Benno’s

So, Benno’s has been a craft beer specialist years before most people even knew there were beers outside of Miller and Bud. They still have one of the best selections in town, skewing delightfully towards the hoppy end of the spectrum, but representing the best of all styles from local and domestic craft breweries. The kegs are in constant rotation so every few weeks you’ll find new selections. It’s the most underrated, unassuming, beer bar in the area.
They do food as well, and though not as stellar as the beer, the wings and burgers are pretty tasty and certainly well-​priced.
The atmosphere is well-​worn, not having been updated much in a decade or so, but it’s actually pretty cozy. They usually have a few tvs going, mostly out of the way, and often showing some of the more interesting sports like hockey. It’s usually busy but almost never crowded, so you’ll usually be able to find a seat and have some tasty beer!

Excellent fish fry! Can get a bit crowded and noisy on weekends, but I really like that! Good beer selection too. :-)

I drive past here on almost a daily basis, yet I never went in until last month. I was pleasantly surprised! It looks like a typical dive bar, the but staff and menu exceed expectations.
All of the food is made fresh. According to one of our bartenders, none of their food is frozen. They have some of my favorite cheese curds. To top it off, they have great deals on food and drinks daily.
This is now one of my favorite places in Stallis!

I can’t believe I’ve lived in West Allis for years and never been into Benno’s before now. I’ve been back a few times since my initial foray. The service has always been great! If Benno’s doesn’t have the beer you want, you need to rethink your priorities.
This is a really comfortable place that’s always busy but there’s still room, somehow. I’m a fan! I’ll be back for sure.
The fries and tots are nothing to sneeze at either — great bar food. :) I haven’t dined on their fish fry or other menu items yet, but it’s on my list.

Great bar, lots of beer options in tap. Solid fish fry and clam chowder, great service. I will definitely come back if in the area.

This place is great! Awesome food, great service and their prices Arron point. Went in on a Friday night after trying to go to the BBQ place across the street. The wait was too long for BBQ so we figured, let’s give this place a shot. It was a great decision. I will definitely be back!

For the beer, 5 stars. A very good tap selection that is always rotating and will often include some rare gems that you don’t see very often in the area (example, Zombie Dust). Beer is quite reasonably priced too. I’ve tried the food a few times and never been all that impressed. But, for me the food isn’t why I frequent Benno’s, it’s the beer. If you love your craft beers, definitely worth a stop.

Benno’s was a huge disappointment after hearing so many great things about it.
We rolled in around 5pm on a Saturday with a group of 6. There was only one bartender working, which at first wasn’t a big deal as there were only about 10 people in the bar. However, shortly after we arrived, two groups of 6 and 8 respectively showed up. We were told that if we sat in the dining area, the bar tender wouldn’t be able to come and take orders but that there would be a server in «soon.» We said «Fine, for drinks we’ll order at the bar and then when the server arrives we’ll close out with you.» The bartender was cool with that.
Well, the server showed up maybe fifteen minutes after that conversation and proceeded to completely ignore our table favoring the other two large groups. She never even once said hello, offered menus, or anything. Okay, we just kept ordering with the bartender and that included our food. Might as well give the tip to the one who wants it.
The food was not.. .good. Out of the 6 of us in our group, four ordered food. The chicken fingers were dry, the fries were overdone, and the burgers were greasy and bland. What was truly criminal, however, were the sad state of the cheese curds. Half of the order had melted out of the breading, the rest were so heavily breaded you could barely taste the cheese. Very unsatisfying.
The stuffed mushrooms were decent and the beer list is top notch. That’s what gets it a second star.

We came across this place because the first place we wanted to go is closed on Mondays. The food and service is great!!!

We started going her because of the amazing craft beer selection and the act that most of it s on-​tap. We now equally enjoy the food. It’s really more than bar food.
The service has always been excellent even after we have brought 12 of our friends back with us.

Place is great. Fish fry is excellent. Other food is good. Friendly staff and a great selection of micro brew that is always changing. One of my fav. Places to go. The wife likes it as well

I unfortunately can’t give my dining experience from Bennos more than 1 star… Got their «Panini» special and ordered fries on the side (which were extra). The end result was a sandwich, not a «Panini» on crusty toasted white bread with a tiny chicken breast chunk in the middle. The fries (if you want to call them that) looked like they’d been pulled out of the garbage and were most certainly not fresh.
I appreciate the effort that Bennos puts into their beer selections and the concepts that they are attempting with their menu, but the food execution is a massive failure.

