Mader's Restaurant
| Mader's Restaurant | |
|---|---|
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  Location within Wisconsin  Location within the United States | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1902 |
| Food type | German |
| Location | 1041 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 43°02′38″N 87°54′54″W / 43.043872°N 87.914886°W |
| Website | madersrestaurant |
Mader's Restaurant is a German restaurant located at 1041 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 1902, it is the oldest operating restaurant in Milwaukee. The restaurant's German-inspired building dates to the 1950s and is part of the Old World Third Street Historic District.
Description
[edit]The Mader's Restaurant building has a Renaissance Revival design inspired by German architecture. Distinctive elements of the design include wooden half-timbering, a stepped gable, and a brick turret.[1] The interior is decorated with antiques, including a suit of armor, stained glass panels, artwork, and beer steins. The building also includes a bar, named Knight's Bar, and the Tower Galleries art gallery. The restaurant's German dishes include wiener schnitzel, sauerbraten, pork shank, and potato pancakes.[2][3]
History
[edit]Charles Mader founded the restaurant, which was originally named The Comfort, in 1902. The restaurant was renamed to Mader's in 1912, and it moved to its current location the next year. Though it was primarily known for beer at first, the restaurant focused on German food to survive Prohibition; when Prohibition ended in 1933, it served Milwaukee's first legal beer at midnight.[2] Charles' son Gustave took over operations in 1937.[4] In the early 1950s, Gustave rebuilt the restaurant building into its current German appearance, and he brought his son Victor into its operations in 1964. Mader's became known for hosting celebrity guests in Milwaukee during the mid-20th century, including three U.S. presidents; Gerald Ford visited the restaurant while president, while John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan dined there prior to taking office.[5] The restaurant added an art gallery to its building in 1980, and it opened two new private dining rooms in the 1980s. It is currently operated by Kristin Mader, Victor's daughter.[2]
References
[edit]- ↑ "1037 N Doctor Martin Luther King Jr Dr (AKA 1037 N 3rd St)". Architecture & History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Tanzilo, Bobby (October 28, 2025). "Urban spelunking: Mader's Restaurant". OnMilwaukee. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Bernhard, Rachel (March 6, 2026). "16 iconic Milwaukee restaurants still going strong after 70-plus years". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 21, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Gus Mader Honored by Membership in Restaurant Industry's Hall of Fame". The Brookfield News. November 24, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved August 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Mader's restaurant celebrates 80 years". Wisconsin State Journal. Associated Press. August 21, 1982. p. 1:5. Retrieved August 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.