How can you not love (or at least vaguely enjoy) this fun and oddball bar in Bayview. But who doesn't love an oddball? I love Blackbird's wild and eclectic decor. I feel very much at home because we share very similar tastes in home decor. It feels very cozy as soon as I enter this bars. I believe we had two wonderful bartenders who took our order and quickly brought back out drinks. Great service, dimly but warmly lit (which I love to help me avoid migraine triggers), lots of conversation and chattering going on around us. Also, PINBALL! My partner and I spent a decent chunk of change having all the fun. You should really go. And experience it all! read more

See all

What a great neighborhood place! We stopped here at the end of our night for one more drink and loved the vibe and wall to wall decor. They had a great selection of beers and we got a big booth right when we walked in. There's music but not too loud to have a conversation. Worth a visit for sure! read more

Love love love this bar. Came here with a friend for Thursday night bar trivia and had a great time. The have an impressive selection of WI beers, a great (and generous) old fashioned, and awesome trivia night. The bar was busy and the bartender eventually learned my name which I had zero expectation of since there were so many people. Love the vibe inside, the decor was cool and the trivia host even joked that maybe you'd find an answer to a question in all of it. For the trivia, I really appreciated the format. 3 rounds, each with 2 categories of questions. There aren't really long drawn out breaks in between questions which keeps things moving. They do take a break between each round, which is perfect so you can grab your next drink. The categories are fun and challenging. Losers get to pick a category for next week which I think is a fun twist as long as the category isn't super niche. But I guess that is the advantage of you are the loser that shows up the next week to play. Overall fantastic experience. I would recommend Blackbird to anyone who wants a hipster dive or a fun night of trivia. read more

See all

Stopped in because it was a stop in our Old Fashioned passport. Old Fashioned was good and less expensive then most. Service was quick even though it was pretty busy. Decor is cool. read more

Blackbird Bar - Old Fashioned - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

10/10 ambience. Bartenders are fabulous and have great tattoos. Music is great for the vibe. Not too loud, but good for listening. R&B hits almost every song. You will be pleasantly surprised. read more

First, true dive bars smell like piss and the drinks are usually grandpa beers and shots that can get you screwed up on $10. I am digging my draft cocktail called Sunglasses at Night, and at $10 a pop qualifies as a hipster drink not a dive bar drink so let's get our verbiage correct. No dive bar has draft cocktails. Or anything that requires fresh fruit. Or any drafts over $3 a glass. So now that we can re- label The Blackbird as a cool hipster place with a kick ass draft cocktail I'm happy. We love bars that are full, loud, and filled with action. You won't be disappointed. Decor is cool, thrift shop chic. Music is crushingly loud which I love when it's music I love. Sadly I'm a gen xer so the playlist tonight is a stretch. I love this bar they are getting everything right except calling it a dive bar. It's a hipster joint and that's ok. All the authentic dive bars are going out of business. Can I have another Sunglasses at Night, Please? My $25 tab tonight would have been my grandpa's dive bar allowance for a week. read more

The kind of bar you make friends with the person in the stool next to you. Chill vibes, great specials and good drinks. Love this ambiance. read more

Blackbird Bar - people sitting at the bar - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Angelina and Casey are so cool funny and hot- my favorite Friday night spot after a long day at work

Great place to have a surprise birthday party for my friend and it was a great place to order pizza, great drinks and have a outdoor back patio that is amazing with basil garden too! Service was great too! read more

Been to Blackbird a couple of times. Awesome vibe. Casey and Angelina are the best bartender duo! Personable, stylish and made our night so much better than it had been going after experiences elsewhere. read more

Casey and Angelina are the best bartenders! So welcoming and have awesome energy. Been here before and it's always a good time, but something about these two working together makes it such an awesome experience. Will definitely be back!! :) read more

