Best Spots for Holiday Cheers in Middleton

Pull up a seat, raise a glass, and relax with friends at one of Middleton’s fun bars or restaurants. Here in Middleton, you’ll find venues with unbeatable beer and cider lists, cozy spots for a glass of wine, and great places to grab a classic cocktail. Here are some of our favorite locations to say “cheers!”

Beer Lovers

Craft beer lovers will discover outstanding options in Middleton.

Middleton’s award-winning German-style craft brewery, Capital Brewery, is conveniently located downtown near many restaurants and free parking. Pull up to the bar in the Bier Stube (“beer hall”) for a beer or seltzer on tap. Winter hours are Sundays: noon – 6 p.m.; closed on Mondays; Tuesdays-Thursdays: 4 – 9 p.m.; Fridays: 3 – 10 p.m.; and Saturdays: noon – 9 p.m.

Visit Longtable Beer Cafe downtown to find a charming café-bottle shop-tasting room that boasts more than 300 bottles for purchase (to take away or drink on-site) and a dozen rotating taps. The Free House Pub, another downtown favorite, has 22 draft lines that rotate regularly. Craftsman Table & Tap on the north side of Middleton features 18 rotating taps, two dozen bottled beers, and nine thirst-quenching specialty cocktails with two special New Year’s events planned – Surf & Turf Dinner on New Year’s Eve and a New Year’s Day Brunch.

Hard Ciders Fans

Middleton is home to Hidden Cave Cidery, a locally owned and operated cidery on the northwest side of town. All ciders at Hidden Cave Cidery are made with Wisconsin-grown apples and sweetened with local honey and fresh fruit.  The tap list changes each weekend to feature something fresh, new and often seasonal. They are open to the public from 4 – 9 p.m. on Fridays and 1 – 9 p.m. on Saturdays.

Wine Aficionados

Want to raise a glass of red or white — or something sparkling — instead? Head to Grape Water Wine Bar on Hubbard Avenue, where you’ll find more than a dozen wines on tap, including varietals from California, France, Spain and South America. Grape Water also sells sparkling wine, beer, and seltzers. Coopers Hawk Winery & Restaurant makes over 60 wines, which can be sampled and purchased at the restaurant’s front tasting room or enjoyed in the bar and dining area. Barriques is a combination café and bottle shop that offers a wide variety of wine, spirits and beer and is open until 6 p.m. Grace Coffee also has a wine menu available.

Non Alcoholic Options

Middleton is becoming a great place for those seeking non-alcoholic options, with a growing selection of local spots offering creative and delicious alternatives. Sober Social, a dedicated non-alcoholic beverage store, has recently opened in Downtown Middleton, offering a curated range of NA beers, wines, and spirits. But the options don’t stop there — Grape Water Wine Bar features Mingle Mocktails and Newblood NA red wine, Capital Brewery rotates a variety of non-alcoholic beers, and Craftsman Table & Tap offers several NA beers along with specialty mocktails like the Raspberry Nojito and Blackberry Mockarita.

Local Favorites

When a city’s nickname is “the Good Neighbor City,” you will discover some friendly local haunts.  Monk’s Bar & Grill has served cold beer and hot cheese curds at its Middleton location near Greenway Station since 2011. The Village Green is an old-fashioned tavern downtown known for its traditional pub fare, like hamburgers and homemade chili. Also downtown is Louisianne’s ETC, an elegant New Orleans-style restaurant that welcomes guests with beautiful French Quarter-style décor, sparkling chandeliers, an old European-style wine cellar, and, often, live jazz music. Mid Town Pub is Middleton’s lakeside neighborhood bar and grill, featuring ten draft lines, more than 100 bottled beers, 200 spirits, an award-winning fish fry and a Sunday Bloody Mary bar. You’re in for a historical treat at 1847 at the Stamm House as it was built in 1847 and first served as a service station, and now has been restored into a modern, upscale supper club-like restaurant with two beautiful bars that serve a variety of beer, wine and classic cocktails.