Spitfires On State

The previous bar in this building was scummy which made me hesitant to even go in. But my wife has been on a wing kick and when that happens… I wanna keep that going for as long as possible.
Much different atmosphere and ambiance then the scummy pre– Spitfire days. Cool diverse crowd, clean, tastefully decorated, friendly waitress. My mild wings were good– could use a little more buffalo taste– but I will get them again. Plus with tater tots as an option, I am a happy customer.
I will definitely return as an after work, kickback place. I also look forward to trying their burgers.
$ 32 for two and worth it

I really hate to give Spitfires such a poor review but I really can’t help it. As one other review mentioned, I had a Bar Rescue though while I was there. I arrived at about 6:40, and did have pretty quick service. I ordered a grilled cheese with fries. Added bacon. This was $ 8.75! So please do something well. The bread options were white, wheat or rye. Wheat. Cheese? Pepper jack. Result? Sandwich that appeared the bread was simply toasted. Bacon probably pre-​cooked as it was good and crispy but there was something odd about it. The cheese, warned but not melted. Fries, fresh, hot, but out of a freezer bag, not homemade. Served 30 minutes later. They were busy though. Though more than one waitress for the whole bar may have been helpful.
After the rest of my group arrives, one orders a mini-​pitcher. What is about 15 minutes later, waitress walks by and I ask about that pitcher, and order myself one as well. Another ten minutes later we get our mini-​pitchers. I ask for a couple cups of ice. Another of our friends order wings.
Another 15 minutes and no ice. I go up to ask the bartender. She says sure. Finishes up the drink she was making. Puts a dice cup back. Another customer reaches into her and gives her his glass, she gives him ice. She pours two more shots. Then comes right back to me and starts washing glasses, right in front of me. I walk off. Five minutes later, see the waitress, and ask her again and tell her the dilemma. She brings us now four glasses of ice. Ummmmmm, ok.
Remember the friend who ordered wings? Yeah apparently they didn’t either. Oh, but when they finally came, I was bewildered because I know she couldn’t have ordered those. I mean that was like 40 mins ago. The wings had no sauce on them. No flavor. And good wings, you can smell the sauce. She mentions this to the waitress who walks off without taking the wings with her. About ten mins later returns and says the cook said he put sauce on the wings. He fries them, dips them, then grills them. If they were grilled, I’m wondering on what. The resolution, they gave her a cup of sauce.
The bathroom is very tight. And one stall, the toilet didn’t flush. I went to tell the bartender who only had two patrons at the bar, at this time they were not busy. She told me she would be right with me. And again, forgot me. I ran into the waitress and told her.
I genuinely give this one star because the waitress was pleasant. Unknown if she was just overly busy, which appeared to be the case, or possibly overwhelmed and a little lost. Either case, it’s unfortunate that an establishment would make a waitress feel that way. Oh, and she was the only one to clear tables so yeah tables sat dirty for quite a while.
The last two times I was here, everything was great and I had hoped to order pick up for lunch. Sadly, I can’t give this place a second chance. It was just that bad. I heard there were new owners… I suspect there will be again soon if things don’t change. I’ll come back then.

I always find myself wondering why im in this part of town when im on state street. I mean it looks dead and quiet, a memento of the factory laden past of Milwaukee. And then you have places like Spitfires and Saz’s that just pop out of nowhere and you realize why you came to state street.
It is a nice bar, mid-​sized with outdoor seating if i can recollect. Pretty quick service, we got seated immediately during a cubs game. Now onto the wings, the reason why we came. My buddy assured me these were the best wings in milwaukee and while they were pretty good, I have to disagree that they are Milwaukee’s best. Thats a tough title for anyone to live by. I had the asian sensation and honey bbq and my friend had tropical heat and some other hot flavor. The irony was the asian sensation was spicier than the wings he ordered! I guess thats the way to do it haha. I think the wings were pretty good, a little too gummy for my taste but if you’re into that i hold no judgment. There are a good variety of flavors and the price for the wings is pretty fair compared to many other places. $ 12 for 12 wings and a side is a pretty good deal to me. Give it a try if you get a chance!

