I stumbled into here during Pride this year with some friends and honestly I didn't know the place even existed. They have a great outdoor space with bar and inside bar. The service was quick while the bar was busy. They had music playing and some TVs. I have no idea of this place serves food either but I'll definitely be stopping again. read more

Kruz - Cigarettes - Gay Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Love kruz's patio! Cheap drinks, and bartenders are always so friendly :) a great stop always, especially in the summer read more

Kruz - Gay Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Just love this bar it's off the busy streets of South second and back at the end of east national! It's a men's bar for the gay sort being I am Trans and not a popular place for Trans as I found out back in the parking area not being accepted for getting a easy hookup! Also noticed something new police parking in the back of lot restricting freedom of movement read more

Initially - we were across the street trying to get a drink at this beautiful bar that was extremely packed, but because it was a weekend during the day, there were large groups coming in at a time since they were bar hopping on those pedaling table car thingies (?). Essentially, we didn't want to wait forever to grab a drink even though the ambiance was amazing, so my friend realized this place existed across the street. We walked in - and although we were probably the youngest people in here - we had an amazing time. The bartender was super friendly and the clientele next to us at the bar were also welcoming. We decided to take our cheap drinks outside into the covered and closed patio space by the fire and enjoyed a drink and was listened to the music and people watched. I was surprised by the little gem. From the outside it's unassuming for sure and it's definitely in a random area, but don't sleep on it! read more

Seems okay. Definitely stay out of the shed, unless you like to be taken advantage of! Dance safe gentlemen, a locked shed that people hook up in inside of one party consent states is bad news. read more

I absolutely love this play for an after work drink. The bartenders are exquisite (especially Evan!) but their bathroom situation definitely needs to be addressed. The main bathroom is just a free for all (aka a trough for #1 and a toilet that is not enclosed) and the single bathroom has no lock. From word of mouth, it's because the owner doesn't want people to do drugs in there (understandable). However, having no lock on a bathroom single stall is dangerous for trans and non binary people who just want to do their business in peace. Otherwise I would give it 5 stars! read more

The bar does not support veterans or individuals with disabilities that prevent them from using masks. The jukebox also prevents new users from playing their songs and features bad music and repetitive music. Very poor experience. I will not be back. read more

I broke up with my girlfriend on St Patricks Day because I couldn't hide myself a minute longer. I found myself alone and confused at Kruz, and was served by the bartender Evan. He was so kind and fun and such a great listener. He helped me accept myself, and I'm ready to tell the world I am a homosexual. Evan changed my life, and made a great vodka tonic while doing it. Thank you for saving me. read more

I went to this bar with a couple friends while in town for a derby event. Sadly, I was accosted by another patron (very intoxicated and had already broken a glass when he came up to my friends) who presumed I was straight and got very confrontational with me. Thankfully the bar staff handled to deescalate and made me feel very welcome in the bar AND made sure I was ok. My friends and I were also lucky enough to sit out on the patio and the bar staff turned on the fire for us in the chilly evening. Very great place and I will totally visit again the next time I am in Milwaukee. read more

Womp. I was here a couple years ago and had fun. But I walked in today, masked, sat at a table. There was a candle that smelled a bit so I moved it to the shelf on the wall. A few minutes later the bartender came to our table, and without a word or greeting moved the candle back to the table. Then walked away. No order taken. No pleasantries. So I walked outta there. Cause he was super rude. And there was a negative level of service. Go elsewhere, folks read more

I must say, this has become my go-to bar every time that I visit Milwaukee. As I get older, I have become far "less scene" and prefer my slower paced dive bars. Kruz certainly falls into that category. The atmosphere is very laid back, friendly staff, strong/reasonably priced drinks, and an amazing patio complete with heaters and fire places for those chilly spring or fall evenings. Or in my case, a chilly July evening! I greatly look forward to coming back several times in the near future. read more

Lovely patio with all the beautiful plants and flowers. You may even see hummingbirds while enjoying your drink on the patio. Owner and staff are friendly and attentive. I love to stop here whenever I am in Milwaukee, as I did twice in the last couple weeks. And, they are taking lots of precaution during the COVID pandemic. read more

