About Harbor House

★ ★ ★ ½ - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner since 2017.

Harbor House is a bright, spacious New England-style seafood restaurant Milwaukee residents and visitors love, set on the shore of Lake Michigan. Our restaurant offers a premier lakefront dining experience and the freshest seafood flown in daily from both coasts. The interior features a three-sided bar, a raw bar, an open kitchen, and a private dining room available for special events and parties. A seasonal outdoor patio features a full bar, Adirondack chairs, and unparalleled views of the lake, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and Milwaukee's skyline.

Harbor House specializes in oysters, selling more than 10,000 each month and offering a different variety each day depending on what's available and fresh. In addition to fresh fish and seafood options, the menu offers a variety of specialty dishes, from steak and pasta to sandwiches, salads, and a signature hamburger. Sunday brunch features raw bar offerings, salads, desserts, and both breakfast and lunch entrée options.

Michael Genre

Executive Chef, Harbor House

Chef Michael Genre serves as the Executive Chef at Harbor House, a New England-style seafood restaurant set on the shores of Lake Michigan. A veteran culinary professional with a true love for working in the kitchen, Chef Genre began his career with The Bartolotta Restaurants in 2011 at The Rumpus Room. During his career he has also graced the kitchens of Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant, served as Executive Sous Chef at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, and also as Chef de Cuisine of Harbor House before being promoted to Executive Chef in 2022.

Chef Genre holds degrees in Culinary Arts and Supervisory Management from Milwaukee Area Technical College. His dedication to excellence has elevated him to his current position where he displays expertise in
fine dining and seafood, leadership and management, menu development, and mentoring.

Chef Genre resides in Grafton, Wisconsin with his wife, Julie and their newborn son.