Will’s Pub

Went here with my girlfriend and had a great experience. John the bartender knows how to pour a drink!!! Great customer service, and an amazing personality. Awesome venue, live music, fair price. If you ever are near downtown Orlando, you MUST stop by and get yourself one of the 260 craft beer selections, or a finely poured cocktail.

I want one in Western Massachusetts damn it! A dive, with a stage, with cheap drinks, cool stuff going on, the right amount of grime. Ugh, everytime I go to Orlando I go here and leave frustrated that my are is so conservative (while waving a very liberal flag) that we cant get ourselves a decent dive like this! keep doing what you are doing! stoked it i smoke free, able to hang and have some drinks without the second hand smoke! I wish i was in town for Torche!

This pub is really awesome. I went there for art night, and that was the best idea ever. I love that they have love music– and the jazzy, funk, classic rock is something I adore. So, I danced all night. This is a go to place on a lazy weekend night hands down.

I, like many aged orlandoans, remember the previous version of Will’s Pub, nestled in the loving embrace of a 1950s strip motel on the southern border of loch haven park. Sadly, someone thought a parking lot for a medical complex offered better ROI than one of the best live music/​dive bars ever.
The newer version lacks the awesome layout of the previous Will’s Pub (on Mills). You have to walk through the venue to get to the bar, a major down side from the previous version where those who were ready to drink (And NOT watch a band of questionable quality and/​or durability) needed not worry about pesky door covers or awkward conversations regarding the obvious signs of the early onset of alcoholism.
Now, you gotta go through the front door with everyone else. Unless the back door is open. Or you wanna go next door to lil’ indies. Basically there is no downside other than not having the former clean segregation of music venue and bar. It’s also got a badass underutilized happy hour that kicks the shit out of any other bar in the downtown /​mills 50 sector. Why this place isn’t crowded from 4 – 6 every day is a mystery that I doubt will last. 2 $ old forester isn’t bad, man. Get here.

Great basement-​like venue for seeing live music in an intimate setting.
Cheap tickets & drinks.
Friendly staff & lots of free, nearby parking.

Visited Will’s Pub for the first time this past Cinco de Mayo and thought it was the perfect venue to see a band perform and still have an intimate vibe. The sound was great and the lighting was a perfect compliment, yet not overpowering.
I also really liked the random artwork and prints they had thought. Nice eclectic mix, but be warned there are a ton of old nude pinups. Not a bad thing as they were beautiful, but still. The whole wall of boobies was a bit much.
We arrived early enough to catch happy hour (at the time I’m writing this it was $ 2 single well drinks, $ 4 double well drinks and $ 1 off of everything else). It ended at roughly 8pm so that was nice to have a later happy hour. They had other specials for the Cinco holiday too so that was fun.
Parking wise, there’s a lot next door that we parked in. Since we were early it was no issue finding a spot. There is also on-​street parking but I can see it being difficult to find a spot the later it gets.
The only real con to this place is it is grungy. Appropriate for the environment but a little dirtier than I prefer. On some of the posters there was visible roach poop. Yuck! The bathrooms also doubled as storage so that was off putting. But again, appropriate for the venue.
All in all, we’ll certainly be back next time one of our favorite bands is there.

WIll’s Pub is a dive bar mostly known for their live music. It’s not my favorite venue, but it’s certainly not the worst either. The layout is a little funky, as it’s kinda broken up into 3 spaces — but they do hold some pretty cool events here (most notably Southern Fried Sundays)
When you first walk in there is a room with a couple high top tables, a pool table, a few booths, and a photobooth. This is a nice area to just relax and get some space. The next room is the actual concert area with a standing area about 30×30. Then in the very back is the bar which is about 20′ long, and then has a couple high top tables to sit at.
The layout makes the concert space a little crowded for larger shows, since you cannot see music from in the 1^st or 3^rd rooms. Also, the only entrance/​exit is the front door, so traffic is constantly flowing in and out.
The good news is that they now serve a full liquor bar, and they no longer allow smoking inside — which I know are very important to a lot of people.
If a band you like is playing this venue, it’s definitely worth checking out. And the cover is usually pretty cheap.

went for the awkward brunch and the movie was dead on. For 10 $ i got to see a movie in a small intimate setting with strangers as we cringe and laugh at the most awkward scenes ever devised on film along with a delicious Brunch. I love the fact that its smoke free in there. Beer selection is huge. Many beers i have never seen before. I would like to go back for the Music. Brunch is highly recommended and happensonce a month here

One of the best music venues in Orlando. I love the staff and the beer selection. Always excited to go here.

A little grimy – just the way you like it. This is one of the few good local rock venues around so stop by for a show! No more smoking inside which is GREAT for us nonsmokers. You can still light up on the nice outside patio shared with Lil’ Indies which is a popular cocktail spot nextdoor.
Nothing more to tell you. They have booze. There is music. They do all kinds of music so stop by some night for a show. Cover charge varies.

Definitely one of the best dive bars in Orlando and it keeps getting better. No more smoking inside [but ample outside seating for smokers — always a bonus!], good selection of beers, and now serving liquor!
I’ve seen some awesome shows at Will’s, as well. Lil Indies is right next door serving up craft cocktails, now, too. Ya can’t lose!

