Bar Louie
1114 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI, 53202
Bar Louie Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1114 N Water St
Milwaukee, WI, 53202 - Phone (414) 847-1492
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Music : Background
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Tue, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Yes
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Cujo S.
great venue, Tuesday $1 burgers was an awesome deal. Attentive service too!
(4)Clayton D.
My server, Kellie, did a fantastic job keeping my drink full. I stopped in on burger night (Tuesdays) where every burger is only a dollar. Even though it was pretty busy, it seemed like the staff was keeping up with customer demand pretty well. This place is fantastic. Their drinks are well priced and their food is delicious. I can see myself coming back here time and time again.
(5)Angela W.
I will start by saying... If you look at my reviews, I don't stop into chain/franchise restaurants often, and when I do there is little reason to give a review. But my friend and I were so pleasantly surprised by our lunch/ drinks at Bar Louie that we both agreed that it deserved a shout out! It was a beautiful Sunday, so a friend and I randomly agreed that we wanted brunch, at a location with outdoor seating. But we weren't feeling like eggs or an overly heavy brunch. As we were driving and looked at bar Louie's, we noticed the HUGE outdoor patio, lots of tables available and an open parking spot- decision made. Honestly, we both agreed that we were settling due to the above mentioned factors, but we were wrong. We were greeted and seated by a very friendly server, at the table of our choice. Once seated- we got down to business- ordering a drink. We both chose the Pineapple Express Sangria, and it was much, MUCH better than we expected. Presentation was fun and the pineapple was perfectly ripe, making our drinks that much more perfect. I really thought I was going to regret ordering this because I tend to shy away from fruity drinks- they are typically too sweet for me, but this one was light and bubbly- genius to use a dry procceco. We were shocked! Then we decided to eat light- but we still wanted something of substance. We shared the hummus and tzatki platter and the shrimp lettuce wraps (see pics) both were perfect. I mean.... I know it isn't hard to slap some hummus on a platter, but I will say that the veggies were fresh and the presentation nice- it was exactly what we were looking for. I admit- we had our food and drink and left to continue our Sunday funday at another... Let's say "bar" atmosphere, with a little cheaper drinks. But I still felt that it earned a four star rating for our overall experience. We both agreed that we will be back!
(4)Kim W.
Trying to get a drink or a bartender to notice you is extremely difficult. Visited on 3-28-15 and think that will be the very last time I ever go! The bartenders were extremely rude.
(1)Marian Q.
I don't usually go to Bar Louie unless it's $1 burger night (Tuesday's)...and when I do come, it's usually because the wait for $1 tacos was too long. Now this review is based on $1 burgers. I haven't had anything from their regular menu and after having these burgers, I don't think I would. Why, you ask? Simply put, the burgers are not good. Not good at all. Sure, they have an array of toppings to choose from but even the toppings are not good. On the most recent burger I had, I asked for grilled onions (which I got very little of) and grilled mushrooms (which tasted like they were marinated in vinegar-yuck!). The main component of my burger, the patty- dry and tasteless....I've had burgers from fast food joints that had more flavor. Did I finish my meal? Yes, but it was only a matter of hunger vs. taste. The bottom line is this: I love a good deal, but even I wouldn't recommend it. There are plenty of other restaurants to choose from around the area, go there and then maybe come to Bar Louie and grab a drink on the patio, but save your appetite for somewhere else. Your taste buds will thank you.
(2)Eugene P.
Nice location. They have outdoor sitting area with a lot of couches. My server Oliver was super friendly. And huge list of draft beer.
(5)Phillip S.
After our long day at work, our group of coworkers decided to check out Milwaukee's beautiful downtown, though this city has a bit of northern and southern flair, parts of it reminded me of New Orleans. But when it comes to food, there's plenty of options. We ended up trying Bar Louie, what got us to choose this place was their beautiful, spacious patio, that has sofas, and even a large firepit in the centre. We took advantage of the space and quickly took our spot. They have happy hour m-f from 4-7, so we just made the cut off time at 6:55pm. Half price on appetizers, $3.95 for selected drafts, $4.95 on selected wines, etc... For drinks I had their Samuel Adams Seasonal Octoberfest beer which was delighful, and it was a change from my usual red wine! For food, those who know me, I am a nachos type of guy because its got all your necessary food groups, veggies, meats, dairy, etc! Their portions are very generous, and they dont cheap out on cheese and chunks of meats that came with this dish.....though it was a lot I was amazed that the FOOD-GODS gave me the will to finish the whole dish of chicken nachos lol... Overall the service was a bit slow at times, and Bar LOUIE has a nice vibe to it. Luckily it was not so packed since it was the NFL opener GreenBay vs Seattle, unfortunately the Packers lost, but it was to the defending champs... so dont feel so bad Milwaukee :)
(4)Jenn D.
I've been to bar Louie in a few other cities. It's okay. Not a huge fan. They had live music which was a plus but it wasn't very busy. Good location but don't frequent it.
(2)Andy K.
I'm parched. $1 Burger Tuesdays. I asked for a turkey burger and got a nice sized very well done beef patty. I also ordered fries which didn't come out with my burger, however the server kindly gave me a basket destined for someone else. Never got my water.
(2)Kara K.
Walking into the patio the vibe was great. The music was up, people were dancing. We were pleasantly surprised they served food until bar close. Even happier when we found an open table! We orders drinks and appetizers all at once because this was our first stop while showing a friend from out of town the city. Our appetizers came out before our drinks, which took well over an hour. Our waitress was MIA the whole time. Never even came over to tell us sorry for the long wait. Not only that, but we were never offered water even after she brought out our apps with NO DRINKS. Needless to say I will not be spending my money at these establishments anymore. Two bad experiences is enough for me.
(1)Michael G.
We had a spontaneous dinner at the Bar Louie and most of us had Burgers. They all were great. I especially enjoyed the one with bacon and a fried egg. There was no unnecessary mayonnaise or other sauce on the burger that would distract from the juicy meat. The other dishes seemed to be tasteful, too. Oh yes, and they have a nice choice of beers! Friendly staff like you would expect in a US restaurant.
(5)Pamela M.
Only my cousin drags me to places I'd never otherwise want to go... Bar Louie I'm a "no go" as you won't ever hear the words "Hey! Let's go to Bar Louie" come out of my mouth. Reason #1 - I'd much rather support a local business that's owned in Milwaukee and because of that, the money stays in Milwaukee. Reason #2 - it's corporate. It's a CHAIN (bad word! bad word!) Reason #3 - it's a huge rip off. I'll tell you why. I go up to the bar and order a Miller Lite and a red bull and vodka. Not even top shelf vodka. She says single or double? I say single... (no, really you wouldn't think so but I actually did say single). So, one Miller Lite, one single pour of rail vodka. How much you think? I'll tell you. It was $16 and some change. Why in heaven's name would it be $17 for TWO, yes TWO drinks? Rail. Single. One domestic beer. I was charged $5.75 for the cheap vodka and $4.00 for the Red Bull. WTH. And of course the tax and tip. So it's about $20 FOR TWO DRINKS. You disgust me, Bar Louie.
(1)Kathy T.
A lot of wait staff standing around but not a lot of good service. Food average. Still waiting for a good drink
(3)Shelly S.
No stars! We came in to listen to the band. It was so loud (in a bar that was less than a quarter full) that we had one drink and left. I asked the bartender to ask the band to turn it down and she said, "It's always this loud on a Friday and Saturday night!" I am guessing that this is why the bar was pretty empty. There were several people who were yelling "turn it down!!" Point of their story - do NOT go to Bar Louie on a weekend night!!!
(1)Leah B.
Bar Louie is the same franchise you can rely (or not) rely on. Same atmosphere & décor, same uniforms, and a lot of taps. On the flipside I'm gonna talk about what disgruntles me about this place over and over. The waitstaff /bartenders are nice, but act stuck up. Which, if I were looking to be employed here, might change my mind. I've noticed that the bartenders have their hair down. Fine, whatever, but the girl's got her whole face covered like Cousin IT and the other one keeps pulling hers out of her mouth. YUCK. All the waitstaff, from my experiences, are attentive... But nothing above or beyond. Idk. The décor and the uniformed employees look great, but I feel like I should be able to expect more from a place like this.
(3)Pa Y.
I went there during the badger game and it was extremely busy and crowded. Sat at the bar and ordered a mojito which was pretty good. The bartender was attentive when she came over but overall if we had came on a not so busy night, might have rated it better.
(3)Brad K.
The only reason this place gets two stars is because of the great beer specials. It's either $2 or $3 I forget which for any of their draft beer on weeknights and they have a huge selection of beer on draft probably around 40 beers. The service at this place is terrible though. Whether you're at the bar or at a table. You have to hound down servers to get a beer and they often bring food out and wave it around a general area until someone claims it. And speaking of the food, it's gross. If you can stomach the bad service and come here on a night not named Tuesday then you can get some good beer for cheap. That is, if you want to beg for each beer.
(2)Bartleby F.
I would give this location four stars, but their happy hour beers are now 3.25$ when just a year or so ago they were $2.50 (when I first moved to Milwaukee they were $2.00). And they don't give you pints, they still use the happy hour glasses which I was willing to overlook when a beer was under 3$. Still, fantastic selection of beers. I like this location because it's not as loud as the Bayshore location. And even though it gets crowded, there's always somewhere to seat, especially when the patio is open. BTW I love the addition of the fire pit on the patio because that will extend its use far into fall. $1 burger night is still intact and one of the best deals in town. Other than that, their food is consistently good. Later in the evening it gets a little meat markety, but that's the Water Street experience in general.
(3)Justin L.
Review is for HH only...and I'll probably only go to this place for HH. Like all franchise places...I really don't expect a whole lot. I just came because they have a pretty decent HH, which runs til 7pm. $2 taps, $4 wines, $5 martinis as well as 1/2 off selected apps. The patio area is nice as well too especially if it's a sunny and warm evening. This place is mostly for young adults as that is what they try and attract by playing their loud top 40s music..definitely not a hipster place...very mainstream. Food was good for what we were paying...it's franchise establishment food...how fancy can you get?. My favorite was probably the firecracker flatbread (five-spice beef w/ julienned carrots and scallions w/ a hoisin-plum sauce?) Our group got 6 apps and 5 drinks and only spent $56 before tip...not bad. The service, however, was very slow. They're really nice about it but they either need to hire more waiters or pick up the pace.
(3)Mari L.
I'm always on the fence about venturing to Bar Louie. The fire pit and outdoor seating in the summer is fantastic!! It's hard to find an outdoor fire pit in the heart of the city so that is definitely a draw. So good job with that. However, the wait staff needs to get it together. We had a table of 8+ (which would result in a nice tip) but not one server came over to our table on Saturday night. We had to go inside for drinks and then go to the outside bar to order some appetizers. Not cool. I did appreciate the outside bartender asking if a server had even been to our table. She apologized when I said no. Definitely not my first choice for a downtown destination.
(2)Jackie S.
Went here on a Friday afternoon around 3:30. There were 7 other people at the bar. No bartender even in sight for about 15 minutes. Pathetic that there wasn't someone behind the bar. The service was horrible! Will never go back.
