Magpie's Den & Pen

We took a few days for pre-Thanksgiving trip to Lake Geneva and wanted to try the Frosted Barrel Experience at our first time at Magpie’s Den & Pen. It was a cold day but the outside barrels are cozy, comfy and heated. It was very comfortable and the atmosphere relaxing. The food was great and so was our server, Ambrazia! We had a nice view of the White River in a fall setting. Overall a very nice experience and highly recommended. We’ll definitely do this again!

Our server, Taylor, was friendly and attentive. My husband had a smash burger and said it was good. I had the chili which was very hearty and had just the right amount of spice. The cheesy buffalo dip appetizer was good, I wish there had been more compared to the number of corn chips it was served with.

This was our first time at Magpies, and it did not disappoint! Bri was a fabulous bartender. She was friendly and made great recommendations on other local spots. We very much enjoyed the Japanese Chicken Sandwich with fries. The Spiced peach old fashioned was also incredible! Can't wait to come back!

My husband and I had such a great dinner at Magpie’s Den & Pen tonight! The food was fantastic (the Northwoods pickles were a standout), and even though it was busy, everything came out fast. Our waitress was wonderful. She accidentally poured my husband’s beer twice and let him keep the extra at no charge, which was such a thoughtful touch. The whole place was decorated for the holidays and felt really cozy and festive as well! The real surprise was after we left. I realized I’d forgotten my to-go box, called to check on it, and even though they didn’t see it, they offered to remake my burger and fries for free. That level of kindness and service is rare! Great atmosphere, great staff, great food. We’re so glad we stopped in! 😋

Happy Hour options Smaller* menu, less selections than other restaurants. Disappointing: one and done. See other reviewed Lake Geneva menus and establishments for recommendations. Three seating options: [1] dark interior, smaller inside, smaller bar = packed [2] Patio: dined outside, varied seating layouts, comfortable atmosphere [3] Backyard lawn with outdoor bar

Alicia is amazing! She’s polite, knowledgeable about the menu, and makes you feel genuinely cared for. I usually don’t like sitting at any bar in a restaurant, but if Alicia is working, it’s the best seat in the house. She’s entertaining, attentive, and turns your visit into a stellar experience. Highly recommend!

Absolutely amazing! We tried out the barrel experience and was pleasantly impressed. Food was amazing! Great place coming back!

Great place to go even in the off season! Started with the chili cheese mag fries and had the smash burger and Japanese chicken sandwich. Everything was perfectly cooked and came out quick. The key lime martini was tasty at the beginning, although the graham cracker crumble was less good as time went on. Our server was Jesenya, she was a delight, very attentive and happy to answer questions. Overall a great way to finish the day!

Thursday was $2 off burgers so we decided to give them a shot. We elected to sit inside due to the heat, but the outdoor patio seems to be where all the cool kids want to be. The beer was cold, the space was clean, staff was pleasant and attentive. We started with the fried cheese curds... Delightful. Served piping hot with a gooey pull and a side of ranch. Just the kind of indulgence you want when you are away from home. The burgers were juicy, flavorful, and just the right amount of mess. I was a damn good burger. We enjoyed them so much that when we saw that Magpies had a food truck in the park during a festival, we made sure to grab one.

Very underwhelming. We ordered food to go a few days ago and it was fine, but we wanted to give this restaurant a real shot and it was a disappointing experience. Our drinks came after we finished the appetizer and we ordered a burger and it didn't have any cheese when it normally does. We dined in on a Saturday so maybe that was a mistake? But it's unfortunate to think we can't eat at this restaurant on a weekend if we want a decent dining experience. Nothing stood out about the ambiance here. The restaurant was very noisy which was expected on a busy weekend. The menu was limited when you consider food preferences. For the price we weren't impressed and I can't see us coming here again.

