Riverwest Public House

This is possibly my favorite bar in Milwaukee and I go here even though there are several other bars between where I live and the Public House. The bar has great programming with a variety of events – bands, community outreach, art events. The taps rotate pretty frequently, which I actually like because it means I can change up what I drink. In winter, I recommend the hot toddy because even though it seems like a pretty simple drink, it does a great job of warming you up and making you feel even cozier here. All of the bartenders here are fantastic, even if it’s their first day, which tells me they do a great job of picking people to work there. Plus it’s a bar where I can go and feel safe, which is not something easy to find as a woman who goes out drinking by herself. There is a great environment of safety and inclusion fostered here, which makes it a fantastic place to go.

Maybe it’s the Halloween show that has caused this review
. First the bad:
People have continued to be rude in terms of bumping me and not saying a word. With the atmosphere, I feel out of place here and to top it off, the biggest sin. I gave the doorwoman, a 20 after she said the charge was 5. I watched her count out a 5 and skip over to the other people. Once I mentioned I gave her a 20, there was no apologies or anything else. She sneered, have me a 10 as well and continued on. There was 1 bartender for everyone in there. 1. Guess who was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. There’s also a smell that lingers here.
The good:
Awake in Moscow.
The 1 bartender was amazing when I did get to get my drink. She was so much nicer than the patrons.
The bartender and this drink are the only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars.

This is a really interesting concept, and on the whole I like it.
I came here for one of the educational adult outreach events on a Sunday night, which was followed by a Ladies Rock show.
I like that they seem to have so many great local events going on. It did make for a pretty loud situation, however, with the two events bumping up against each other, and that wasn’t super ideal.
I know I’m probably not their primarily clientele either, but I also felt like I was ignored at the bar for a good long while, while other people who bellied up after I did got served first. When I did finally get to order it felt like I was being served begrudgingly. Not so cool. It was pretty busy though, and the bartender at first was on her own until some other folks came to lend a hand.
The stage area is pretty cool! I also appreciate that it’s in an older building and has a cool atmosphere. Looks like they have a great liquor selection, too, and certainly a HUGE number of bitters to choose from (some locally sourced).

Riverwest is… an interesting neighborhood.
I, personally, am partial to it, having lived there for many years of my young adult life. I love it, challenges and clichés and all.
The Riverwest Public House is… an interesting place. (… that I really like, for the most part!)
Community outreach and education. Local/​traveling bands. Spoken word/​poetry stylings. Solid beers and cocktails. Sure, it sort of smells like armpits, but doesn’t Riverwest on the whole, really?

This places seems to get some high reviews, but the word that comes to my mind when I think of the Public House is «meh.»
Drinks: meh. Beer selection is okay. They usually have some Lagunitas (that stuff is my jam), so that’s good. I usually stick to beer but I got talked into ordering a margarita here. It was meh.
Service: meh. Maybe I always catch people on bad days, but everyone who works here always seems crabby (especially whoever is at the door). Bartenders are slow, even when business is slow.
Sound: meh. I’ve played here several times, and the sound guy seems pretty nice but I’ve had more bad experiences than good with the quality. Something always seems to go wrong. Mics cut out, guitar levels are off, etc. But I play in a bluegrass band with instrumentation other than drums and electric guitars and bass.
Décor: meh. If you’re not into socialism, you’re probably not going to enjoy this place. I tend to lean pretty far to the left and I get a little uncomfortable with all of the political posters.
3 stars. Middle of the road. Not bad, not good. I don’t avoid this place but its never on my list of places to go.

Descriptive phrase: neighborhood-​run bar/​hangout.
There sure ain’t many places like the Riverwest Public House. The overall scene may not be my normal jam, but I gotta respect any place that serves me a $ 2 pint of Schlitz on tap. Seems like it’d be the hipster-​Mecca, but I feel like that word doesn’t convey the authenticity that RPH exudes. Stop by, it’ll be an interesting experience.

I’m not sure what to make of this place. The concept is cool but if you’re not someone the bar tenders immediately recognize (or with someone they recognize) it can be difficult to get served.
The décor is eclectic and quasi revolutionary (the fist finials are a great touch). It’s dark and feels like a place people can gather to talk treason and plan insurrections.
The beer selection is decent and the prices are very reasonable (especially coming from the East Side where beer prices are all over the map).
It’s definitely part of the community which is awesome but it can also serve to make you feel like a real outsider. It’s a different feeling than going to a townie bar where you know you’re not from the area but people are still polite if distant. At the Public House, they may outright ignore you for a while.