(1)Ronnie E.
This review is for the Bayshore Bar Louie: I regret the day I set foot in this place. I went for a late dinner and ordered the ahi tuna steak sandwich. The dish arrived very raw and had a strange taste. Regrettably, I still ate the sandwich. Much to my dismay, I spent a whole week suffering from food poisoning, dealing with diarrhea and vomit of the worst kind. Stay away!
(1)Merete M.
Some of us stopped by for happy hour drinks and appetizers. We sat around the fire pit outside, and were not served by anyone for the first hour we were there. Since we weren't technically at a table, we just brought ourselves to the bar when we needed a drink or food. My husband and I ordered food, and drinks. 45 minutes later, we found out there had been a problem with the computers, and our order had not made it to the kitchen. By this time, a server was frequenting our group to take and drop off orders, and she was fairly attentive. I felt this place wasn't staffed or set up to handle a busy happy hour. Maybe with more staff, they could earn another star or two. The boneless wings were very good, the quesadilla was good, drinks weren't all that cheap, considering it was supposed to be happy hour prices. I can get a beer for $5 almost anywhere in town at almost any time.
(2)Tony K.
I usually end up coming here for lunch, and it seems on every experience our server looks like he or she ended up staying over night after closing the bar. Disheveled. The food isn't bad. It's ok. Service just really stinks here.
(2)Bex J.
Decided to give this place another try and I don't think I should have. We were ignored by a group of waitresses for over 15 minutes. Mind you we were sitting at the bar and these group of waitresses were standing around chatting. When out waitress came over she was not friendly at all, rolled her eyes and could care less that she was here. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
(2)Nikita V.
The weekday Happy Hour and $1 burger Tuesdays are worth the value. Any other time, skip Louie and head to one of Milwaukee's better burger joints. I recommend Sobleman's but you could also venture to competitor AJ Bombers. Either way, you'll be able to get a Wisconsin fresh burger, real cheese curds and all the local beer you need.
(3)Rachel F.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? I don't mean to seem mean, but I certainly don't need to be nice about the fact that I don't care for Bar Louie. I mean, for serious: if you go all the way back one review of mine to yesterday's you'll see that I don't necessarily hate on/rail against every chain restaurant simply for being a chain; in fact, there are plenty of spots that boast multiple locations both regionally and nationally that do things really well. Bar Louie is not one of them. Sysco-quality frozen food, specialty drinks rife with random schnapps and puckers, crazy loud music/TVs, spotty service, and a clientele I'd rather not fraternize with. Frat-ernize. (Get it?) I just don't see any reason to spend money here when Milwaukee boasts so many other fantastic options.
(2)shaun m.
Horribly slow service. 1 beer took 30 minutes and it was far from packed, our waitress (Ally) was nice enough but was always talking to friends and not getting our food/drinks. Warm beer and decent food at best. Bad representation of a good spot in other cities.
(1)Rachael G.
So here's the scene. Monday night it was pouring rain, and I wanted to treat myself and coworkers to some of Bar Louie's loaded tots. I decide to order a salad as my dinner, and then 2 orders of tots, one with bacon and one without. Total? 31 mother f-ing dollars and 50 freaking cents. For what?! I ordered a BBQ ranch salad and it sounded delish! It was supposed to have romaine, avacado, corn, tortilla strips, fried onion strings, portabella, and BBQ ranch dressing. Sounds yummy, no? It would have been, had 50 percent of the "salad" not consisted of tortilla strips and shoe string onion rings. It was ridiculously unhealthy, and the romaine that was there was DRENCHED in dressing. The "loaded tots" were 9 dollars an order which is a joke in itself, let alone the fact that the loaded part seemed to be missing. They were supposed to include cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and green onions, little of which was to be found. Moral of the story? Don't order from restaurants whose prices are not listed online.
(2)Joe P.
Descriptive phrase: a bar for twenty-somethings. There's got to be a Bar Louie in every Midwestern city by now. I think being a chain makes people automatically assume the worst. I do hand it to Bar Louie for taking existing buildings in the city and using them for their locations. Both the Milwaukee and St Louis spots integrated the location itself pretty well. My friend and I came here recently for happy hour drinks (before 7PM or 8PM?). We sat at the oval bar which boasts plenty of TVs and taps. There's a bigger seating area in back, a small area up front, and a patio outside. Our bartender was doing pretty well for being the only one on duty. It wasn't hopping but it was busy. Taps were $3 a piece and select appetizers half off. Great deals if you ask me. We split a Buffalo Chicken flatbread ($11 normally) per the bartender's recommendation. Perfect size for splitting, or for one whole meal. Spicy and crisp. Exactly what you'd want from this sort of bar food. Right before happy hour ended the bartender came up and warned us that he'd be getting swamped in a minute and if we wanted another beer he'd get it for us right then so we wouldn't wait. Surprisingly attentive, and appreciated. I did not see the same issues other Yelpers did with Bar Louie. It was a perfectly nice evening for me. Maybe the normal prices are a bit steep for the quality, but I'll definitely come back when the patio is open.
(3)Steve B.
My first Yelp review for a reason, terrible, terrible, terrible. Party of 60 for wedding party, they brought out every meal individually, one by one for over a two hours period. No order in distribution and tables sat empty with only one meal. Stay AWAY!!
(1)Yayi M.
I've been to the one located in Bayshore mall. Is a great happy hour place. The Diva martini is good, and the half price appetizers are great and always delicious ! for regular dinner I had the tuna and the Friday fish fry and they are pretty good also. The ambiance is nice and the staff is usually friendly. One Thursday night we even had live music it was nice, not super loud and good songs
(5)Jenna J.
Slow drink service but good variety of options on menu, always a tasty meal and love the outdoor patio with the bonfire.
(4)Bob S.
The burger I got was gross. The service I got was gross. The prices for drinks was gross. This place is just pretty gross. Do not recommend.
(1)Annie F.
Nice outdoor patio with great ambiance, and great staff every time I'm there. Love the chicken salad!
(5)Em V.
I'm 34 and a Veteran who doesn't drink alcohol (yea, I know) and they won't let me in because I dont have an ID that has my birth date on it. How do Veterans who don't drive get treated at Bar Louie? They don't. The managers couldn't even look me in the eye. My friends were playing in the band but the management has no common sense. Btw, if you've eaten here (which I was not going to anyways) it sucks. They don't support Military Veterans, so why would anyone support them?
(1)Jessica P.
The food was tasty, the drinks not so much. If I were a beer drinker, that probably would be the place to get a nice special for Wednesdays, Sadly, I would not go back to this place even for the food. You can barely hear the person who sits next to you, and the waitress we had seemed in another world waited 15 min for drinks and 30 min just to have an order taken for food
(2)Scott S.
Go with good friends, the time and energy this establishment has put int there patio must be enjoyed. Right in the heart of downtown, you can't ask for much more. Great service, relaxed but professional decor. Whether you go with friends or a romantic date, i can assure you that the experience is going to be grand.
(4)Marc B.
Bad publicity, it says nowhere on there they had special time for Fat Tuesday, that the special for dollar burger was starting at 5:00 pm. It looks like Fat Tuesday special is all day but really it's just their normal Tuesday special. Disappointing because deceiving and we walked there.
(2)Jenni P.
Great outdoor patio space. Fun place to see a live band. 2 bars for faster service. 2 thumbs up!
(4)Nancy M.
Horrible!! Bad service..lunch took over an hour to get a sandwich and water to drink. Waiter dropped off the check and vanished never to be seen again (until we were leaving and he went to pick up his tip!)
(1)Jc C.
I'm constantly disappointed in this place. I hate coming here because service sucks, prices are too high, and specialty drinks taste like cleaning solution. I come because I don't want to rock the boat with friends sometimes. Still is bad.
(1)Adam J.
Atmosphere, live band, food, and staff were good. However, most of the beers we tried were old or completely skunky.
(2)Jeff D.
Our server was Amanda. She took our order, asked if we wanted another beer and that was the end of the interaction. She didn't offer flatware, plates, come back to ask how everything was and brought the check without asking if we wanted anything else. She complained to the guy next to me about working a long 14 hour day and how she doesn't want to take another food order. Them you know what, go home. Food was good, mixed drink ok but her piss poor attitude was shitty. Last time here.
(1)John G.
I'm going to start out by saying that they hire good servers who mostly go out of their way for customers. However, the review goes south from here. If you need food, go someplace else because they apparently don't care who they hire in the kitchen. I work in the service industry myself and the slop they serve isn't something that I would feed to my dogs. My other half works for a downtown company and we go here in large groups for celebrations because the location is convenient. We visited last week in a large group. Well, lots of apps were ordered at the table including calamari that was so greasy or water logged that nobody ate more than a bite. The artichoke dip was pretty good so no complaints there. The boneless wings would have been better if we had heated up tyson in a microwave. There were some other seasonal apps that were so unmemorable that that's what they were. I finally reminded our server that I had ordered a specialty app called "street tacos" and she brought them about 20 minutes after I reminded her that she forgot them, which was no big deal. But, the street tacos were actually the best app that we ordered and then she took them away after about 15 minutes. Not sure what that was about but we kind of were in the slow noshing stage since we did have a few beers. So, she could have left the street tacos as she left the other apps but she seemed to be in a big hurry to take those off the table. If I were the manager of this place, I'd hold a staff meeting and ask the staff to think of how they would want food to taste if they were patrons and such.
(2)Victoria G.
Go for the atmosphere, not the food. Crispy chicken sandwich had wilted lettuce and craft singles as "cheddar".
(1)Nick K.
Ya know, I am very high on Bar Louie. Their happy hour is the best in the city. YEP, the best. All taps are 3$, wine is 4, martinis 5. AND, it goes until seven. Not very many food happy hours go until seven, but the Lou, takes it to the next level (I just made up that nickname). They have a bunch of appetizers that are 5$ also. Great place to swing in before a bucks game or event downtown, and it is a clean and nice place. Much of the other items on the menu, I have sampled a lot of them, a well done. It isn't a place where you get anything crazy, but at Bar Louie you know what you are going to get.
(3)Kailey S.
Went here for a psuedo rehearsal dinner for a family wedding. They reserved a large portion of the patio for our party and it was rather nice. I definitely suggest this place for events. Bar Louie also catered with some burgers and tater tots. My only complaint there is that they weren't quick to replace empty trays and that kept the line for food pretty stop and go because people would have to wait for them to bring out more food. Outside of that, the ambiance was great, food tasted good, service for drinks was pretty decent. I would love to come back and try this place for a normal dinner.
(4)Anthony K.
I've been here about 4 different times and each time the service was HORRIBLE no matter what day or time I came. Expect to wait 20 mins for a drink and at least an hour for food. Oh yeah, if you want a second drink, expect to wait 20 mins for the server to come around again!
(1)Mike C.
