The Most Delicious Cocktail Bars in Milwaukee

La Masa Empanada Bar

★★★★☆ 4.4 (557) • $$

"We were up by Pleasant Prairie and Milwaukee is really not that far on a day when you can drive quickly on I-94. I was initially wanting to go to St. Paul for a Lobstah roll but La Masa is a place I had never been to so the die was cast (meaning my mind was made up).I'm glad I came here because it's a nice and airy restaurant with plenty of natural light. I also like Brady street because you can go on a foodie crawl whilst you're here. The empanadas, there was definitely a Nice selection and I recommend getting twelve (12) for variety. The ones I liked the most were 1) Wisconsin corn 2) Spinach with cheese and 3) Ham and cheese. These were bursting with flavor. I was thinking of asking for more chimichurri but there's a charge of $1??Anyway, it was great coming here and there's adequate street pahking in the hood. The arcane letter markings on each empanada will lead you back to the menu for deciphering."

Brunch It Up

★★★★☆ 3.5 (511) • $$

"Bright and cozy restaurant with limited tables. It was already busy when we entered early this morning and so we sat at the bar. We split some croissant beignets which came out hot and lightly sugar-dusted, with a crisp outer shell and chewy inside. These were nice and we dipped them in raspberry sauce. My biscuits and gravy Benedict was the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had. A soft biscuit topped with a crisp tender sausage patty, perfectly poached egg and covered in delicious thick spicy gravy loaded with sausage chunks. This is the biscuits and gravy I'm looking for. It came with a side so I added on a berrylicious pancake (additional charge for pancake of the month) which was good, with a dollop of sweetened sauce and fresh berries. My companions enjoyed an egg breakfast with crisp hash browns, and a pretty avocado toast with a softball sized- burrata. The wait staff was very nice and the restaurant soon filled with lines of hungry people and they started a wait list. We enjoyed our breakfast and definitely would return!Also -- I checked in on Yelp and you can get a mimosa."

Elsa's On the Park

★★★★☆ 3.5 (450) • $$

"This is a great date night dinner spot - you get the familiarity of the fast food restaurant Kopp's but with a fancy upgrade (Kopp's and Elsa's have the same ownership).That said, if it's your first time, try out one of the burgers (especially if you're a fan of Kopp's burgers). I had the APV Burger 11 (gorgonzola cheese and bacon spiced with peppercorns and ground black pepper), it was 100% the fanciest burger I've ever eaten.The fries are potato wedges, not what I expected, but it works as an elevation to Kopp's fries.For dessert, I ordered the hot fudge croissant. This took a while to come out and when it did, it was the strawberry croissant. Their remedy to this was to add hot fudge over the strawberries. I imagine it would have taken a while to make a new, correct version.Overall, I'd go back, there's plenty on the menu I still want to try out. The ambiance is great, doesn't feel like I'm in a restaurant, more so felt like it was once an art gallery turned into a fancy restaurant."

Palomino Bar

★★★★☆ 3.5 (411) • $$

"Palomino is an unassuming pub in bay view, steps from lake Michigan's south shore. I love this neighborhood and Palomino adds flavor to the already beloved area. The interior is what I call just right- not too big, not too small, not too fancy, not too divey. You could come here for a date night or a quick bite before or after a show at the Cactus Club (the night we came, Jack White was playing there). I regret not getting pictures of all the concert posters on the wall, but they were really cool. My husband was especially excited because two of his favorite bands made appearances (the smoking popes and old 97's). When you come here, you have to try the fried chicken sandwich and I personally always have to get a piece of pie (we found out on this visit that Palomino is owned by the same owners as Honey pie and if you know, you know, honey pie pie is amazing). Oh, and I am obsessed with the fried pickles! Always a must. Also, I miss last visit. We learned that they have a rotating poutine menu. The one we had had buffalo chicken and blue cheese in it. It was a lot going on, but it was delicious. I am ALWAYS going to order poutine if I see it on the menu.They managed to find just the right amount of hipster vibes so that you don't feel like you weren't cool enough to fit in and you feel welcome, but you feel kind of hip by association being here (feeling like a boomer as I say this hope I get the point across) In short, thanks for being cool and always having great food and drinks! Don't ever change!"