What a great spot. Been to Lake Geneva hundreds of times but have never stopped in at Magpie's. Food was delicious. Since it is winter had to sit inside. It is a little small especially if you have a larger group. Otherwise it was fantastic. Staff was super friendly! Looking forward to returning in the summer months to sit outside and see what that that experience has to offer ! Just wish they had Blue Moon! LOL

Best tavern style food in lake Geneva! Amazing service from Kyle and the hot honey pizza and fried pickles are to die for. Will definitely be back! Highly recommend!

It was an amazing! Eating in the private dining barrel made for a wonderful date night! The food was so good and our server, Tayla, was so tentative! We will definitely be back!

We waited over an hour for drinks, just drinks. Our server said she had an 8 top, and that she would be back shortly to get out drink order. Literally an hour later, a male waiter helped us and said that our waitress got caught up with the big table. That really set a bad tone. Anyway, after that, the food was just ok. It's bar style food. This would be a fun place for a group to go and hang and have drinks. It's a really cool place in a very cool location. The back has tons of games and they do live music. Because of the wait, with zero comps or even a snack with a 2 children starving and thirsty, I wouldn't personally return.

Full disclosure, we intended on dining at a different restaurant, but they didn't have enough room, so we walked over to Magpie's. We had a decent size group - six adults and two infants. Our waiter was friendly, but also seemed to forget our drinks and food rather frequently. He seemed to struggle with taking our order on the touch pad.. he even asked us a question about the menu at one point. We ordered chips and queso, cheese curds, and the fried pickles. The queso was really good. The cheese curds were average, and the pickles were interesting. They were whole pickles wrapped in wontons, my husband and I split a smash burger which was pretty good, nothing special. The kids meals come with a good amount of food which is nice. Our son enjoyed his grilled cheese and applesauce. This isn't a bad establishment by any means, but there's nothing about it that makes me want to go back. It has decent food and a casual atmosphere.

I was visiting family in the area, and we stopped here twice -- really enjoyed the place. Nice, friendly service, and plenty of seating (our glasses were barely empty when they'd come back to refill them). The food was fresh, hot, and tasty. The fried pickles were good (wrapped in cheese and a wonton wrapper), but the real star of the appetizers was the garlic cheese curds. Incredible! If there are four of you, be sure to get two orders, or you'll be fighting over them. The ranch dipping sauce is best for the cheese curds (the marinara is good, but the ranch is better). For the main, I got the pinsa both times. As good as pizza and fast. The pepperoni Pinsa with Mike's Hot Honey is perfect. Gooey, rich, and just the right amount of heat. If you're looking for something simpler, they have a basic pinsa that is the equivalent of a cheese pizza. Others in my party got burgers and Caprese sandwich and loved them

Monday evening, not a lot of places are open in April in LG, so here we are - I had a smash burger, and ate the entire thing -lol- very tasty- had the fries as a side- Ahi ceviche is what my Husband ordered - he said it is okay, came with potato chips- would have been better with tortilla chips and a sesame sauce to kick it up a tad- But he did say he'd definitely order it again! The atmosphere was very chill, customer service awesome - our bartender , Maggie (all of their names are Maggie) Was very attentive and accommodating- We will definitely be back! Prices are also very good-

I love this place and I go back every time I'm in Lake Geneva. The patio has such a fun vibe to it and the inside is really nice too. I've always enjoyed the food and drinks I've gotten as well. As far as cheese curds in Wisconsin go, it's tough to be #1 but these are very good. The staff is also really pleasant - the last time I was there was just a few months after my mom passed and I was sitting alone, reading and having a drink. My waitress talked to me about my book and really made my slightly nostalgic visit that much more enjoyable. I look forward to visiting again next summer.

Good bar / grill food, reasonably priced. The service was really good - served by the bartender John who was very hospitable, friendly, and fun. There is plenty of seating indoor, a nice outdoor heated patio, and igloo style tables outdoors.

My wife and I been going to Magpie's since the new owners took over and fixed the place up. We love the atmosphere and the food menu is excellent! We usually sit at the bar for food and drinks and are always greeted by friendly bartenders. We plan on taking the family there during the holidays and we strongly recommend you stop by next time you're in downtown Lake Geneva.

