Hello fellow Cyclones. In anticipation of Thursday and hopefully a much longer weekend, I wanted to put together a list of bars, restaurants, and things to do in Milwaukee from my vantage point. I moved up here in 2009, work downtown, and have lived in various spots of the city (now up north in the burbs with kids.) My mid-20's were spent at many of these spots.
I highlighted neighborhoods with the best spots to check out. I certainly missed out lots, but this was a much bigger task when I actually sat down to write it out. Milwaukee is most definitely a neighborhood city, with lots of different commercial corridors and bar/entertainment districts.
Noticeably I left out Water Street and Old World Third St. recommendations, because I would highly recommend venturing elsewhere in addition to the pregame festivities in this area. Best bars, imo, to visit in this area are Buck Bradleys before/after the game, Old German Beer Hall (must play Hammerschlagen in the back), The Harp, and perhaps Trinity. Friday is St. Patricks day and this area will be nuts all day and night.
Here are my neighborhood recommendations:
Third Ward: Just south of downtown, a 5 to 10 minute walk from most hotels. The classic warehouse area of the city that sits along the eastern edge of the Milwaukee River. Lots of shops and restaurants along Water and Broadway Streets.
To Drink: 1. The Milwaukee Ale House – the first resident of the Third Ward. Brew Pub of the Milwaukee Brewing Company. Solid Beers, and a great atmosphere. Good American fare as well.
2. The Irish Pub – my favorite little Third Ward bar. Great wrap around bar with a window looking out at Water Street.
3. Journeyman Rooftop – probably not the best weather to sit outside at the Hotel Rooftop bar, but a great scene.
To Eat- 1. The Wicked Hop – Bar/Sports Bar with solid food. Good lunch spot. My favorite is the Barbeque Chicken Wrap with the Chili. Can’t go wrong. Awesome atmosphere and street seating when it’s warm. (Come back in June maybe?) Also great for brunch if you're around on Friday or Saturday mornings.
2. Café Benelux – Belgian/Dutch inspired eatery. Very cool atmosphere and bar interior
To Do- 1. Milwaukee Public Market – An indoor market featuring a wide variety of eating and drinking options. Walk around and immerse yourself in Wisconsin food and culture. Oyster Bar in the front has solid Oysters (obviously) and a tasty Lobster Roll.
2. Shopping – If the lady birds are present, they will want to walk the shops and boutiques of the Third Ward.
Fifth Ward/Walker’s Point: Across the river to the south of the Third Ward. This is the city’s up and coming area with a variety of local restaurants, Breweries, Distillerys (one happens to be my own), and craft coffees/eateries.
To Drink: Central Standard Craft Distillery – 2 other buddies and I founded this in 2013. We make a variety of clear and brown liquors. Our Whiskeys (Bourbons and Ryes) are rolling out of barrels as we speak. www.thecentralstandard.com 613 S. 2nd Street. Less than a mile south of downtown. Easy Uber or Cab ride-
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – we’ll be hosting Cyclone fans. Stop by in Cyclone gear and you’ll get a wrist band which will get you drink specials, discounted tastings, and access to the very popular and adjacent Milwaukee Brewing Company. We’ll have games on our TVs and a large projector screen with game sound. ISU flags will be draping the place! Stop by and see us!
To Do: Milwaukee Brewing Company Tours – This, along with Lakefront, are probably the best Brewery tours in the City. Both tours are hot commodities on the weekends and they sell out fast.
Harley Davidson Museum - Well worth walking around and viewing the exhibits.
To Eat: Stacked Burger Bar – just south of the river from the Third Ward. An awesome Burger spot featuring a Pretzel bun. One of my go to spots for out of towners-
Brady Street: Milwaukee’s most iconic Bar neighborhood. An eclectic relic of 1960’s hippies, modern day hipsters, and townie bars. This area sits a short Uber ride north of Water St. ~1 mile. You haven’t visited Milwaukee until you’ve ventured to a few of these establishments. After all, this is undoubtedly a bar town.
To Drink: This is what Brady is all about. If you manage to hit Wolskis, Jo-Cats, Hi-Hat, The Garage, and Nomad, you have done Milwaukee right. Wolskis and Jo-Cats are quintessential Milwaukee. The Standard has an amazing painting mimicking the Sistene Chapel, but with the angels clinking PBR cans. The map highlights the proximity of everything. Get in a cab/uber and say “take me to Jo-Cats”, then say no more.