So the food here is pretty good. And the drink specials are too. But the service is a nightmare. If you want to visit a place that makes you feel like you’re in the start of a“Bar Rescue” episode, visit soon! Maybe they’re understaffed, I don’t know, but if so, they are always understaffed. And the servers simply seem way too focused on things other than helping us, the customers, do what they want to do… Eat, drink, pay, and move on.

Cold beer! Some of the tastiest wings in town… worth the wait! Popcorn machine is always full and the staff is super friendly! We have only been here for wings but the other food (burgers are huge) looks good.

The wings are really really good. Lots of good flavors, the variety is great. They have a lot of interesting options beyond the usual burn-​your-​arse kinda things a lot of places have.
They have a sign on every table warning that the wings take longer to cook cuz they bother to do a good job, so I would say it’s rather unfair for the other reviewers here to subtract stars based on that.

DO NOT GO HERE if you’re a grammar fiend like I am. You will be haunted by their «Fish Fry’s» and «wing’s». However… their hilarious grammar caught my attention, and when on the lookout for a quick lunch spot, they popped into my mind’s.
We head over around noon and seriously no one was there! They have a little lot behind the bar that is nice, however this is plenty of street parking around the bar. The bartender was super friendly when we walked in and told us we could absolutely enjoy lunch on their nice patio. We headed out and both ordered a couple drinks — it was even the special on monday that it was buck off drinks :)
The inside was decked out with tons of tables and lots of machines to play on — plus there were tons of tvs, good place to catch a game perhaps… especially with that Brewer’s shuttle that they have!
Their menu actually had some pretty impressive options, but we wanted wings! Their wings were cheap at 12 for $ 10, but we both opted for the «meal», which included 6 (or 12) wings and a side. The sides were fries, tots, wedges, o-​rings etc… with curds and the like being offered for slight up-​charges. The wings were really good, and they have tons of sauces to choose from. They take about 15 minutes as they fry them, then sauce them, then grill them. This really soaked in a ton of the sauce flavor, but after grilling they came out pretty dry sauce wise. The spicy garlic packed tons of flavor into Jeremy’s, but my Blue Buffalo unfortunately left a lot of flavor left to be desired. I spose it’s also that I prefer a little bit of a saucier wing. The bone bucket, extra naps and wet wipes were an appreciated effort.
All in all, for two drinks, a wing meal and a tip I walked out paying about $ 16! Great deal and awesome service… I will be back!

Great Wings! I tried this place out, for the first time, on a Monday night, their wing night. They have $.50 wings on Monday nights, and they’re very good! They have about 20 different wing sauces to choose from, ranging from mild to spicy, and some are pretty creative. I like the raging jerk and blueberry bbq. Besides the wings, the other thing I love about this place is their shuttle! They offer a free shuttle bus to Summerfest, and to Miller Park, for all Brewer home games. They call their shuttle, the Party Bus, and it IS a party! The bus driver plays ‘Jock Jams’ and other dance music to get the crowd going. Plus they sell $ 3, 16oz. cans of Miller Lite, Coors Light and High Life on the bus. When you’re headed to Summerfest or a Brewer game, and you know you’re about to spend $ 7-​$ 8 per beer, who wouldn’t want a $ 3 beer for the ride?! Genius! What’s also great about their shuttle, is that they leave no man behind. When you ride, you sign your name and phone number on a clip board. You can’t get too drunk and miss your shuttle because they won’t stop until every name on that clip board has returned safely. The atmosphere is that of a sports bar. I’m told it’s a great place to watch a Packer game, and they offer free shots for every touchdown.

