Victoria Carlson
I’m excited that something is reopening in this location. I think it will be excellent the food is good, get the fried green beans. I love the renovation!
I found the menu a bit confusing, My burger came with an onion ring that wasn’t listed, the fries came with a confusing seasoning. As they get more established I hope they move from ordering at the bar/QR menu to table service.
… moreJeffrey Popp
This place was close, and we were looking for a quiet spot. Was a bit nervous with it right across the street from UW LaX but it was friendly service. Quiet on a Tuesday afternoon and the meal was wonderful. Loved the Siren as a wrap! Great flavors and perfect seasoning, with no component taking over. The QR code ordering was seamless and efficient, but I would ask that soft drinks be included. I understand that IDs can’t be checked remotely, but sometimes we come to eat, not imbibe. The decor was great with historic pictures from the college over the years. Plenty of booths, tables, high tops, and of course seating at the bar.
… moreAnthony
Very good food. I like how the menu is simple and streamlined, yet offers solid variety. The interior is updated and freshened up. The service is a bit on the slow side, as there was no table service and only one bartender who was serving the entire restaurant. But it’s understandable that a new restaurant is still working out its operations. I’m very glad that the Rookery took over the old Eagles Nest location.
… moreJustin Holten
Haven’t been back to this spot since it was the Eagles Nest, where I would go with friends to what we picked as some of our favorite wings in town.
I was immediately wowed by the expansion and updates while keeping the same college sports bar vibe that used to be. Not only ample space for any sized group to meet at, but also space for pool tables, other games, and a stage! If you’re looking for a large, spacious place to go with a group The Rookery is the place to go.
Of course my friends and I ordered wings, but we started with a side order of fried green beans which were done perfectly. We are also spice fiends, and asked for the Rooks Revenge hot sauce, and were blown away by the amazing flavor that peaked through the intense heat. Some of the hottest while also more flavorful hot sauces around! The gold dusted fries were also to die for.
The main course: wings. We opted for low to medium level spicy wings to try and enjoy the flavor more than the kick. While the wings came with blue cheese (choice of ranch too but blue cheese is superior), we didn’t need to dip a single wing as the wings were made to perfection. The tender but perfectly done wings were great sauceless, even with the dry rub wings! We were amazed with how great the wings were. The Rookery kicked off a saga of us trying new wings each time we go out, but I’m afraid it will be hard for any other place to hold a flame to how amazing the wings, other food, atmosphere and service were at the Rookery.
… moreChristopher Wysong (Chris)
Stopped in at The Rookery and had The Eagle with tots. It’s a fried chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pepper jack cheese, and hot honey on a brioche bun — I added bacon, of course. That hint of honey really made the flavor pop. Really tasty sandwich.
I like the layout of the place — clean, sharp look with kind of a sports bar and grill vibe. It feels like the kind of spot you’d want to hang out at. It’s right by the University of Wisconsin, and I can see it becoming popular with the students and locals alike.
Atmosphere was great, not too loud, and there were about 15 people in there when I went around noon. It’s new, so everything’s still being finalized, but you can already tell it’s going to be a solid part of the local restaurant scene.
Definitely recommending this one — I’ll be back!
… moreJohn Broughton
Really wanted to like this place since I live nearby but I dunno everything seems to be a step down from the eagle’s nest. No table service, higher prices, food is lower quality with longer wait times, no menus just qr codes… the chicken wings tasted like hot dogs and the fries are like funnel cake. We gave them a few months after opening to sort things out before stopping in again but nothing improved so I dunno.
Edit: they have menus and table service now! Adding a star.
… moreHailey Marshall
Good food! Atmosphere is chill but still uplifted.
Service is great. Food came out fast ! Bartender is super friendly!
… moreNiki Pohnl
We’d like to stop here for a nightcap. We love love love this place. But we were a little concerned that it was 10 PM and the bartender turned people away saying they were closing. Online it says they’re open till 1 AM. When we ask the bartender how late they’re open, he said well if there’s only a few people in here, I can close whenever I want. That was sad to us because it was a group of five coming in and it would’ve given them more business. Just want you to know what is happening with your bartenders. We will be back don’t get me wrong. But we just thought that this was wrong and not promoting good business.
… moreEvan Rasmussen
The Rookery is an expansion of the previous Eagles Nest bar and is not to be overlooked! The Phoenix spicy chicken sandwich was a great choice paired with a cold tap beer. They have a raised area where they will have live music in front of a garage door that opens to the street outside. Highly recommended stop in La Crosse!
… moreKeyto
Waitress didn’t even bother writing down our order and got it wrong. Then simply walked by while asking about our food but not even waiting for a reply. I haven’t felt like as much of an annoyance to someone working in a long time.
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