Harbor House- Indoor Main Dining Room Only
Milwaukee’s premier lakefront dining destination, Harbor House is a bright, spacious New England-style seafood restaurant on the shore of Lake Michigan. With picturesque lake views, guests will be taken on a journey through New England with its reimagined menu, including a variety of dishes from Cape Cod, Nantucket, New Bedford, Martha’s Vineyard, Newport, and Boston. Live instrumental jazz will play nightly from 6 to 9 pm.
Support Harbor House- Indoor Main Dining Room Only during COVID-19
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Sam Adams Beer Battered Seafood (Boston, MA)
Shrimp, Cod, Scallops Basket with Fries
58 reviews
Roasted Oysters (New Bedford, MA)
2 Oysters with Sweet Lemon-Herb Butter and 2 Oysters with Bourbon-Chipotle Butter
40 reviews
Lobster Roll
Old Bay Mayo, Bibb Lettuce, Brioche Bun, French Fries
27 reviews
Food was great. Waiters were great.
Have been to Harbor House many times over the years they have been open and has always been very good and outstanding service.
The covid protocol of Bartolottas is very odd and heavy handed vs any other restaurant we've been to from San Diego to LA to Seattle to Houston to San Antonio to Phoenix and more. Also 90 min hard stop? If im spending 150 to 200 per person I'll take all the damn time I'd like. To be hustled out with 10min and 5 min warning is embarrassingly bad service.
outstanding service, EXCELLENT food! Brunch was literally AMAZING!!!!
The ambiance of the ducks on the water with a window seat is the best!
I will be back!
Wait staff was wonderful and atmosphere is excellent!
Ambiance and a harbor view are about the only things this restaurant has right now... They called me the day before our reservation and told me all of their rules for Covid....Taking our masks on and off every time the server came to our table, seemed excessive seeing as we’ve both been vaccinated and she had her mask on...who’s at risk there? $4/person cleaning and sanitation fee added to the bill? I’m confused, shouldn’t they have been cleaning and sanitizing before the Covid pandemic hit?
90 minute timer to sit, order, eat and get out? Not sure what that rule is about? We were told there was no Buffet but that we could order off of a prix fixe menu or we could order individual items off the menu, but when we got there we were told we only had a choice of ordering from the prix fixe menu @ $55 per person. My husband ordered the frittata which clearly said it was $45 but suddenly when we got the bill the frittata turned into a lobster frittata and the bill went up to $55. We aren’t big eaters and forcing us to order off a menu that includes an appetizer, main course and dessert is ridiculous. Appetizers and main courses came out cold for both my husband and I. My lobster eggs Benedict had three or four small mealy pieces of lobster, an under toasted soggy English muffin and believe it or not an under cooked soft boiled egg. All in all, the food seemed as if it was premade and just sitting waiting to be served to someone.
The ambience and the harbor view at that restaurant were definitely not worth the $250 bill we received at the conclusion of our 90 minute reservation.
If you’re going to re-open, you should re-open properly and the food should be on point. Clearly, their customers were not foremost in their minds when they threw this brunch idea together.
If you love seafood and brunch, then Harbor House is the PLACE to stop on a Sunday morning. Even with COVID-19 restrictions and no buffet the amazing food and impeccable service made for an amazing experience!
With all the Covid restrictions we really thought it was quite ridiculous. They call the day before with a warning of all the rules and then when you check in the hostess repeats them again for 5 minutes. It seems like they almost try to talk you out of dining there. The servers are wearing their masks the whole time I feel that it’s ridiculous to ask your guests to put them on every time a server is at the table. Then they are charging Covid fees per person for supposed updates that I remember seeing way prior to Covid. The experience was not relaxing and you felt like it was not worth the money you spent. The steak was done perfect but was barely seasoned and the scallops were sooooo salty but you ate them anyway because it was a $60 plate and just didn’t say anything. Sorry but we won’t be back anytime soon to any of the restaurants it was just way to much to pay for such a restricted mediocre experience.
