A 1924 Bavarian beer hall, a steak and martini room, an empanada counter and brewery food trucks, plus which night each fish fry runs.
Friday dinner in the Milwaukee area often means fish fry, and in West Allis that tradition runs through a Bavarian beer hall on National Avenue that dates to 1924. The West Allis restaurants worth planning around run from that beer hall to a steak and martini room on the west side and an empanada counter near the farmers market, with brewery food trucks filling in between.
Here is what each one serves, when it opens and how far apart they sit, plus where the fish fry runs on which night.
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Kegel's Inn: German food since 1924
You can eat in the dining room or out in the beer garden, and the menu sticks to traditional German cooking, with online ordering for pickup. A 2026 Milwaukee-area fish fry guide says the beer garden runs year-round and that reservations are strongly recommended.
Kegel's opens Tuesday to Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and it is closed Sunday and Monday. Google puts a typical bill at $20 to $30 a person.
Milwaukee's German restaurants count Kegel's among them, since it sits just past the city line.
Henry Flach's: steak, prime rib and martinis
The dining room is small, and the restaurant says it does not hold tables for reservations, so arrive early on a weekend. Happy hour runs 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and Google puts a typical bill at $20 to $60 a person.
Its mix of cocktail bar and supper club also puts it on the list of Milwaukee supper clubs.
Lola's Empanadas near the market
Lola's opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closes at 9 p.m., and it is about a quarter mile northeast of the farmers market. It is also about 0.2 miles west of Kegel's, so the two make an easy pair of stops on National Avenue.
Fish fry in West Allis
Kegel's lists a Friday fish fry and a 2026 guide adds Wednesdays, Henry Flach's has an early bird fish fry on Fridays, and the Brass Monkey on the west side serves one late.
Kegel's Inn
The 2026 North Shore Family Adventures fish fry guide lists Kegel's on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with cod, lake perch, walleye, bluegill, grouper and catfish. Cod runs $12.50 for four pieces and $14.50 for six, lake perch is $16.50, and the 3-2-1 Platter puts three pieces of cod, two lake perch and one walleye fillet on one plate.
The same guide mentions live polka music and a drive-thru option. Kegel's own site lists weekday hours from 4 p.m., later than the guide's 11 a.m., so call before planning a Wednesday lunch.
Henry Flach's early bird fish fry
Henry Flach's runs an Early Bird Fish Fry on Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m., and its menu lists a 3 Piece Fish Fry.
The Brass Monkey
Out at 11904 West Greenfield Avenue, the Brass Monkey serves a $16 haddock fish fry with coleslaw and potato pancakes, and the 2026 guide says it serves fish fry until 2:30 a.m. It is the late-night option if Kegel's has closed for the evening.
For a wider Friday, Milwaukee fish fry runs all the way to the Lent drive-thrus across the city.
Food trucks and bar food
At OPE! Brewing on National Avenue there is no kitchen, so dinner comes from a rotating list of food trucks, often tacos or hibachi, per its listing. Outside food is allowed for a small fee if you clear it with the brewery first, and non-drinkers get Two Brothers soda, hop water and NA beer.
On West Orchard Street, Shotzy's Country Rock Bar runs a bar and grill on its main floor, with Google putting a typical bill at $10 to $20. It opens at 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday, and its upstairs music hall is part of the West Allis bar scene.
At Still & Oak, a few doors from Kegel's, the Great Lakes Distillery tasting room makes a before-dinner cocktail stop. It opens at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and its own page and its Google listing disagree about Saturdays, so check before a weekend visit.
Coffee in the morning
For breakfast drinks, Lake Effect at 6217 West Greenfield Avenue serves coffee with house-made syrups and seasonal drinks, plus pastries. It opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends, closes at 2 p.m. and roasts its own coffee.
Lake Effect's Greenfield Avenue address trips people up: the cafe is in West Allis, not among the coffee shops in Greenfield.
Eating near the market and the fairgrounds
Lola's, Lake Effect and OPE! are all within about a quarter mile of the farmers market on National Avenue, which makes a Saturday afternoon easy to plan.
From State Fair Park, Lola's and Henry Flach's are each about 1.3 miles away and Kegel's about 1.4 miles, so during the State Fair it pays to eat on the grounds or plan a ride.
In December, Henry Flach's near 91st Street sits on the same side of town as Candy Cane Lane, which lights up the blocks from 92nd to 96th streets from the day after Thanksgiving.
Greenfield Park golf and the Picklr's indoor courts round out a day around West Allis on the west side.
Frequently asked questions
Published October 19, 2026