Jin's Sushi Seafood & Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 (240) • $$

"This was OK. It was better than what I was expecting for WI sushi. The service was friendly, but soooooo slow. We waited about 15-20min between each person's order coming out. Mine came out last, and my friends had had me try some of their sushi. By the time mine came, I was starting to get full. Other all you can eat sushi places I've been to have had super fast order to table times.The sushi was good, but it lacked a lot of flavor, so I made up for it with the shoyu.The desert was a mochi ice cream ball covered in whipped cream. I loved whipped cream, and that was unnecessary.I'd come back if my friends wanted to."

Bonfyre American Grille

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (360) • $$

"What a fantastic night to go out and try Bonfyre. Loved the decorations and the centering of the bar in this establishment, it was very lively. Overall, great experience, good food, and excellent customer service. We arrived during happy hour and ordered the zucchini fries. It arrived a little after our drinks and it totally hit the spot. The sauce has tangy and delicious. Our drinks were the mango martini and the Bonfyre Old Fashioned. Two very delicious drinks that are not watered down. We both shared a tomahawk steak with a side of asparagus and a twice baked potato that was delicious. We ordered a medium rare steak and the only reason I am giving this a 4/5 is because our steak wasn't medium rare all the way through. Some areas were rare. Besides this, the steak was delicious. We will both be coming back here again :)"

Mickey's Tavern

★★★★☆ 4.1 (243) • $$

"From its eclectic look to great prices and very cool, pleasant customers and bartenders this old tavern is the place to be. Check out the jukebox! We didn't have food but the menu is bar food and I heard it's good. It's the 2nd oldest longstanding bar in Madison. A day of Arboretum and hotel stay in the city and dinner out made us happy and the short hike from Pewaukee was a mini vacation getaway. Don't miss it- they have weekend bands too!"

Colony House Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (238) • $$$

"We came with no reservation on a saturday night but i think it was a blessing since we ended up sitting at the bar. Norm, the bartender was amazing. He is very attentive. We are not from the area and it is our first time dining here. Food and service was excellent, definitely recommending this to anyone. I would say sit in the bar!"

The Outsider

★★★★☆ 3.9 (207) • $$$

"I'm really not sure why I haven't reviewed The Outsider before now, seeing as I have been here dozens of times. But saying that should give you some idea of how much I enjoy this place. The Outsider is a really solid spot for an evening out. It is located on the rooftop (9 floors) of the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel. You will have to enter the hotel to get here, but hotel staff are very used to directing people towards the elevators that lead to The Outsider. The space itself is wonderful - great views of the city, a variety of seating options, lots of comfy couches, and a large bar area. The Outsider is open year round. Even in the dead of winter, they manage to keep the majority of the bar open with the help of heating lamps. The Outsider has an extensive drinks list. You will find your typical fare here - beers, wines, typical rail drinks, etc. But there is also a list of house-designed cocktails. These drinks are seasonal and are inventive and enjoyable, although quite pricey. In fact, I would say that The Outsider is generally one of the more expensive bars in the Milwaukee area. You are certainly paying for that rooftop view. For the cocktails, the price point feels fair, as these drinks are very nicely presented. But the price point is certainly quite high for the beers and wine. A couple things to make note of:-The Outsider on a weekend in the summer is going to be insanely busy. Come prepared-People usually come dressed in nicer clothes. There is no dress code officially, but you won't see many people in sweats here. -Service is a bit varied. Sometimes the servers will come to your seat to take your drink orders. Other times, you have to go up to the bar yourself. I think this is largely dependent upon their staffing and how busy the bar is on that day."

Orenda Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (148) • $$

"I've been to Orenda a handful of times. One of the things I like about this place is how early they open. The service wasn't great during our last visit but I'm hoping it was a fluke. We had to ask a few times for the water we ordered, the table behind us requested a damp cloth to clean up a sticky spot on the table and it took several minutes for their server to return. There were only three tables there. The food was perfect. I've always enjoyed the food here. The green eggs and ham omelette was delicious. The hash browns were perfectly crisp. We'll return because I do think the server was just having an off day but we'll see."

Thainamite - Wauwatosa

★★★★☆ 3.5 (217) • $$

"This place is fantastic! If I lived here I'd visit weekly. I had the Cashew Chicken! The chicken is deep fried and I got spice level 2. It was so delicious! Flavors were complex and the veggies were perfectly crisp and slightly charred. The server was over the top kind and yet super chill. 10/10 recommend from my single visit."

