Art Bar

I’ve been going to the Art Bar on and off for awhile now. Everytime I go in, folks are there appreciating whatever it is they purchased. They’ve different kinds of microbrews, which for me is an excellent thing. The art on the walls, which is for sale by the artist, is consistently great and constantly transforming. The service is generally quite great. It gets slow when they are too active, but what place does not?

Art Bar has many charming qualities:
1. Art in a comfortable setting where you can walk around and look at pictures with your beer and say «I don’t get it» without feeling stupid.
2. They let your 4-​legged friends in, even if they aren’t 21
3. Board games
4. Pool table and arcade games
5. Multitude of options for beer, wine, and cocktail drinkers. Oh, and coffee. And pizza (it’s not good)
6. A diverse crowd of people. Very supportive of the neighboord and community of folks who visit it.
7. Free condoms.
I like Art Bar a lot. It’s always a little too loud (they have a lot of live music which is great, but some of it isn’t that good and it feels too loud for the space) or too bright to totally settle in, and there is a lot going on visually, almost overstimulating. But I make a stop there every few months and always think of it when looking for a laid back place to meet with a friend for a drink, or a game of trivial pursuit, the 1989 edition.

I was happily seen here by a friend while I was on holiday. Art Bar is amazing! If I had this spot in DC, I Had almost live here. Alcohol, java, ACTUAL ARTWORK, as well as a friendly staff. What more could I ask for? Oh, yeah, cool customers. Test. It is an excellent little spot to go using a sketchbook.

One of my favorite Riverwest happy hour spots. Always a super relaxed atmosphere with a lot of space to spread out. It’s hard to walk in here and feel anything other than good… booze, snacks, art, games, music, great bartenders, and dogs.

Been going to Art Bar on and off for years now and its forever one of my favorite drinking spots in the city. The BOGO happy hour is perfection, the endless flow of chex mix is a tipsy patron’s dream, sprinkle an establishment full of cutie dogs and you’ve got a recipe for success! I should also mention that the service in Art Bar is absolutely the cream of the crop, and the décor is an ever changing flow of unique and original artwork. Art Bar remains one of my top suggested spots in the city for folks looking to wet their whistle in a welcoming and casual atmosphere.

I visited here a while back. I was wanting an alcoholic drink and my bartender knew that because I said so and I showed my ID, I asked for something with coffee and chocolate. I got my drink for around 8 bucks, and I guess there’s no way to be sure, but it tasted like there was no alcohol in it at all, and after drinking the very tall expensive drink It didn’t feel like there was alcohol in it. I was pretty bummed about paying 8 bucks for a coffee drink.
Then my date ordered a bay breeze for me, but he had to come back and ask me the ingredients because the bartender needed to know what was in a bay breeze, apparently the bartender looked annoyed at the request. Seriously, you don’t know how to make it? That’s a pretty common drink. I’ve never had a bartender ask me what ingredients are in a drink request…
It seems the bartenders are reluctant to make mixed drinks, and the patrons gave my date funny looks for having a mixed drink as well, as if they had never seen one before.
I haven’t been back, I had hoped it would be a cool place, but no thanks. I’ll go to the public house where they happily make drinks.
So, if you wanna go to a bar and get beer, maybe its for you.

Went to hangout with an old fiend after the Car Show and i love to show off place with BIG character to my friend. Milwaukee has so many sides, if you look for it. The Art Bar showcases local artists, seems like it changes roatates to another theme weekly. This week theme was 8×10 of alphabets on selected canvas of anything you can imagine. Always a great conversation starter.

I have been avoiding writing a review of this place for months, for one reason in particular: Art Bar is such a hidden gem — so unique and comfortable and warm and welcoming, with great happy hour specials (buy one/​get one 3:00 — 7:00 pm, Monday-​Saturday), excellent Bloody Mary recipe, Colectivo coffee, the BEST Green Bay Packers game-​day parties (not hyperbole; the very best), among many other things… Art Bar is such a favorite of mine that I’m afraid it will no longer feel like «my spot» as more and more people come to realize how truly awesome Art Bar is. But that would be an injustice to all Riverwest and Milwaukee residents. In short, Art Bar is a place you need to experience.
Local art covers the walls. The craft beer list is unparalleled. Live shows are always a blast. They host themed parties all the time, which are super fun (a recent David Bowie dance party comes to mind). The bartenders and owner are knowledgeable, friendly and just all-​around good people. There are bingo nights as well, with hilarious, fun prizes. You can play Twister and board games and pool. They have coloring contests; that’s right, coloring contests.
I used to avoid the bar scene during Packers games because the thought of sitting elbow to elbow in a raucous, uncomfortable public place was the opposite of appealing. I’d rather eat, drink and celebrate with a handful of good friends than a bunch of loud, obnoxious strangers getting black out drunk. Well, Art Bar changed all that. They serve free food during every game. Not just free, but really good food — taco/​nacho bar, brats and hamburgers, chili, and hot ham sandwiches, to name a few. Buffet style. The seating is comfortable and casual, more like a café or cinema grill than an overcrowded bar where everyone is usually forced to stand. They turn up the radio announcers, which adds to the excitement of the game. Free touchdown shots. Bloody Marys on special. It’s not just a great opportunity to watch the game, but also to hangout and catch up with friends.
If you’re not sold yet, they also allow dogs. It’s not rare to see dogs chilling on stools at the bar, hovering under tables, or just trotting around looking for attention. Heck, my English chocolate lab Maggie is almost more of a regular than I am.
I feel as if I should spend more time on this review, try to be more thoughtful and insightful regarding how much this place brings me joy. But truth is, nothing I write will do Art Bar justice. You know that comfortable, «home» feeling you get as an adult when you return to visit your parents, mom and dad make dinner, spoil you like your a kid again, and you get to stay in your old room? That’s Art Bar. It’s not super fancy or over the top; it just feels like home.

