The Yard

While this is still the outdoor patio that other’s long to be, during my recent visit, the service seemed to be lacking a bit which given all the amazing visits I’ve had here, I found surprising.
At lunch– it took forever for our drinks and food to come up and at brunch, the plates came up so slowly, we kept asking if they had forgotten our order. So strange given service has always been terrific here.
But there were a couple of shout outs– bright spots in our days that got us what we needed. Our server Nick actually remembered us from a previous visit and was terrific, albeit apologetic when he couldn’t deliver on the the drinks or food as timely as we would have liked. And I love that a new food runner, Paul, took the time to tell us that he loved working there which is always great to hear!
Great bartender too, in John. He took the time to craft us a special drink one of the nights we came back to his bar late at night. Very personable and friendly!
Still love the food, the live music on Sunday and the pet friendly area. Just hoping on my next visit the service is back where I know it can be!

Wow! The service is stellar, the ambiance is fantastic, and the food – quite good. The view is spectacular and it is just great to lounge and enjoy it. The view is what you come for. I would say my only complaint is that when trains come by, it can be a little noisy and smelly.

Here is what I liked about my experience in The Yard last night: large, comfortable, welcoming patio with lots of different seating options; good happy hour drink specials. Here is what was just okay: the service (we had to ask for help even though we were sitting at the bar); the food (which was fine but certainly not exceptional). The Iron Horse has a reputation for being down right extraordinary, but the menu choices at The Yard were mundane and lacked creativity. Sure the food was good enough, but I can get pretzel bites or a pizza anywhere. Solid place, but not overly special.

Very cool place!
You can be dressed up for a wedding party or dressed casual for a Milwaukee summer and neither group will stand out one way or another! Not many places have that versitility.
We had a few drinks and the cheeseboard — it was all very good.
It did get a little chilly, and one thing that baffled me was… people call this the best patio in the midwest — but why do they not have outdoor heaters when it gets chilly?

A hidden gem — feels like a renaissance 1950’s joint! Highly recommended!
+‘s-​Great food, amazing scenery, fruit waiting for you up front, eclectic bar, really neat location, train tracks passing by through the evening, great outdoor dining, fine spirits, fine people
-‘s-​I can’t afford to go back every week! But really, really impressed.

I’d like The Yard to be my personal backyard.
I’m relatively taken by this hotel in general, as you can read in my previous review of the Iron Horse. Two weekends ago, my friends and I came here twice in two days… basically pretending that we were Iron Horse guests. In reality, we were staying at the Ramada across the river. #riffraff
The Yard is the outdoor extension of Smyth. They have a slew of pricey cocktails that are delicious, a notably awesome music selection, a bunch of fire pits and lounge areas with couches. There’s also a little deck-​type private area for a larger group (we saw a gaggle of groomsmen hanging there on Saturday).
At night, it’s magical. During the day, it’s bliss.
On Friday night, I tried the 1907 Old Fashioned (because, Wisconsin), made with their own limited-​edition Barrel 1907 whiskey and Amarena cherries that I wanted to make love to. I’m not that into sweets, but I fished ALL those cherries out of my glass (and surrounding glasses). It’s not the traditional WI brandy old fashioned, but who gives a dang. I prefer bourbon anyway.
Then on Saturday I tried Hibiscus Cooler with Hendrick’s Gin and Fruit Lab hibiscus liquor muddled with cucumber, fresh-​squeezed lemon juice and seltzer. This was an oh-​so-​refreshing daytime drink, kind of like a cucumber collins. I didn’t eat, but my friends got cheese curds and some sort of lobster roll or lobster BLT, I believe. They were into it.
We would’ve stayed here all day and night had we not made other plans… like, to go to our other friends’ wedding reception.

Awesome. But there is a fan that goes off every time someone opens the door and its so annoying. Shut it off and ill give you the last star

Great place to relax on a weekend! Live music on a perfect Sunday afternoon. The Yard is the outdoor area at the Iron Horse Hotel, yes, hotel, aka $ 14 drinks.
The Yard has it’s own outdoor bar as well as tall high boys to sit at (try to snag a cozy outdoor couch though if possible).
Plan on parking about a block away, unless you have a Harley of course. Or bicycle, or scooter :)

Keeping in mind that I’m the sort of person more likely to get a panic attack than any profound sense of «freedom» while on a motorcycle, I overall really liked the yard (and whatever indoor bar/​restaurant we went to.) Our waitress happily divided our lobster deviled eggs and scallops (2) into singles for us.
The patio had a series of big sunken coaches that gave sweeping views of downtown and the sunset.
The drink menu was full of interesting options. I had a negroni (gin, campari, and vermouth) she asked what kind of gin I wanted (tanqueray please) so kudos for that.
Overall great place. Definitely come back and definitely recommend.
If you’re having trouble figuring out where this place is, just look for the round about by conejitos, swing around, and you’re there!

Great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. Try their homemade Sangria and sit back to some great music in an awesome venue. Very attentive staff. Menu looked great, but we didn’t order anything this time around, a little pricey.

Great food and drinks. Live music on Sunday afternoon in the summer. Pet friendly. Pleasant staff.
Oh, great people watching…

Great place on a summer evening. Good food drinks and a great atmosphere

The Yard is a great place to hang out on a summer evening. Cozying up in the oversized comfy seats is a nice alternative to a bar stool. There is no better people watching here, between the cool bikers and those who wish they were so cool, it’s all good fun viewing.
The drinks are excellently made with high quality ingredients. The food is unlike any other bar food found. It is the best ever.
The only thing I dislike is the disgusting smell from smokers (including awful cigar smoke) that infects all of the air we breathe.

I love the Yard! I love it so much I should’ve been the first to review it!!! Damn! Another great reason to visit The Iron Horse. The Food is Great. The Drinks are Great. The Staff is Great. I think it is the best outdoor seating in Milwaukee!

The Yard is a beautiful outdoor space for drinking on a hot summer evening. With the colorful canopies, the breeze emanating from the viaduct, the comfortable couches, and a delicious manhattan even a steamy 90 degree evening is worry free. One of the many highlights of staying at the Iron Horse Hotel.

A lovely space for one of Wisconsin’s nice weather days. Solid lunch menu of wood-​fired pizzas, soups, salads and sandwiches and plenty of drinks. This is definitely the little sister of Branded and Smyth, the hotel’s other restaurants, but a nice, chill option for pretty days.
Comfortable seating, gorgeous space (it feels a bit like you’re out of town) and on Thursday nights, a spot for bikers in particular, if that’s your thing.
The Yard is a fun, casual way to experience the elegance and chicness of the Iron Horse, definitely one of the top hotels in Wisconsin.