I was out in Hudson a few weeks back shooting some real-estate photography, and the weather was nice, so I figured it would be a great night to stop by Pier 500 and give it a review. Having been there a few times in the past, and enjoyed the food each time, I felt it was a great opportunity to shoot a few photos since I had my camera with me, and give it a proper review. I gave a quick shout out on twitter to see if anyone wanted to join me, and my buddy Will said he’d stop out too.

I arrived shortly after 6pm and picked up my beeper, as there was a 30 minute wait for a sunny Tuesday evening. I expected this, seeing as Pier 500 sits about 100 yards off the St. Croix River. While waiting for Will I picked up a Captain and Diet, which was mostly Captains, so there were no complaints there. Will arrived and got a drink as well as we talked and waited. There is plenty of space on the deck area near the bar, in addition to the maybe 30 or so tables on the deck. Certainly a great spot to stop by for a happy hour, or in off the river for a bite to eat.

Will and I got our table and sat down, waiting for our waitress. It wasn’t more than two minutes before she appeared and made sure our drink orders were OK. Glancing at the menu, I had forgotten how many different items they listed. The one thing I saw running out left and right but not on the menu was this huge freaking pile of nachos. I asked our waitress, and while they weren’t listed on the dining menu, they are part of the bar menu. Will and I quickly snapped up an order of these things, with chicken, and went back to drinking and catching up.

When the nachos made it out, they looked awesome, and tasted even better. With a great balance of meat, cheese and veggies, we sure as hell didn’t /need/ to order an actual meal, these would have filled us up quite well. The cheeses were melted and gooey, and not crunchy as if they’d spent 20 minutes under a heat lamp. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor, not dried and in bits as I’ve seen other places. – Overall, I would go back to Pier 500 for these alone!

When our meals did come out, Will’s steak salad looked pretty damn good, with big hunks of steak on one side of the plate and large sheets of parmesan to crack over the salad. The lettuce, looked to be a little higher than grocery store grade, so that was a little bit of a downfall. Will said the steal was great, but maybe not worth the extra $8.00 the steak addition put on the bill. The ceasar dressing was good, and overall he was content with the salad, possibly not worth the full price, but pretty good none the less.

I got the BBQ Burger with house made B.B.Q. sauce, home town cheddar and smoked bacon, and fries, nothing terribly exciting to eat, but I was really in the mood for a burger. The burger itself was actually pretty flippin’ good, the presentation was a little plain, so that was a little throw off. Once I got into the meal, the meat was nice and moist, cooked to my liking and full of flavor, so I really had no complaints on the taste.

Overall, Pier 500 is a good place to get together with friends for a drink after work, a good dinner, or a good place to take that special someone for dinner on the patio. I recall our bill coming to about $60.00 with a few rounds of drinks, the app and the meals, but well worth it in my mind. I don’t venture out too often due to cost and trying to watching what I eat, but this stop was certainly worth falling off the wagon for a night. The waitstaff is friendly, and if you don’t mind a little wait on a sunny day, stop in! Their website now lists online reservations available, so maybe check that option out if you aren’t in the mood, or cannot wait for 30 minutes. (it’s well worth it if you have to)

Pier 500
500 1st Street
Hudson, WI 54016
(715) 386-5504