Milwaukee Ale House - Grafton

★★★★☆ 3.6 (202) • $$

"Food was good, not necessarily memorable. Good atmosphere and service. Cheese curds were the highlight for me, and came with bonus fries"

Paloma Taco And Tequila

★★★★☆ 4 (163) • $$

"I have wanted to try Paloma for a while now, and finally got the chance to stop in! For a weekday night, it was busy! We waited about 20 minutes for a seat at the bar area, but we did get served drinks while we waited. We got their margarita to start while we waited. The staff was all very friendly and attentive and the inside is well decorated and welcoming. Though, when it is colder out, I do wish the waiting area was a little bigger. After getting seated at the bar we ordered chips, salsa, and queso and they were gone in a blink of an eye. We also ordered the house infusion margarita, pineapple jalapeno, yum! It was the perfect spicy margarita and paired well with our entrees. We enjoyed the Paloma Taco Pocket, Spicy Chicken Taco, and the Gringo All the Way! Taco. The flavors were amazing and we will definitely be back for more!"

The Edison Kitchen & Cocktails

★★★★☆ 4.1 (132)

"I had the opportunity to meet with a client for dinner, at the Edison, while traveling on business. It was not too crowded on a Tuesday happy hour time. There was plenty on parking in the lot next to the restaurant for around $20-$22 for two hours. The host and waitress were nice. I had a house salad with tuna as my protein. Everything was delicious the tuna was perfectly cooked. I had dressing on the side with a bit of milled pepper. There is a bar in the restaurant and overall it was a great atmosphere. I recommend the Edison when in the area."

Kompali Taqueria

★★★★☆ 3.6 (166) • $$

"Service was so friendly! The tacos were so unique and there are some vegetarian options. The raspberry margarita was sooo good too!"

Crafty Cow - Burgers & Fried Chicken

★★★★☆ 3.6 (156)

"The food was great but it took a long time for it to come out (about an hour) and service was generally slow. It took time for drinks to come (no mixers or anything) and a long time for food.I ordered the Canadian Tuxedo burger and it was excellent. It came with waffle fries and a great demi-glace. Fish sandwich was good as was the honey butter chicken biscuit."

drafthouse

★★★★☆ 4.1 (101) • $$

"The food is fabulous!!From my sons chicken tender and fries, to our crab dip.My chef's special was amazing. Filet over au gratin potatoes with asparagus and hollandaise sauce.Hubby had the draft house burger which looked fabulous.Adult son had Wisconsin Mac and cheese.We spent about 150 and it was well worth it.If you like stout- the "This old girl's sticky bun" was great!!!"

Hotel Madrid

★★★★☆ 4 (90) • $$

"I visited the hotel Madrid years back before Movida became the restaurant here and thought I reviewed it. Mysteries of the universe- I guess not. Hotel Madrid is mainly a tapas and paella place- both of which they do really well. We ordered the hotel Madrid paella and about 6 or 7 tapas. It was so. Much. Food. Favorites were the paella, asparagus, and patatas brava. They had a heated outdoor seating area that was pretty private and actually really warm.Also, they have non alcoholic cocktails! My favorite thing. Of course you can ask the bartender to make you one if it isn't on the menu, but having some pre- thought out mocktail concoctions makes you feel less like an odd man out. I tried both - the jasmine lemonade was light and not too sweet- the other one ("sunrise?" I think?) Was more cloyingly sweet but really delicious. Note they do automatic add on 18% gratuity to all bills. All covid precautions were followed."

Oggie's Kitchen & Bar

★★★★☆ 3.9 (85)

"During our stay at the Pfister, we needed a dinner spot, so we chose Oggie's. I chose Oggie's due to their prices and healthier selections. I started a diet in November 2024, so my food choices have been narrowed down to what a picky 4 year old wants to eat, only its all healthy. I had the Cobb Salad and the wife had the Romesco Pasta. We both added grilled chicken for a protein. The greens were fresh and it was nicely presented. I enjoyed the homemade ranch dressing they offered. The wife enjoyed her pasta as well. The portions were proper and we both left satisfied with the amount of food. The service was friendly and we were happy with the whole experience."