I think I've died and gone to gay bar heaven. I love that it's a tiny bit off the beaten track, so it's not in the thick of all the bar craziness. Kruz truly does have one of the loveliest and most intimate patios I've been to in Milwaukee. Don't let the chilly air put you off, there's lots of space heaters and toasty fire pits outside. Inside is dark and warm, and usually decorated to the nines for whatever is seasonally appropriate. They had the best Halloween set up I have seen anywhere in town, no joke. It would have been a scream to come here on Halloween proper! Maybe next year I'll put that on my list of things to do... The crowd here is a bit older, but everyone is friendly, welcoming, and approachable. I even ran into one of my old buddies! I can't wait for an excuse to come down here and hang out with my friends again. The drinks are great, of course - that almost goes without saying. Get in on that two-for-one special. Parking is so easy, too! Definitely check it out next time you're looking for a place to knock back a couple of cocktails in peace, or mix it up with a lively crowd - Kruz is delightful because they accommodate both, in spades. read more

Absolutely love this place. All inclusive and super friendly. If you can ignore the smokers they have a amazing patio!!!

I arrived last night shortly after 10, and upon ordering my first drink, proceed to the patio. Kruz has a beautiful patio, one of the nicest in the city. Mostly older crowd, but had some great conversations with some nice gentlemen. My only complaint is that someone called me fat, even though I'm 170 pounds. However, he was immediately kicked out, so I felt like they had my back. read more

Definitely the most popular of all Milwaukee's gay hot spots. The bartending staff is the best in town. Kruz is definitely the place to hang if you want to be seen. Update: if you haven't seen the patio makeover for 2015, you're missing out. This bar continues to be simply the most well-run and mostly professional in town. And their pours are legendary! Nick and CC rock. Jerry and Serge are awesome. It's like a " Queer Cheers"! read more

Kruz is always a great place to visit, either the parking lot is deceivingly full, or its really damn full, always hard to tell. Hey, at least's busy! Its a bit of a jaunt from the community bars a little ways left on national and 2nd, but not hard to find by any means. The ambiance is phenomenal; walls painted dark, a very large back mirror, disco balls and lights always going, and very elaborately decorated. No televisions; the bar means what its named; its for 'cruising.' This is a good thing, its meant to engage conversation, something most people lack glued to their phones these days. The clientele is primarily a daddy / leather-levi bar since Bootcamp burned down, but can attract somewhat of a young crowd on fridays and saturdays. Drinks are strong as hell, cheap as hell, and served in long, flute like glasses (at least for tap beer, anyway). Bartenders are great, too! excellent in remembering you're name. They mave even pull the fog string when certain songs come on! (think: "im so excited" by the pointer sisters!) The patio is probably the best one in Milwaukee; flamboyantly decorated but very tastefully so. impeccable displays of plants, amazingly comfortable couches and benches, and even well heated in the winter! Kruz is an awesome, relatively new addition to the gay bars here, but long may it live! read more

I...guess? Stopped in on a random Thursday night with a couple friends. It was pretty dead. We got some drinks and sat on the patio, which is really nice. I've heard this bar gets pretty fun on busy nights. This was my first time there in like 5 years, so I had no lasting memories to sift through. Bartender was nice. Not sure what the specialty of this place is. It is certainly not beer (just Miller products), so I'm guessing they mostly make strong tall rail drinks. I ordered a short, and the bartender looked at me like "are you sure?". Then I remembered that gays drink talls, but I've been out of the loop for a while, so there we are. I would go again. Seems like a good place to chill out with a group. read more

Zero stars. We walked in after riding the pedal tavern and were immediately asked if we were on the pedal tavern. We said yes and they REFUSED to serve us. The bartender said anybody that was on the pedal tavern is a binge drinker. They were rude and judgmental. Would never ever spend my money there. Take your money to a bar that actually welcomes new faces. This bar is horrible. read more

This is the nicest bar in Milwaukee for those friends of Dorothy's to visit. A very friendly atmosphere in a tastefully done and clean bar that is very conducive to meeting new friends, talking with the locals or just having fun. Wonderful outside patio that is homey and very relaxing under a large canopy tent with comfortable outdoor furniture, well designed and accented with many tropical plants and seductive lighting. Kruz bar is top shelf! However, the main draw of this whole place is the bartender, Nick. What a beautiful specimen of man of 29 years old! Friendly, polite as apple pie, handsome beyond words, great body, not pretentious and quite comfortable being naturally masculine. His presence adds the final cherry on top of the whip cream that makes Kruz bar such an outstanding place to visit, even for me, coming from Chicago with countless bars to choose from. This place is worth a visit! read more