If I was reviewing the happy hour specials and Tuesday $1 burgers, this would be a 3 star review. This will focus on what should have been the perfect conditions for a great evening at Bar Louie. I want to like Bar Louie. They have a great space, huge terrace, and professional (for the most part) patrons. What I cannot get over is being charged ~$6.50 for a normal beer (pretty much any beer) that comes in a tiny seeming glass. Maybe if you fill it to the top it's 12oz, but they don't do that. Service is spotty, they ignored a coworker for 15 minutes because she needed to leave and was trying to close her tab on a relatively slow afternoon. Some of the bartenders prefer socializing with each other to working. My final gripe comes from the outdoor bar: There is no soda fountain outside. They fill pitchers with coke/sprite/soda water/tonic and put them out for hours with plastic wrap on top. This gets you a warm, flat soda on ice to start off any cocktail. Gross. Food isn't bad here, and even though they nickel and dime (more like dollars) you on Tuesday burger night, you can still get a good deal. Come for happy hour, leave when it's over.
(2)Elizabeth A.
Was just there with a group late on a Saturday night. The DJ was playing horrible music, and the place was totally dead. Our server pretty much ignored us the whole night and kept forgetting to bring us our drinks. She was really good at checking her phone over by the cash register, though.
(1)Jon S.
Having gone to college in the Chicago area, I had always thought of Bar Louie as a chain of generic and uninspired bars. On a Saturday night after dinner, my fiancé and I (with only a limited knowledge of the area) were drawn to this bar by the sounds of the live band from the outdoor patio (found out later they were called the Modern Giants). The band was great and although I was probably over the median age for that night's patrons, I saw people of all ages (college kids, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and townies) having fun (including a pair of grandparents dancing next to us). Drinks and service were average yet passable but the summer seating and the atmosphere made the night.
(4)Jen H.
If all you want is noise and beer, this is your utopia. If you want wine and food and restrooms that won't make you completely ill, and service that isn't surly or crummy, keep walking.
(1)Monica S.
As a Milwaukee native it's a known fact that no one ever WANTS to go to Bar Louie. It's usually a situation in which you either just end up there because it's convenient, a friend drags you there for the okay happy hour or you're sick of thinking of a better place to go. It's a place I like to call a "settle place." You want more, but you can't put your finger on exactly what it is you want so you give up. start at Bar Louie, and things are just as shitty as you thought they would be. Service first and foremost at both locations, is atrocious. Not like you'd expect a lot out of a place like this but walk in with low expectations if you don't want to be disappointed. Workers here seem to hate their lives and treat customers as an inconvenience not a guest. Any time I've walked in to Bar Louie, It's always taken 10-15 minutes for any employee to acknowledge me, and when you're there the attitude is..."oh..you really want something else?" Rarely do they ever return to you after you've ordered a drink. It gets to a point where you wonder if perhaps your server has exited the building but then you run into them in a bathroom where they're on their cellphone or you see them deeply engaged about in a conversation about their shitty boyfriend to a co-worker. Shaking my damn head. Employees and managers alike here used to be the only reason I could stomach this place but they're all long gone. It seems now all they have working are newbies that have no idea what's going on don't care all too much. Managers are rarely on the floor and when they are it can be hard to pick them out because they stand around just like the rest of the staff. On the rare occasion that the servers are crazy busy or the bar is getting their ass kicked, managers just stand around looking clueless rather than engaging with staff and working as a team. At least this is the impression I got, especially when I was informed that the woman in the particular situation I'm thinking about was the GENERAL MANAGER. Food depends on the day it seems, or whoever is cooking in the back. To me, it tastes like the cheap stuff that comes in big boxes one day a week, loaded with preservatives so it lasts a while on that back shelf. Some of the items are pretty good one day but then awful the next time you come back which could be related to a variety of reasons I don't even want to think about. At least the service is consistently terrible so you know what to expect. Perhaps one day they'll live up to consistent mediocrity with their food which would be an upgrade. Also, if you're going to charge me over $6.00 for not even a pint of beer, I expect you to be able to shoot glitter out of your ass. If that's not attainable, at least fake a smile. They will tell you not to come in if you don't like the prices and but do they really need more reasons for people not to stop by? Money is not an issue but if i am paying that amount I expect more out of a restaurant. Bar Louie does have a decent patio that's right downtown and sometimes they have live music which is cool, but then, when is live acoustic music not cool?? Also, a decent amount of TV's for whatever you want to watch makes gamedays nice if you're a football freak like myself. To sum it up...Bar Louie consistently sucks so you always know what to expect but you'll most likely end up there for whatever reason. Good luck and cheers.
(1)Gregg F.
I tried one down in Illinois when on business. Great food and great variety of beer and the price awesome for happy hour. Fast forward two weeks to try the one in Milwaukee: My wife and I ordered our drink at the bar and an appetizer - shortly after ordering our appetizer we were seated at our table. Over an hour later the manager came over to apologize for us not getting ANY food. My wife hadn't eaten anything all day, and now that we have been here having cocktails she is getting sick. I asked the manager to please bring my wife some chips or something to eat that requires zero prep time. 15 minutes later our appetizer came out as I was getting the car to leave. This was a Bucks game night (Saturday night) and clearly the manager does not have a clue how to run a restaurant like this downtown. I've never NEVER seen people leaving in droves with no food as the night we were here. Obviously didn't have enough staff, or had call in's - what ever the reason you don't seat people when you can't serve them! We will not be back.
(1)Mike M.
I've been to Bar Louie's in other towns and usually like them. This is the first time I've been to the one in Milwaukee. Boo Louie. $6.25 for a beer is kinda nutzo. Add on top of that slow service and barely attentive servers. Not a fan.
(2)Lisa A.
This is usually one of my default places when were on water street and tryin to decide where to go. The galpal I was with luckily loves the one at bayshore so she was happy with the choice. The atmosphere inside is kind of distinguished gentleman (or something) but clientele is kinda usually evenly divided between business/tourist folks and bros. Staff was really really (really) friendly. We kinda missed happy hour so it was quiet here and maybe they were bored- still, ill take that over being ignored anyday. The menu also had nonalcoholic cocktails which I really appreciate. Sometimes I want a break from the adult bevys but to quote a coworker:"u can only order so many ginger ales." It was fruity and cute and kept me from gettin to headachey. We also ordered a roasted vegetable pizza and ended up gettin some sort of Mexican chicken pizza. I woulda complained had it not been the best chicken pizza I'd had in a long time. (Or maybe that drink was playing havoc with my blood sugar-who knows.) They have a nice patio but it was packed so we stayed in. My one big pet peeve? I don't think of this as a 'if you have to ask how much it costs you probably can't afford it' type of place. Yet parts of the menu don't have prices. That's kind of annoying. Overall though, I usually have a pretty good time here for a night out.
(4)Kelsey S.
It's Bar Louie -- it is what it is. I haven't had awful experiences here like other reviewers seem to, but overall, it's just what I expect, I guess. Pretty standard menu, pretty standard bar. The atmosphere is decent, and I love the outdoor patio. Based on other reviews, I feel like I've been pretty lucky with service -- the staff have been attentive and fairly fast to respond. Only downside is that the bar tends to be overpriced compared to competitors along the Water Street strip. I do love Tuesdays here for dollar burgers night -- you get a pretty lively crowd in here those nights as well. It's also a pretty hopping place before athletic events in the downtown area. For all those complaining that it's "typical bar food," I suppose I'd just have to note that it's a chain with fairly predictable food. If you want something unique, try something local on Water Street -- if you want something familiar, stop by Bar Louie.
(3)Lisa M.
Boo! Loud, no service, young crowd! On a recent trip to Milwaukee, we got to town late and the last thing we had to eat was a snack from a gas station, so you can imagine how we are hungry. Our ids are checked at the door (are the bouncers blind or just being nice?), and we walk in. Hostess, "Hi. 2?" Us, "Yep." Hostess, "Have a seat anywhere someone will be right over." We sit down and start looking at the menu. They serve food until bar close. but apparently not to us. There are people in the booth next to us, people at the tables in the middle and people in the booths across the way. There are people and bouncers and hostesses, but no servers. 10 mins later we get up to leave. Us, "Bye, apparently you don't have any one working here." Hostess, "Oh, okay. Bye."
(1)Phillip M.
Great bar. Good menu!
(4)Kyle K.
If you feel like taking a vacation to purgatory, this is your place. The food isn't bad, but it certainly isn't good. The beer selection doesn't suck, but it isn't gonna excite you either. I had a Fried Louie, which is a burger with bacon and a fried egg. Altogether mediocre. I'm rounding up to 3 stars instead of down to 2 because the service at the bar was very good.
(3)Unyime E.
Not bad, but not particularly good either. Standard bar food. Sandwiches were underwhelming but the French fries were well-seasoned and crispy. Mojito wasn't the greatest. If you're in the area, you'd probably be better off going to AJ Bombers or BW3's, which are generally around the same price range. I wouldn't come back just for the food, but I do enjoy the outdoor patio during the summer.
(3)Jackie G.
The waitress never came around. Every time I needed something I had to go look for her. The sandwich I got was alright and my boyfriends meal was ok too but were not planning on stopping back out anytime soon because everyone just seemed annoyed and we went early so the place wasn't even busy.
(1)Eric B.
We were in Milwaukee for business and stayed over Super Bowl Sunday. Sunday we decided to watch the game at this Bar Louie (It is a chain). The service was spot on, they had appetizer specials which were really good, and the beer (several craft beers) were great. We ate later off the menu and both of our meals (chicken meals) were bad. I had the Voodoo Chicken, and the chicken was dried out like they mircowaved it. The interior and televisions are great, but the food not so good.
(3)Brittan B.
Was in town for a conference and generally try to stay away from chains but this was our best option for a large group. We ordered lots of food to share across the group and it was all gross. All of it. Seriously.
(1)Richard S.
My experience at Bar Louie started out like the rest of my bad night on Water Street. The front entrance was not wheelchair accessible and there was no one from the business there to catch their attention. As I walked by the patio area, I noticed it looked wheelchair accessible, but the gate was locked. I was able to flag down an employee, who eventually found the key and let me in. Once I got inside I was given a table right away. I was meeting a friend who was coming from work so I ordered a Mojito and The Loaded Tater Tots. The Mojito was well made and the Tater Tots were an interesting twist on Potato Skins. My friend arrived and helped me polish off the Tots and ordered a Berry Mojito. Instead of ordering a meal we decided to split the Bacon Cheese Burger Sliders. Four fantastic little Burgers, with Crispy Bacon and Pickles. I like the fact that they were served with Ketchup and Mustard on the side because I like my Burgers plain. Instead of Dessert, we ordered another round of drinks. I had the Caffienator, which was Coffee, Chocolate and Vodka. What's not to like? My friend had something called the "Skinny". I have no idea what it was, but he drank it in like a minute, so it must've been good. If not for the difficult time getting in, I might have given Bar Louie 5 Stars.
(4)Kathy G.
I like the bar part of Bar Louie. During happy hour the beers are cheap and there are many, many tappers to choose from. I love the bruschetta, full of fresh ingredients. My husband likes their fish tacos. Their menu is better than average and the variety is good. I love the outdoor seating area and even the indoor back room is cool. The servers are friendly and the service is good. This is a great after work stop for meeting friends and hanging out.