The food had no seasoning..... the wine and service were great!
This is typically one of our favorite restaurants to visit for special occasions or a night out. However the covid protocols are horrible. Spending $100-200 per person and I am in the middle of dessert and a manager kicks us out of our table. In addition to having to stop eating and put your mask on whenever someone approaches the table. Seriously?!? They also completely screwed up my husband’s steak and side, whom we were out celebrating. Just returned from Disney where we had far better service and meals, which is ironic seeing as they are fielding quite a bit more guests. However to protect their staff, they require the STAFF to wear more PPE(mask/shield/gloves).... they do not put the responsibility on the guest. We will not be back to Harbor House or a Milwaukee restaurant anytime soon based on that experience:(
Wonderful ambience, delicious food and delightful staff.
Having to take our masks on and off about 8 times during dinner is not our idea of fun. At least half of the times either my wife or I were eating and had to put the mask on just for the server to come to the table. The food was good but not great.
The food was amazing and service was fabulous, as always. I appreciate the effort they put into making things as safe as possible.
Fish fry was terrible- batter was raw on shrimp
Thank you for letting us have mask off this time not as often so many interruptions
i am thankful my children enjoyed My husband wont come back till we can come without mask on
This was our first time, we had to wear our masks more than not. Couldn't even enjoy dinner, because every time something was brought to table, had put mask on. If masks work and the wait staff wears them, why did we need to wear them for them to approach the table?? My hubs ordered crab legs, he got 3 split legs(6 pieces), some potatoes and broccolini for 75 dollars...I had filet and shrimp, my filet was amazing
We were so excited to dine at Harbor House, but left feeling rushed and disappointed. Servers were rude, and make you put a mask on mid bite just to drop off a desert menu. To spend so much money and leave feeling frustrated, just isn’t worth it.
I requested no cheese on burger and received cheese on burger I requested table all the way in back and was told they could not seat us at four person table when we left there were 3 couples sitting at the tables I requested I did not want to start a scene because my girlfriend did not want me to ruin the evening but she was rather disappointed when I’m told one thing I expect that to be the truth don’t say one thing and do something else that leaves a BAD TASTE in your mouth!!!
Perfect evening.
Simply amazing!
I was so excited to take my fiancé here as a surprise while planning our wedding. We even were considering having our reception here after seeing the photos online! I tried to call but no one answered the phone, so I made a reservation online. Upon entering, the place was almost entirely empty and there was no one at the host stand. Eventually a man came over who was very rude and barked at us to put masks on, which we did. He then told us to stand there while he explained “rules” to us, including only having 90 minutes to dine, because apparently you get Covid if you are in an empty restaurant for 91 minutes. He also gave us temperature checks. We were seated, and the waiter would not approach our table to pour us water if we didn’t have masks on and told us he was fine if we left instead of dined there. We did just that, and left the restaurant immediately. Rude, intrusive service; taking an entirely absurd political stance on a virus that has a 99.9% survival rate. We will not be having our wedding reception here, and we certainly will never come back or support other Bartolatta establishments.
We had a fabulous experience celebrating a family birthday. Everything was delicious and the service was outstanding.
Ambience was fantastic, and the COVID-19 protocols that were in place were the best I have experienced. Truly grateful to everyone at Harbor House for putting in the extra effort to lower risk. Oh, and the food was fantastic! I definitely want to come back in warmer weather, and walk along the Harbor.
I was very impressed by your COVID 19 policy. However, the staff literally took it to the extreme. I was talking, my mask was going into my mouth, I was trying to pull the mask out of my mouth and the waitress took several steps back and scolded me by saying very loudly, “you have to keep your mask on”. It seemed as if she was panicked. I wasn’t removing it, I was pulling it out of my mouth so I could place my order. I was embarrassed, but I will be ok. It was the table next to me. The food was being brought out and what looked to be a manager, was walking by and stopped the servers from delivering the food, asked them to stand back and was talking loudly, “we are unable to serve you until you put your mask on”. I felt they publicly humiliated the customer. Again, I am all for the safety of your staff and customers but perhaps your staff need some customer service training. Food was delicious.