This cute spot right on Main St is the perfect place to grab lunch or dinner after a busy day on the lake. I tried the pickle appetizer, which was really unique and delicious. The drink menu was fun and fresh for summer, and I loved how the outdoor patio space had a clear cover over it, so you could enjoy sitting outside even in the rain. Our server was nice and was happy to offer food and drink recommendations. We had a group of 15, and she handled the large party well. The food and drinks were quick too. The best part was outdoor space they had off to the side with yard games you could play while you wait. The spot was cute, and I would definitely go again if back at Lake Geneva.

We tried Magpie's first the time tonight. We've been wanting to stop in for a while so maybe got our hopes up for a new great spot. We certainly won't be back. A security guard told us we could sit any here when we walked in. So we chose a table inside next to a few other full tables. We sat there for about 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged us at all even though the five servers working passed by our table multiple times. Finally a waitress dropped off some menus but said nothing else. About 5 minutes later we saw that waitress say goodbye to her co-workers and leave. 5 more minutes go by and it's been 15 minutes since we sat down and no one has acknowledged us but kept walking by. Finally we stopped a waitress and said is there a waitress for this table. She apologized and said oh we will get you someone. 5 more minutes later a waitress with a terrible attitude asked us for drink orders and left. We ordered two apps, waters for 4, an iced tea and a Diet Coke. That took another 5 minutes and then we got our drinks. Apps came out fine but it took our waitress another 10 minutes to ask for our order. Once again she was completely unfriendly and had no manners. Our food came out and was honestly just okay. We had asked for ranch - that didn't come with it. About 10 minutes she asked if everything tasted okay and I asked for a Diet Coke and ranch. She was almost offended that I asked for something else. About 10 minutes later she brought the Diet Coke and ranch but I was already done with my meal. Never were we offered refills or dessert. She was completely unpleasant as seemed everyone else who worked there. In short food was mediocre and service was awful. In a town like LG with options for food, you need to be better. We will not be back.

Excellent!!! Best cheese curds I have ever had!! Fiesta burger was great!! Pizza was amazing!! Staff was friendly and food came quickly. Highly recommend!!

In town for a wedding from Indy, we stopped in for a few drinks. This place was VIBES! The atmosphere was great, but our bartender, Alicia, was over the top! She was especially outgoing and fun! When we asked about the beer tap choices she walked over and brought the entire list from the wall to the bar top. That is CUSTOMER SERVICE! Our drinks were never empty, she had us laughing and made us feel like we were hanging out with a lifetime friend. This place was great, but what made it for us, was the amazing service that Alicia gave us!

The Bistro Barrel dinner is phenomenal! The team hit it out of the park with this new dining experience in LG. Each course was amazing and the chef came out to talk with us after dinner. He answered some of our questions (like how do you poach a pear!? They are delicious!) and made us appreciate even more the effort that goes into this meal. The bistro menu is only available on Friday nights but don't miss it- the entire experience is so memorable!

Family oriented, fun place, super awesome smash burgers! Service is top notch. Ohhh and the garlic cheese curds & pickles!!!

So it's an okay remodel/rehab of former Carvetti's Cafe and it has an outdoor patio, but some things they do are so disingenuous as to be BIG FAT LIES, like bragging about being featured on a ?TV? "show" called America's Best Restaurants Roadshow (when that's just a BS marketing firm tactic), that Magpie's probably paid to film them for a measly 320+ YouTube views. And $15 burgers aren't any better than Culvers cast at 1/3 the price just a few blocks away. Get gouged to get the wind in your hair. Up to you. Rest of the menu is pub grub but is has a nice flair. Owner, Anthony, is a boozer, and can be also found celebrating at his swingle swanky bar, Fat Cats, on Broad Street. Magpies should have some daily 'discount food' special items like Champs Sports Bar does it (champs with their beef birria Tuesday $4.00, Wed burgers $3.50, Thursday chicken sandwich $3.50, Sunday fish tacos / Coronas $3.00). https://youtube.com/shorts/DwLUYk-K37Q?si=sOI0aX1zr8GdncFS