I was so stoked to finally check out Benno’s that I didn’t even give it a personal shot before inviting a group of coworkers to meet here Friday night. We came in and there was no host at the host stand, though many tables were seated and being served, so eventually we just posted up at our own tables in the lounge area.
No one ever noticed us or approached us so we went up to the bar ourselves and snagged a couple menus. Suffice to say that the tap selection was awesome, but it still adds up quickly. The staff weren’t really giving the time of day for my questions, just wanted to pour beer — so beer it was.
We wanted food and went back up to the bar to order — standard bar food, but not nearly as good. I got a crispy buffalo chicken wrap, my friend got the grilled buffalo chicken wrap and Joe got the nachos. Well we got two crispy chicken wraps and no nachos. After reminding them they came out, but they were thrown together, seemed to be microwaved and gross.
We were not once EVER directly spoken to by staff, food was crummy… I just don’t see the appeal aside from the beer honestly. I’d rather go somewhere else.

Haven’t been here since I moved, but seeing those pictures make me miss it! Nice bartenders, great beer selection, food is decent (I’m not much for fish frys). And they have a foosball table!
I’m not giving it 5 stars because I think they could get a little more creative with their salad options. But, it’s not a big deal, I just fill up on good beer!

Totally and utterly surprised by how much I enjoyed Benno’s.
I mean, I had heard some good things from trustworthy sources. «…great craft beer on draft. … solid bar food. … nice folks.» (You know, just the requisite usual when it comes to recommendations and all of that.)
What I wasn’t prepared for was how much I fell in love with the space itself; maybe it was the novelty of being a first timer, but it felt as though the whole thing was designed to be MY perfect beer bar/​pub. Just divey enough, just hipster enough, and just homey enough, all in my newest favorite suburban neighborhood to root for… THE DIRTY. (aka ‘Stallis, aka Westallica)
As has already been written, Benno’s has a unique and impressive tap selection. Beer nerds, rejoice! I snagged a Deschutes wheated IPA that suited my tastebuds pretty damn perfectly at that exact moment: a nice balanced blend of wheat to hops.
(Sub-​topic for consideration: Why does wheat beer get such a bad rep with beer nerds? If any beer, especially wheat/​Weiss is done well (read: isn’t viscous to the point of being akin to a first time homebrew and is balanced in flavor profile), shouldn’t it too be worthy of love? When did the wheat/​Weiss beer become Merlot from Sideways?)
Our bartender was a fun, friendly guy with an Australian accent who told us all about their Monday night punch card club. You get to ride the library ladder back and forth across the bar if you finish all the beers on their punch card, just FYI. (If you don’t know, now ya know, and if you haven’t been, now you know that there’s a library ladder behind the bar. See: «this bar was designed to be my perfect beer bar/​pub» point earlier in the review.)
Important thing: I haven’t eaten the food, but I certainly will, because Katie S says the cheese curds at Benno’s rule and also, I will definitely be back to Benno’s. Also, Katie S’ review for this place is pretty great.

Summary: Common bar, amazing selection of tappers in west dallis.
Amazing selection of beer tappers. 30 tappers all worth trying. Friendly wait staff. Exactly what I was looking for.
Décor is dated but who cares, your there for the beer.
Every Wednesday, Benno’s has a great deal for burgers. $ 5 build your own burger, hand-​packed patties, tastes great.
Highly recommended for beer enthusiasts.

We ventured in again because we liked it that much the first time. Seems like as good a reason as any, right? This particular trip had lost a little novelty, but it was still just dandy.
The beer menu was still quite interesting, but less interesting than the last time. There were more things that I’ve seen already this time, but there were still some kooky tipples to try. –3 points.
We had the cheese curds, which may easily have been the best cheese curds I’ve ever had. Light golden crust. Not to heavy or oily. Perfectly just-​this-​side-​of-​melted on the inside. Happy belly! 32 points.
Both husband and I had burgers. The burgers are really very good here. I don’t know how they make them or if any part of it is frozen, but it’s tasty. They appear to put some actual seasoning on the burger itself, which is what I would do if I was grilling at home, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a restaurant do it. 11 points.
Whilst eating, I watched a server on the edge of the dining room take a knife, spray something on it, wipe it down, and hand it to a customer. I don’t know what prompted this action, but I want nothing to do with a spray-​cleaned knife. –15 points.
Our server this time, was just ok. She was nice, but she came across as perhaps just new? She didn’t really know her stuff and wasn’t particularly sociable. –4 points.
Lastly, on our way out, I was busted for my last review by our previous server. Tee Hee! I have to apologize to my new friend for being legitimately confused at first and then not owning up once I figured out what was happening. You got me, all 18 points worth.
37 points for remembering us.
13 points for calling me out.
54 points for actually reading your Unilocal reviews.
However points that is, that’s how many times I hope I come back.