To Eat: Bel-Air Cantina - my favorite Taco spot in town.
North Ave: My personal favorite bar area. North Ave sits a few miles north of Downtown and is accessed by Prospect Ave along the lake. This is a pseudo UWM bar neighborhood, but it has some must-dos.
To Drink: 1. Von-Trier is a fun German Bar with tons of German Beers, zehr Deutsche décor, and a cool beer hall back room.
2. Oriental Landmark Lanes – in the basement of the historic Oriental Theater (poke your head into that btw, really cool old movie house.) This place has 3 separate bars, arcade, a pool hall, and features every walk of life you can imagine. If you’re looking for something to do on Friday night, bowl a few games. Family friendly too-
3. Variety of other bars walkable around every corner. Hooligan’s if probably the most well-known, right at the North Ave and Farwell intersection.
To Eat: 1. My breakfast go-to spot sits just south of the Oriental Theater on Farwell Ave. Ma Fischer’s 2214 N Farwell Ave is a fantastic greasy spoon diner. The breakfast hashes and classic specials are great. There is a high probability I will be there on Friday or Saturday morning.
2. Ian’s Pizza 2035 E North Ave – Great big slices and whacky combos. This is a Madison, WI import, but their Mac and Cheese Pizza is a staple. The Philly Cheese Steak Pizza is my favorite.
Cathedral Square: In the heart of downtown, probably closest to the hotels. These are the “grown up” bars, except for Flannery’s, which has long been one of my favorite bar spots. Taylors, Bad Genie, Whiskey Bar, and Belmont Tavern, among many others are all a 2 block walk from the Pfister, Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.
Real Chili, next door to Flannery’s, is a classic late night eats spot. The Chili is a combo of bean and noodles, but you can pick your style. I promise this will hit the spot after a night at the bars. The guy that works there may even show you his high school pictures with Oprah. (some odd balls in here, but that’s half the fun)
To Do: Milwaukee Art Museum – Not in Cathedral Square, but take a walk or drive over to the Santiago Calatrava designed museum. Really cool winged design that overlooks Lake Michigan. This was one of his first and most famous designs in the States.
To Eat: Buckley’s – A quiet little corner spot just east of Cathedral Square Park on Wells St. Great food.
Feel free to PM with any questions as well-
I can't wait to see Iowa Staters around Milwaukee! Enjoy the city and Go Cyclones!
I highlighted neighborhoods with the best spots to check out. I certainly missed out lots, but this was a much bigger task when I actually sat down to write it out. Milwaukee is most definitely a neighborhood city, with lots of different commercial corridors and bar/entertainment districts.
Noticeably I left out Water Street and Old World Third St. recommendations, because I would highly recommend venturing elsewhere in addition to the pregame festivities in this area. Best bars, imo, to visit in this area are Buck Bradleys before/after the game, Old German Beer Hall (must play Hammerschlagen in the back), The Harp, and perhaps Trinity. Friday is St. Patricks day and this area will be nuts all day and night.
Here are my neighborhood recommendations:
Third Ward: Just south of downtown, a 5 to 10 minute walk from most hotels. The classic warehouse area of the city that sits along the eastern edge of the Milwaukee River. Lots of shops and restaurants along Water and Broadway Streets.
To Drink: 1. The Milwaukee Ale House – the first resident of the Third Ward. Brew Pub of the Milwaukee Brewing Company. Solid Beers, and a great atmosphere. Good American fare as well.
2. The Irish Pub – my favorite little Third Ward bar. Great wrap around bar with a window looking out at Water Street.
3. Journeyman Rooftop – probably not the best weather to sit outside at the Hotel Rooftop bar, but a great scene.
To Eat- 1. The Wicked Hop – Bar/Sports Bar with solid food. Good lunch spot. My favorite is the Barbeque Chicken Wrap with the Chili. Can’t go wrong. Awesome atmosphere and street seating when it’s warm. (Come back in June maybe?) Also great for brunch if you're around on Friday or Saturday mornings.
2. Café Benelux – Belgian/Dutch inspired eatery. Very cool atmosphere and bar interior
To Do- 1. Milwaukee Public Market – An indoor market featuring a wide variety of eating and drinking options. Walk around and immerse yourself in Wisconsin food and culture. Oyster Bar in the front has solid Oysters (obviously) and a tasty Lobster Roll.