We went for Thursday night bingo for our first time checking out Magpie's. It was packed! We were able to sit outside and still hear the bingo. Warning, the caller goes very quickly. Be ready to keep up. Bingo was fun, that would bring us back. Unfortunately, the service was really slow. The servers were overwhelmed, they need smaller sections. The manager was nowhere to be found. Nowhere. If the place is this crowded, the manager should be running around helping. I hope they can hire more staff or learn to manage the wait better so as not to make the servers look bad. We had a couple snacks...loved the cheese curds and my son was happy with his tenders kids meal. We will give them another try, crossing our fingers for a better staffed night.

We chose this place for the prices and menu selections. This is down the street from most other restaurants that have much higher prices and long waiting times. We found the place to have very friendly staff, all named Maggie, and the food quality was great. We will come back whenever in the area.

One of my favorite places when we visit lake Geneva always great drinks and food! If you're in town it's a must stop!

Just went here with a bachelorette party. We made a reservation in advance and got to our tables (we were divided among 4 tables) no problem. Our drinks were brought out right away, but then we waited almost an hour just for only SOME of our appetizers to come out. It then took another 20 minutes for the rest of the apps to come out. One table hadn't even gotten their apps at that point. Then, another 30 minutes went by before we received our meals. As most of us finished our meals, one table still hadn't received any food at all. The waitress then told them that the kitchen lost their order. They quickly remedied this situation, but set back our itinerary by 45 minutes. They also did not offer any compensation or apologies. The remaining table had to ask for a discount, and even then, the waitress only offered 10% off. The food was great, but service was abysmal.

Food =average Service = below average Outdoor Area = Better than most No need to make a special trip here.

Magpie's is a nice little bar and restaurant that's perfect for any night of the week. Our Corned Beef Dinner was simply incredible. The carrots were tender and soft, the potatoes were mashed and smothered with gravy, and the corned beef was overflowing with flavor. I could've eaten 3 plates! Our bartenders did an excellent job on a busy Friday night. This seems to be a go-to spot for a birthday celebration or for an after work happy hour. The bar was packed with friendly faces looking for a good time. All in all, a great place to grab a drink. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area.

Stopped here by recommendation during Winter fest. Realizing the crowds at the festival, most restaurants and other businesses had waiting lines to get in. We took this into consideration. Magpie's had no waiting line, but you did have to wait in the bar area for a table. Understandable. We waited about 20 minutes, and the host seated us outside in the enclosed "winterized" patio area. First off, it was not "winterized." The ice, cold wind was blowing through some of the seals. We were ready to " weather the storm" though, as we were starving. I noted that a lot of the tables didn't even get their water, so it looked like they were understaffed (again...understandable). I noticed the table that sat down after we did already had a waitress taking orders. We had already been sitting down for 15 minutes. We just happened to see a server and flagged her down. We told her nobody even waited on us yet... her reply was "oh...it will be at least a two hour wait for food. Seriously? Why weren't we told that while we were waiting by the bar you think they would've told a lot of people that. Unacceptable! We could have been looking for somewhere else while they wasted our time! Somebody really needs to get this place organized. I might try this place again, maybe during the summer, just to give them an another chance. We were very disappointed to say the least!

Service was slow. Took over 45 minutes to get our food and place wasn't that busy. Ordered the chili and 2 taco salads. The chili was OK The taco salads were some of the worst I have ever had. The so called ".taco meat was just over cooked ground beef with no seasoning. Half the salad was chips. There are much better places to eat in LG.

Found this place by accident. A little ways away from the main downtown LG places, this place has a real Wisconsin local pub feel to it. They've also got a huge outdoor space, which will have to wait until summer to experience. We had lunch here, so I can't comment on the beer selection, but I'm sure it's good. Great smash burgers here, though! That's what got us in the door. Everywhere you go these days, you're getting $18 half-pound monsters. This burger is 1/3 pound and perfectly smashed! Clean place, some TVs; we'll be back to see what's happening on the weekends! TIP: There's parking on the street out front.

