The Swingin' Door Exchange is one of the unassuming places I frequently tell people to get to and…read moretry because the food is some of the best in the Milwaukee area! Consistently busy over the years and for good reason. I've been here a few times and I've never been disappointed with the service or the food. It's a dark, cozy little restaurant bar but with so much character and history. Service is friendly and efficient. I love that the food I've ordered here has always exceeded my expectations with the seasonings and quality of ingredients used. Reasonably priced too! If you don't have a reservation, you may end up waiting for a table in the back area at a high top but it's a great opportunity to enjoy one of their great drinks in the meantime!

As visitors from out of state, this was the very first restaurant we visited and unfortunately it…read moreleft a terrible first impression. We quite literally came here straight from the airport. To make matters worse, we had not eaten anything substantial all day and had actually looked this restaurant up weeks before our trip while researching places to eat the infamous Wisconsin fish fry, so we were really looking forward to the experience. The experience started off poorly when our party was essentially scolded by the hostess for sitting at a table that apparently needed to be cleaned for the wait list. To make matters worse, the busser laughed and joked that we were "in trouble," to which I could only respond, "Sounds like it." Not exactly the welcoming atmosphere you'd hope for as a first time visitor. The fish fry was decent our tab came out to $150 for 5 people, but the service was absolutely subpar and our tip reflected that. We also had to send back two drink glasses because they were dirty one still had lipstick on it, and another had food stuck to the inside of the glass. Overall, this was a very disappointing dining experience. Between the unprofessional treatment, lackluster service, and cleanliness issues, I would not recommend stopping here. There are plenty of other restaurants worth trying instead.

I have to echo Chadwick's review - this place is awesome!! Despite walking by this spot numerous…read moretimes on ways to Bucks games during winter, I didnt understand or appreciate its true potential until the playoffs started. The beer garden, located off 3rd street next to the loaded slate, features picnic tables in front of a huge 26 foot screen. a plexiglas roof up above let's you see the sky but keeps out the elements (I watched one of the first round games during a downpour and was just fine). You dont have to buy - so it's free but if you buy a drink at the actual "beer garden" stand, theres free popcorn with your purchase. Theres also various drink and food stands .. auntie Annie's has a pretzel truck and lots of people were bringing pizza from Brick 3 on 3rd st. Security (you'll see them in bright yellow vests) has done a good job letting everyone have a good time but taking care of problems (dont be8 standing on the picnic tables please.) I've only watched away games here but walking through the area to go into the forum for game 1 of the semi finals I could tell the energy would be crazy there even for home games. it's a great option if you dont have a ticket. It does truly feel like "Milwaukees living room" The tables are communal - you'll definitely make some new friends, and the energy is just off the charts. I love how all eyes are on the tv and everyone will start chanting "MVP" or "DE-FENCE" like were actually at the game. Bango, the dancers, the drum line and other members of the bucks crew usually make an appearance on a final side note....Over 15 years ago I lamented the tearing down of the old Park East freeway and my easy freeway access....it took over 15 years, but the promise and potential of this part of the city and downtown is finally starting to be fulfilled with the Deer District. Get here and experience it for yourself!

The beer garden is a nice outdoor spot perfect for hanging out before an event downtown. It is…read morecovered, so you can go even when it rains!

IG: diamante.lara.milwaukee Real POVs / Real Spots…read more Hope brewing is amazing place and you can bring her dogs and chill outside and do recreational outside activities with your family or friends.

OPE brewing was hyped up by many locals and it didn't disappoint…read more . A monster crowd from trivia night and volleyball and still managed to serve timely and respectfully. Clientele was friendly and the dogs all well behaved allowed on the patio. The numerous games outside was a great addition and the food t du cod were a fun and desired place to eat. The beer selection was broad and fun. I quite enjoyed the cherry pie seltzer and the raspberry sour. Will be back!

Always a fun time at broken bat! They have rotating beers on tap as well as basic cocktails and…read morewine. The bartenders are always sparking up conversation and so fun to chat with. Broken Bat features dart and wiffleball leagues - which I would highly recommend!! You can also rent the wiffleball field for a fun time with friends and they have an event space upstairs as well.

Great bloody Mary, even better dog friendly brewery. They host great events and there's also a…read moresuper fun wiffle ball court in the back that's available to rent.

This cool spot in Walker's Point is perfect for hanging with friends or when you need a mid-night…read morerest spot. There's a variety of seating, games, hookahs, cafe (w/ coffee, alcoholic beverages, tea, and food). We ordered a Mocha Latte and pour over coffee. I am very particular about my coffee, and this spot held up. I wouldn't definitely come back to work one day.