My favorite bar in Milwaukee. If a handsome man is heading out, he's sure to be here. Great music. Great staff. Clean and nice place to hang out for hours. Really nice patio with plenty of seats and numerous fire pits and heaters for winter. Live in palm springs California, always so many nice guys to meet here. Plenty of parking in off-street lot too. read more

Great bar with a beautiful patio. The inside is dumpy, but that's the charm! The pool table shouldn't be in there. Just get rid of it at this point. Love this bar tho!!! read more

Kruz bar is now in questionable in its integrity as one of the few gay bars in the Milwaukee area. Today a friend of mine and I who come in often enough to be recognized as usual customers, were treated with no respect and dignity as we were asked to either order something or leave the premises. We like to bar hop as friends several of the milwaukee area LGBT bars and end our night at Kruz bar. As we came back for the second time during the night, we decided to sit at the bar. We were approached by the regular old bartender asking us what we were going to order, to which we responded nothing yet since we weren't ready. He took a negative reaction to it. I left to the bathroom, and to my return my friend told me the bartender had ask him to either ordered something or to get out. Then for no reason he turned hostile against us for not ordering when we sat close to the pool table. This was around 1:45am, with plenty of time to order before closing time. I think we didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Specially since we have been customers since 2018. The old bartender was nasty, rude and needs to learn to be patient with customers. Kruz has definitely fallen off the list as one of the great lgbt+ bars in Milwaukee thanks to the bartender. If I could I would give this place zero stars. read more

Credit card was unintentionally overcharged by an employee who no longer works there. Be wise, pay in cash. Still it's my go to place. Great patio, good prices. read more

Worst bar I've experienced. Went with a few friends and as we were outside (their outside patio made available) we had a cigarette. They poured out our drinks *an honest mistake* however after ordering new shorts to make up for what was poured out, we were charged, we asked why? Not only did the bartender become extremely aggressive but also asked how we could be so stupid to leave out beverages within a bar that had roughly 7 patrons and said if we didn't realize our drinks weren't safe we were stupid (literally his words) the handle bar mustache owner refused to even listen to why we felt frustrated and kicked us out. Honestly really least professional bar experience I've ever had. read more

Do not trust your credit/debit cards at this bar. They overcharge, change tip amounts and if you question them about it you are verbally accosted and asked to leave the bar. I paid $20 for two Vodka and Tonic well drinks. When questioned was called a cheat and told not to come back. DO NOT TRUST THIS BAR. read more

Kriz has a great patio, great drinks that are cheap and strong, and the patrons are of all ages and backgrounds. They even welcome the straight girls like me! The patio attendants are wonderful, and the bartenders always make sure to let you know you've been noticed. I am always pleased with kruz, I have been for years! read more

I really had nice time here with my buddy from New York playing pool and nice atmosphere on patio.

Good space, including a great patio. Friendly staff and much friendlier crowd than other places we visited. I'm a fan.

This is a great place to send gay tourist, especially if they are from a small town. They want this kind of experience. I don't but i guess someone does. They have marketed themselves well and people are willing to pay more for the same thing you can get at other bars for less. I have actually turned down dates who wanted to meet me here. read more

Had a great time at Kruz. Great place friendly staff. Good music. Will be back for future fun. Some Good looking men

I really enjoyed this bar. Great space, unpretentious, strong drinks, cruisey, not sleazy, but not sanitary, very decent drink prices. The outdoor area is beautiful, I spent a lot of time out there even though I don't smoke. Heard in the winter the outside portion isn't open air so it gets kinda smoky. As an out of towner, I thank you Kruze for the affordable but strong drinks, good vibes, and a really mixed crowd read more

I first met Jerry when I traveled to Milwaukee every month for years on business when he was a bartender at Harbor Room. He always always welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home there. I felt that he should own his own bar becasue he took such excellent care of his cutomers there you'd have thought he owned the place. Well Jerry and Serge eventually opened Kruz. They built a very nice casually classy bar! A MUST stop when in that city!!I Unfortunately I rarely get back there but when I have the bartender was just a cordial to me as Jerry had always been. read more

I have consistently enjoyed this bar for the nine years I have visited Milwaukee. My only complaint is that there is no defined service area at the bar. Sometimes, it can be quite difficult to get close enough to the bar to make it clear that you're there to get a drink/refill. Other than that, Kruz is a big part of why Milwaukee has become my home away from home. read more