(4)Samantha B.
This place is ok. Better than some other places on water street. Poor service but pretty good drinks.
(3)Shawna F.
Great quesadillas, shaved rib eye sandwich with queso, and a Chop Chop salad (I exchanged romaine from iceburg). I recommend this place highly. Ooh white sangria yum, s.mores martini yum. Beer selection on draft Is amazing
(5)Nelson E.
I've been to many Bar Louie's and have had decent experiences there. However, the downtown Milwaukee one is one to skip. Terrible customer service. My boyfriend and I went in to have a drink before we went to dinner. As we were walking up to the bar the bartender looked at us, twice. We sat down and he didn't come over to greet us or anything. He definitely saw us sit down and then continued to do his own thing. Washed glasses, checking in with other customers. It was like he was deliberately ignoring us. We ended up leaving, going across the street to another bar (where we had great service).
(1)Nicole S.
With all the places in the surrounding area, that offer better service and product, Bar Louie should really be a last resort....or a pit stop on a bar crawl when you have become indifferent and no longer concerned with standards of service/cleanliness/quality.
(2)Theo J.
I have been to Bar Louie in DC before so I decided to check this one out in Milwaukee. What I like about it is the outdoor seating. The food was good and I had an all around good time
(4)Jack R.
Summed up in 10 words or less. They don't know basics, and nobody can teach common sense. What is the Experience? This is the sort of place you will continue to frequent, but not really know why. The service reminds me of that song 'Because I Got High'. Sing along with me... I was gonna to get your beer pretty quick but then I got high... I was gonna get your order right, but I got high... I was even gonna get your silverware, and make sure your food was right when it got there, but then I got high, but then I got high, but then I got high... All jokes aside, it's not important that I wind up here about three times a month for lunch or weekend drinks, what is important is that it is never my choice. I honestly don't think it is anyone's specific choice, but as the largest bar on Water Street, and the great summer patio it's hard not to get drawn in. Sometimes I actually get excited to go there just to see how bad it can get. Who Goes There? During the day and evening it's business lunches and people attending the events at the Marcus Center, the Bradley Center, The US Cellular Center and the Pabst Theater. Later at night its college kids and those of us reliving those college days of glory. What Should I Expect? Well if the first section didn't give you enough of a hint, the answer is expect it to be lackadaisical and not very detailed. At least at the bar. The level of service on my latest trip was so low that it was actually comical. My friend ordered the Luigi Sandwich as a wrap, and it came out as a sandwich. She said to the bartender, 'hey I ordered this as a wrap, I hate this bread (sad face expression).' The bartender joked about also hating the bread and then walked away. I thought it was hilarious that she could not possibly have cared less that the order wasn't right.' On top of that, I ordered steak tacos and received pork tacos, at no point did we get a napkin or fork, and even as I sit at my desk on Monday morning I'm still waiting for the beer that I ordered with Saturday's lunch. To be fair there were at least 15 other people at the bar and only 3 bartenders and a barback, so they could have been overwhelmed. Service aside, all the food I have ever had there is good, and it is not bar food. It is reasonably priced and the level of quality you would expect from a casual service restaurant. Some of my favorites are the tacos, the Southern BBQ Pork, the Tuscan Chicken Pasta, and the chicken tenders are almost gourmet at Bar Louie.
(2)Dorothy H.
It it what it is I guess....The outside (Summer NIght) seating is best. Drinks eh... Food....eh Service...was eh
(3)Kourtney B.
My cousin made arrangements for her engagement party at Bar Louie. They were told they would be able to get drink specials for the guests, then someone else told them absolutely not. So if the hassle before hand wasn't a dissapointment already, the service at the party was absolutely horrible. We watched the time, and it took over 45 minutes to get another beer...when our party had a keg!? (Atleast give us pitchers if you are busy) When we first got there we were not asked for drinks until we had asked where the waitress was. On top of that, our one waitress serving over twenty people, and i am sure had other tables so we did not see her too often. After complaining to the managers THREE times, another employee finally came to help out. We would have loved to put a good word out for the business if it was a successful party, but we will NOT be returning again.
(1)Nick M.
This place is a happy hour bargain for the beer lover. A fine selection of tap beers that are all about $3 from 4-7 weekdays. The Tuesday $1 burgers are a crazy good deal. Service can be dicey and it does sometimes get too loud. But the outdoor patio is fantastic on a nice summer day.
(4)Andrew J.
Last time i was there the service seemed a bit better. Still great specials and solid food but the service still could be improved.
(3)Liz P.
I mean...its Bar Louie. What can you really say? They served me food, they gave me beer, they had TVs that played basketball on them. Bonus: there were some cute Wisconsin boys that bought us shots. Like I said - its Bar Louie. And it was...exactly what I expected it to be.
(3)Lynn G.
The happy hour is good even thought they removed my favorite appetizers (Tempura Shrimp with the buffalo sauce) from their half-priced happy hour appetizer menu. The spinach-artichoke dip, bruschetta, quesadilla and wings are good as well. The sliders were dry but edible. Have been here several times and the service has been decent; a little slow but fine. The bathrooms are in need of work but other than that, we've had a good time. The outdoor patio is very nice in the evening!
(3)M M.
I'm not a huge fan of Bar Louie. The food is average at best and the service is medicore. I have been here several times in the past year and have just felt very underwhelmed by the experience. I guess it's just a typical chain. Go to AJBombers, Water Street Brewery or support a local restaurant somewhere else instead!
(2)Sue B.
Compared to the Bay Shore Bar Louie, this one is much more open and not as loud. I love the bruschetta and quesadillas. Downtown never seems to have a long wait. The staff is friendly. Tickled pink martini and burger night are the best. I love the late night hours. I would recommend this one for the patio if you are drinking. I don't think they serve food outside but you can order at the bar and take it out.
(4)Meghan L.
My fiance and I went in for our free beer (from the coupon that lakefront gives you during their tour) and that's all we left with. We were thinking about getting some bar food but when we asked the waitress what was good she mentioned one thing and then we asked her what she wouldn't order and she started listing item after item off the menu.. I am sorry but if your staff can't recommend a dish, it shouldn't be on the menu!!
(2)ryan h.
I was here last night. I'll give the drinks and the drink specials about a four, but the food a three... granted it is mainly a bar so i dont hold that completely against them... i'd say in future attempts i'd just go to have a few drinks and eat somewhere else... the wait staff could use a facelift, or a workout routine. Normally I wouldnt care but with the outfits they were made to wear it was almost un appetizing.
(3)Jen Y.
Bad service, ok food, decent drinks. The only reason I can see going is happy hour is cheap... 1/2 price appetizers and a few drink specials. But the food is not great, processed junk food.
(2)Amy V.
Just wrote a complaint to Corporate. Thought I'd just share it on here as well. I would like to share my dining experience. My girl friends and I stopped at Bar Louie a little after 6:45pm. We seated ourselves as the sign directed and patiently waited almost 10 minutes before being greeted by a waiter. Our waitress took our order at 6:52pm, we ordered two signature martini's, a root beer and the Tennessee Whiskey Cake. We just wanted something quick and lite before our 7:30 show, upon receiving our last item I handed our waitress my debit card (about 7:15 pm) and asked her to just charge everything on to it because we had somewhere else to be. Upon her return at/about 7:17pm, she handed me the receipt and thanked us for our time. A few minutes after her departure I looked at the receipt and not thinking, I just signed the bill without considering the total but one of my girl friends noticed that the total seemed too much. We placed our order well before 7pm (the end of Happy Hour) and to our dismay the happy hour price was not honored for our signature martini's. I flagged down another waiter and asked him to get our waitress, after waiting more than 5 minutes and not seeing our waitress I asked another waitress to speak to the manager. This waitress said ok then went to the back and came back out stating that the manager would be with us shortly and I asked her how soon because we have a show at 7:30pm. She went back to the manager and came back out and said it might be a bit because the manager is in the middle of something then asked if I could email the issue instead. I then informed this waitress of the issue that I had with the bill and she said she would grab our waitress, this other waitress and our waitress were less than a foot away from us and we heard them discussing the issue and when our waitress asked where the manager was the girl that went to get the manager said that the manager was smoking. Then our waitress came to our table and said she would have it corrected but she had to get someone else to correct it. This other person then came over and explained what they would have to do then they did it (this was two minutes to 7:30pm) - the issue was eventually corrected, they took off $10 but I'm still extremely disappointed about the service and the fact that we were late to our showing of Wicked the musical because of the lack of urgency from your employees and manager. To hear that a manager is in the middle of something else but really only smoking instead of trying to better serve their customer is pretty sad. It really shows where their priority is. I didn't have time to ask for the manager's name as we were already running late so I only have our waitress's name and our receipt with time stamps on it but the point of me sharing this is so you know that you have three dissatisfied customers who will probably not return to the Water Street location nor recommend it as an outing to any of our friends. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I really hope that my complaint is taken seriously.
(1)JAMES M.
DUDE!!! WOW!!! oh man I might not remember much about this place BUT im sure I was here!!!!! I remember being in the back beer garden with the rest of the guys...........awesome time, shots galore.......then we went to other bars around water st. Water st is Legendary people!!!!! Make sure to stop by water st's many watering holes...... Bar Louie Just because your on Water street............you get the Shake & bake seal of approval!
(3)Meena V.
I have to preface this review with the fact that this Bar Louie location is barely half a block from my apartment building -- and believe me, it's taken a lot of restraint to give the place 4 stars instead of 5 just for that. The food is your standard Milwaukee bar fare - greasy and cheesy - which is fine and even great if you're in the mood. I was excited to see a veggie option of a hummus plate, a welcome change from what you usually see for veggie options at such joints! They've also got 50+ taps, including both local brews you'd expect, and some surprising, unique international brews as well. Fantastic happy hour deals ($2 everything on tap and 50% off appetizers) too! However, don't expect your waiter/waitress to know much about the options on tap, or be able to offer intelligent suggestions -- we asked two questions and were given their cheat-sheet from training (?). Great, except it was about two months outdated. So you best know your beers by tap handle, I guess? What this place REALLY has going for it, is that despite being an (ugh) Water Street Bar, somehow the general Water Street scene stays out of here. So you can go in, enjoy your food and drink and maybe even a conversation without having to yell over a bunch of frat boys or worry about being doused in Bud Lite. Whatever it is that's responsible for this shift in clientele, thanks!
(4)Jon B.
Yup the rumors are true; this place sucks. Food is ok, service is poor at best and drinks are terrible.
(1)Sara J.
I always order the cajun salmon with rice, beans, and mango salsa and it's really good. My fiance has experimented with the place and has always found the food really good. My problem is their customer service! Last time (and THE last time, I'm not going back) we went it was packed and tables were full, so they gave us a beeper to call when one became available. They said 10 minutes, we waited 20-30 and I finally went up to ask what's going on. She was like "oh, we called three times I guess it's not working." Umm... didn't they think to come up to us and get us to a table LIKE THEY WERE DOING FOR A BUNCH OF OTHER CUSTOMERS!!! We ate there, but we will not go back because their service is sh!t.
