Scooter's Bar Journal » Lower East Side

Wolski’s Tavern

scooterj — Sat, 06 Apr 2019 17:19:00 +0000

(Lower East Side, Milwaukee, WI)

Scooter’s 1326th bar, first visited in 2019.

We had been having such a good time at At Random that we were in serious danger of NOT making it to Wolski’s in time to close it! However our Lyft managed to get us here about 15 minutes before last call. And the whole reason for the urgency? This is one of the last bars to close in Milwaukee each night, and you get a sticker if you’re still there then it’s time to kick everyone out.

Next time I’m in Milwaukee I’m going to have to get here earlier in the day when when it’s not so packed with sticker hunters, because this looks like a great dive bar but I wasn’t able to move around much. From where I was trapped I could see that there were at least 3 old-school (as in, real) dart boards and at least one pool table. There was also a patio but I was unable to see how to access it.

One thing I failed to mention is that our group was celebrating a birthday, and we all had face masks of the birthday girl that we had been wearing at each bar during our second round tonight, freaking people out. But by the time we got to Wolski’s we were tired of wearing them so were just carrying them in our hands. One of us unknowingly dropped one outside, and later out the window her husband noticed various people outside taking turns wearing, humping, and making out with his wife’s face. Sadly none of the photos turned out (too dark / too far away) but it still made for some good laughs.

I started with a Guinness just to make the first round ordering easy, then grabbed a Fixed Gear (amber ale) by Lakefront Brewery at last call.

1836 N Pulaski St
Milwaukee, WI 53202
US
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(414) 276-8130
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Scaffidi’s Hideout

scooterj — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 17:13:00 +0000

(Lower East Side, Milwaukee, WI)

Scooter’s 1317th bar, first visited in 2019.

At the other end of the block from Fink’s was arrived at the bar we were originally heading to. This place has pool tables, which was good since some in our group were getting antsy and waning to play.

It was rather crowded when we first got here, but the crowd thinned out to a more tolerable level by the time we were done.

I had an IPA by Lakefront Brewery. I also found and grabbed a sticker from a placed called Third Space Brewing that I hadn’t heard from up to this point. This would go on to become important tomorrow.

Our ultimate goal for this night was to go to Wolski’s Tavern and close it so we could get stickers. But after such a long travel day we all hit a wall. We were only 1-1/2 blocks from Wolski’s, but it was still more than two hours away from closing time and we were all exhausted. We decided to call it for the night and try again the next night.

1837 N Humboldt Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
US
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(414) 574-0015
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Fink’s

scooterj — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 17:12:00 +0000

(Lower East Side, Milwaukee, WI)

Scooter’s 1316th bar, first visited in 2019.

While we were eating at Red Lion we did some googling and found a place called Scaffidi’s Hideout that looked interesting. But our walk to Scaffidi’s was interrupted when we found Fink’s along the way.

There’s pinball machines, lottery tickets, a couple of video games, and a covered patio out back. We ended up staying here quite a while.

I had a Spotted Cow by New Glarus Brewing Company, as well as a round or two of shots.

1875 N Humboldt Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
US
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(414) 226-5882
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Red Lion Pub

scooterj — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 17:10:00 +0000

(Lower East Side, Milwaukee, WI)

Scooter’s 1315th bar, first visited in 2019.

We had prepared well in advance a list of all the bars we wanted to visit in Milwaukee. On our first evening here, we visited exactly zero that were on our list.

We were hungry and had two people from England in out group, so we chose to start off at the Red Lion Pub. Modeled after the traditional English pub, with a food and drink menu matching the theme.

It was rather busy, they put us on the second floor. There are bars on both levels. There’s a fairly large deck behind the second level (the building is constructed adjacent to a bluff) with some outdoor games.

After dinner and drinks karaoke started, so a few members of our group did some songs before he headed out.

I had a Snake Hollow (IPA) and a Gandy Dancer (porter), both by Potosi Brewing Company.

1850 N Water St
Milwaukee, WI 53202
US
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(414) 431-9009
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