Riddle me this: What do you get when you walk a block from home and indulge in the following with your husband:
18 wings, a side of fries, 6 miller lites, 1 Summer shandy, and a shot of makers mark?
Answer: -$ 32, a Blackhawks win, a seat at the bar, and a pretty decent Monday night.
Wing Lovers Unite: this is the spot. This isn’t the 50 cent Wing Night place that slops some Franks on a slimey-​skinned wimp wing and calls it a deal… It’s the 50 cent Wing Night you’re willing to wait for. Your stomach rumbles knowing your beauties are crisping up on the grill, post-​fry. They’re soaking in the flavor, and you’re about to dive head first into a wing-​induced euphoria, coupled with great ranch OR bleu cheese and carrot sticks OR celery. (yeah, you get to pick) When you pick your face up, covered in sauce and ranch and a chicken-​y smile, you’ll have a full belly and be 3 bucks poorer.
THE FLAVORS. (Husband preaches on the Peach Heat, I’m sold on the Spicy Garlic. You’ve got options)
See ya at the bar.

I hate to write a bad review on this place because the food is actually really great! But I need to call attention to a certain waitress I’ve had both times I’ve been to Spitfires for food. She is short and blonde and actually was very nice and accommodating. The only thing is that SHE JACKS UP THE PRICES ON YOUR FINAL BILL.
The first time it happened I thought it was a mistake, because it was on a Saturday in the afternoon on a really nice day and if I were working I would have had a few drinks. But then I went for wings again last night and it happened AGAIN!
Our bill was raised a whole $ 12 from what it should have been. We were going to go to the bar because she wasn’t around when she ran out of the back seeming kind of panicked about it saying that she would take care of it for us. When we called out that our bill was way too much she again tried to act innocent saying «I’m not trying to rip you off» which we never said so that made me pretty suspicious. Then she added up our meals in her head to split CORRECTLY on the bill. Hmmm… Pretty sure she can do math well. Clearly she gets away with this all the time so I want to warn people that go and hopefully call attention to this to the management there.
I will now be returning to TomKens when I want wings where the waitresses would never do that! I am usually a great tipper and would have tipped 30% or more anyways.

This place has the best wings (buffalo blue are my favorite) and above average bar food. As long as you don’t go there with super high expectations that you’re going to have amazing service, you’ll really enjoy this bar. It’s a great place!

I love buffalo wings, I mean LOVE them! This place knows how to cook a buffalo wing! It’s the double cooked method fried and grilled. OH the result: tender/​crispy/​heavenly wings. I tried the Hot (slightly disappointed this was a dry rub but still very good), Bourbon Mustard was sweet with a nice kick, spicy garlic was my favorite-​a great balance of heat and garlic, but not overly garlicky. Like they mention on the menu-​it is a wait, but definitely worth it.

I’m gonna tell you that I had the Tacos as part of the Taco Tuesday special. They were great.
Service was slow, even though it wasn’t busy.
Shuttle to and fro the Brewers game is interesting.
The brewers lost that game too.

Because of social media, Spitfires now posts signs at their tables to warn patrons of long waits for food on busy nights.
This is crazy to me. First and foremost, it’s a bar. Belly up, get a drink, order food, then get a few more drinks. The food will come when it comes. Relax. They’re nice enough to keep a tab for you!
Secondly, it’s beyond worth the wait. Once you get those wings after all those cocktails you’ll be saying «Oh my God» and «OMG» on repeat ad infinitum (while you dance to something ridiculous).
Thirdly, you can go back the next day at 11 for a hangover burger and think to yourself, «Wow… they actually do a REALLY good job…»

This place is all about the wings. Ginger sesame for the win.
Overall, I’m very happy with Spitfires — it’s a sports bar with sports bar food that is consistently good if a bit slowly delivered. On crowded nights, be prepared for a significant wait.
Servers are attentive and friendly, and while waiting for food I’ve never had a glass of beer go dry for longer than a minute or so. The burgers are quite good, the chicken club is very good, and the wings are outstanding. I’d recommend this place for a low key outing with some low key food.

It’s just not that good. Dive bar — minus the charming qualities of a dive bar.