(1)Alix G.
Don't come here for food. Only come here to drink. Maybe. My bacon and egg sandwich had no bacon. My dad's burger was missing two things also. They didn't microwave (LOL) the spinach dip the whole way through. I hate this place. And why do the waitresses have to be wearing next to nothing?
(1)Erika B.
I've been here once and I will never go back. First, my friend and I waited in an empty restaurant while a bartender and three waitresses chatted with each other for ten minutes before we were even given menus or greeted. The waitress seemed put-upon, as if we were inconveniencing her by simply eating there. When the food arrived, it was less than stellar. I ordered the mac and cheese and it was awful - bland sauce with overcooked pasta. This is definitely a restaurant I'll never waste my time at or money on again.
(1)Daniel R.
Mixed drinks and burgers are a safe bet here. The service is usually mediocre but the food and drinks will deliver.
(3)Marty S.
I go to this Bar Louie location very frequently and can't think of a bad experience (full disclosure: Bar Louie is located adjacent to my condo and the closest bar in walking distance). I'd argue that Bar Louis has the best happy hour on Water St... $2 all taps until 7 and certain appetizers are half priced. There are a number of bars downtown / on Water St. that have $1 domestics (aka Miller or Bud taps) but if you want to drink MGD or High Life cheaply you can buy a 6-pack. Bar Louie's $2 on all taps means you can get a pretty well poured Guinness (I've had some near perfect pints and some horribly poured pints but the only places in Milwaukee I've never had bad Guinness pours being County Clare and Paddy's), Delirium Tremens, Framboise, and any of the other imports or micro brews that are normally $5-9. Bar Louie does not have the largest serving of nachos but I've yet to have a plate of nachos in Milwaukee with as "gourmet" (or as gourmet as nachos can get) of ingredients. Guacamole, diced tomatoes, onions, black beans, melted cheese, and chicken all for around $5 during happy hour (9.99 with chicken I believe is the normal price). Bar Louie's biggest consistent crowds seem to be on Tuesdays for what they call $1 burgers and I call $1 not really $1 burgers....$1 gets you the burger and bun with fries available for 1.99, and cheese/toppings available ala carte for .25 or .50...the burgers normally end up being about half off of the normal menu price when you get done building them out. The misleading price notwithstanding you need to get there early on a Tuesday or be willing to wait 30-60 minutes for a table.
(4)Ed K.
As I read the rest of the reviews, I'm happy. So many unhappy patrons means we can go there again and have great service and a great time. We were there for happy hour. Two martinis, two appetizers, and out for 20 bucks. What more can you ask for?
(3)Alma Z.
Our waitress decided to charge her own tip on our credit card and took the cash tip we gave her! Took 3 days for management to solve it and they left me a gift card for my trouble and to make up some up the difference that he couldn't refund me and said I could pick it up when ever I wanted that it would be at the bar for me. That was a like a month ago because I dont get downtown as much as I like. So I planned on going tonight but the General Manager, who is not very nice, was like, that manager is no longer here and there is no gift card, I don't know why he would do that. So after all his rudeness he was like next time you come in you can have $10 off. I felt like it was some HUGE favor this GENERAL MANAGER was doing for me, that I was like you know, keep it, I will never step foot into your location again! I have been in customer service for years and the one thing you always do is please your customer to keep them coming back. And after reading some of these reviews, I think he needs to reevaluate how he runs his operation. I could understand if I was a someone who repeatedly was trying to sucker him out of some free meals, but it all started with his waitress....
(1)Michele R.
My experience at Bar Louie has always been excellent. My favorite part about Bar Louie is when I won a martini party and we got a private back room. I would recommend Capricio Salon & Spa to all of my family and friends because they provide excellent service and everyone is always so friendly!
(5)L. W.
Bar Louie used to be the spot on the good days of Water (2003-2007) but it's kind of dead now. I've never been there during the day so I can't say much about the food, but the drinks are reasonable.
(3)Gabrielle B.
This place has the WORST service! The food is just okay, but overpriced. If you're just looking for a place to get a beer it's great, cause there are so many on tap. I suggest going for $2 pint happy hour. Don't pay full price for a brew.
(2)Jesse B.
I usually only go on Tuesdays where they have a fairly good deal. Tuesday nights are $1 burgers, which sounds great, but your burger only includes lettuce. For the rest of the toppings it is either $.50 or $.25 for each topping. My usual burger runs me $2.00. Considering it is a 1/2 LBS burger with bacon and blue cheese it is a good deal. They also have 1/2 off some of their appetizers until 7. Drink prices are average during happy hour, but once happy hour is over the prices seem to be a little high. Otherwise the food is pretty good, and the atmosphere is great. I would also suggest the tater tots, they are arguably the best tots around when they are cooked enough.
(4)Jessica W.
blegh. the food here isnt TOO bad...it's bar food. but the drinks here are RIDICULOUS. i get dragged here every once and while, so a big group and i went for $1 burger nights. we were all ordering double mixed drinks all night except the girl next to me. she ordered one short drink and it was $5. besides the fact that the drinks were awful, they were literally double the price. $10 for a crappy rum and coke that was mostly coke!? and besides that, there must have been something wrong with their soda dispenser because the coke tasted wayyyyy off im sure i'll get dragged here again soon enough, but i will be ordering a beer next time....
(2)Melissa P.
Thanks Dani for serving my 21 year old friends on their birthday and not carding us, as I'm sure the girls looked far beyond old enough (being sarcastic here). The service at this place was terrible. We waited over 15 minutes at the table for a greeting, 20min for a round of drinks. When we skipped dinner & paid early, the server just shrugged. She actually had me stand at the computer until she finished placing another customer's order. Guess the whole smile and manners approach isn't trendy enough for this place. There are far better places within walking distance to spend your money.
(1)Tonya C.
For being a national chain, this local venue is comfortable and enjoyable for a tasty variety of after-work libations. I appreciated one called "decadence" that was not only tasty, but also packed enough of a punch that I didn't need any further drinks to thoroughly enjoy the rest of the evening (yeah... I'm a cheap date, but my colleagues don't need to know that!). My boss arranged for hors d'oevres to further spice up the evening for my work group, and I have to say the spinach and artichoke dip, with crisp, fresh chips, was as good as any I've had elsewhere in the city. Their taquitos and quesadillas were also well done. I really liked the subdued atmosphere that allowed for congenial conversation without competing with too much smoke or overly loud music or TVs. I would definitely return... even though I'm not much for a regular night-life scene. And now for the lunch version... Originally I'd given this spot a 5-star rating. After the debacle of today's lunch, they lose two for incompetent help. People who arrived after my group ate before us; our waitress didn't clear any of the appetizer dishes until we'd almost finished our meal (she seemed more inclined to flirt with a table full of men strategically positioned on the outside porch where she couldn't see us trying to catch her attention); she delivered the wrong order for me; and she left us waiting... repeatedly. First it was a half an hour after she delivered our drink orders that she took our lunch order, then it was another half an hour before the lunch order was delivered (either over-fried or over-cooked), and in the meantime she kept saying she'd refill our drinks, but only managed that twice in the hour and a half span during which we listened to music that was good, but too loud to allow comfortable conversation. I don't think we'll be returning for lunch any time soon.
(3)Mari L.
I'm always on the fence about venturing to Bar Louie. The fire pit and outdoor seating in the summer is fantastic!! It's hard to find an outdoor fire pit in the heart of the city so that is definitely a draw. So good job with that. However, the wait staff needs to get it together. We had a table of 8+ (which would result in a nice tip) but not one server came over to our table on Saturday night. We had to go inside for drinks and then go to the outside bar to order some appetizers. Not cool. I did appreciate the outside bartender asking if a server had even been to our table. She apologized when I said no. Definitely not my first choice for a downtown destination.
(2)Jackie S.
Went here on a Friday afternoon around 3:30. There were 7 other people at the bar. No bartender even in sight for about 15 minutes. Pathetic that there wasn't someone behind the bar. The service was horrible! Will never go back.
(1)Clayton D.
My server, Kellie, did a fantastic job keeping my drink full. I stopped in on burger night (Tuesdays) where every burger is only a dollar. Even though it was pretty busy, it seemed like the staff was keeping up with customer demand pretty well. This place is fantastic. Their drinks are well priced and their food is delicious. I can see myself coming back here time and time again.
(5)Kim W.
Trying to get a drink or a bartender to notice you is extremely difficult. Visited on 3-28-15 and think that will be the very last time I ever go! The bartenders were extremely rude.
(1)Angela W.
I will start by saying... If you look at my reviews, I don't stop into chain/franchise restaurants often, and when I do there is little reason to give a review. But my friend and I were so pleasantly surprised by our lunch/ drinks at Bar Louie that we both agreed that it deserved a shout out! It was a beautiful Sunday, so a friend and I randomly agreed that we wanted brunch, at a location with outdoor seating. But we weren't feeling like eggs or an overly heavy brunch. As we were driving and looked at bar Louie's, we noticed the HUGE outdoor patio, lots of tables available and an open parking spot- decision made. Honestly, we both agreed that we were settling due to the above mentioned factors, but we were wrong. We were greeted and seated by a very friendly server, at the table of our choice. Once seated- we got down to business- ordering a drink. We both chose the Pineapple Express Sangria, and it was much, MUCH better than we expected. Presentation was fun and the pineapple was perfectly ripe, making our drinks that much more perfect. I really thought I was going to regret ordering this because I tend to shy away from fruity drinks- they are typically too sweet for me, but this one was light and bubbly- genius to use a dry procceco. We were shocked! Then we decided to eat light- but we still wanted something of substance. We shared the hummus and tzatki platter and the shrimp lettuce wraps (see pics) both were perfect. I mean.... I know it isn't hard to slap some hummus on a platter, but I will say that the veggies were fresh and the presentation nice- it was exactly what we were looking for. I admit- we had our food and drink and left to continue our Sunday funday at another... Let's say "bar" atmosphere, with a little cheaper drinks. But I still felt that it earned a four star rating for our overall experience. We both agreed that we will be back!
(4)Marian Q.
I don't usually go to Bar Louie unless it's $1 burger night (Tuesday's)...and when I do come, it's usually because the wait for $1 tacos was too long. Now this review is based on $1 burgers. I haven't had anything from their regular menu and after having these burgers, I don't think I would. Why, you ask? Simply put, the burgers are not good. Not good at all. Sure, they have an array of toppings to choose from but even the toppings are not good. On the most recent burger I had, I asked for grilled onions (which I got very little of) and grilled mushrooms (which tasted like they were marinated in vinegar-yuck!). The main component of my burger, the patty- dry and tasteless....I've had burgers from fast food joints that had more flavor. Did I finish my meal? Yes, but it was only a matter of hunger vs. taste. The bottom line is this: I love a good deal, but even I wouldn't recommend it. There are plenty of other restaurants to choose from around the area, go there and then maybe come to Bar Louie and grab a drink on the patio, but save your appetite for somewhere else. Your taste buds will thank you.
