Cleo’s Brown Beam Tavern

i’ve visited twice in the last two months. Same experience:
* Very good drinks — well priced,
* Very nice bartender — friendly,
* Friendly locals at the bar to talk to,
* Learned something cool about Appleton,
* Fun décor and ambience.

Came in at around 8 PM on a Saturday night and my friends and I wanted to play a game where we flip a coin for shots since we knew we couldn’t shake. As we started and we were on our last flip of the coin the bouncer came over and told us not to do that. We said we were basically done but he so rudely replied «I don’t care». We immediately left. This bouncer in my opinion easily treated us like assholes and did not want our business. I can only assume he does this to more people. If you want a fun experience on college Ave I vehemently oppose going to Cleo’s as if you do something the bouncer does not like you may be kicked out. It is a surprise to me anyone spends a dollar here as this place has no room to be a business on college Ave.

Going into Cleo’s is major sensory overload. Its like every holiday waged war against each other inside and every holiday one. And you know what, it works. For the size of bar there is quite a lot of seating, but it fills up quick for happy hour. Drinks are cheap-​ish and good. Since it is normally pretty busy, it may take a minute or two to get your drink order in, but them make them fast.

I’m lucky enough to travel for trainings regularly. My last training brought me to Appleton, Wisconsin. I always try to go to unique places in the city in at. I asked around and almost unanimously the answer was the same, Cleos.
This place is a mix of the bar from the Cheers TV show, where everyone knows your name, and a dis functional Christmas get together. There are Christmas lights and decorations absolutely everywhere. There are a few TVs showing basketball games and 80’s and 90’s music playing. I think I’m in heaven.
Everyone knew everyone and the bartenders were fantastic. The drinks were cheap and well made (try a dirty snowball). If you’re ever in Appleton give this place a try!

I mean all I can say is that the dirty snowball drink makes this a must stop. Besides the fantastic fun drinks the décor is so fun. You could sit in the bar for hours and be entertained by the holiday themed bar for hours. I highly recommend you stop in.

5 of us went to Cleo’s for a holiday cocktail and to take in some holiday cheer. It was 4:30 on the 23^rd. The place was pretty full, standing room only with no place to order your cocktail. We squeezed in at the bar to order. The bartenders seemed stressed and annoyed. We ordered off the holiday list of drinks. Each drink order was taken, the bartender would leave to make it and then return for the next. What a long inefficient process. Once the final drink was made I paid the bill with 20% tip and we moved to stand at the back of the bar. About 15 minutes later we were approached saying they had under charged me by $ 9. With no place to put my things to look at my receipt. I handed the bartender another $ 10. W all finished our drinks and left. We felt unwelcome. The bar is small, the drinks are not special and the mood that day was not festive.

The staff (Amber and Danielle for my experience) is very welcoming and friendly. The drinks were good, and the Xmas theme is very unique lol.
Apparently once upon a time, they made the drinks with ice cream… no longer.

I love this place. It’s a small local bar.
The whole inside has Christmas lights & décor!
The bartender was really nice & accomodating. We ordered mojitos & they were delicious.
I’d come back if I lived closer.

My friends and I frequent this bar due to the warm inviting atmosphere and reasonably priced drinks. Great decorations if you are a fan of Christmas!

Very cute dive bar in a homey town. I probably won’t ever be in Appleton, WI again, but this was the highlight of my visit there. A drink called «A Dirty Snowball» like an adult milk shake — and the strands of Christmas lights everywhere — the staff was nice too. If you are in town, stop in.

Cleo’s is pretty fab. It’s just full of random charm and oddities and I love it. Try a dirty snowball they’re pretty tasty :]

Downtown Appleton is a ton of fun with all the bar selections and having some family nearby this bar is always a top pick for when the cousins want to go out.
Cleo’s is a hole in the wall, small townie bar that is filled top to bottom with holiday decorations, mostly christmas! I have even knocked down a few decorations near the bathrooms being so tall. The drinks are really reasonable being from the suburbs of Chicago, you must try the Dirty Snowball. It is so good, like a milkshake but with 7 different alcohols you can’t go wrong. Definitely a spot to go hang out and be entertained just with all the decorations.

This place was just down the street from my hotel and based on the Unilocal reviews, we just had to check it out. A Christmas themed bar? Yes, please! It’s small, so I can see it getting crowded quickly, but at around 9 on a Thursday night we were able to find seats at the bar pretty easily.
You can tell the place has a good crowd of regulars and a fun staff who know each other. Drinks were good. My specialty martini was $ 8, so not too pricey, and the bartender chatted with us a bit, sharing the history of the place.
Definitely a must see when you’re in Appleton.

We stopped here while staying at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel down the street. Cleo’s came highly recommended by someone who used to live in the area. It was hoot! The staff was fun and gave great service. The drinks were delish and strong. The décor is AMAZING. I posted a pic on Facebook and people asked if were in a casino. Yes, Cleo’s is sparkly and full of lights like a casino, but it’s so much more! Christmas everywhere. Kitch everywhere. There is something eclectic on every available horizontal and vertical surface. My mom would call it clutter. I call it awesome. Here’s the kicker though — the place is SUPER clean. None of the brick-​a-​brack has dust on it as one would expect. I even gave the finger test on a couple picture frames, just because I couldn’t believe it. I complimented the owner on it and she said they have to work it all the time.
Great time at a great place. I will definitely be back.

Yikes — there is a LOT of Christmas stuff packed into this bar! It makes for an interesting atmosphere, but the crowd is, shall we say, on the older side. If you’re looking to meet people, this is a good warm-​up bar, but not the main attraction.
On the plus side, drinks are cheap, so maybe get drunk here and then go to a trendier place just to dance?

If you ever find yourself in Appleton, do yourself a favor and pop into Cleo’s for an Old Fashioned, or if you’re in a girly drink mood, go ahead and try one of their signature Dirty Snowballs, an iced slush mix of equal parts vodka, crème de cacoa, coffee liquer and cream. Two substantive Old Fashioned’s and a nice helping of cajun bar mix, all for $ 10!!! Same thing in an east coast city would have run you $ 30 minimum.

Super cool atmosphere. Lots of regulars but the bartender paid lots of attention to everyone. Hap the sour Old Fashioned at happy hour. Tasted great and great price during happy hour

Christmas themed, awesome drinks. Older crowd 40s 50s but fun. Great for a drink or two. Usually crowded but not horrible. I would definitely come back.

I really want to like this bar. It’s well known in the area and the décor of the bar makes it cozy and fun to bring friends to no matter what time of year it is. The thing is, of the three times I’ve been here the service has been pretty bad. I can’t help but feel that each time I enter the establishment I am intruding on somewhere I don’t belong. From the customers looking you over to the bartenders not greeting you as you enter, it’s not a very welcoming bar. If you are done serving for the evening (even if well before posted hours on the front door) I completely understand. A simple mention of this from the bartender would be appropriate. Being that I gave it three chances, I give up. I would not recommend this bar unless you are over the age of 40.

4 years later, my update relates to how damn tasty the Old Fashioned’s are here. I managed to have 3 in about an hour 45 minutes. Wow.
Friendly ‘tenders that don’t mind chatting.
I normally end up in front of the juke box for an hour so when I first arrive. This past weekend was no different. Great crowd and atmosphere.