Last night was my second time stopping in. Friendly folks and relaxed environment. Last night we attended a screening of slingshot hip hop at the public house. Great prices, and a surprisingly delicious margarita!

An interesting place. I rang in 2014 here with the Cream City Cabaret show. We arrived around 9:30pm (I thought the ad said the show would start 10 – 10:30ish), and there were seriously only 5 other patrons! This was totally fine, we were able to grab nice seats at the bar and relax before the crowd started pouring in.
The place itself is larger than one would expect. They have a small stage and the whole place is open. They had this place pretty dang clean prior to the NYE festivities.
Drinks: I had started the evening with a tall rum and diet (it was like $ 6 – 7) before realizing beer prices here are very fair (as in $ 3 – 5 for tap) and the beer that was ordered tasted fresh — like they just cleaned their lines… yay!!! The bartenders were very friendly and efficient once it started getting busy. I was surprised how well they were able to keep up with the demand!
The show didn’t get underway until 11:30 — 11:45pm, they even admitted they were starting very late. I chatted with some of the girls who were going to perform and some of them didn’t seem very thrilled to be «working» NYE. I’d love to «do my thing» in front of a packed house and adoring audience, but that’s beside the point.
We stayed until just after the midnight champagne toast. The crowded turned from fun and funky to sketchy really quick. We bounced out of there to another East Side location to continue the celebrations.
I imagine this would be a great place to «chillax» with a beverage or listen to live music. I’d be willing to check it out again in the future, just maybe not a night that attracts the sketch. A solid 3.5 stars, maybe 3.75… rounding to 4 because the bartenders and beer was awesome that evening.

This place rules like 37% of the time. The rest of the time idk. Kinda hippy vibes too idk. Love it though. Weird bartenders sometimes.

Riverwest is so amazing. I especially love the people that dwell there. They are the most eccentric, carefree people around, and I have fun every time I party with them. The Public House is so Riverwest, the vibe spills onto Locust Ave and beckons to you. Before I even knew what it was, I would drive by and wonder why there were so many bikes parked outside and people just hanging around, especially at 3pm. But that’s how the Riverwest party goes down… 3pm, beers, bikes, vibes… awesome!
I saw an awesome show here last weekend… The Delphines. I was really impressed by them. They also had a lot of local Riverwest support, head bobbing and dancing to their tunes. I was proud to be a part of it.
The bartenders are super cool, and they serve Blackbox Wine! I’m a fan, so I had a couple. Don’t hate on boxed wine, they are putting some good things in boxes these days! And for an old socialist like myself, I love the co-​op aspect of the place, organizing the people for good causes, like booze and tunes.

Intimate, cozy, a nice venue for live music, and great drinks for a reasonable price.
I love that this place is so close to home, and so connected with the people of Riverwest.

The first time I walked into this place, the bartender had a baby attached to her in a baby sling. While this may turn some people off, I felt like I had just walked into a family-​ran, neighborhood bar in the boonies, albeit urban and diverse, and I loved it! Quickly, people know each others names and it feels like home. Everyone is 100% accepted here. Cocktails are delicious and reasonably priced with the amount of booze they give you too!
Vegan tip: They recently introduced a boozy root beer float with soy ice cream available! Can’t get anymore amazing than that in my book! (They have vegan bloodies too!!!)

Wasn’t sure what to expect going here. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. Inside it is simple as well. But when I think of «Public Houses,» this is exactly what comes to mind; a place where people of all sorts can come together, converse, and share a beer. Or two. Or three. However, this shouldn’t be confused with your traditional english pub. Beer and mix drinks are all things you can get here. I rarely ask about wine, so I’m not sure on that one.
I still rate this high because of the atmosphere and people. But expect to get frozen pizza quality pizza if you order a pizza here. This is by no means their specialty.
Did I mention gay friendly? Heck yes.