(2)Eugene P.
Nice location. They have outdoor sitting area with a lot of couches. My server Oliver was super friendly. And huge list of draft beer.
(5)Phillip S.
After our long day at work, our group of coworkers decided to check out Milwaukee's beautiful downtown, though this city has a bit of northern and southern flair, parts of it reminded me of New Orleans. But when it comes to food, there's plenty of options. We ended up trying Bar Louie, what got us to choose this place was their beautiful, spacious patio, that has sofas, and even a large firepit in the centre. We took advantage of the space and quickly took our spot. They have happy hour m-f from 4-7, so we just made the cut off time at 6:55pm. Half price on appetizers, $3.95 for selected drafts, $4.95 on selected wines, etc... For drinks I had their Samuel Adams Seasonal Octoberfest beer which was delighful, and it was a change from my usual red wine! For food, those who know me, I am a nachos type of guy because its got all your necessary food groups, veggies, meats, dairy, etc! Their portions are very generous, and they dont cheap out on cheese and chunks of meats that came with this dish.....though it was a lot I was amazed that the FOOD-GODS gave me the will to finish the whole dish of chicken nachos lol... Overall the service was a bit slow at times, and Bar LOUIE has a nice vibe to it. Luckily it was not so packed since it was the NFL opener GreenBay vs Seattle, unfortunately the Packers lost, but it was to the defending champs... so dont feel so bad Milwaukee :)
(4)Jenn D.
I've been to bar Louie in a few other cities. It's okay. Not a huge fan. They had live music which was a plus but it wasn't very busy. Good location but don't frequent it.
(2)Andy K.
I'm parched. $1 Burger Tuesdays. I asked for a turkey burger and got a nice sized very well done beef patty. I also ordered fries which didn't come out with my burger, however the server kindly gave me a basket destined for someone else. Never got my water.
(2)Kara K.
Walking into the patio the vibe was great. The music was up, people were dancing. We were pleasantly surprised they served food until bar close. Even happier when we found an open table! We orders drinks and appetizers all at once because this was our first stop while showing a friend from out of town the city. Our appetizers came out before our drinks, which took well over an hour. Our waitress was MIA the whole time. Never even came over to tell us sorry for the long wait. Not only that, but we were never offered water even after she brought out our apps with NO DRINKS. Needless to say I will not be spending my money at these establishments anymore. Two bad experiences is enough for me.
(1)Michael G.
We had a spontaneous dinner at the Bar Louie and most of us had Burgers. They all were great. I especially enjoyed the one with bacon and a fried egg. There was no unnecessary mayonnaise or other sauce on the burger that would distract from the juicy meat. The other dishes seemed to be tasteful, too. Oh yes, and they have a nice choice of beers! Friendly staff like you would expect in a US restaurant.
(5)Pamela M.
Only my cousin drags me to places I'd never otherwise want to go... Bar Louie I'm a "no go" as you won't ever hear the words "Hey! Let's go to Bar Louie" come out of my mouth. Reason #1 - I'd much rather support a local business that's owned in Milwaukee and because of that, the money stays in Milwaukee. Reason #2 - it's corporate. It's a CHAIN (bad word! bad word!) Reason #3 - it's a huge rip off. I'll tell you why. I go up to the bar and order a Miller Lite and a red bull and vodka. Not even top shelf vodka. She says single or double? I say single... (no, really you wouldn't think so but I actually did say single). So, one Miller Lite, one single pour of rail vodka. How much you think? I'll tell you. It was $16 and some change. Why in heaven's name would it be $17 for TWO, yes TWO drinks? Rail. Single. One domestic beer. I was charged $5.75 for the cheap vodka and $4.00 for the Red Bull. WTH. And of course the tax and tip. So it's about $20 FOR TWO DRINKS. You disgust me, Bar Louie.
(1)Kathy T.
A lot of wait staff standing around but not a lot of good service. Food average. Still waiting for a good drink
(3)Shelly S.
No stars! We came in to listen to the band. It was so loud (in a bar that was less than a quarter full) that we had one drink and left. I asked the bartender to ask the band to turn it down and she said, "It's always this loud on a Friday and Saturday night!" I am guessing that this is why the bar was pretty empty. There were several people who were yelling "turn it down!!" Point of their story - do NOT go to Bar Louie on a weekend night!!!
(1)Leah B.
Bar Louie is the same franchise you can rely (or not) rely on. Same atmosphere & décor, same uniforms, and a lot of taps. On the flipside I'm gonna talk about what disgruntles me about this place over and over. The waitstaff /bartenders are nice, but act stuck up. Which, if I were looking to be employed here, might change my mind. I've noticed that the bartenders have their hair down. Fine, whatever, but the girl's got her whole face covered like Cousin IT and the other one keeps pulling hers out of her mouth. YUCK. All the waitstaff, from my experiences, are attentive... But nothing above or beyond. Idk. The décor and the uniformed employees look great, but I feel like I should be able to expect more from a place like this.
(3)Pa Y.
I went there during the badger game and it was extremely busy and crowded. Sat at the bar and ordered a mojito which was pretty good. The bartender was attentive when she came over but overall if we had came on a not so busy night, might have rated it better.
(3)Brad K.
The only reason this place gets two stars is because of the great beer specials. It's either $2 or $3 I forget which for any of their draft beer on weeknights and they have a huge selection of beer on draft probably around 40 beers. The service at this place is terrible though. Whether you're at the bar or at a table. You have to hound down servers to get a beer and they often bring food out and wave it around a general area until someone claims it. And speaking of the food, it's gross. If you can stomach the bad service and come here on a night not named Tuesday then you can get some good beer for cheap. That is, if you want to beg for each beer.
(2)Bartleby F.
I would give this location four stars, but their happy hour beers are now 3.25$ when just a year or so ago they were $2.50 (when I first moved to Milwaukee they were $2.00). And they don't give you pints, they still use the happy hour glasses which I was willing to overlook when a beer was under 3$. Still, fantastic selection of beers. I like this location because it's not as loud as the Bayshore location. And even though it gets crowded, there's always somewhere to seat, especially when the patio is open. BTW I love the addition of the fire pit on the patio because that will extend its use far into fall. $1 burger night is still intact and one of the best deals in town. Other than that, their food is consistently good. Later in the evening it gets a little meat markety, but that's the Water Street experience in general.
(3)Justin L.
Review is for HH only...and I'll probably only go to this place for HH. Like all franchise places...I really don't expect a whole lot. I just came because they have a pretty decent HH, which runs til 7pm. $2 taps, $4 wines, $5 martinis as well as 1/2 off selected apps. The patio area is nice as well too especially if it's a sunny and warm evening. This place is mostly for young adults as that is what they try and attract by playing their loud top 40s music..definitely not a hipster place...very mainstream. Food was good for what we were paying...it's franchise establishment food...how fancy can you get?. My favorite was probably the firecracker flatbread (five-spice beef w/ julienned carrots and scallions w/ a hoisin-plum sauce?) Our group got 6 apps and 5 drinks and only spent $56 before tip...not bad. The service, however, was very slow. They're really nice about it but they either need to hire more waiters or pick up the pace.
(3)Ronnie E.
This review is for the Bayshore Bar Louie: I regret the day I set foot in this place. I went for a late dinner and ordered the ahi tuna steak sandwich. The dish arrived very raw and had a strange taste. Regrettably, I still ate the sandwich. Much to my dismay, I spent a whole week suffering from food poisoning, dealing with diarrhea and vomit of the worst kind. Stay away!
(1)Sue B.
Compared to the Bay Shore Bar Louie, this one is much more open and not as loud. I love the bruschetta and quesadillas. Downtown never seems to have a long wait. The staff is friendly. Tickled pink martini and burger night are the best. I love the late night hours. I would recommend this one for the patio if you are drinking. I don't think they serve food outside but you can order at the bar and take it out.
(4)Meghan L.
My fiance and I went in for our free beer (from the coupon that lakefront gives you during their tour) and that's all we left with. We were thinking about getting some bar food but when we asked the waitress what was good she mentioned one thing and then we asked her what she wouldn't order and she started listing item after item off the menu.. I am sorry but if your staff can't recommend a dish, it shouldn't be on the menu!!
(2)ryan h.
I was here last night. I'll give the drinks and the drink specials about a four, but the food a three... granted it is mainly a bar so i dont hold that completely against them... i'd say in future attempts i'd just go to have a few drinks and eat somewhere else... the wait staff could use a facelift, or a workout routine. Normally I wouldnt care but with the outfits they were made to wear it was almost un appetizing.
(3)Jen Y.
Bad service, ok food, decent drinks. The only reason I can see going is happy hour is cheap... 1/2 price appetizers and a few drink specials. But the food is not great, processed junk food.
(2)Amy V.
Just wrote a complaint to Corporate. Thought I'd just share it on here as well. I would like to share my dining experience. My girl friends and I stopped at Bar Louie a little after 6:45pm. We seated ourselves as the sign directed and patiently waited almost 10 minutes before being greeted by a waiter. Our waitress took our order at 6:52pm, we ordered two signature martini's, a root beer and the Tennessee Whiskey Cake. We just wanted something quick and lite before our 7:30 show, upon receiving our last item I handed our waitress my debit card (about 7:15 pm) and asked her to just charge everything on to it because we had somewhere else to be. Upon her return at/about 7:17pm, she handed me the receipt and thanked us for our time. A few minutes after her departure I looked at the receipt and not thinking, I just signed the bill without considering the total but one of my girl friends noticed that the total seemed too much. We placed our order well before 7pm (the end of Happy Hour) and to our dismay the happy hour price was not honored for our signature martini's. I flagged down another waiter and asked him to get our waitress, after waiting more than 5 minutes and not seeing our waitress I asked another waitress to speak to the manager. This waitress said ok then went to the back and came back out stating that the manager would be with us shortly and I asked her how soon because we have a show at 7:30pm. She went back to the manager and came back out and said it might be a bit because the manager is in the middle of something then asked if I could email the issue instead. I then informed this waitress of the issue that I had with the bill and she said she would grab our waitress, this other waitress and our waitress were less than a foot away from us and we heard them discussing the issue and when our waitress asked where the manager was the girl that went to get the manager said that the manager was smoking. Then our waitress came to our table and said she would have it corrected but she had to get someone else to correct it. This other person then came over and explained what they would have to do then they did it (this was two minutes to 7:30pm) - the issue was eventually corrected, they took off $10 but I'm still extremely disappointed about the service and the fact that we were late to our showing of Wicked the musical because of the lack of urgency from your employees and manager. To hear that a manager is in the middle of something else but really only smoking instead of trying to better serve their customer is pretty sad. It really shows where their priority is. I didn't have time to ask for the manager's name as we were already running late so I only have our waitress's name and our receipt with time stamps on it but the point of me sharing this is so you know that you have three dissatisfied customers who will probably not return to the Water Street location nor recommend it as an outing to any of our friends. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I really hope that my complaint is taken seriously.
(1)JAMES M.
