Snifters Tapas & Spirits

Alright let me set the scene: you walk in to Snifters. It's super modern, dark, reclaimed wood on the wall, mirrors abound. It certainly looks new. You head out to the patio (it's cute). There's couches and you lounge for a bit. Then you get the menu and have to reread it. It's...unusual. Latin meets soul food. Latin. Meets. Soul food. Oh and also, all the drinks come in snifter glasses.????Okay, so I'm not usually a fan of super specific, hipstery themes like this. But I decided to give Snifters a chance. And I'll admit, I liked what they had to offer. The signature dish seems to be the empanadas. These empanadas, however, are filled with unusual ingredients. We ended up getting The Manchester (basically mac and cheese stuffed in an empanada. Decent, but confusing to the senses), The Appalachia (pulled pork sandwich empanada. Solidly good), and The Cream City Standard (beans and potatoes. Easily my favorite, most similar to a traditional empanada). Overall, the empanadas were tasty, despite their oddness! We then moved on to an entree option. I went with Los Camarones, which were giant breaded shrimp served on top of cornbread. The shrimp was excellent. Very flavorful and delicious. The dish as a whole, I thought, lacked a sauce on top. It was a bit dry overall. My friend got the chicken and waffles, which was delightfully served with the maple syrup in a snifter glass. She was a big fan, so it must have been delicious. Overall, I'm surprised how much I enjoyed Snifters. I had hesitations, but the food was unique and flavorful. My big issue: the service was painfully slow. As in, I had to get up and find our server myself, which automatically knocks one star off in my books. There was only one other couple in the whole restaurant.

Loved their brunch menu! We had the old style French Toast infused with jack Daniels whiskey & May molasses topped with a Dulce de leche crema The carnitas Benedict was super tasty. The salsa is on point with a savory kick that doesn't overpower.

Stopped for dancing on a Thursday night. A short class began around 10pm with $10.00/cover + a drink. Snifters has a fun vibe with lots of seating and a space for over 60 people to dance comfortably. I didn't try food this time but I will be back. If your interested in a fun night of dancing stop on in. Update soon. Enjoy!

First off, they do not serve tapas here. They have some rice bowls and empanada options but not much else. These are also entree portions about $10 each and not intended for sharing. The service was incredibly slow to the point where we considered simply leaving and forgetting the whole thing. Once our food arrived it was hot and good but not enough to leave us feeling happy about spending our money here.

I love everything about this place - the ambiance, the friendly service, the old-fashioned cocktail, and most of all the food! I was a bit skeptical how the vegetarian empanada might taste (mix of string beans, potatoes, and creole sauce), but it was excellent. The steak on cornbread was great as well. I've eaten at many restaurants in Milwaukee and in my opinion Snifters is one of the best, with very fair prices. We'll definitely be back! Just a tip - the lot signed as Customer Parking next door is not for Snifters. We made the mistake of parking there and got a bill from the private company that owns it. Parking can be a challenge on weekends.

I'm new to this joint and probably need to take the tapas for a spin next time. Today I tried the old-fashioned and was pleasantly surprised by the presentation and flavor. Happy hour special is $5 and that's for brandy or whiskey. The ambiance is very nice too as is the street parking especially after 6pm when the meters are done for the day.

We came here on a whim over the weekend and decided to join friends that frequent this location. We came strictly for the drinks, though I'm tempted to try the food next time. As soon as you walk in, you can tell the owners put a lot of work into the "Old" Texture. It's well-lit, beautifully decorated and welcoming. I loved the ambiance, I hated the drinks! Our first bartender seemed pretty knowledgeable of the place, the history of the locale and was an overall friendly guy. I asked for an Old Fashioned, which were reviewed as the best. I HIGHLY disagree! It was next to awful. The minute I saw him dump almost half a can of Squirt into my drink, I knew it was over. I asked for a Bourbon Old Fashioned (sour). I got a shot of Bourbon, some muddled fruit and a ton of soda. I drank it but honestly couldn't stand the flavor. Fast forward to the female bartender that walked in eating out of a bowl behind the bar. Not only was it unprofessional at best, but her hair kept getting in the way of her cutting limes. Clearly, she didn't get the memo that you don't eat behind a bar and you make sure your long hair is either tied back or kept away from all the ice, liquor, fruit, etc. I get the whole concept of a pretty face behind a bar, but someone who is no where prepared to make a drink or satisfy the customer should really take a course in mixology 101. Now, I should mention, she was quite apologetic when I complained about my drink and offered a new one BUT she didn't know how to make an Old Fashioned in the first place so why promote what your staff can't follow through on? I was worried when she didn't muddle any fruit and filled the entire glass with just ice. I stopped her dead in her tracks ( former bartender here) and walked her through the basics. Unfortunately, she made me a Bourbon with almost 2 limes squeezed into it. At that point I was over it. I ordered a beer and made my way downstairs and danced the night away. It's a great and fun place without the added drama that places on that block have been known for. It was refreshing to see an older crowd with a keen sense of class. I would definitely come back but won't be having a mixed drink, unless there are new bartenders without hair all over the place!

Great place for learning salsa dancing. I visited this place last week and very much enjoyed the dancing class. The instructor was very nice and made it easy on his students.

This is a fantastic restaurant - delicious food, friendly customer service, and good price. Not to mention their Old Fashions are delicious. I absolutely recommend this restaurant!!!

Recently went on a Saturday night. Not many people filled this nice little bar restaurant. Bartender was friendly yet not that fast in making our cocktails but not a problem as we were not in any rush. Ordered a couple empanadas, they were fantastic. Great presentation and what a tasty treat they were. We split a dinner and we were glad we did. Ordered a dish that was sliced steak served on corn bread and it was one of the best meals we've had lately and large portion was perfect for us to split. Prices were good on the food, a little pricey for the cocktails. Maybe it will be a bit more crowded on a warmer night as it should be as this is a great place.