2. Shopping – If the lady birds are present, they will want to walk the shops and boutiques of the Third Ward.
Fifth Ward/Walker’s Point: Across the river to the south of the Third Ward. This is the city’s up and coming area with a variety of local restaurants, Breweries, Distillerys (one happens to be my own), and craft coffees/eateries.
To Drink: Central Standard Craft Distillery – 2 other buddies and I founded this in 2013. We make a variety of clear and brown liquors. Our Whiskeys (Bourbons and Ryes) are rolling out of barrels as we speak. www.thecentralstandard.com 613 S. 2nd Street. Less than a mile south of downtown. Easy Uber or Cab ride-
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – we’ll be hosting Cyclone fans. Stop by in Cyclone gear and you’ll get a wrist band which will get you drink specials, discounted tastings, and access to the very popular and adjacent Milwaukee Brewing Company. We’ll have games on our TVs and a large projector screen with game sound. ISU flags will be draping the place! Stop by and see us!
To Do: Milwaukee Brewing Company Tours – This, along with Lakefront, are probably the best Brewery tours in the City. Both tours are hot commodities on the weekends and they sell out fast.
Harley Davidson Museum - Well worth walking around and viewing the exhibits.
To Eat: Stacked Burger Bar – just south of the river from the Third Ward. An awesome Burger spot featuring a Pretzel bun. One of my go to spots for out of towners-
Brady Street: Milwaukee’s most iconic Bar neighborhood. An eclectic relic of 1960’s hippies, modern day hipsters, and townie bars. This area sits a short Uber ride north of Water St. ~1 mile. You haven’t visited Milwaukee until you’ve ventured to a few of these establishments. After all, this is undoubtedly a bar town.
To Drink: This is what Brady is all about. If you manage to hit Wolskis, Jo-Cats, Hi-Hat, The Garage, and Nomad, you have done Milwaukee right. Wolskis and Jo-Cats are quintessential Milwaukee. The Standard has an amazing painting mimicking the Sistene Chapel, but with the angels clinking PBR cans. The map highlights the proximity of everything. Get in a cab/uber and say “take me to Jo-Cats”, then say no more.
To Eat: Bel-Air Cantina - my favorite Taco spot in town.
North Ave: My personal favorite bar area. North Ave sits a few miles north of Downtown and is accessed by Prospect Ave along the lake. This is a pseudo UWM bar neighborhood, but it has some must-dos.
To Drink: 1. Von-Trier is a fun German Bar with tons of German Beers, zehr Deutsche décor, and a cool beer hall back room.
2. Oriental Landmark Lanes – in the basement of the historic Oriental Theater (poke your head into that btw, really cool old movie house.) This place has 3 separate bars, arcade, a pool hall, and features every walk of life you can imagine. If you’re looking for something to do on Friday night, bowl a few games. Family friendly too-
3. Variety of other bars walkable around every corner. Hooligan’s if probably the most well-known, right at the North Ave and Farwell intersection.
To Eat: 1. My breakfast go-to spot sits just south of the Oriental Theater on Farwell Ave. Ma Fischer’s 2214 N Farwell Ave is a fantastic greasy spoon diner. The breakfast hashes and classic specials are great. There is a high probability I will be there on Friday or Saturday morning.
2. Ian’s Pizza 2035 E North Ave – Great big slices and whacky combos. This is a Madison, WI import, but their Mac and Cheese Pizza is a staple. The Philly Cheese Steak Pizza is my favorite.
Cathedral Square: In the heart of downtown, probably closest to the hotels. These are the “grown up” bars, except for Flannery’s, which has long been one of my favorite bar spots. Taylors, Bad Genie, Whiskey Bar, and Belmont Tavern, among many others are all a 2 block walk from the Pfister, Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.
Real Chili, next door to Flannery’s, is a classic late night eats spot. The Chili is a combo of bean and noodles, but you can pick your style. I promise this will hit the spot after a night at the bars. The guy that works there may even show you his high school pictures with Oprah. (some odd balls in here, but that’s half the fun)
To Do: Milwaukee Art Museum – Not in Cathedral Square, but take a walk or drive over to the Santiago Calatrava designed museum. Really cool winged design that overlooks Lake Michigan. This was one of his first and most famous designs in the States.
To Eat: Buckley’s – A quiet little corner spot just east of Cathedral Square Park on Wells St. Great food.
Feel free to PM with any questions as well-
I can't wait to see Iowa Staters around Milwaukee! Enjoy the city and Go Cyclones!