We live super close, but hadn't been in for a few years. They did a little remodeling, and it looks great. The last time we were in there, they had board games that they seem to have ditched- maybe pandemic related. Anyways it's a nice chill vibe, great happy hour deals, and a friendly bar tender. Definitely a neighborhood bar we have to pop in to support more often. read more

See all

On a bar hopping night, my first stop was Blackbird at the southern end of KK. It had a sparse crowd on Valentine's Day, but I struck up conversation with an older couple who were headed to Hungry Sumo for dinner. The bartender was gregarious and knew a few people sitting at the bar. He was friendly enough towards me but drawn to the couples he knew. Amazed Blackbird had a Mezcal cocktail on tap as Mezcal isn't a favorite of the average Milwaukee drinker, I found it too sweet, but the smoke came through. Blackbird's decor echoes a thousand other Milwaukee bars. You could be anywhere within a 100 mile radius. Blackbird's a nice bar, but wasn't particularly distinctive. read more

We were walking by killing time looking for a place to get a beer when we happened to peak through the door. From the outside, the place looked dark and dingy. BUT... the inside is super cozy and charming with a north woods vibe! Loved it! Great selection of beer and very friendly staff! read more

Blackbird Bar - Games - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

I LOVE the Thursday night Trivia!!! It is a hipster bar with a chill vibe and fun times guaranteed! It what I would consider a typical Milwaukee-area "dive" bar - which is narrow and long, dimly lit, and full of character. There is a larger space at the back of the bar where some people hold birthday parties and shenanigans. The bartenders are always nice and attentive and drink prices are standard for the area and time of day when I visit (trivia time). Did I mention there is great trivia on Thursday nights?! I got hooked during the time of the covid, when the host Joe was kind enough to hold free virtual trivia every couple weeks. He and his wife are an entertaining team! I'll definitely be back soon :) read more

I've been coming to Blackbird Bar for about a year or so and it's one of my favorite spots to hang out with friends, grab a drink and play board games. The vibes are chill, the drinks are yummy and they have great happy hour deals throughout the week. Maybe you're looking for a low key bar to chill on a date or looking for a place to hang with friend this can be your spot. And if you're into pin ball games you can play those too. read more

Blackbird Bar - Moscow Mule - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Let me start by saying, they don't have high chairs! Hahaha. Now with that said, there were two babies in this place and yes one was mine lol. It was too loud for them, really. But the staff was so friendly towards the little one. Bartender had it going on, he made the place vibe. They have really fun drinks, I had the bee sting, something about gin, honey and lemon-yum! Food portions were huge! I will be back, just without the baby. read more

The trivia was a ton of fun! Despite being super busy, the bartenders kept up with customers and were super nice. The atmosphere is also pretty neat. We'll definitely be back! read more

Love this place! It's cozy, fun and offers great drink specials. There is a drink special almost every night of the week at different times. They have board games, pinball machines and great music at the bar. We are always welcomed here with a friendly smile and good service. Bring some friends and have a night out here at Blackbird Bar...or come by yourself and make some new friends! read more

A cool neighborhood throwback bar with lots of energy and conversations happen' here! read more

Blackbird Bar - Retro bar - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Best Bar Trivia i've ever been in! The service and culture is amazing, and i look forward to every thursday because of it. The food menu could add a thing or two, but the beer choices are endless! read more

Blackbird Bar - Prize for winning! - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

tl;dr perfect hispter bar with ample pinball times and good happy hour. Blackbird Bar has always been a hot spot for my friends and me. We actually hosted our last Ugly Sweater Christmas party here (a little chat with the management and we were able to section of the back room just for us and they were so chill about it - we even had pizza delivered there.) It has a great menu of beers (Wisconsin-centric) and the bartenders make excellent mixed drinks/cocktails. AND THERE ARE PINBALL MACHINES - and a weird video game machine in the back room along with a photo booth. It sometimes even hosts pinball tournaments (if you think you've got what it takes...) All around cool, hispter place with strange decor that makes me want to grab a drink there with my friends. read more