Service was exceptionally slow, and servers were completely disorganized with no coordination between them. Was told by a bouncer to seat ourselves wherever when we walked in, and proceeded to watch 3 different servers ignore us for 15 minutes. Then when we got one, we were brought incorrect beers, had an appetizer forgotten entirely, had one dinner order come out 15 minutes after the rest of the table - and when it did come out it was the wrong burger. The space is nice, seems fun to grab beers from the bar. Burgers were like kid food flavor wise - melted cheese and a patty, with a little sauce. Not worth $16 for sure. All in all - will not be back.

While adorably placed and a nice bar/burger atmosphere, the food wasn't necessarily a game changer. Everyone was nice and quick, but the food was bland.

Magpie's is a nice spot with great outdoor dining options. We didn't make use of the bags and space in back, but it was a great setup and would have been fun. Our waitress was extremely helpful in navigating the 4th of July weekend challenges and did an admirable job. Food was good, portions were adequate, we will return.

It was a perfect night to sit out on the patio. The food was good we enjoyed the pickle wontons and the spicy sweet pepperoni pizza which were both good. The best part was the wandering magician and most importantly our server Kyle. He went above and beyond to tend to our needs and was a lot of fun! Thanks Kyle!

We're in town for a couple days with close friends so our kids can hang out at the pool and beach and were recommended to come here for a good bite to eat and I must say, extremely disappointed. The service was incredibly slow, honestly, that doesn't even describe it. Our waitress had zero interest in being there and was extremely off putting and disconnected with being a part of the waitstaff. We never once were given napkins, silverware or asked if we ever wanted a refill on anything. I had to go grab napkins and table settings from another empty (not shocking) table nearby. Someone in our party got a 2nd beer after going inside to order it and about 25 minutes later she brought it over and just went "did someone order this, cause here it is"...awesome, way to make that personality shine! It took almost 40 minutes to get our apps (2 to be exact) and then another 50 minutes after to get six tacos, a chicken sandwich and a wrap...oh, and it was all cold and clearly had been sitting there for some time. Waitress after about half an hour said they had one large party inside and the kitchen was backed up. And we weren't the only ones getting quite frustrated, 2 other tables (of the total of 5 seated outside) were growing incredibly upset with how slow everything was and the fact they were nearly out of half the items needed to make the menu items. This is all on a Tuesday evening, what can this place possibly be like on a busy Friday or Saturday night?!?! Never again, the only thing I was happy with was how well my 2yr old handled being seated for over 2hrs. Suggestion, look somewhere else...maybe they were having an off night but it seemed highly unorganized and discouraging. If that waitress is what they hired, I can't imagine who got turned away! Again, who knows the internal makeup and structure of things there and maybe the employee wasn't happy either, but it clearly showed in the lack of care and service.

Super loud music, terrible service, overpriced food, and small portions. I do not recommend

Went to Magpies with another couple. Cute place, service was fine but all food was just okay. Ordered chicken nachos for an app and got beef nachos which tasted fine. We didn't complain or tell waitress of the error. Everyone thought their entrees were average at best.

Meh... not sure fresh, fast, hot and cheap will be your experience. Mine was. Good meat. Rode barebones on garnish but who eats stalks of parsley anyway? Try salads or veggies too.

Service lacked. No welcoming. Waited 10min to get noticed, another couple and small group left. There were only 4 tables being used TOTAL which were served by 2 waitresses! Drinks sounded creative, but our 2 were not tasty. Cheese curds tasted great, fresh/hot. But there were so few for that price. Best part- Sat outside, live music, multiple levels of decks and space by bar and long high top tables. Overlooking the park. I'd only go again for live music outside and to try the fried pickles. Everyone gets a 2nd chance.