DUDE!!! WOW!!! oh man I might not remember much about this place BUT im sure I was here!!!!! I remember being in the back beer garden with the rest of the guys...........awesome time, shots galore.......then we went to other bars around water st. Water st is Legendary people!!!!! Make sure to stop by water st's many watering holes...... Bar Louie Just because your on Water street............you get the Shake & bake seal of approval!
(3)Meena V.
I have to preface this review with the fact that this Bar Louie location is barely half a block from my apartment building -- and believe me, it's taken a lot of restraint to give the place 4 stars instead of 5 just for that. The food is your standard Milwaukee bar fare - greasy and cheesy - which is fine and even great if you're in the mood. I was excited to see a veggie option of a hummus plate, a welcome change from what you usually see for veggie options at such joints! They've also got 50+ taps, including both local brews you'd expect, and some surprising, unique international brews as well. Fantastic happy hour deals ($2 everything on tap and 50% off appetizers) too! However, don't expect your waiter/waitress to know much about the options on tap, or be able to offer intelligent suggestions -- we asked two questions and were given their cheat-sheet from training (?). Great, except it was about two months outdated. So you best know your beers by tap handle, I guess? What this place REALLY has going for it, is that despite being an (ugh) Water Street Bar, somehow the general Water Street scene stays out of here. So you can go in, enjoy your food and drink and maybe even a conversation without having to yell over a bunch of frat boys or worry about being doused in Bud Lite. Whatever it is that's responsible for this shift in clientele, thanks!
(4)Jon B.
Yup the rumors are true; this place sucks. Food is ok, service is poor at best and drinks are terrible.
(1)Sara J.
I always order the cajun salmon with rice, beans, and mango salsa and it's really good. My fiance has experimented with the place and has always found the food really good. My problem is their customer service! Last time (and THE last time, I'm not going back) we went it was packed and tables were full, so they gave us a beeper to call when one became available. They said 10 minutes, we waited 20-30 and I finally went up to ask what's going on. She was like "oh, we called three times I guess it's not working." Umm... didn't they think to come up to us and get us to a table LIKE THEY WERE DOING FOR A BUNCH OF OTHER CUSTOMERS!!! We ate there, but we will not go back because their service is sh!t.
(1)Alix G.
Don't come here for food. Only come here to drink. Maybe. My bacon and egg sandwich had no bacon. My dad's burger was missing two things also. They didn't microwave (LOL) the spinach dip the whole way through. I hate this place. And why do the waitresses have to be wearing next to nothing?
(1)Erika B.
I've been here once and I will never go back. First, my friend and I waited in an empty restaurant while a bartender and three waitresses chatted with each other for ten minutes before we were even given menus or greeted. The waitress seemed put-upon, as if we were inconveniencing her by simply eating there. When the food arrived, it was less than stellar. I ordered the mac and cheese and it was awful - bland sauce with overcooked pasta. This is definitely a restaurant I'll never waste my time at or money on again.
(1)Daniel R.
Mixed drinks and burgers are a safe bet here. The service is usually mediocre but the food and drinks will deliver.
(3)Marty S.
I go to this Bar Louie location very frequently and can't think of a bad experience (full disclosure: Bar Louie is located adjacent to my condo and the closest bar in walking distance). I'd argue that Bar Louis has the best happy hour on Water St... $2 all taps until 7 and certain appetizers are half priced. There are a number of bars downtown / on Water St. that have $1 domestics (aka Miller or Bud taps) but if you want to drink MGD or High Life cheaply you can buy a 6-pack. Bar Louie's $2 on all taps means you can get a pretty well poured Guinness (I've had some near perfect pints and some horribly poured pints but the only places in Milwaukee I've never had bad Guinness pours being County Clare and Paddy's), Delirium Tremens, Framboise, and any of the other imports or micro brews that are normally $5-9. Bar Louie does not have the largest serving of nachos but I've yet to have a plate of nachos in Milwaukee with as "gourmet" (or as gourmet as nachos can get) of ingredients. Guacamole, diced tomatoes, onions, black beans, melted cheese, and chicken all for around $5 during happy hour (9.99 with chicken I believe is the normal price). Bar Louie's biggest consistent crowds seem to be on Tuesdays for what they call $1 burgers and I call $1 not really $1 burgers....$1 gets you the burger and bun with fries available for 1.99, and cheese/toppings available ala carte for .25 or .50...the burgers normally end up being about half off of the normal menu price when you get done building them out. The misleading price notwithstanding you need to get there early on a Tuesday or be willing to wait 30-60 minutes for a table.
(4)Ed K.
As I read the rest of the reviews, I'm happy. So many unhappy patrons means we can go there again and have great service and a great time. We were there for happy hour. Two martinis, two appetizers, and out for 20 bucks. What more can you ask for?
(3)Alma Z.
Our waitress decided to charge her own tip on our credit card and took the cash tip we gave her! Took 3 days for management to solve it and they left me a gift card for my trouble and to make up some up the difference that he couldn't refund me and said I could pick it up when ever I wanted that it would be at the bar for me. That was a like a month ago because I dont get downtown as much as I like. So I planned on going tonight but the General Manager, who is not very nice, was like, that manager is no longer here and there is no gift card, I don't know why he would do that. So after all his rudeness he was like next time you come in you can have $10 off. I felt like it was some HUGE favor this GENERAL MANAGER was doing for me, that I was like you know, keep it, I will never step foot into your location again! I have been in customer service for years and the one thing you always do is please your customer to keep them coming back. And after reading some of these reviews, I think he needs to reevaluate how he runs his operation. I could understand if I was a someone who repeatedly was trying to sucker him out of some free meals, but it all started with his waitress....
(1)Michele R.
My experience at Bar Louie has always been excellent. My favorite part about Bar Louie is when I won a martini party and we got a private back room. I would recommend Capricio Salon & Spa to all of my family and friends because they provide excellent service and everyone is always so friendly!
(5)L. W.
Bar Louie used to be the spot on the good days of Water (2003-2007) but it's kind of dead now. I've never been there during the day so I can't say much about the food, but the drinks are reasonable.
(3)Gabrielle B.
This place has the WORST service! The food is just okay, but overpriced. If you're just looking for a place to get a beer it's great, cause there are so many on tap. I suggest going for $2 pint happy hour. Don't pay full price for a brew.
(2)Jesse B.
I usually only go on Tuesdays where they have a fairly good deal. Tuesday nights are $1 burgers, which sounds great, but your burger only includes lettuce. For the rest of the toppings it is either $.50 or $.25 for each topping. My usual burger runs me $2.00. Considering it is a 1/2 LBS burger with bacon and blue cheese it is a good deal. They also have 1/2 off some of their appetizers until 7. Drink prices are average during happy hour, but once happy hour is over the prices seem to be a little high. Otherwise the food is pretty good, and the atmosphere is great. I would also suggest the tater tots, they are arguably the best tots around when they are cooked enough.
(4)Jessica W.
blegh. the food here isnt TOO bad...it's bar food. but the drinks here are RIDICULOUS. i get dragged here every once and while, so a big group and i went for $1 burger nights. we were all ordering double mixed drinks all night except the girl next to me. she ordered one short drink and it was $5. besides the fact that the drinks were awful, they were literally double the price. $10 for a crappy rum and coke that was mostly coke!? and besides that, there must have been something wrong with their soda dispenser because the coke tasted wayyyyy off im sure i'll get dragged here again soon enough, but i will be ordering a beer next time....
(2)Melissa P.
Thanks Dani for serving my 21 year old friends on their birthday and not carding us, as I'm sure the girls looked far beyond old enough (being sarcastic here). The service at this place was terrible. We waited over 15 minutes at the table for a greeting, 20min for a round of drinks. When we skipped dinner & paid early, the server just shrugged. She actually had me stand at the computer until she finished placing another customer's order. Guess the whole smile and manners approach isn't trendy enough for this place. There are far better places within walking distance to spend your money.
(1)Tonya C.
For being a national chain, this local venue is comfortable and enjoyable for a tasty variety of after-work libations. I appreciated one called "decadence" that was not only tasty, but also packed enough of a punch that I didn't need any further drinks to thoroughly enjoy the rest of the evening (yeah... I'm a cheap date, but my colleagues don't need to know that!). My boss arranged for hors d'oevres to further spice up the evening for my work group, and I have to say the spinach and artichoke dip, with crisp, fresh chips, was as good as any I've had elsewhere in the city. Their taquitos and quesadillas were also well done. I really liked the subdued atmosphere that allowed for congenial conversation without competing with too much smoke or overly loud music or TVs. I would definitely return... even though I'm not much for a regular night-life scene. And now for the lunch version... Originally I'd given this spot a 5-star rating. After the debacle of today's lunch, they lose two for incompetent help. People who arrived after my group ate before us; our waitress didn't clear any of the appetizer dishes until we'd almost finished our meal (she seemed more inclined to flirt with a table full of men strategically positioned on the outside porch where she couldn't see us trying to catch her attention); she delivered the wrong order for me; and she left us waiting... repeatedly. First it was a half an hour after she delivered our drink orders that she took our lunch order, then it was another half an hour before the lunch order was delivered (either over-fried or over-cooked), and in the meantime she kept saying she'd refill our drinks, but only managed that twice in the hour and a half span during which we listened to music that was good, but too loud to allow comfortable conversation. I don't think we'll be returning for lunch any time soon.
(3)Merete M.
Some of us stopped by for happy hour drinks and appetizers. We sat around the fire pit outside, and were not served by anyone for the first hour we were there. Since we weren't technically at a table, we just brought ourselves to the bar when we needed a drink or food. My husband and I ordered food, and drinks. 45 minutes later, we found out there had been a problem with the computers, and our order had not made it to the kitchen. By this time, a server was frequenting our group to take and drop off orders, and she was fairly attentive. I felt this place wasn't staffed or set up to handle a busy happy hour. Maybe with more staff, they could earn another star or two. The boneless wings were very good, the quesadilla was good, drinks weren't all that cheap, considering it was supposed to be happy hour prices. I can get a beer for $5 almost anywhere in town at almost any time.
(2)Tony K.
I usually end up coming here for lunch, and it seems on every experience our server looks like he or she ended up staying over night after closing the bar. Disheveled. The food isn't bad. It's ok. Service just really stinks here.
(2)Rachel F.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? I don't mean to seem mean, but I certainly don't need to be nice about the fact that I don't care for Bar Louie. I mean, for serious: if you go all the way back one review of mine to yesterday's you'll see that I don't necessarily hate on/rail against every chain restaurant simply for being a chain; in fact, there are plenty of spots that boast multiple locations both regionally and nationally that do things really well. Bar Louie is not one of them. Sysco-quality frozen food, specialty drinks rife with random schnapps and puckers, crazy loud music/TVs, spotty service, and a clientele I'd rather not fraternize with. Frat-ernize. (Get it?) I just don't see any reason to spend money here when Milwaukee boasts so many other fantastic options.
(2)shaun m.
Horribly slow service. 1 beer took 30 minutes and it was far from packed, our waitress (Ally) was nice enough but was always talking to friends and not getting our food/drinks. Warm beer and decent food at best. Bad representation of a good spot in other cities.