This bar felt like my uncle's basement--Lots of old wood, vintage beer signs, and some lingering Christmas decor. If you know, you know. Everything on tap is 6% or above which is thoughtful. The bartender was friendly and kept picking solid Netflix movies (Twins 1988 thank u) 10/10 read more

I definitely recommend Blackbird for your birthday!!! You can drink free all night birthday boy/girl! :) The bar is a long, narrow one. Some back space for that Bday party, too. There are a bunch of pinball machines! Why is pinball so hard? Man, I didn't do that well, lol. Also some pull tabs to blow your singles on. This is for sure a hipster vibe, FYI. This is a nice little area where you can bar hop fro Blackbird to Lee's Luxury Lounge, and The Palm. read more

Their new patio is very nice. At least with Covid they only have about 6 tables with 4 seats each outside. Even though it's surrounded by buildings it still feels like it's own area. I wish I took a picture (you probably wish I did too). The inside is somewhat dark and crowded. They also have good mixer specials and $1 taps sometimes! read more

First time we went there, very satisfied. The food was great. The atmosphere was good staff, very friendly prices were very reasonable.

WHAT. When did this place open? 10 years ago?! How did I miss that? Oh wait, I know - I was next door at the Palm, which is also a fantastic joint. This bar was great. Hipster-stylish, a good array of beverages, a chatty, great, friendly bartender, and silly bar games to win cocktails! Love the 60's ambiance, so 'grammable. Great music. I'll be back to walk back and forth from this place and the Palm. read more

Great bar for this pregnant lady! We gathered here for a friends birthday and I was excited to see they had multiple large booths so our party could sit down and enjoy each other's company. It wasn't too loud so we could easily chat. Large drink menu, including a great selection of NA drinks! Bathrooms were clean and the bartender was nice. Another bonus is the board games they have laying around, we played Wisconsin trivia and the couple next to us was playing chess. There's also two TVs (small but they do the job). read more

Blackbird is great because it doesn't pretend to be something it's not. They have a fantastic bottle list of Wisconsin beers that are displayed in glass coolers behind the bar. The beer selection is nicely curated. They deserve another half star, but their tap selection makes Blackbird not my first choice in Bayview. Also, the business is owned by a chick, which seems to be pretty rare for beer establishments. read more

Blackbird Bar - Tons of Wisconsin bottles - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I've not reviewed Blackbird?!? ... it's like I don't even know who I am anymore, you guys. I'll keep this one short and sweet. I love Blackbird. Blackbird is serious about Wisconsin, Wisconsin beer, Bay View, good tunes, and good people. They rock great happy hour specials, the bartenders are nice, they have an awesome old-school photobooth that works sometimes, lots of games, lots of pinball, and it's lots of fun. A true Bay View/MKE/WI gem, this spot is as casual as it is cool. read more

See all

Great bar with a focus on all things Wisconsin. 75+ Wisconsin Beers available, Rehorst vodka, and that "Up North" feel that the owner is trying to feature, while still remaining hip. Loved the friendliness of the place, and the pinball and table video games. There's a lot of space for groups, big white vinyl circular booths to spread out in the back. But bellying up to the bar is nice because everyone's so friendly. Happy hour is 4-8pm (with $4 Rehorst drinks) so maybe you can get that Moscow Mule served in a copper cup with fresh ginger and lime! As previous male reviewers have mentioned, the men's urinal is right by the bathroom door, so if someone opens it while you're taking a leak you'll be giving them the Full Monty! A little latch lock on that door should do the trick! read more

Blackbird is a not a fancy bar full of craft beer options, but they do provide a wide range of local Wisconsin selections with amazing specials... and when I say amazing... I do mean AMAZING. Everyday you are able to drink Wisconsin brewed beer for minimal prices (generally $2-4 per beer). The staff here are extremely nice and sociable, while their trivia night is extremely fun and well run. It you do decide to stop by for trivia night make sure you come at least 30 min early or you won't get a seat! read more

