Restaurants in Germantown

The faint melody of blues music and the aroma of smoking meat drifts out of the imposing white brick façade of the former American Bank & Trust building. It can inspire the occasional double take from passersby who don't know that the opulent space is now occupied by Gerald’s Smokehouse. Inside, where bank tellers once counted cash, there's now a meat smoker that roasts ribs.

Restaurateur Gerald Bester has striven to preserve the building's old-fashioned bits of grandeur. The former deposit slip column has been upended into a long table, and the bank vault serves as the centerpiece of the dining room and as a time-out room for fussy dining companions. Sunlight pours through the service window at the end of the bar. Mr. Bester has also updated the space by transforming the second floor into a VIP lounge furnished with flat-screen TVs, leather couches, and an outside smoking patio.

Mr. Bester, who has a background in entertainment and promotions, strives to lure in international musicians, comedians, and poets to the restaurant’s stage. “I knew from an early age I wanted to be an entrepreneur," he says. "Comedy, bands—I just wanted it all in one location, with good food and good drinks.”

In contrast to the oft-elaborate décor, Mr. Bester keeps the food casual, offering southern-style barbecue. His chefs smoke ribs atop beds of apple-pecan and hickory wood and serve the meat alongside heaping sides of fried green tomatoes and collard greens.

Spitfire Pub & Grill hums with the sounds of trivia questions and live music from local bands and artists on open-mic nights. Amid the lively atmosphere, guests swig local beers and wine while devouring hot-dog sliders, fish 'n' chips, and shredded-beef flatbread with a smoky barbecue glaze. They relax at hardwood tables inside or beneath the blue umbrellas dotting the expansive outdoor patio, which plays host to numerous flat-screen TVs broadcasting the Brewers game or an intense staring competition.

In 1957, Chuck’s Supper Club suffered its first fire. The second would come 10 years later as a blaze that completely demolished the building. The twice-rebuilt eatery then operated without incident until closing in 2000, lying dormant for 10 years before it became Burke’s Lakeside Restaurant and Bar. The restaurant’s owners renovated its interior, decking the walls in dark cherry accents and building a stone fireplace as the room’s centerpiece and an alternative entrance for hungry chimney sweeps. Inside the banquet room, a hardwood dance floor sprawls in front of a live-music stage, and outside, a wraparound deck overlooks the shores of Silver Lake.

At the bar, servers pour more than 17 wines and 10 draft beers. In the kitchen, chefs blend regional American recipes to craft dishes such as grilled 16-ounce steaks, Pabst Blue Ribbon–braised ribs, and cast-iron-seared salmon with avocado relish and jalapeño corn. They also design their own takes on international dishes such as shepherd’s pie, almond-crusted brie and berry compote, and lobster and shrimp wontons.