Food & Drink

Over 35 food locations:
Milwaukee Irish Fest features over 35 food locations throughout the grounds. These range from permanent building booths to tents and food carts. While Irish and Irish inspired cuisine is featured at the Fest, you can also get many other types of food from Italian to Pizza, from Tacos to Barbeque. On Sunday, at the south end of the festival grounds, before Mass begins, enjoy food from Ward's House of Prime (right inside the South Gate area), Catalano's Fruit Stand, and a Paddy's Cafe pop-up with morning buns, doughnuts and refreshments ...until the festival opens at 11 am. All food vendors accept cash and credit/debit cards.

Irish Food Options:
Looking for Irish food - try bridies, sausage rolls, shepherd's pie and bangers, as well as corned beef and cabbage and a variety of stuffed baked potatoes. For a sweet delight get Guinness cheesecake or shamrock cookies. All food vendors accept cash and credit/debit cards.

Gluten-Free Food Options:
Please reference the Vegetarian and Gluten Free Options List for gluten free items as designated by vendor.
*Due to the shared cooking and preparation areas in a fast food, outdoor festival environment, it is not always possible to create the best condition for preparing and serving gluten-free food. If the customer thinks something may be gluten-free, they should confirm that with the individual food vendor manager and make the manager aware of their food allergy concerns.

*Please note, all menus are subject to change. Always check with the vendor to ensure that the food meets your dietary needs. Irish Fest assumes no liability for how food is prepared.

Interested in Becoming a Food Vendor at Irish Fest?
If you are a restaurant operator or a chef with an interest in being a food vendor at Irish Fest, please email us at foodvendors@irishfest.com.

Jameson (Main Bar)
Jameson’s full-service bar/experience featuring the full line of Jameson whiskeys and cocktail favorites, with the addition of the new O'Donoghue's Sunrise. The popular Gilles Jameson Custard returns with the addition of the new Gilles/Five Farms Irish Cream Custard. Try the Jameson/Guinness/Chocolate cookie.  Wine, canned beer and mead are also available. Stop by for Trivia on August 19 and 20. Show off your bag toss skills at the Jameson Bag Toss Court, adjacent to the Main Bar. The Main Bar features beer hall style covered seating in a large open-sided tent, located on the north side of the grounds. Cash and credit/debit accepted.

Quizcube Trivia with Rob Wieland at Jameson Main:
Saturday - 2:00, 5:00
Sunday - 1:00, 4:00

Jameson Express - 3 Locations!
Jameson Express bars will be in three locations – North near the Experience tent, Mid near the Aer Lingus stage, and South across from Water Street Brewery. All three bars offer express service featuring popular Jameson specialty drinks, including Big Jamo, Jamorita, Irish Mule.  Stop in at Jameson mid for a refreshing vodka lemonade.  Cash and credit/debit accepted.

The Cottage
At The Cottage, look for some high-end offerings, including Redbreast 12yr, 15yr, 27yr, Lustau and Jameson 18-year. A selection of premium bottled wine is also available. Enjoy these premium drinks in an intimate setting.  You can pair your selection with delicious Burke chocolates. The Cottage is located just north of the Tipperary stage. Cash and credit/debit accepted.

Jameson Cool Zone:
The Cool Zone is the home of the wildly popular Jameson slushy in ginger ale, lemonade, orange mule varieties. For a change-of-pace, try an Absolut Vodka & Lemonade. Treat yourself to a Jameson/Five Farms/Root beer drink or for a caffeine fix try the Five Farms and Jameson Cold Brew cocktail.  For dessert pick up a Jameson/Guinness/Irish Cream Cookie sundae with Gilles/Jameson custard.  The expanded Cool Zone is located to the north of the Lakefront Brewery Stage. Cash and credit/debit accepted.

An Irish Food Revolution
If you think Irish food is heavy, bland and boring, think again. The great Irish food revolution is well underway. It owes its success, in part, to its focus on fresh, locally-sourced ingredients - bountiful produce, grass-fed meats and dairy, and an abundance of seafood - as well as a bevy of well-trained chefs and the public's appetite.

Modern Irish chefs experiment with their food, mixing traditional and modern tastes, and are inspired by the world in as many ways as they have spread throughout the diaspora. Visit the Callen Celtic Kitchen and join the movement!

Check out this year's featured chefs:

• Chef Tom Flavin - Limerick, Ireland
• Johnny Harte - Co-Founder of Five Farms, Cork, Ireland

About Chef Flavin

This year’s featured chef in the Callen Celtic Kitchen at Irish Fest is Tom Flavin, a chef and food consultant from Limerick, Ireland. Flavin grew up on a dairy farm in West Limerick and has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He started his career in Manila where his passion for food was enhanced working with a like-minded multinational brigade of chefs. Prior to returning to Ireland in 1999, he worked in many 5 star hotels throughout the world such as:

• Raffles Hotel Singapore
• The Dorchester Hotel London, UK
• Hanbury Manor in Hardfordshire UK
• The Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns, Australia
• The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
• The Intercontinental Hotel Manila, Philippines

and in a variety of 5* hotel kitchens and fine dining restaurants in Australia and Philippines.

Flavin has spent 22 years in Limerick as an Executive Chef and opened the Hilton Hotel Limerick in 2007. He is a member of Eurotoques Ireland and a former Fáilte Ireland Food Champion promoting local food and tourism along the Wild Atlantic Way.

You can catch his Irish cuisine demonstrations at the Callen Celtic Kitchen all weekend long at the festival.

2023 Festival Recipes 

Sponsored By: 

Are You a chef? Do you own a Restaurant?

Are you a chef or restaurant interested in doing cooking demonstrations during Irish Fest at our Celtic Kitchen? We would love for you to share your Celtic or Irish food story with us. 

Email us here.