The Landing at Hoyt Park

Descriptive phrase: calm, secluded beer garden.
Hoyt Park’s beer garden (okay, «The Landing at Hoyt Park») was a cozy and comfortable experience. The park is pretty secluded, and the tables and building seem pretty new. Beer was reasonably priced, and I appreciated that they offer some food. The 24oz Giant Pretzel ($ 12) easily served 5 – 6 of us.
I’d stop back at Hoyt for a quiet beer in the sun.

Being new to the hood, I was very excited to check this place out and not at all disappointed. Hopping crowd here on a Friday night but plenty of seating to go around — nice picnic tables, umbrellas, and strings of lights scatter the area. A local duo played some fun covers while we enjoyed a cold beer and a really tasty GIANT pretzel (with 3 dippers, to boot). Brews here come in all sizes, from pint to MASSIVE BOOT OF BEER; just be prepared to put down a deposit for the glass, unless you intend to wander home with it.
Easy access to this spot from the parking lot or path, making it very accessible to walkers, drivers, bikers, etc. I don’t have a pup, but we spotted quite a few here. Dog friendly, hooray!
From what I understand, live music Thurs — Sat night.
As others have said, this is a very family-​friendly place, but we enjoyed that the crowd was eclectic and covered a wide range.
Can’t wait to go back. Next time, I’ll carry in a picnic (which is welcome here)!

Fun summer place to go. Would be nice if the drink selection was bigger (GF beers or some ciders). Enjoy the live music as well.

Just checked this out last weekend for a surprise birthday party I was attending. I’ve been to Estabrook and loved it and this one is definately a close second. They have a small stage for live music and large and small steins just like Estabrook does. I would say that The Landing is a little more family friendly than Estabrook. They have a small play area for children and there just seems to be more young families scattered around. I also liked how they had small blue overhangs over some of the tables to give you some shade. The lighting at night was pretty great as well. Food is also an option at this park, or you could order/​bring your own food. No complaints.

I think this is a great addition to tosa, plenty of seating, decent beer selection, big pretzels! Bring your own cup or put down a small deposit for a glass. We brought our own picnic lunch and enjoyed a few beers with it.
It could use some music to drown out the close proximity of screaming kids at the pool, but I think it’s a great reprieve for some while the rest of the family is enjoying themselves at the waterpark.

All the things you love about Estabrook Park?
You won’t find them here.
You will, however, find longer lines, no dedicated glass return line, many, many more children and no music, so if those are your things, then you’re in luck.
Since Hoyt is much closer to home, we stopped in on an early Saturday evening. I was happy to note that despite much screaming from the pool as we passed it, you can’t hear it when you’re seated at the Beer Garden.
But the kids working inside are disorganized and maybe just don’t care? There were plenty of them on duty, but instead of some sort of orderly serving of beer and working of registers, it seemed haphazard at best and chaotic at worst. When a keg ran out, no one seemed to have any idea how to handle it.
We stood in line longer to return our glasses and receive our deposit back than we did to initially buy the beer in the first place. This place NEEDS a dedicated glassware return line.
There was apparently supposed to be music at 6 pm, but when we left at a few minutes after, there was none and no sign of anyone setting up.
While there are always kids at Estabrook, I never feel overwhelmed by them or like its the weird «kid in a bar» vibe, but there were multiple kids at every table here. The pool vibe carries over and while I can’t exactly blame the kids for that, it’s not the vibe I’m looking for to relax with a pint. As a couple without kids, we were in the extreme minority.
Speaking of which — though there were many more beer choices, for the more discriminating drinker, drinks here come in pints, not liter and half-​liter.
I can only measure this against Estrabrook and the local Oktoberfest and it just doesn’t measure up. Calling it a beer garden is a cheap attempt to steal the popularity Estabrook has managed. It’s an outdoor family dining/​picnic area that happens to serve beer. If you’re looking for a more westerly Estabrook experience, this isn’t it.

The concept of a beer garden was new to me, but after coming here a few times, I can definitely see the appeal and quite enjoy our new beer garden. The park is situated in a lovely area on the bike path. Out door picnic tables, there is also plenty of handicap seating. Lovely overhanging lights. The beer is reasonably priced, the selection does vary somewhat day to day. For 10 bucks, you can get a gigantic glass (I think it’s 32oz) of beer. There are also snacks like gigantic pretzels (which are delicious) and brats and popcorn.
I think that this place fills a unique void in Tosa. I disagree that this place is not appropriate for children. Every time we go, there are plenty of kids running around playing, there is a park steps away and grass to play in. The environment is very family friendly, people bring their own picnics.

I was excited for this to open because it is close to my work, but I will make the trip to Estabrook if given the choice. The faire is good enough, but the staff don’t know what they are doing, ang the crowd is not as fun loving as the Estabrook crowd. People don’t seem to want to meet the people seated around them. Go to Estabrook!

I am so happy The Landing at Hoyt Park came to be. It’s a fantastic idea in a great setting in lovely Wauwatosa. It’s great for families, the community and exercisers that prefer a tall cool one as their recovery beverage of choice. Like me! (If I worked out, that is.)
I’ve visited The Landing four times since their opening a month ago and each time I’ve run into someone I know. It’s always a fun happenstance and for some reason very different than if you met the same folks in a tavern or restaurant. What makes it so, I’m not quote certain. Maybe it’s the large tables that are not too different than the ones folks share at Munich’s monster beer bash, Oktoberfest. Or maybe its the fact that it’s quiet. There’s no noise other than the laughter (or crying, someone’s always crying) from small children running circles around the park. People are apt to share tables and engage in conversation while keeping an eye on the little ones.
Maybe that’s the coolest part of all — parents that wouldn’t dare bring their child into a tavern don’t seem to mind bringing their kids to a park where they can enjoy a beer or glass of wine. Being child-​free, it doesn’t make a big difference to me, but I think it’s cool to have a place where parents can go on a weekend day or workday evening where they can relax while the kids burn off energy running around the park.
I like the selection of beers at The Landing, too. It’s not for the snobbish, but there should be a beer type here that suits your palate. If not beer, there’s wine too. Heck, they’ve even got a Cava from Spain! (Cava. Don’t tell a Spaniard I said this, but it’s just Champagne that’s not from France.)
If one’s being persnickety, the lines can get a little long and the return of the rental glass is a bit of a hassle, but this is small stuff to me. Since I bring my own stein, the latter doesn’t affect my enjoyment of The Landing at all. I suggest you do the same. Bringing your own will not only save you the trouble of the return, but will make you look like a real drinking pro too! ;)
The Landing. Thank you to the people and politicians that worked hard to make this happen. I know it was a rocky road to the finish line, but I am certainly happy that you endured and brought the dream to fruition. Judging by how many folks I’ve seen enjoying The Landing, it looks like I’m not the only one that appreciates your hard work.
To you, I raise my plastic Milwaukee German Fest 32-​ounce stein that I bring to the The Landing so that I don’t have to mess with the deposit high in the air and say «Prosit!»
Prosit!

New biergarten!!!
We were super excited for the new Biergarten to open in Hoyt Park because it’s much closer to home than Estabrook. So, it’s definitely pretty good.
They are going for more of a «New England» theme and serving local craft beers vs. the German theme at Estbrook. Never fear, there are still big pretzels!
Like Estabrook there is a BYO glassware policy, or mugs are available w/​a deposit. The biergarten is on the bike trail (lots of rack space) and adjacent to Hoyt Pool. Weekend dads can drop the rugrats off and enjoy a tasty brew.
Looking forward to being Dutchess of the Landing!