Centennial Bar & Grille

My family has been here several times without ever having a bad experience. The service is great with the owner often times seating guests. The drinks are generously poured (including the kiddie cocktails), the food is consistently good (especially the daily specials), and the portions (including anything off the kids menu) are substantial. I had a curry turkey and rice soup and the petit filets Sunday night (both off the daily special menu) and they were both exceptional. We’ll be back again and again.

Good pub food.
Service was quick & friendly
We had a mix of varied bar-​type foods. Chicken wings, chicken strips, nachos, burgers, sliders.
All were average. But we really liked this place so we’re going to come back again

We really enjoy Centennial. With nice local ambience, the endless popcorn, excellent food, and reasonable prices keeping us coming back. The host always greets us with a smile. My wife loves the Bean Burger and the Grouper. The kids meals are only $ 3 — and the portions are huge.

I have been here several times since moving to Mequon. Service has always been excellent. Smiling employees who know the menu and how to make great cocktails.
Food has always come out very fast. I like the menu, in addition to standard menu they have several special daily soups, entrees and desserts.
Fish fry (cod) was excellent. Chicken tenders are cornmeal crusted and seem to be made in house. I’ve also had the nachos, they’re good and generous.
Desserts also seem to be made in house. Get the chocolate Guinness cake!
I’m impressed!

This was our first time here and we were very pleased. I had a bbq pulled pork sandwich on a pretzel bun and my husband had chicken pot pie. Flavors were good for a bar and grill. Definitely a do again!

Best bar snacks, ever! m&m’s, pretzels and peanuts!
A+ on the nachos!
Fish Fry is on spot!
Every thing else has been very, meh, not great. Had the jerk fish sandwich last week and it was very close to «not good.» The only reason it was edible was it wasn’t a very bad flavor, but it was very plain.
Good fun place to get a drink at the end of the night, too. Most of bartenders are very friendly.

If I had to vote on Milwaukee’s best ranch dressing, it would be here. Let’s face it, everything tastes better with ranch. Really good chicken fingers, salads, and sandwiches. Gotta love a place with pretzel rolls. They also give you free popcorn (FYI, it is self-​serve). I avoid it on the weekends because it is very busy and the dining room is very small. Not sure if they do call ahead seating but it seemed like some people got seated faster than others. Not great service. Except your water to stay empty and dirty dishes to linger. But for those who can get over those issues it does have very good food.

Great food, great atmosphere. Brunches are not my favorite but for lunch and dinner this is a place you cannot go wrong. Nice wine list, variety of choices from the menu and always great service.

I loved it! I had read the reviews on Unilocal and I was skeptical but this place impressed me. Also it was the closest place around with bloody Mary’s and brunch! The place is old and cozy.
I had the Bloody Mary, it is spicy with lots of accessories and comes with a beer chaser! Yay!
I had the sante fe breakfast burrito which was fresh and delicious. But the real star of the plate was the potatoes! Oh my… I don’t even like potatoes that much but these were amazing. Rosemary and garlic flavor and perfectly cooked.
Highly recommend!

FAMOUS FOR
— Building’s History
BUZZ
— Fish Fry
I TRIED
— Baked 5 Onion (⁷⁄₁₀)
— Mediterranean Chicken & Sausage Pasta (⁵⁄₁₀)
I had a craving for a Vodka Martini, Dirty. I looked around Unilocal for any bars, and around the Brown Deer area, there weren’t many that I thought would spend the money to carry Ketel One. So I ventured out a bit and found this place. Decent reviews and decent # of reviews.
The place is old. It’s actually over 100 years old, and had a life as a bordello and even a watering hole during Prohibition. There’re small knickknacks here ‘n’ there, but I didn’t really get a good glimpse. There are a few «sections» to this place that are sort of secluded from each other. Since no one greeted me at the door except a whole bunch of towny folk staring at me like I was the only Asian in town… oh wait…, I just ducked underneath the glares and sat at an open spot at the bar… at the end I might add.
I had my martini, and then started ordering food. I know everyone talks about the fish fry, but I was really not in the mood today. I also wasn’t in the mood for a sandwich/​burger, which is about 85% of their menu! I wanted something more of an entrée, but their choices are a bit thin when it gets to non «between bread» types of meals. I got the pasta and hoped for the best.
BAKED 5 ONION
This is French Onion soup. Soup, onions, croutons, and cheese. It was pretty good, not too salty, and I definitely could taste different types of onions in there! There were sweeter ones and bolder ones. If you’re like me and absolutely hate raw onions, there’s nothing to be afraid of here. It’s really just like your average French Onion, but with slight variances in taste.
PASTA
There’s Mediterranean chicken, Italian sausage, artichoke, sun dried tomatoes, black olives, onions, and spinach tossed in pasta in a white wine & olive oil sauce.
The flavor of the chicken is excellent! It’s like ½ way there to Tandoori. It’s got that lemony and smoky flavors that are good, but not as noticeable as Tandoori. Seasoning is weak, and the chicken is very dry! The whole dish is not a saucy dish like Alfredo. And unlike other oil/​wine based pasta dishes, there isn’t any additional oil/​wine in the dish. I usually would like that to dip bread in, or provide extra seasoning/​flavor but there is 0 excess. The chicken has to be eaten with other veggies to sort of give it a moisture boost. The tomatoes, olives, and spinach all actually pick up the slack in seasoning, or what acts as it because of a salty/​sour taste from the wine or lemon.
All in all, this dish is really not one of my favorites and isn’t something I’d order again. It’s like something I can make at home if I just toss a bunch of veggies, pasta, and olive oil. There’s nothing really «inspiring» about it, or anything crave-​worthy.
NOT IN A HUNDRED YEARS!
Unless I had another hankering for a vodka dirty martini shaken, which actually I am right about now, I don’t think I’ll be back. The only thing, other than the martini, that MIGHT make me want to come back is all this talk about their fish fry. Guess that’s a popular thing in Mequon, and most people who reviewed this place mention it. So… ok…curiosity and a martini may make me come back!