Chalice

★★★★☆ 4.1 (71) • $$

"Response to Nina K. The Chalice doesn't serve nachols. Check yourself. You've just lost all of your credibility."

Sunset Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (71) • $$

"It's one of the "nicer" waterfront options on the chain. Decent drinks, decent food and they give you popcorn. Never had a bad time there, the service has always been pretty good, and it's got less of the hi-fivin' dudebro 50-somethings than a lot of the other places around here."

The Forum

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (101) • $

"We usually come to the Forum for breakfast. The steak and eggs are excellent and I get the American fries over the hash browns because they're always delicious. They also have a dark rye toast that actually tastes like rye which I just can't find anywhere else. My wife loves the thin french toast, they also have a texas french toast which is a little too much bread for her. Before the pandemic one of the Sunday specials was swiss steak, it's the best I've ever had and my mom made some pretty awesome swiss steak. So, I'm hoping that as things start to get back to normal that returns as well."

Flourchild Pizza

★★★★☆ 4.1 (64) • $$

"I love Flourchild pizza so much and have ordered delivery several times. My favorites are the Club Banger and Daddy's Pizza. Consistently delicious every time. This most recent order, I couldn't resist the cheese-stuffed mozzarella sticks. You get two and they're HUGE! The marinara dipping sauce was delicious, too. Kind of crazy that I've never been to the actual restaurant yet, but delivery is just so convenient."

Palette Bar & Grill

★★★★☆ 3.8 (72) • $$

"Such a nice hotel bar and restaurant! Really nice staff and theme throughout. Love the cute palette menu. I got the Palette burger, which comes with fries. The burger was amazing and super flavorful. The fries were undercooked and soggy but I ate them anyway as I was too tired to go back downstairs. The drinks looked super good! Love this hotel, I'll be back."

Station 51 Truck Company Bar and Grill

★★★★☆ 3.7 (75) • $$

"My boyfriend and I tried this restaurant. It recently opened and normally I wait until a restaurant gets it's feet wet!!! The food was amazing and very large portions. We split the Hackney's onion loaf along with the Philly Cheese Steak Footlong. I made a reservation however the hostess was unable to find it. We sat right in front of Main Street facing the garage doors. The weather was perfect and we had an amazing waitress. She was positive even though she was stressed. I was impressed that she was knowledgeable about the food. So many choices, it was difficult making a decision. We'll definitely be returning."

The Summit Restaurant & Cocktails

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (124) • $$$

"My first visit to The Summit to celebrate my husband's birthday. We went on a weeknight and sat in a cozy booth. He ordered the Filet and it was cooked to perfection. He let me taste one bite and it melted in my mouth. I ordered the salmon filet and was delicious. I started with the lobster bisque which was broth based with chunks of lobster. They have a full wine/cocktail offering. I really appreciated their wine menu with a little "cheat sheet" explaining all the wines and the order of their sweetness-dryness. Aside for the amazing food was the service. Service was EXCEPTIONAL. We were greeted warmly by Olivia who welcomed us and seated us promptly and came back to check on us. Our server Avanti was amazing. She had a friendly demeanor and checked back with us several time. We loved the fresh bread and "secret recipe" dipping sauce. It's been a long time since I've been greeted with complimentary fresh bread and the most amazing dipping sauce. We could not help ourselves we ate a 2nd loaf. Because it was a Birthday we had to sample 2 of the desserts. The chocolate chip cookie in a skillet served warm with vanilla ice cream was so good but it was a hard to say if it was better than the mile-high cheesecake made from scratch. WE will definitely be back with my folks for dinner. It's rare to find such restaurant with ambiance, service and food all hitting the mark. It was a wonderful night. We will be back."

Amelia's

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (85) • $$

"I stopped here on Sunday to catch the Amelias 29th annual car show and have a beer lunch. The show was so packed with cars that they spilled out into the streets and no way I'm getting my car in so I would not enter this one and just be a spectator today. The car show had a nice assortment of classic cars and very little modern cars, not that I don't like modern cars but you see them on the streets all the time where the classics are rare to see. The cars were all styles from stock to race cars and everything in between in various conditions.Well my bar beer lunch idea faded pretty fast when I walked in because every spot at the bar full. As you walk in the bar is on the right with the dining room to the left and I didn't want to do the dining room and I wanted a bar spot. This was my first bar/restaurant car show where I could not get a seat at the bar so that will have to wait for another day."