I’ve been here a few times to eat. the chicken wings are awesome! The garlic Parmesan is great as is the blueberry BBQ sauce. For you who want real hot this is a good place to go as they do some very hot stuff. all sauces are made in house from my understanding. the French fries are good. the mozzarella sticks are also good. only issue is service can be slow but I’ve been told there is 1 cook and it’s very small.

Awesome wings, burgers and apps. The area they are lacking in is service and service coordination. We had seperate checks, and one persons food came out, and we had to wait 20 minutes for our food to arrive. Then the burger was wrong (they forgot the bbq sauce, even though it is a standard component of the burger ordered). We had 2 different waitresses, I guess our waitress left halfway through our meal.
Plus on dart league night, there are only 2 tables that AREN’T reserved for players, making it hard to find a place to sit and eat.
All that aside, I keep going back for the food. It’s fatty, cheesy, fried and naughty but oh so good. Everything is fresh and flavorful with a unique little twist.

Neighborhood dive bar. We accompanied some friends here on Wednesday nite, 7÷24÷13; they like the chicken wings here.
My first observation is that they have several plastic dart board games, an electronic «Hoop Fever» basketball game, a pool table, and a TV in every nook and cranny.
On our arrival, we (five of us) sat a large table in the dining area. Several minutes later, a young lady who we all thought was the server told us she was very busy, but would get to us shortly, which she did, several minutes later. Upon taking our order, I realized that she was inexperienced in taking cocktail orders; she asked about two ordinary call orders we had made. Then, to our utter amazement, we watched her walk behind the bar and realized she was actually the bartender, too. Ooops!
We ordered sandwiches and chicken wings. The food was good. The breast of chicken on the chicken sandwiches were cooked to perfection… soft, not dry, but thoroughly cooked.
Not sure what’s going on at this place, but it is obvious that the (very sweet and nice) young lady that served us AND was the bartender, has absolutely no experience or training for her job. Shame on the owners/​management for putting her in that position without teaching her the basics and supervising her along the way. Or maybe the owners don’t care and see their business as just a hobby? Hmmm.

This place, while not a full-​fledged dive, definitely has a few dive bar qualifications.
1) It’s got an Internet jukebox where the most played artist is Nickelback. (I know. Can you believe it?!)
2) You’re apt to see more folks standing outside smoking a cigarette than at the bar.
3) If there’s 12 stools at the bar and six male patrons, you’ll neatly see a one-​stool space between each guy. And each guy will likely be staring forlornly in his glass or at one of the TVs showing sports, 24 – 7.
Spitfire’s resides at the confluence of numerous Milwaukee neighborhoods. To the east, urban Milwaukee and Miller Brewery; north, the Milwaukee bedroom community of Washington Heights; south, industrial and the Miller Park valley; and finally, west, the middle-​class neighborhood of Wauwatosa. What this means to you, dear review reader, is that you’re likely to see just about any type of person at Spitfire’s. It’s a true Milwaukee melting pot pub.
I have visited the place twice and both times I’ve had a nice experience. The service was good and the draught beers fresh (they’ve got a few domestics and local crafts on tap).
Last night was my first try at their Friday night fish fry. I came away wholly satisfied. For a town so well known for its fish fries, I still find it difficult to find a good one. And I’ll admit, the definition of a «good fish fry» is highly subjective, but growing up in northern Wisconsin, I found a good fish fry to include a couple of slices of marble rye, potato pancakes (applesauce, NOT ketchup!), cold, crispy and creamy coleslaw, and lastly, cod, beer-​battered to have a golden outside and white, moist opaque fish inside.
Spitfire’s has this. The taste of my «up-​nort» youth. I love it. It was also only $ 9.95 — another thing to love.
I’m looking forward to returning soon to give their burgers a try. Also, while I’m there, I’ll drop a fiver and Bogart the juke for a half an hour or so. If you’re lucky, you’ll be there at the same time — the last thing we need to hear while we are dining is Nickelback! ;)