The bar is great with excellent employees. The ambiance is outstanding, however all of the pros are quickly negated after an interaction with the owner. Anthony is a scumbag

Lunch was nothing to brag about. The Buffalo shrimp Po boy was tasteless. No hint of "buffalo" flavor. Not in a traditional Poboy Bun. Fried pickle wontons were not warm. Beer was decent. Sorry we came here.

The atmoosohere is lovely. They have a beautiful outside patio with live music. Unfortunately thats where the magic ends. The wait for food is an hour and no apologies or offers as a result. The food is generally good but not this summer. Unfortunately with other options in the area that serve food, people will choose other options. It is sad to write this review.

Great food and atmosphere, service was top notch for a busy place. We also enjoyed that they have live music, was a nice surprise to our night!!

Food was very ordinary. Smash burger was tasteless and the bun was stale. My wife had an unconventional taco salad that had no taste.... Friendly service Cute place Food needs a lot of help

We were seated right away. Service was great and food was very good. Compared to all of those overly crowded restaurants on the main strip where there was a long wait, I liked that we didn't have to wait for a table. We had the hummus, fries, Nona's meatballs and pork wings. Everything was really tasty. I highly recommend!

Four of us went to Magpies for the first time last night for drinks and dinner. Things got off to a bad start when several of the beers on their tap list were no longer available. It was Taco Tuesday. However, our server informed us that they were out of salsa. It was 6 PM. Must have been a rush of early-bird diners eating tacos. My husband ordered the sausage and pepper sandwich and was told that they were also out of onions. Our server looked embarrassed. He changed his order to the bratburger. The sandwich came with a slight smear of sauerkraut. The stock of sauerkraut must have been running low. They also seemed to be out of air conditioning as it was hot in the restaurant. Wish we had opted to sit outside and just have a drink before moving on to a better place to eat. From the looks of their patio area, lots of people were doing just that. I suspect that Magpies is a nice place to get a drink in downtown Lake Geneva, but the restaurant leaves a lot to be desired. I usually give a place a couple tries before passing judgment, but I'm making an exception this time. With lots of good options available, we won't be going back. They just ran out of second chances!

took for ever to get beer and the food was even worse timing wise . we picked a table and after 20 minutes of being there we were asked to move to another table we did not want so they could setup their bingo stuff and did not over any thing to ask us to move - 1 and done at this place since their are so many other good consistent place in Lake Geneva

wonderful food and service!!!!! my go to spot in Lake Geneva. definitely take the time to check this place out!

Service was terrible. Staff were know it all young kids who really have no business being in the service industry. Let me give you just a little advice as obviously you ALL are not to smart. For every one customer you give good service to they might tell a couple of friends BUT for every customer you give bad service to it will be told to over 75 people and this is why your restaurant is empty on 4th of July weekend. Good luck my guess is if you keep this path you will be out of business soon and tough lesson to learn in life but that is a true stat in the service industry. Avoid this place like the plague !

This is a fun place for a drink. They have a nice bar with televisions and a section with tables for ordering food with friends. The music gets loud so it is not great for conversations for definitely a lively place for grabbing drinks with friends if you want to check out for the night and enjoy yourself.

Recently, my wife and I stopped by a new restaurant/bar in Lake Geneva called Magpie's Den & Pen. Magpie's is the old Northsider which was the old Carvetti's. Magpie's opened near the end of December 2021. We heard about Magpie's from some people at The Bottle Shop and decided to go across the street and just check it out. We sat at the bar with a couple of glasses of wine and some unique cheese curds. The cheese curds were not your typical Wisconsin fare and were quite good as was the wine. They have a modest but nice menu and several of the plates that came out of the kitchen for other patrons looked pretty good. I think they are going to start small with the menu and add over time. The owner, Anthony, has the place looking rather welcoming. It reminds me of a friendly neighborhood bar and grill. He has plans for the outdoor patio which will also include music. His staff was pretty friendly and professional. Jodi, our bartender/server, provided great service. She is also an 8th-grade science teacher so you can bring any of your unanswered science questions when you visit. I like where the owner is going with this place. My wife and I are looking forward to returning for a meal beyond just having apps.