Delightfully grungy with a kick ass drink selection, friendly bartenders, and good entertainment. They also have a nice little outdoor area to enjoy your cancer sticks. I dig this place.

Altogether mammoth among the sea
We invoke black devils among the virgin
The feeling gets eldritch
Supernatural and glittering within the mist
I see peaceful bones within the slime
The sin has died
So musty above the towers
You conjure dream-​like lamia under the spirits
flickering nameless
seeing the light
empty hands
In whose arms
the lover
chased his dream
while the crowd watched

I used to be in a band. Yes, I’m THAT guy. But anyways, I remember playing here back in the day. So, going here for another local show recently brought back fond memories. Heck, I remember playing at their OLD location just north on Mills.
Wills is a great place to see touring and local bands. this particular night had decent bands… the last of which was actually quite solid. They were called Plush Monsters. I met up with some friends, had a good ol’ time.
The beer selection is pretty good. I had Brooklyn Summer Ale, as well as a Bell’s Two Hearted. Most of the young hipsters were drinking PBR, because they got the 2008 memo when they turned 21 three months ago. No, seriously, don’t go here if you think hanging out with young hipsters will make you feel old. because it will and it did.
The bathroom is disgusting. I will say that. But, it’s a dive bar with bands playing. I didn’t expect anything different.
Fish out of Water sushi truck was there. Good stuff!
Oh, and hipsters now smoke e-​cigs. who knew. At least I could breathe in the bar!

I’ve been here a few times for shows, and it’s alright. This is basically the type of place that tries to look like a dive bar in order to be trendy and attract the hipster crowd. Anyone that’s been to a real dive bar will know the difference the second they walk in. Real ones have smoking inside, and don’t overcharge for PBR, for example. That, and the crowd is usually a bit rougher.
It’s still a fairly decent place despite the annoying hipsters who are constantly talking to Siri on their iphones. The staff is pretty cool, and the bands they get are pretty good.
Also, to the staff: Clean your bathroom once in awhile. We get it. You’re trying to look divey. That doesn’t mean the bathroom should look the way it does.

Gotta love a good dive bar!
I love Will’s for a couple of reasons:
1– It’s smoke-​free inside (now)
2– Great bottled beer selection
3– fantastic music/​themed nights (like Southern Fried Sundays!)
4– LOCATION
5– 3 rooms, all feeling dark and slightly out of place
6– etc…
This is a true Orlando establishment (though it’s moved around a bit) and helps define the divey, local, unpolished vibe of Mills50.

I have been here quite a few times and love it. One of the best dive bars around here. They have two small pool tables in the front room. There is also a photo booth. The center area has a stage and a large area for concerts and shows. The back area has a bar with lots of seating and a large selection of bottled beers and some draft beers.
On my most recent visit I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is now non smoking inside! The prices are reasonable and the staff is always helpful. Great place to go see local bands and have some delicious craft beers!

I’m going to just pretend my eyes didn’t burn and my lungs didn’t hurt from being in a SMOKING venue. C’mon Florida, get with the program.
Besides the lung damage, I dig this venue. Laid back outdoors area, decent area to put merch (near the photo booth and pool tables), decent sound for how divey and dark this place is, and pretty awesome regulars.
I came here with one of my friends’s bands who were headlining– it’s always good when venues provide you with ample drink tickets and pay. I was really surprised and happy to see that, after having seen/​known other bands who stop into Will’s if their tour takes them through Orlando.
Get rid of the smoking indoors and I’d say I would make this my regular place if I lived in Orlando. If you’re from Boston, think O’Brien’s Pub. If you’re from Charlotte, think Snug Harbor. If you’re from Rochester, this is the closest you’ll find to the Bug Jar. Dig it.

This is a total dive bar. Dark, mysterious, not many flashing lights. People who look cool and mysterious, but seem friendly too. A scary looking bathroom. A stage for a small band, and a small open area in front to view them.
You enter the place through a dark room, which seems like an overflow room (ok, I read another review, and I forgot there are pool tables here). Then you venture into another room with the stage and the viewing area. Attached to this room, at the back, is the bar. The bar has bar seats all around, and you can chit chat with the bartender.
I’ve been here twice. The first time I was here alone among strangers, who I ended up striking conversations with. This last time with friends, and we had a good time chatting about their beers and the fun stickers on the beer coolers. The bartender was friendly and answered our questions, even if we were pestering her a little (we were legitimately curious!).
They have a great bottled/​canned craft beer selection and a handful on tap.
You can smoke here, but when we were there, they made some smokers leave because of some policy of no smoking when a band was about to play, or something like that.
I’ve never seen a band here, since we left before the one for the night was about to start. I really should. What’s wrong with me.

The layout of this place is WACKY!
You walk into a room with billiard tables which could be confusing — but if you get passed that you end up in their ‘concert room’ which is also confusing.
Finally at the very back you’ll find the little bar with a big selection of beer (lots of good stuff on the menu)
Definitely a dive — but it was fun.