Summerfest is back! One day is officially in the books, and there are eight more chances to enjoy loads of live entertainment, heaps of tasty treats, and all sorts of refreshments. As the 57th installment of the Big Gig launches into its first weekend (June 19-21; June 26-28; July 3-5), we present our thoughts on a few new Summerfest food and drink items.

Guinness BBQ Chicken Sandwich – Mader’s ($13.50)

Guinness is a respected and historic Irish beer that been around for centuries. Mader’s is a respected and historic German restaurant that has been part of Milwaukee dining since 1902. When you combine them in the kitchen of a Summerfest food kiosk, you get the new Guinness BBQ Chicken Sandwich. To be honest, we didn’t read the menu description before picking this new item, and we were expecting a pulled barbecue chicken sandwich that was marinated in a Guinness-incorporating sauce. So we were a little surprised when we received a grilled chicken breast sandwich with veggies, cheese, and a side of potato salad.

The “Tomatonator”-level thickness of the tomato slice was also a bit of a shock. Undaunted, we dove in and tried to evaluate the sandwich with an open mind.

Despite there being no discernible presence of Guinness in the BBQ sauce, we have to say this sandwich was actually super good. The grilled chicken had a slight char on the outside and was tender inside. Once wrangled, the massive tomato and the crisp lettuce brought a freshness to each bite, and the cheddar did its part to liven things up as well. The bun—could it be a kaiser roll?—was also a boon to this surprisingly satisfying take on a classic, no-frills sandwich. The pile of totally fine potato salad that accompanied it helped make the somewhat steep $13.50 price tag easier to swallow. [Tyler Maas]

Italian Stallion – Cousins Subs ($13)

This is the third Summerfest in a row that we’ve scarfed down a special sub from Cousins. We braved a Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Cheese Steak sub in 2023 (it was good!) and a Fried Bologna sub in 2024 (it was good!) This year’s Italian Stallion is definitely the least “wacky” of the three—and, to be honest, it isn’t all that different from Cousins’ everyday Italian Special. Both subs boast Cappacolla ham, coteghino bologna, Genoa salami, and provolone cheese. As far as we can tell, the Italian Stallion simply has…more ham? But who cares, because this thing was GOOD. And big. And dense. And legitimately heavy. (Must be the extra ham!) We polished off half of it while listening to some School Of Rock teenagers give ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” a remarkably spot-on run-through. Summerfest! [Matt Wild]

Deconstructed Smores Empanada – La Masa Empanada Bar ($7)

Now a fixture at Henry Maier Festival Park, La Masa is known to take a few inventive swings with its Summerfest offerings every year. When it comes to new festival-suited items, the empanada emporium situated on the north end of the grounds actually has a pretty good hit rate. We were big fans of last year’s Mini Cookie Dough Empanadas, for example. Sadly, La Masa’s streak of top-notch new desserts didn’t extend into this year’s festivities.

The Deconstructed Smores Empanada is less of an “empanada” and more of mitten-sized slab of crispy fried dough that’s been filled with chocolate bar pieces and marshmallows. To be fair, it does a good job of replicating the taste of smores, and it’s an inventive take on both smores and empanadas. Yet as decent as it tastes, it’s extremely messy, sticky, tough to eat, and almost impossible to share. In the end, there are far better “constructed” options on hand at the La Masa Empanada Bar, and we wholeheartedly encourage you to try those instead. [TM]

Beer Battered Cheese Curds/Bites – Nashville North ($12.50)

Between the food/drink return of Brady Street’s Nashville North and the rise of the newly transformed “Lasso Lounge,” it’s a good time to be a country fan at Summerfest. But then again, when isn’t it? There’s ALWAYS a Luke or a Zach or a Zack or a Lainey playing somewhere on the festival grounds. Likewise, there’s ALWAYS some cheese curds to be found. Sadly, these curds from Nashville North ain’t it, partner. First of all, they’re not really curds at all; instead, they’re simply cheese “bites.” (Physical menus call them “curds,” though pre-festival materials correctly call them “bites.”) And, well, they’re just not very good: ours were bland, boring, and criminally non-squeaky. Get your country on with Nashville North’s Fried Chicken Sandwich instead, which is boot-scootin’ terrific. [MW]

Mac ‘n Cheese Rolls – Beats & Eats ($10)

Among this year’s new Summerfest food vendors is a place on the high-traffic concourse (kind of facing the Miller Lite Oasis) called Beats & Eats. The newcomer’s menu is on the smaller side and mostly consists of fried fare, including two decadent riffs on lumpia (a type of Filipino spring roll). Since we were still picking bits of marshmallow out of our beard from the Deconstructed Smores Empanada, we bypassed their Apple Crisp Rolls in favor of the far more enticing Mac ‘n Cheese Rolls.