One of the best happy hours in town. 4 – 7 buy one get one… Any drink! Will, the bar tender is one of the best, hardest working bar tenders in the city

Art Bar in itself is a very cool concept. They have a good selection of spirits, pizza, board games, a billiards table, and art everywhere. Plus, the bartenders are cool. And best of all, dogs are welcome. In theory, this would be a great neighborhood bar.
Unfortunately…it has a problem — the clientele. I don’t know what it is about this bar, but it has a tendency to attract the some real gems. Some of them are batshit crazy and spoiling for a fight. Some are lecherous old men. And some are just pompous windbags. In short… nothing good has ever come out of interacting with the people here. Which is sad. Because this bar could be cool. It’s just been spoiled for me by some really shitty people who frequent here. :(

Art Bar is literally a hop, skip, and a jump away for us. We love the rotation of art that goes in here and the place is big enough to accommodate groups of varying size. The outdoor area is perfect on a nice summer/​fall evening. It’s classy without being pretentious. Great place to enjoy some righteous Happy Hour specials. Also is one of the best dog friendly bars in town. Don’t come here thinking you’re going to be watching the game or anything on TV, there is no TV! Just Art and a pool table! They also have live music on Saturday nights from time to time. Long Live Art Bar!

Love their mocha mudslide! My friend and I have been there about 3 times through Paint Nite, and we love their atmosphere and drinks! It’s our favorite spot for a girls night out! Ps: You can bring your puppies there!

since I moved to milwaukee Art Bar has been and always will be my favorite hang out. Whats not the love? bring your pets if you want to (they will even get a dog treat) wanna play darts no problem they got that. pool hustling more your thang also no problem got that covered too… maybe you are crazy into pinball well check it off the list art bar has it. On top of that the libations are off the chain everyone even the most picky of beer snobs will find something delicious to satisfy that palette. The beer board on the wall is taller than me in both directions mind you. On top of that who doesnt love constantly rotating art keeps things fresh keeps you from getting to comfortable. Plus! if you have friends who dont drink they have more options here than say a diet coke so bring em in for a delicious coffee beverage. Love you art bar love for life.

Great atmosphere and awesome menu. The cocktail I had was watery though and the people seemed kind of cliquey. I will definitely come back though!

First thing that threw me off was that there were dogs here. This is one of the few dog friendly bars I know exist. Definitely a cool idea.
They had a great B1G1 deal on all drinks and the coffee/​hot drinks come in HUGE cups!
They’ve got pinball machines, darts, and a pool table. They’ve also got a wide range fof board games for you to play at your table. Only complaint is the Sopranos machine has a safe feature which was broken and took away from the gameplay.

This place is great.
I’ve interacted with two bartenders on two occasions and they were both quite nice.
They serve economical hot tea alongside an excellent craft beer selection.
There is beauty all over the walls with happy people and puppies everywhere.
Not sure if they ever charge cover, but on arriving with 45 minutes left in the live set, there was none.
I’m not writing anymore, just go.

One of a kind. Must experience once so you can say you have lived a full live. It’s what
makes the area so unique. Try it!

You can’t go wrong with Art bar. They have drinks to fit any mood and a chill atmosphere with open space and games to fill the night.
I love their support of local artists, changing the art on the walls constantly to support new people. Theres always something new to look at when you’re there.
I also love how they have things like coffee, tea, lattes, hot chocolate, hot cider etc if you’re not in the mood to drink. Or if you want a drink and not sure what to get you can order a mystery beer, delivered in a paper bag of surprising goodness.
The pool table is free to play, and darts and pinball cost quarters. plus tons of board games and trivia games to entertain.
Overall a great experience on any night of the week, plus 2−4−1 tuesdays! Can’t go wrong!

I had never been to Art Bar before, and I really enjoyed hanging out there last night. Not only was our bartender (Adam) great, but the other bar patrons seemed like really good people (except for this one creeper, who had eyes like Bob from Twin Peaks).
Our drinks were strong, and their happy hour can’t be beat — BOGO!
The little paintings all over the place were really cool. Looking forward to going back.

Art bar for the artist and the lovers of art…
Jazzy music with spotlighted photos. Lucky me today is an opening for an art show plenty of photographs priced around 50– 300 plenty to see and soak in. Showcasing local photographers. Catching the Calatrava from various views.
This a bar the gets you to enjoy the whole area both inside and out. Dog friendly. Friendly customers and staff here. This bar encourages everyone to get off their butts and wander about.
I think the red dots on the art may mean that they are sold. A fun time for sure.