Food was excellent but service was way too strict about mask policy
Outstanding!! I can't wait to get back!!
I know this is a new time to dine out, so my observations are based on past experiences.
My really expensive fish entree was a bit undercooked.
Having patrons re-apply masks any time a server approached the table was a significant buzzkill. I understand when moving throughout, but the servers have masks on.
Really bummed oysters Rockefeller were no longer a menu option.
While I understand the possible need, The instructions for Covid compliance were very militant and a bit overkill.
Overall it killed the mood. I guess I didn’t go in expecting anything else though. It was nice being out of the house.
We have been there many times and all 4 of us agreed that the food wasn't very good. Skate, filet and swordfish all not up to standard. The waitress was good but the mask thing was ridiculous.
The salmon and sea bass both left a lot to be desired and were overpriced. The only thing decent was the wedge salad bu that was also near the $15 range as well. Will mot go back there.
Valentines Day dinner should probably be avoided. A very good, but very small steak filet. With a very different than a year ago Oscar - huge lobster pieces just sort of dumped on it... where a year ago there was an amazing sauce with manageable lobster chunks. Still, very good. The staff has always been a bit of an automaton hive. Now its even worse because we all wear masks and can't even tell if someone is smiling. The same person never visited our table twice. And the masks. Sigh. I get it. But I would rather have my food come in from a 6 foot pole than have to mask up every time they bring anything or take anything away. That said, the space is really opened up. Which I like. Long story short - ish, skip the holiday dinners here. But do come for "normal" dining. The valet is no more, so expect a short walk through poorly cleared snow.
Great food. Excellent service. The 90-minute rule was weird, though. What if I'm done before the 90 mins are up? Was so glad when I was finally asked to leave.
Excellent service and appropriate COVID precautions.
The oysters we had as an appetizer were the best I have had.
Live music was a bonus,
Great service and food for Valentines Day! Never had a bad experience at Harbor House, such an amazing staff.
Lovely dining experience. Amazing food, great views.
Not a fan of the mask restrictions. It is inconvenient to have to slap a mask on midbite every time a server walked by. The server did a good job keeping distance to avoid the "on and off" hassle. Food and service was amazing, just need management to simmer down on their mask mandates.
Amazing food. Valentine's menu was delicious. Great service.
The masks being worn whenever our servers would come to our table was an incredibly nice touch.
Only complaint is that we got the oyster and caviar appetizer but after it tasting funny decided to get the bruschetta which was delicious. We were still charged for it.
Otherwise amazing experience
Top notch COVID safety standards as a restaurant.
Great quality Seafood with a view!
My wife’s birthday and our Valentines dinner. Have always enjoyed my experience at Harbor House with this last as the exception. Our table was cold and noisy adjacent to the entry door and customer waiting area. Basically sitting at the bar it might have helped though we don’t drink, hardly a main dining area.
Two thumbs down for this reservation.
Some of the best brunch food I've had in a while. Staff was great, as always, working hard to make it an enjoyable meal. I truly appreciate the Covid safety taken.
Harbor House was delicious, and they did a wonderful job at keeping both patrons and staff safe with mask protocols, control of those waiting to be seated, and the partitions set up. My only gripe was that my green beans and potato purée were almost too salty to be edible. Aside from that, everything was great and the staff was wonderful!
The mask policy turned what would have been an excellent meal in great surroundings to a rather tedious experience that will go down as anything but memorable. Their policy of having to put your mask on every time you interacted with their staff was incredibly disruptive and tedious as we had to put our mask on and off at least 20 times throughout our cocktail hour and dinner. We would have been better off going through a buffet line.
FAQs
Harbor House- Indoor Main Dining Room Only is rated 4.5 stars by 6451 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.