Beer — point whole hog raspberry saison. really good! not berry weiss sweet ;)
Mozz stix — these were wonton wrapped & the reason I love wonton is because they get so much crispier compared to the loose breading. These, however, weren’t very crispy.
Baked potato soup — lacked seasoning and texture that fresh ingredients could have provided such as bacon crumble, scallion, even shredded cheese on top. Good but not great.
Jambalaya soup — it really wasn’t «soup». There was No broth. It was so inundated with thyme seasoning, I couldn’t Taste much else except a hint of heat. Reminded me of dirt. Not «earthy» in a good way! Would not ever get that again.
Brisket — definitely the fattiest that I’ve ever had before. About 45% was inedible to me.
Baked beans — prob the best thing on the visit aside from the beer and the cornbread biscuit that came with the jambalaya ‘soup’.
Slaw — while very fresh tasting, it was overdressed with wet mayo and needed salt & pepper.
Garlic parmesan fries — also really fresh tasting but needed a shake of salt, just a pinch. yes Parmesan adds salt but it doesn’t completely replace it.
Prob won’t come back. I’m not a big Stalis fan and this place wouldn’t help convince me not to be.
Nice try, though.
The bartender/​server was really nice.

A group of us met here on Saturday night for a birthday party and we all really liked the place. They have good food. We had a round of appetizers including chicken wings, poppers, chips and salsa. I had the Reuben sandwich for dinner. Everyone has raved about the Fish Fry, but they only serve it on Friday nights. That was disappointing. Haven’t really heard anyone comment on the ribs, so I didn’t try them. That seems to be their specialty.
The best thing was the truly amazing beer selection! They had several special Mardi Gras beers today!
They have a nice room for a party. Our group size was about 16 and it was perfect for us. Unfortunately, the waitress told us she had to put all of our tabs on one check. This made for a very long and frustrating close out of our bill. She gave us exceleent service throughout the evening, but her life would have been so much easier if she could have split the bills up for us. Don’t know what was up with that…
After dinner, we played several games of darts on the electronic dart board and had a lot of fun. The bartenders were friendly and efficient. All in all, this was a great place to hang out.

Here is my M.O. at Benno’s: Shove lots and lots of food into my face, try a number of beers and see what happens. The results are usually favorable.
I’ll try to be diplomatic here. I, like many Milwaukeeans, have a very tenuous relationship with West Allis. It is awesome if you like NASCAR, smoking Newports and drinking Diet Mountain Dew with breakfast, but for the rest of us it is adrift in a sea of fast food and corner bars that we dare not venture into. I’m sorry, but this is how I feel. Benno’s is the best contradiction to the norm in The Dirty.
Beer? Damn right. One of the best lists in town. They consistently tap local favorites and great stuff from around the country. A recent trip yielded Hop Czar from Bridgeport Brewing. Great stuff. My favorite part of Benno’s really has to do with what it doesn’t have: Asswipes. I live in Bay View and while I love some of the beer bars in the neighborhood, some people are just way too damn cool for their own good. ZERO pretense at Benno’s. I’ve gotten schnockered out of my shit with complete strangers here, because that’s the kind of place it is. The bartenders are great, the patrons are awesome and the whole place has a vibe that makes you feel as if you’re among friends.
Food? Hell yeah. I’ve been going to Benno’s for wings for years and I’ve just recently discovered some of their other awesomeness. Go for the fish fry, it rules. All of their food is homemade, which is a huge plus for a bar. I love the wings, the garlic fries and recently had a piece of their awesome carrot cake. The burgers are tasty as well.
Can you tell that I really, really love this place?