Sunday brunch at Centennial: April 7, 2013
Look online to see when Centennial opens: 10AM
Arrive at Centennial at 10:27AM. There are zero cars in the customer parking lot.
Approach the door. It is locked. Posted hours clearly say «SUNDAY: 10AM»
Call Centennial. They say that they are open. They come and unlock the doors.
We are the only people in the restaurant, along with a hostess, a bartender, and three servers.
It still takes 7 – 8 minutes for someone to come over and greet us after being seated.
The menu seemed like it had decent options, but I wanted a basic breakfast, so I ordered the «blue plate» with scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, bacon, and their «signature» rosemary potatoes.
The eggs were overcooked and not at all fluffy.
The toast was the equivalent of Wonder Wheat bread.
The bacon was truly inedible – and that’s saying something, because we’re talking about bacon here. I don’t know how you screw up bacon this bad, but the flavor sucked, it was rubbery, and it smelled bad. I had two bites and spit the second one out.
The rosemary potatoes were fine, but nothing that I couldn’t have improved upon at home.
Centennial: failure on the service, failure on the food

Centennial is kind of underwhelming. This was supposed to be a classy place according to my dad who grew up in the area, but it was a pretty standard restaurant. The high expectations going in may have attributed to how significantly they deflated, but I think that Centennial is definitely worth a visit if you don’t want to venture south to downtown Milwaukee.

We had a party of four and each of us claimed it was by far the worst meals we have ever had, especially for the ridiculous price. All meals has no flavor, no qualify of ingredients, and where poorly prepared. Not to mention the bartenders who where playing heavy metal music.

Really nice old school restaurant. Nice variety on the menu, and the desserts are amazing. Watch out though — some of the desserts are so huge you need to split it!

The clam chowder was very good but I felt like the fish fry was lacking. I ordered the cod and I received a bunch of bite size fish nuggets which were pretty dry.

This place can feel cliquey with so many Mequon residents eating here — but that’s what one should expect from a neighborhood corner bar that serves good food. They are always busy for a reason. They must be doing something right. The service people could be more talkative, but they’re simply hustling to get orders placed.
French onion soup — top 3 all time? As good as anywhere I know of in Milwaukee. To be clear, they are best know for the French onion soup.
Kids meals $ 1.99 — pair of hamburgers are sliders with toasted buns. It’s always nice when a kid too full and the sliders are staring at me. Other kids items decent. Sure beats chancery.
Southwest turkey club with spicy chipotle sauce on side is my favorite.
Popcorn maker in the back — kids love it.
Fish fry is good Friday nights — the perch is best.
To Go is great and affordable. Arrive 15 mins early and sit at bar for drink and watch some games. Don’t tell my wife. :)
Remember, it’s a busy place with tiny waiting area so call 15 – 30 minutes ahead to get name on list.
If you don’t like too much butter or grease on sandwiches make sure to tell them to not toast the bun or bread on the grill.

Went here tonight because I had purchased a Groupon recently.
We each had a beer (which was cold) and a cup of Chili (which was good).
However, the service was cold (as if we were an inconvenience) and the entrees were not good.
We had the Grouper Sandwich (Sloppy and Bland) and the Peppersteak Pasta (Steak was too tough to chew) and overthrown with Onions.
I was excited to try this place as it is close to home and the picture on Groupon looked great. Perhaps we just visited on an «off-​night».
The place was packed at the bar for Trivia but few people were eating. I wonder if this is really just a place to have a pint and play triva…
I am suprised at all the good reviews…
I would however not recommend this place.

Really awesome Friday Fish Fry. I really enjoyed the history of this place that I read in the menu. I’ve never had a Wisconsin Fish Fry and this was a great first. 13.95 ain’t too shabby for our dinner

Great local hang-​out with some really good food. Stopped for Brunch on a Sunday, great time with awesome Bloody’s. Historic building with a great atmosphere and a cool looking antique bar!
Plan on coming back real soon as they look to have some serious ribs!

The Centennial follows in the long tradition of many Mequon restaurants: in an old, quaint building, great food, and keeping the history of the area alive. I came here with my new in laws on the Sunday after I got married for a fam dinner. At the time, there was a wait to seat us. Instead of fretting about it, we hunkered down at the bar for some drinks. All of us enjoyed some cocktails and munched on their carafes of peanuts and M&M’s. The bartender gave my husband and I a celebratory tequila shot too. Nice!
Eventually, a table opened up and we had dinner. I went with the reuben sandwich and rosemary chips. Others had the fish fry and other selections. My reuben sandwich was alright, really nothing special. The bottom was a little soggy and not as crisp as the top, so that was disappointing. The rosemary chips were divine. I throughly enjoyed them. All in all, the meal was good and satisfying.