice. It's a real treat to be able to walk in this area of small shops and businesses. No stripmalls or big box stores. Very nice city planning! Came with a couple of friends, around 11:30.

The Brazen Head Pub is one of many bars and restaurants in this area. This pub is pretty typical layout. It's long and narrow, a little dark (lighting and wood), has a long bar, and then a few high top tables. There is one larger table towards the rear that holds 6 people. Since there were 3 of us, we grabbed a high-top and stole a chair from the next table. (we had 4 people, not sure what we would have done).

There was only one person (John) running all the table and managing the bar, and a couple of people in the small kitchen. John (our server) got to us after a short wait. Got our drinks and order placed right away. We ordered some Cheese Nuggets (white cheddar curds) and 3 different burgers. You can either "build your own" or order the standard "Brazen Head Beer Cheese Burger".

The curds came out almost instantly. They were hot, with a side of ranch. They were good (not great, a little too much breading for my tastes). We waited a bit for the biggers, but they ended up being worth the wait. All were made perfectly to order, hot, lots of flavor, and very good portions. The Brazen Head Burger was tall, but manageable. The different elements were distinct and complementary. The cheese sauce had a big of a tang. The fries were okay, but could have been hotter.

While we were there, the place filled up. Lots of other small groups, some at the long bar. With the additional people it got to be pretty noisy, to the point that it was hard to have a conversation. It didn't help that there was a speaker, right over the tables, with loud music.

With only one person running all the tables, after our food came out, it was difficult to get our servers attention. Extra napkins and getting our check was a challenge.

The experience was mixed. Definitely a place to get an amazing burger, cooked perfectly to order. However, the noise and the service (due to their popularity) was a bit lacking. I wish them luck as they adjust to their...

The Brazen Head Pub is located in West Bend, WI was neat and clean 90 minutes into the lunch session. This place is essentially a narrow bar with seating for couples along the opposite wall and enough room to walk from the front to the back kitchen area to pick up your takeout orders. It was pleasant for lunch. I’m not confident there is enough to do other than drink to make it worth going there after dinner.

The “Good” … 1-The burger patty was grilled to a tasty medium-well. 2- the Patty was supposed to be a 1/2 pound burger and I believe it truly was 1/2 pound as it extended out well beyond the edges of the bun! 3- This month’s “fries of the month” were garlic Parmesan fries… Which were a nice change from standard french fries.

The “Needs Improvement “ … 1- I told the bartender or whoever answered the phone for my order that I was a first time customer… And as it turns out according to the website, when a customer orders a BYOB (build your own burger ) I should’ve been asked which of three types of burger buns (brioche, pretzel or rye bread). Options were never offered which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as I really would’ve liked to try the rye bread. 2- I requested barbecue sauce on my nearly $16 burger and I only had three bites where I could taste barbecue sauce. 3- for most folks this last one is minor, but when serving seasoned fries, the fries should be put into the carryout container first and the burger last… The staff at this bar/restaurant put the burger in first as my entire top half of the bun was covered with the garlic Parmesan fallout from adding the fries afterwards. It became a problem when my daughter tried the fries and wasn’t a fan. (although I was) and when she found the garlic Parmesan sprinkles all over her sandwich, it was hard for her to enjoy it because you couldn’t get all of the garlic particle flavors...