Vanguard

Bay View's spot for sausage sammys & cheese curds

Vanguard is a Milwaukeean's dream. The Bay View eatery boasts spirits and sausages — like, almost exclusively sausages. There are classics like brats and hot dogs, plus vegan sausages too. When they start styling the sausages by city, that's when things get really exciting. 

Try styling your sausage like Milwaukee (a brat topped with cheese curds, cheddar cheese, and cheese whiz), Chicago (tomato, pickle, celery salt, relish, peppers), or Tijuana (sour cream, salsa, jalapeño, cheddar). That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Then there are the fancy sausages. Like the Duck BLT: duck sausage with bacon and sun-dried tomatoes topped with shredded lettuce, hollandaise aioli, and more bacon. Or the Thai Breaker: pork, lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro sausage topped with peanut sauce, carrots, and lettuce. I could go on, but we'd be here all day. Check out the menu and drool for yourself. 

Now it's confession time. I have to admit that sausages don't set my world on fire. Milwaukeean fail! I really have to be in the mood for a brat, and that brat has to be hot off the grill, ideally at Miller Park. I just won't go out of my way for one. And like I said before — Vanguard offers almost exclusively sausage sammys. What's a girl to do? Luckily there's a menu section called "Tube-less."

That's where you'll find Thee Dirty Burger (interior shot pictured up top). It's a ground sausage burger, yes, but I'm cool with that. This burger is insanely delicious. Like, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It comes with bacon, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, a special sauce, and Velveeta (I subbed cheddar). There are also scrumptious tubeless sides, like poutine (so good!) and fried cheese curds — on par with some of the best I've ever had.

The point is, whether sausage sammys are your thing or not, go to Vanguard. Sit on the patio on a beautiful summer day. Share cheese curds and poutine with friends. Drink a beer. Eat hearty. You really will love every minute of it — this place is just so Milwaukee.