The best bars and cafés Milwaukee

An institution that is much talked about because of its fabulous "fish fry" on Friday night. You sit around a large table with many people and eat to the sound of German music, sung and accompanied by an accordion. Several guided tours of the beer production line in the basement are organized every day. It's impossible to stay sober during this tour, you spend more time operating the beer pumps than trying to understand the process of malt fermentation.

The Rock Bottom Brewery chain has set up shop in Milwaukee just like in Chicago. People come here mainly for the huge outdoor patio overlooking the river and the variety of beers. The location is unbeatable, as it's within walking distance of many of the city's hotels and landmarks. It's a favorite spot for Milwaukeeans to spend some quality time on a sunny patio. The house also serves as a restaurant, and the menu offers fairly decent American specialties.

An independent café with character, where the coffee is ground on the spot. Its smell jumps out at you as soon as you walk through the door. Besides, everything here is homemade, not only the coffee, but also the sandwiches, the pastries, the Mexican salsas, the pizzas... We appreciate the warm atmosphere and the large communal tables, which make the place friendly. An authentic, genuine place to try for one of your lunch breaks.

In a lounge bar in the alternative district of Brady Street, you can expect a rather trendy scene, with cocktails, DJs, deep canapés. Well, that's exactly what the Hi Hat Garage on Brady offers. Super-strong Martinis and gin cocktails, DJ nights without admission at the entrance, a very different atmosphere from the beer bars in the city centre, although just as friendly. You can also eat unpretentious American food there.

If you're looking for ambiances like in good death, maybe you'll be happy with Buck Bradley's: here is the longest bar east of the Mississippi. Only crachoir is missing. Certainly, no one enters the door door, with a cowboy hat screwed on the skull, but the atmosphere is there. A little dark, very friendly, perfect for a drink in the evening. Possibility to eat on the thumb.

The Wicked Hop is housed in the oldest building in the historic Third Ward, a beautifully restored warehouse. With its rough brick walls and high ceilings, it's a Milwaukee favorite, and its happy hours are probably no small part of it. Not a day goes by without at least one discount on the menu! Tacos, fried fish, burgers... The place also serves one of the best Bloody Mary in town. During the nice days, the pleasant terrace is invaded every evening and weekend with their iconic brunch.

Situated at the foot of the hill, this café is popular with the locals all year round and especially in summer, when the terrace opens its parasols. The café occupies the structures of the former Lake Michigan water pumping station, once used to clean the Milwaukee River of its polluting residues. The setting has been redesigned to accommodate the small tables on several levels, and the building can be visited from top to bottom. Free concerts are held regularly during the summer. A very beautiful place.