The Parched Pug

My bf and I came to scope out the place as I like to check out karaoke spots before I decide to go. We were seated right across from the bathrooms and by the window that had water outside(with trash in the water 😢) the inside atmosphere was relatively fun with all the pug decor. The table next to us was playing board games which looked fun.

We both ordered the Reuben and an appetizer of fried pickles which we ordered through a QR code. The pickles were chip sized rather than spears, which I love but I was lacking seasoning. The breading needed old bay or something zesty. The Reuben was pretty small compared to some other local spots I've tried. I tend to always order an extra side of thousand island for dipping as sometimes corned beef can be a bit dry. So out of habit I asked the waiter when they checked in. They went to ask and upon returning explained that the sandwich was a specialty item so therefore there wasn't extra sauce which to me sounded like some bullshit. I was happy to pay more for it but it just didn't seem like even that was an option which sort of just ruined the whole experience for me.

The self serve bar thing was interesting.. if I had been drinking beer that day I think maybe I'd have enjoyed it more but I can see how if you've already had a few drinks how you'd rack up a bill pretty quick. I had a seltzer and then tried the pug margarita. There wasn't a spot for ice from what I saw which made it feel less fun.

All in all, it was an okay experience. I'll probably be back as I'd love to give the board games and karaoke a go but the service was not accommodating and it just felt like a robot could have run the place.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

My wife and I tried to go here. It was a Sunday aroumd 1:00. We stood around the host area for a good 10 mins, popped our head in by the bar, couldn't spot a single employee. So we left.

We did not enjoy the food. We order a pizza and that was fair. The nachos were terrible. Toppings were just plain bad. I think their attempt is to try and do something different than the traditional nachos you would find at a bar, but it just does not work. The cheese is grainy, almost like there's sand mixed inside. There were no pickled jalapenos. The sliders were fair. Overall, the staff was pretty mediocre. There was one girl in particular that was pleasant and I wish I knew her name so I could call her out. The rest of the staff wasn't bad, just bland. They really weren't showing personality. You might notice this is a Common Thread in my reviews because it's something I look for in a place that's about service and atmosphere. Somehow we've gotten to a place in our society where we tip 20% to make up for the poor salaries of restaurant staff rather than what it's supposed to be, for good food and service. If we go back, it will be to try out there bingo.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3

The only good thing was the wedge fries
I ordered pug burger with wedge fries and adult mac and cheese with brisket with a side of bbq sauce. How do you make sauce taste like nothing, and mac and cheese not taste like cheese.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: The Pug Burger

Nice place, good service, but $20 for a glass of regular beer is steep

Food was good. Friendly and helpful staff. A bit surprised by the cafeteria experience and free tech glitches on their app. The whole experience was too discouraging to even consider a return visit.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: The Pug Burger

Great selection of beers for self pour. Good food from apps to dessert. Lots of board games to choose from. Great place for a quick bite or to enjoy an entire evening.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Nachos, The Pug Burger

Beer tap great, service great, food sub par.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

Staff were very friendly and attentive. Beer wall is a cool idea- beer was flat so unsure if there was an issue maybe we didn’t know about. We were in town for a tournament and actually ate there twice- food was just ok. Burgers were good, pretzels in flight were cold inside, kids meals were ok. Took canned beer home which was really good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

We love how the place is setup. We can for a Pug event and ate lunch and dessert, everything was incredible. The beer and wine selection was wonderful. We will definitely be back!!!

The beer wall was super cool, but the food was blah! I was very disappointed in my beet salad, which had maybe 6 slices of beets, super small pieces of beets! Got the pretzel flight, the beer cheese was okay, not what I thought it would be, the pretzels were okay, nothing amazing.

Awesome selection of board games, great food, brews, and don't miss karaoke!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pretzel Flight

Lots of promise that didn’t quite deliver. We sat outside, the setting is lovely. We expected road noise from Milwaukee Ave but it was not too loud .. the drainage from the pond serves as white noise. Love that the patio is dog friendly.
Didn’t like QR code ordering. We got what we ordered but maybe things could have been better. Many dishes didn’t have much flavor, including the All American Burger pictured. This was ordered medium, came cooked through. further the menu says it comes with fried pickles - these are just ordinary pickles. When we asked the server about both of these and showed her the online menu, she said she would “check” and we never saw her again. Burger had no juicy flavor at all, didn’t taste the ranch sauce. Self service for wine and beer is great what about soda pop? Only one of five of us enjoyed the food. Turkey burger and this burger had no flavor. Beet salad had chunks of beet, unusual, we sort of expected slices we didn’t have to hunt for.
I wanted this to be better than it was, by menu it’s exactly what we were looking for.
PS tilapia is just not a fish I would expect in fish and chips .. so many better options out there, so we didn’t order that.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

Good concept. Need to improve execution. You order and pay for food via a QR code. Food lacked any real flavor or imagination. Service was very spotty. Had to hunt down server to get a soda refill. When a server did check on us, we told them a burger was missing a couple items per the menu, they questioned their own menu and said they'd “check”. Needless to say, nothing was ever checked. Nice outside patio that is dog friendly.

Very unique place! You open a tab for drinks and serve yourself at the tap, you can take as little or as much, mix and match, paying by the ounce! Very fun.

The food was delicious as well. Amazing brussel sprouts and adult grilled cheese!

Next time we'll have to check out trivia night or grab a board game for our table!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5