A couple minutes after ordering at the Beats & Eats window, we received a pair of piping hot Lumpia City brand spring rolls. Both were filled with macaroni noodles and cheese. Having been boiled and subsequently deep fried, the noodles were a little rubbery and dense. It didn’t impact the flavor any, but it was still a tad off-putting in terms of texture. According to the menu description, these rolls include four cheeses: Asiago, Romano, Parmesan, and American. However, the cost-effective American seemed to be doing most of the heavy lifting. Speaking of cost, the $10 price tag (plus card fee and “the question the tablet is going to ask you”) is quite a lot for two mac-stuffed spring rolls that are roughly the size of a cigar. To be clear, the Mac ‘n Cheese Lumpia—and the tasty lime crema dipping sauce that comes with them—aren’t bad by any means, but there are far better ways to part ways with a 10-spot on the Summerfest grounds. [TM]

Mac & Cheese, Dressing – Nino’s Southern Sides ($4 each)

Nino’s Southern Sides is new to Summerfest this year, and a couple bites of their titular sides will have you asking, “What took so long?” The Southern comfort cuisine restaurant has been holding down its brick-and-mortar location at 4475 N. Oakland Ave. in Shorewood since 2015; for Summerfest, you’ll find them on the north end of the grounds, near the Aurora Pavilion. You can get various meals that come with sides—wings, chicken, fried catfish, more—or, well, you can just get the sides. Turns out, cups of zesty Mac & Cheese and creamy Thanksgiving-style dressing (the latter complete with a dollop of cranberries) make for perfect festival snacks. Welcome, Nino’s! [MW]

Tennessee Mule – Lasso Lounge ($18)

“Look how they massacred my boy,” we said as we approached the newly rebranded Lasso Lounge. Gone are the days of kicking off the Big Gig with an hour of “Taped Music” under the tent at the JoJo’s Martini Lounge. Instead, the tent is now home to a country-tinged, honky tonk-cosplaying, #Merica area…that still plays taped music.

We stepped around some bales of hay, some wooden barrels, and a mechanical bull en route to one of the Lasso Lounge’s two bar areas to order one of its signature drinks.

Say what you will about the rebrand and how weird it is to see people getting line dancing lessons to decidedly un-country tracks like “Cupid Shuffle” and Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still,” but our Tennessee Mule was actually good. The confluence of Jack Daniels, lime juice, and Bundaberg ginger beer was considerably better than any fluorescent and cloyingly sweet concoction we had ever ordered from JoJo’s in the past. Yes, $18 is a lot for a drink, but it’s on par with every other cocktail you’ll order at Summerfest. Plus, this one was noticeably stiff while also being refreshing on account of the ginger beer and lime juice/wedge. If you’re hankering for a cocktail, mosey on down to the Lasso Lounge. But remember: don’t drink and bull ride. [TM]

Strawberry Surfrider – Jamba ($10)

You can find Jamba locations all over the country—there are two in Milwaukee—but the juice-and-smoothie joint is new to Summerfest this year. (It essentially shares a space with Nino’s Southern Sides.) And well, it’s Jamba! We beat the Thursday heat (and then rain, and then heat again) with a Strawberry Surfrider. It was great. It was $10. It was, again, Jamba. ‘Nuff said. [MW]

Chicken Penne Alfredo Pizza – Ian’s Pizza ($11.50)

We’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: “If you like Ian’s Pizza in Milwaukee or Madison…well, you’re gonna like Ian’s Pizza at Summerfest.” Now in its third year on the festival grounds, the regional pizza purveyor has bolstered its simple selection of slices with the introduction of new specialty slices each Summerfest. This year, Ian’s chased 2024’s wonderful Buffalo Chicken Pizza with another poultry-packed pizza varietal.

The Chicken Penne Alfredo Pizza is a cheesy, creamy, and just plain good offering. At $11.50, this quarter of a 16″ pie-sized slice is well worth the price (at least when it comes to the going rate for festival food these days). Honestly, we could take or leave the penne, as it neither boosted nor detracted from the total sum of the slice. As was the case with last year’s Buffalo Chicken variant, the chicken on this specialty slice was abundant, well-seasoned, and it played well with the rich Alfredo sauce, the dusting of herbs, and the pillow-y soft crust. Is Ian’s becoming a Summerfest food mainstay? Maybe. [TM]

Tossed Tenders – Saz’s Express (North Gate Location) ($12)

On Thursday, we made my annual social media post about the price of Saz’s famed Sampler Platter. (Sampler “Combo” if we’re being technical.) It’s $14 this year, up from $13 last year. This, of course, made everyone angry. But let us be clear: IT’S STILL WORTH IT. We don’t care if the mozzarella sticks were better in 1998 or whatever, Saz’s Sampler Platter is a Summerfest staple, full stop. BUT, if you’re looking to save a couple of bucks, might we suggest Saz’s Tossed Tenders? For a mere $12 you get about a half dozen chicken tenders slathered in blaze-orange Buffalo Sauce, plus a handful of those delightful Chive Fries. It’s a solid meal—sloppy as hell, yes, but solid. Rock on, Saz’s. We’ll never quit you, rampant inflation be damned. [MW]