This is a great use of a space that had bounced around for a while. I love the fact that members have these amazing beer mugs and there are co-​op members who scout out the comfy chairs in the corner and read books. Now, there is no secret handshake here, and I have only been here once, but I wondered if it is like the «private» club deals in Dallas, but it is not. When you walk in you do not have to purchase a «membership» but I did pay a cover charge (which for all I know included something of this sort — not sure what the rules are).
Anyhow…This place has an amazing historic bar in here which is pretty darned cool.
Cheap shows with all those Messmer High kids rocking out and wearing the T-​shirts that identify them as Shorewood/​Whitefish bay brats. This made me crack up a little bit. But the music was good, and contrasting styles were welcome. Nice.
Prices were normal. No great deals here, but who knows what it is like for members?
All in all a cool place to go.
You can use the free lockers to stick your jackets, computer bags, etc in them if you want. Just ask for a key at the bar. Nice feature.
Since it is a co-​op I thought it was funny that they had gendered bathrooms for men and women — how un-​co-​op… 20^th century hang over of them! Why not just bathrooms with little signs to tell people to behave and keep it clean. Wow! Am I a hippie? Perhaps.

This very charming tavern is all the more appealing to me ’cause I know almost of the worker-​owners.
They are up to date with all the locally crafted products including but not limited to beer and liquor.
I had a great talk with last night’s door person about the Democratic process within the bar. The workers have to take responsibility and ownership of everything that happens. Such as not allowing their obviously intoxicated friends into the bar or calling out a coworker on a mistake.
They have seasonal drink specials, nightly drink deals and just started serving pizza. Also I enjoy their bloodies.
The Public House is the friendliest neighborhood bar in this ‘hood!

The cool concept of the Public House is that it is a co-​op and you can become a member and get $ 1 off per drink. You don’t have to be a member, though. The drink prices for non-​members are moderately priced, we got a rail and a micro-​brew beer for $ 4.
I love their signs. Keep in mind, you might be offended if you are a conservative or a capitalist.
Side note that did not at all influence the review: we went on Saturday to see the «comedy» team Caste of Killers. I really liked one comedian, I think his name was Eric. He was funny, because he kept it clean. One of the comedians in particular was worse than horrible. Is it possible to give this guy –10 stars? It was when he threatened to shoot the audience (mind you, one week after the Sikh temple shooting) that I really lost it. Dead pan silence. I sort of wished I walked out, but the guy after him (Eric?) was funny.

It’s hard not to like this place, especially if you are a Riverwest resident. There is a great community feel to this place because the people who own it are still active in the community. It is not blindingly apparent at first, but you begin to realize that the fact that this bar is own by more than one proprietor really makes difference. I really feel like they can do things other bars can’t. They don’t have a T.V.
It looks great inside, but I know this is a hold-​over from the last establishment. Either way they keep it looking dark, classy, and still comfortable like a public house should be. There’s plenty of wall space for the art shows they have.
I think that Zach makes the best Bloody Mary’s that I have ever had, and they’re four dollars on Sunday. I think it is that he puts in about an inch of Eastside Dark to start the drink. They stock vegan Worcestershire and they have delicious locally made beef sticks in the fridge (my Bloody Mary upgrade). They have what the people want. You may have to think ahead, but the kim chi from the Riverwest Co-​op is good in the Bloody’s too.
They started delivering brunch to the Public House from the Co-​op on weekends, which is great because the Co-​op doesn’t have a lot of seating in the first place and no beer for your Bi Bim Bop.
I’ve seen a couple shows at the public house and the sound in pretty good, I hope Sleeping in the Aviary plays there soon.
Lastly, I was surprised that they have sesame sticks as bar snacks because they are so addictive and expensive. But then again they aren’t really cutting any corners on making a unique, basic, and quality bar.
Oh yea! I almost forgot, they have New Glarus Fat Squirrel on tap which I think is one of the best beers out there (it’s made in Wisconsin) and I don’t see it many places on tap.

This was my first time here. They have a decent selection of beers, including a lot of Lakefront stuff (shop local!) and a full bar including some Great Lakes Distillery spirits (shop local!). Their prices aren’t too bad either, and they are cheaper if you are a member of the co-​op which costs about $ 40 per year and is totally worth it as far as I can tell. Their bartenders are cool too.
The crowd is cool. It’s not too crowded on the average weeknight as far as i can tell, but this place can get pretty wall to wall on Friday and Saturday nights. they have bands, and art, and sometimes spreads of food. I like this place.

This is what happens
when the neighborhood bar is
owned by your neighbors