My husband heard about this place and was excited to bring me to check it out. We had a full day…read moreplanned on a Saturday and it began around 2 pm with our first stop here at dream lab. We were greeted by Shawn, our barista who had friendly, chill vibes. We asked for his suggestions and ended up choosing the pistachio latte and the espresso drink. Shawn told us to find a seat, I was delighted to see there were tons of spots to choose from. We ended up sitting on the main floor at a very large wooden table that would be perfect for playing games with a large group of friends or family. Shawn promptly delivered our drinks and they were delicious. Besides the drinks, the music and ambience were great and we especially liked the gift area with art, t-shirts, books and more. The sign saying "you are f#ucking magick" resonated as we left in great moods ready to take on the day. We will be back soon!

Stopped by for a post dinner drink and to catch up. They definitely boast a lot of cocktail…read morecreations and take pride in their homemade ingredients. Their current winter "Port No 6" menu has drinks starting at $12 but you can tell they put a lot of care into each creation. We stopped by on a Wednesday before 6pm and they did offer $2 off tap beers so I got a zombie dust tulip for $5. Not bad! Staff are friendly but things may move a little slower due to the care they put into their cocktails. This is definitely reminiscent of island vibes. Wait for a good drink and relax at the bar or outer patio (which has heaters in the winter). Street parking is pretty easy to snag, even around dinner time.

Stopped by on a Friday night on the recommendation/persistence of local brewery staff and was…read morepleasantly surprised by this spot. There was a wide variety of drinks options and reasonably priced as well. I ended picking the Zoinks cocktail based on the bartender recommendation. It was a slightly savory cocktail and a nice way to close out my evening. There was a decent sized crowd throughout the space. There is limited indoor space but its made up for with an outdoor fireplace and picnic table seating. I would happily return to Station No 6!

Third Space was a nice place but don't book a party there because you won't get what Kara the event…read moremanager promised (and she wasn't there for the event)! The setup was in a different area and there were NO 6 foot tables set up when we got there. Pushing 2 small tables together on the other side of the room was not what we paid for! I tried talking to the manager John Wynne a week after the event and all he did was make excuses! I planned the party from out of town and sadly the vision I had was not what was promised! A small token would have been nice but we were not offered anything! According to John, he checked in throughout the party and all was good, too bad he didn't' check in with the person who paid for the room and planned the event.

Third Space Brewing occasionally hosts 'pints with a purpose' evenings where you can go, enjoy a…read morepint, and know a portion of the proceeds is helping out a local nonprofit. We attended such an evening where the proceeds from our pints were supporting Islands of Brilliance, a local nonprofit offering creative programs for autistic and other neurodivergent students. Third Space was featuring their peanut butter brilliance, which is an American style porter, for the evening. My beer buddy and I both ordered their peanut butter brilliance and enjoyed it in their tap room/brewery. There's plenty of seating so even on a bustling Friday evening we were able to get our beers right away and find a spot to enjoy them. Love this spot and while it's a little more magical in the summer months when you can enjoy the outdoors, it's a great oasis in the colder months as well. Get to it!

This is do not miss place - somehow I have missed this on every trip to Milwaukee...including at…read moreleast a dozen on the same street! How does this happen? Thanks as always to Yelp for finding OGBH - because this place is AWESOME! We wanted to sit at the bar, but the bar was busy, so we grabbed a table in the other room and the bartender came to us about 4 minutes later and said there were 2 spots at the bar! So, we moved to the bar and thoroughly enjoyed the next 3 hours - we might still be there, if it wasn't for the Brewers game we had tickets to! We enjoyed several different beers on tap, talked with the bartenders - specifically Mitch and Sarah and of course the other people at the bar. We enjoyed the OGBH Brat - for sure the best brat I have ever had. The bun is perfectly warm and toasty, the brat is delicious and full of flavor and of course, it's snappy! We even tried the bavarian pretzel with the yummy cheese! I love this place - I don't have to search for anywhere else to go now that I have found this gem!

I love OGBH! Whether it's a sporting event night in downtown or just a random night, it's a great…read moreplace to stop in for a (root) beer or two. I'm not a beer drinker myself, so I always go for a liter of the root beer. I'm not even a huge root beer fan, but it feels fitting when I visit here. I love their chicken schnitzel tenders. The ranch here is so well-flavored and compliments the thin breading on the tenders.