Blackbird Bar - Pretty decent dark and stormy. - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

such a cute bar! we played classic battleship, took pictures in the photo booth and enjoyed an amazing old fashioned. read more

Blackbird Bar - battle ship and old fashioned - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Blackbird Bar is like walking into a familiar place and running into an old pal. Or the feel of sliding on an old baseball glove--it just feels 'right.' The vibe is laid-back; it's a little gritty and raw but that's the whole appeal--it's authentic and chock full of character. The selection is solid, their specials are decent, the space is smaller but spread out, and the lighting adds to the overall aesthetic. Blackbird has never disappointed me. read more

Love the atmosphere and pinball machines. Jackson is a great bartender! Always makes you feel welcome and remembers a face. Really enjoying the beer options and punch card for local breweries will get your name on a wooden plaque, which is fun! read more

I live in Riverwest, but I have slowly been trying to make my way to Bayview every once in a while to see what's up. Saturday marked my first time at Blackbird, and I really liked it! Good bartenders, good clientele, good jukebox. An oddly large number of trivial pursuit boxes strewn about, plus other games. A pretty good selection of seating. Overall very enjoyable. The men's bathroom is a logistical nightmare. You open the door and the urinal is like, right there. I can't even accurately describe how close the urinal is to the door. The urinal could be the door. So, if you're pee-shy at ALL, try to get the stall. Sidenote: the alley is too well-lit for public urniation. Plus that's illegal. read more

Blackbird you're kinda my favorite. I hope you feel the same. I'm here at least once a week. Probably more. Bartenders are super spectacular. I might have a few favorites and they know who they are. I'm from chicago and this place reminds me so much of home. But without all the pretentiousness and secret handshakes that so many places in chicago have. (Sorry hometown, but that's pretty accurate) Great selection of beer, cider and crazy good Moscow Mules. LOVE the dj series they have going on. It's awesome. OH; And there's a photo booth !!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. read more

Things I like in a bar: -Solid bottle list including tons of Wisco beer -A laid back attitude -Pinball I like this bar. read more

Oops, my first time here was a few days ago. Yikes. I'm sorry. I know. I've been missing out. My guy pal wanted to go out for the Packers playoff game, because as much as I love lounging around my house and yelling embarrassingly at my own tv, it's more fun to do it with a bunch of strangers. Confident in our ability to win, we decided to save Cactus and their known game day funtivities for the next game (see ya this Sunday!) Blackbird has been talked up to me by everyone I know who has set foot in the bar, and it actually lived up to the hype. I'm a big beer consumer, and the selection was apt. I didn't get to stay and drink as many as I would have liked, but that leaves more for next time. I like the atmosphere. There's a bunch of room (at least compared to Boone & Crockett, which was the last bar as I was at prior to this). It took my eyes a minute to adjust to how dark it was, with it being noon with a bunch of snow on the ground, but it was fine. The bartender was nice. Downside? TD shot was one of those weird gut-rot liquors that taste like jolly ranchers. But that's it. That's the only thing I didn't like. I'll definitely be back, and probably to check out the DJ series. To all my fellow Riverwesters/East Siders- make the trek down for this! read more

I don't spend a lot of time in Bayview. I think that's going to start changing soon, there's so many interesting and fun places that I've just never been to, and I'm glad I can cross Blackbird off that list. It's dim, cozy, well priced, and the staff is friendly. It's the exact feel I want to have when I go out for a drink on a sunday night, or just for a chill and quiet night out. It's probably one of the nicer dive bars I've been to, and has a small area in the back with a photobooth and pinball machines, far away enough to not be a nuisance to the main area. It's a great spot to come in with a few friends and actually be able to talk, as the music isn't too loud, and there are plenty of places where your group can sit together. I'll definitely be coming back next time I find myself around there. read more