a row of houses on a street corner
Walk in turn left observe the lovely dive-y-ness
Lots of Grateful Dead stuff. And yes, life is a trip, enjoy the ride...
the reflection of the clock in the window
Leave your mark too.
Cool bathroom and with keg urinal.
Fun place!
Shuffleboard, yo!!
Rachel H.
Sep 7, 2018
My favorite dive bar in the city. No frills bar, good service, cheap drinks, cool specials like Bring Your Own Vinyl Thursdays. Always a wide assortment of music played from June Carter to jam bands to metal. They also have a foosball table and pinball machine. Check it out for a good time.
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Jennifer F.
Oct 13, 2013
If Mo Sizlak was a real person, this would be his bar. It's dark, it's dank, it's totally townie and it's fabulous. Thurman's is a "heady" bar (if you get my drift) that hasn't been touched in decades. Milwaukee has a smoking ban, but in Thurman's you feel as though smoking is still going on because the place is just thoroughly saturated with the essence of nicotine and tobacco. The bar staff is always friendly and if you're a jam band fan the music selection will please you. They show the Packers games and in general, it's a great little dive bar. It is cash only so be warned. There are limited tappers (the lines aren't the cleanest, too). Dogs are welcome inside. There's darts and a few other games. The bathrooms are worth a peek as patrons have been decorating and redecorating the walls since who knows how long.
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Caitlin K.
Mar 27, 2019
I am a big dive bar fan but this just wasn't my cup of tea. The bar is extremely dark and dingey. Fairly certain that the bar itself isn't up to code with loose wires hanging around and equipment out. The closer you got to the bathroom the more it smelt like urinal cakes. All in all just not for me, probably won't frequent it!
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Jay S.
Mar 8, 2012
This is, as evidenced by all the many Grateful Dead license plates and other memorabilia, a Grateful Dead bar. You won't find a lot (or any) Top 40 pop in the jukebox. You won't find the latest craze in martinis. There is no large dance floor with loud boom-boom-boom music and tons of sorority girls grinding on each other.There is a shuffleboard table, pool tables, and a few video games. Drinks are cheap. The service is good, and generally pretty quick. The crowd is mostly laid back and pretty cool. It is easy to start conversation and not so loud that you can't have conversation.I'm not a Grateful Dead fan, but I will likely be back.
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Alex N.
Jan 20, 2012
Talk about a bar where anyone can come and just hang out.Quick list of things I loved about the place:*Dark*walls full crap (ratio of wall coverage has to be higher than Shenanigan's by my estimations)*dog with bandanna walking around with no apparent owner (he/she was well groomed, I pet it twice, my hand did not smell like dog afterwards).*barkeep had a strong opinion against Robinade which could also be considered a negative about the bar if you love the sugar-water in a bottle*variety of folks drinking, guffawing, and thoroughly enjoying themselvesIn case you cared and didn't want to Google it yourself, Thurman Munson never did play for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was a Yankee for life. Tragic story, that of Thurman Munson. Cheers one to him while you're there.
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Rachel F.
May 6, 2013
Thurman's: the first bar in MKE I ever stepped foot into (at an undisclosed age/time long past).Thurman's: the perfect first bar to step into considering the fact that, at the time, was a self-identifying "hippie." I was young and starry-eyed and I had my own apartment on Maryland and I thought I owned. Fast forward: labels are fo' suckas. That said, this is the type of spot that caters to the more laid-back, "granola" set: lots of Widespread Panic and Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead (shudders), lots of pale ales/IPAs, not necessarily the cleanest bar in the land, shuffleboard, etc...That said, I've been back a few times since then, and I don't ever have a bad time at Thurman's. It's fine. It's a respite from Brady Street nonsense.That said and more: There are definitely other bars on Brady more my speed. Thurman's is A-OK for what it is, and what it is generally isn't for me. That said, it might be for you!
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Rachael G.
Mar 12, 2013
True Story:It is New Years Eve 2009. I head down to Thurmans with my best friend(female) and my boyfriend (male, duh) and we plan to ring in the New Year with cheap drinks and cool people. Things get a little weird when this dread locked guy starts following my best friend around. Then he starts talking to my boyfriend. Then he ASKS out my boyfriend. THEN he comes to our table and asks out my best friend! At which point my bestie makes up a story that her and I are really lovers, to which he turns his attention back to my boyfriend.Thurmans is good for a fun, cheap, if not weird night out on the town. Every bartender there has always been ridiculously friendly and there is always a cute puppy around.If you want frills, this is not your place. If you don't like dread locked hippies, this is really not your place. If you want good service, with good drinks then head off the Brady path and down to Thurman's!
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Nick M.
Apr 2, 2012
As others have said, just a great, relaxed bar with a diversity of customers. Lots of Dead on the jukebox but also some Dylan, Stones and other great ones. This bar, like Wolski's, is an East Side institution. It can get hectic in there when it's super busy, but the drinks are cheap, people are cool and it's just one of those places that has character to burn.
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Shannon C.
Jul 15, 2015
Thurman's is part of the Brady Street scene despite not actually being located on Brady - but that's one of it's strengths. Situated a couple houses down from Garage, Thurman's is a decent bar with shuffleboard, foosball, and strong, cheap drinks (double vodka soda for five bucks - can't go wrong). It's a dive bar, and they allow dogs to roam around with their owners, so there's a definite hipster-beatnik-hippie vibe permeating the place. The walls are plastered with old band posters and advertisements. Two things I don't like: the bathrooms are right in front of the shuffleboard table, which is awkward, and the music that they play sometimes is not to my taste - folky, country stuff that just isn't my jam. I definitely have to be in the right mindset to hang out at Thurman's, since it's not usually the type of place I'd choose to go - but when I do go, I have a pretty good time.
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Dudewithabadcat ..
May 31, 2011
If you do not want to impress your date, take her to Thurmans. If you want to grab a few cheap pitchers with the brahs, take them to Thurmans. If you want to get your shuffleboard on, go to Thurmans. I have the utmost respect for the niche that Thurmans fills in the Milwaukee bar scene.*nom*nom*nom*
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