HiHat Lounge

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (87) • $$

"Like other reviewers, I would rate this lounge between a 4 and a 5. Probably the surprise of the evening while beer crawling along Brady Street and points in between. I was recommended the Hi Hat Lounge by the Nomad Pub, and wasn't disappointed. Upon first impression, it feels like you are entering a small pit area due to the large atrium that encompasses the bar area (very large bar area, in fact). The decor itself was dark, which was unusual, given that I arrived around 5:30 PM on a summer evening. The draft beers that the bartender served kept me comfortable, though. In fact, the drinks were unbelievably good! After my second or third, and fourth IPA (I lost track after three)), I had to get a burger & so forth to keep my blood alcohol level from reaching epic proportions. The food and drink prices were very reasonable. I was actually surprised once I received the bill and said to myself "Thank God that these aren't Chicago prices." My bartender was awesome, and even recommended other bars to hop into on nearby Brady Street. The venue itself looks more than just a bar, so I'll remember to bring the Mrs back for a lunch or dinner. The place projects itself as being not too loud, yet not terribly quiet either.When in Milwaukee, check out the Hi Hat Lounge."

Mia's

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (84) • $$

"We love this Authentic Italian restaurant! We sat outside on sidewalk seating . It was a Beautiful Evening . Our waitress was friendly . :) we ordered minestrone soup , garlic bread , Caesar salad and an amazing pasta dish -fettuccine, broccoli and chicken . It was Amazing ! Definitely coming back . Met the owner he was attentitive and caring and helpful . Run Don't walk! If you are hungry for Italian food this is it !"

Flappers

★★★★☆ 4.4 (38) • $

"Great corner bar, all the people are friendly, the food is really good, plenty of room to grab a seat at the bar or sit at a bigger table with a group. Close to home too so going to flappers is an easy choice for a night out. Would recommend the pepperjack cheese sticks from the kitchen!"

PufferFish

★★★★★ 4.8 (28)

"Love this place for cocktails! It's located on top of hotel metro and is a great spot for drinks on a nice sunny day! They have a pretty wide range of both tiki themed drinks and the classic cocktails. If you are coming on a nice day, do expect to wait a little for a drink as it gets very busy. The bartender was super friendly and great to talk with. Overall would recommend stopping at pufferfish for a cocktail!"

Brunch - Cedarburg

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (71)

"Fantastic service and excellent food!Great variety too! We enjoyed the Benedict and Chorizo as well. Maybe teapots for tea only suggestion..."

El Jardin Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (47) • $

"We found this place off the beaten track thanks to a sign on the highway. We were greeted warmly as soon as we walked inside. They were perfectly happy to have us sit at the bar while we ordered takeout. The woman behind the bar was very friendly and confirmed that our choices were good: pollo en mole poblano (chicken with mole sauce) and lomo de puerco en salsa verde y nopales (pork loin in green sauce with cactus). The TV at the bar had on a show dubbed in Spanish, which was interesting to watch while we waited for our food. The food was entirely worth the wait! I've had pork with nopales elsewhere, but when I had it here I immediately understood what the other restaurants were trying to do. The pork was thin, but well seasoned and still juicy. The sauce was spicy and brought out fruitiness in the pickled nopales. The mole was also very good. The chicken was falling off the bone, and the rich flavors of chocolate and spices shone through. And the handmade tortillas were piping hot inside the neatly folded foil. I am telling everyone I know who drives between the Twin Cities and Chicago about this place. It's a gem, and I'm so glad we went!"

Brick House

★★★★☆ 3.6 (44)

"Have been here a few times and have never had a bad experience. Staff is extremely accommodating and friendly. The atmosphere is nice too never too crowded. Overall a really great place for a date or even a group of friends."

Duke's On Water

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (50) • $

"Dive bar in A cool location near the River that features 1 dollar Miller lite drafts for happy hour. Their other drink specials seemed good as well. There were several people coming in with food that they got close by to eat while they were drinking. We talked to several strangers and made friends easily in here. Would happily come again for the cheep beer. #bhamfoodguy"