(1)Rachael G.
So here's the scene. Monday night it was pouring rain, and I wanted to treat myself and coworkers to some of Bar Louie's loaded tots. I decide to order a salad as my dinner, and then 2 orders of tots, one with bacon and one without. Total? 31 mother f-ing dollars and 50 freaking cents. For what?! I ordered a BBQ ranch salad and it sounded delish! It was supposed to have romaine, avacado, corn, tortilla strips, fried onion strings, portabella, and BBQ ranch dressing. Sounds yummy, no? It would have been, had 50 percent of the "salad" not consisted of tortilla strips and shoe string onion rings. It was ridiculously unhealthy, and the romaine that was there was DRENCHED in dressing. The "loaded tots" were 9 dollars an order which is a joke in itself, let alone the fact that the loaded part seemed to be missing. They were supposed to include cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and green onions, little of which was to be found. Moral of the story? Don't order from restaurants whose prices are not listed online.
(2)Steve B.
My first Yelp review for a reason, terrible, terrible, terrible. Party of 60 for wedding party, they brought out every meal individually, one by one for over a two hours period. No order in distribution and tables sat empty with only one meal. Stay AWAY!!
(1)Yayi M.
I've been to the one located in Bayshore mall. Is a great happy hour place. The Diva martini is good, and the half price appetizers are great and always delicious ! for regular dinner I had the tuna and the Friday fish fry and they are pretty good also. The ambiance is nice and the staff is usually friendly. One Thursday night we even had live music it was nice, not super loud and good songs
(5)Jenna J.
Slow drink service but good variety of options on menu, always a tasty meal and love the outdoor patio with the bonfire.
(4)Bob S.
The burger I got was gross. The service I got was gross. The prices for drinks was gross. This place is just pretty gross. Do not recommend.
(1)Annie F.
Nice outdoor patio with great ambiance, and great staff every time I'm there. Love the chicken salad!
(5)Em V.
I'm 34 and a Veteran who doesn't drink alcohol (yea, I know) and they won't let me in because I dont have an ID that has my birth date on it. How do Veterans who don't drive get treated at Bar Louie? They don't. The managers couldn't even look me in the eye. My friends were playing in the band but the management has no common sense. Btw, if you've eaten here (which I was not going to anyways) it sucks. They don't support Military Veterans, so why would anyone support them?
(1)Bex J.
Decided to give this place another try and I don't think I should have. We were ignored by a group of waitresses for over 15 minutes. Mind you we were sitting at the bar and these group of waitresses were standing around chatting. When out waitress came over she was not friendly at all, rolled her eyes and could care less that she was here. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
(2)Nikita V.
The weekday Happy Hour and $1 burger Tuesdays are worth the value. Any other time, skip Louie and head to one of Milwaukee's better burger joints. I recommend Sobleman's but you could also venture to competitor AJ Bombers. Either way, you'll be able to get a Wisconsin fresh burger, real cheese curds and all the local beer you need.
(3)Cujo S.
great venue, Tuesday $1 burgers was an awesome deal. Attentive service too!
(4)Jessica P.
The food was tasty, the drinks not so much. If I were a beer drinker, that probably would be the place to get a nice special for Wednesdays, Sadly, I would not go back to this place even for the food. You can barely hear the person who sits next to you, and the waitress we had seemed in another world waited 15 min for drinks and 30 min just to have an order taken for food
(2)Joe P.
Descriptive phrase: a bar for twenty-somethings. There's got to be a Bar Louie in every Midwestern city by now. I think being a chain makes people automatically assume the worst. I do hand it to Bar Louie for taking existing buildings in the city and using them for their locations. Both the Milwaukee and St Louis spots integrated the location itself pretty well. My friend and I came here recently for happy hour drinks (before 7PM or 8PM?). We sat at the oval bar which boasts plenty of TVs and taps. There's a bigger seating area in back, a small area up front, and a patio outside. Our bartender was doing pretty well for being the only one on duty. It wasn't hopping but it was busy. Taps were $3 a piece and select appetizers half off. Great deals if you ask me. We split a Buffalo Chicken flatbread ($11 normally) per the bartender's recommendation. Perfect size for splitting, or for one whole meal. Spicy and crisp. Exactly what you'd want from this sort of bar food. Right before happy hour ended the bartender came up and warned us that he'd be getting swamped in a minute and if we wanted another beer he'd get it for us right then so we wouldn't wait. Surprisingly attentive, and appreciated. I did not see the same issues other Yelpers did with Bar Louie. It was a perfectly nice evening for me. Maybe the normal prices are a bit steep for the quality, but I'll definitely come back when the patio is open.
(3)Scott S.
Go with good friends, the time and energy this establishment has put int there patio must be enjoyed. Right in the heart of downtown, you can't ask for much more. Great service, relaxed but professional decor. Whether you go with friends or a romantic date, i can assure you that the experience is going to be grand.
(4)Marc B.
Bad publicity, it says nowhere on there they had special time for Fat Tuesday, that the special for dollar burger was starting at 5:00 pm. It looks like Fat Tuesday special is all day but really it's just their normal Tuesday special. Disappointing because deceiving and we walked there.
(2)Jenni P.
Great outdoor patio space. Fun place to see a live band. 2 bars for faster service. 2 thumbs up!
(4)Nancy M.
Horrible!! Bad service..lunch took over an hour to get a sandwich and water to drink. Waiter dropped off the check and vanished never to be seen again (until we were leaving and he went to pick up his tip!)
(1)Jc C.
I'm constantly disappointed in this place. I hate coming here because service sucks, prices are too high, and specialty drinks taste like cleaning solution. I come because I don't want to rock the boat with friends sometimes. Still is bad.
(1)Adam J.
Atmosphere, live band, food, and staff were good. However, most of the beers we tried were old or completely skunky.
(2)Jeff D.
Our server was Amanda. She took our order, asked if we wanted another beer and that was the end of the interaction. She didn't offer flatware, plates, come back to ask how everything was and brought the check without asking if we wanted anything else. She complained to the guy next to me about working a long 14 hour day and how she doesn't want to take another food order. Them you know what, go home. Food was good, mixed drink ok but her piss poor attitude was shitty. Last time here.
(1)John G.
I'm going to start out by saying that they hire good servers who mostly go out of their way for customers. However, the review goes south from here. If you need food, go someplace else because they apparently don't care who they hire in the kitchen. I work in the service industry myself and the slop they serve isn't something that I would feed to my dogs. My other half works for a downtown company and we go here in large groups for celebrations because the location is convenient. We visited last week in a large group. Well, lots of apps were ordered at the table including calamari that was so greasy or water logged that nobody ate more than a bite. The artichoke dip was pretty good so no complaints there. The boneless wings would have been better if we had heated up tyson in a microwave. There were some other seasonal apps that were so unmemorable that that's what they were. I finally reminded our server that I had ordered a specialty app called "street tacos" and she brought them about 20 minutes after I reminded her that she forgot them, which was no big deal. But, the street tacos were actually the best app that we ordered and then she took them away after about 15 minutes. Not sure what that was about but we kind of were in the slow noshing stage since we did have a few beers. So, she could have left the street tacos as she left the other apps but she seemed to be in a big hurry to take those off the table. If I were the manager of this place, I'd hold a staff meeting and ask the staff to think of how they would want food to taste if they were patrons and such.
(2)Victoria G.
Go for the atmosphere, not the food. Crispy chicken sandwich had wilted lettuce and craft singles as "cheddar".
(1)Nick K.
Ya know, I am very high on Bar Louie. Their happy hour is the best in the city. YEP, the best. All taps are 3$, wine is 4, martinis 5. AND, it goes until seven. Not very many food happy hours go until seven, but the Lou, takes it to the next level (I just made up that nickname). They have a bunch of appetizers that are 5$ also. Great place to swing in before a bucks game or event downtown, and it is a clean and nice place. Much of the other items on the menu, I have sampled a lot of them, a well done. It isn't a place where you get anything crazy, but at Bar Louie you know what you are going to get.
(3)Kailey S.
Went here for a psuedo rehearsal dinner for a family wedding. They reserved a large portion of the patio for our party and it was rather nice. I definitely suggest this place for events. Bar Louie also catered with some burgers and tater tots. My only complaint there is that they weren't quick to replace empty trays and that kept the line for food pretty stop and go because people would have to wait for them to bring out more food. Outside of that, the ambiance was great, food tasted good, service for drinks was pretty decent. I would love to come back and try this place for a normal dinner.
(4)Anthony K.
I've been here about 4 different times and each time the service was HORRIBLE no matter what day or time I came. Expect to wait 20 mins for a drink and at least an hour for food. Oh yeah, if you want a second drink, expect to wait 20 mins for the server to come around again!
(1)Mike C.
If I was reviewing the happy hour specials and Tuesday $1 burgers, this would be a 3 star review. This will focus on what should have been the perfect conditions for a great evening at Bar Louie. I want to like Bar Louie. They have a great space, huge terrace, and professional (for the most part) patrons. What I cannot get over is being charged ~$6.50 for a normal beer (pretty much any beer) that comes in a tiny seeming glass. Maybe if you fill it to the top it's 12oz, but they don't do that. Service is spotty, they ignored a coworker for 15 minutes because she needed to leave and was trying to close her tab on a relatively slow afternoon. Some of the bartenders prefer socializing with each other to working. My final gripe comes from the outdoor bar: There is no soda fountain outside. They fill pitchers with coke/sprite/soda water/tonic and put them out for hours with plastic wrap on top. This gets you a warm, flat soda on ice to start off any cocktail. Gross. Food isn't bad here, and even though they nickel and dime (more like dollars) you on Tuesday burger night, you can still get a good deal. Come for happy hour, leave when it's over.
(2)Elizabeth A.
Was just there with a group late on a Saturday night. The DJ was playing horrible music, and the place was totally dead. Our server pretty much ignored us the whole night and kept forgetting to bring us our drinks. She was really good at checking her phone over by the cash register, though.
(1)Jon S.
Having gone to college in the Chicago area, I had always thought of Bar Louie as a chain of generic and uninspired bars. On a Saturday night after dinner, my fiancé and I (with only a limited knowledge of the area) were drawn to this bar by the sounds of the live band from the outdoor patio (found out later they were called the Modern Giants). The band was great and although I was probably over the median age for that night's patrons, I saw people of all ages (college kids, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and townies) having fun (including a pair of grandparents dancing next to us). Drinks and service were average yet passable but the summer seating and the atmosphere made the night.
(4)Jen H.
If all you want is noise and beer, this is your utopia. If you want wine and food and restrooms that won't make you completely ill, and service that isn't surly or crummy, keep walking.
(1)Monica S.
As a Milwaukee native it's a known fact that no one ever WANTS to go to Bar Louie. It's usually a situation in which you either just end up there because it's convenient, a friend drags you there for the okay happy hour or you're sick of thinking of a better place to go. It's a place I like to call a "settle place." You want more, but you can't put your finger on exactly what it is you want so you give up. start at Bar Louie, and things are just as shitty as you thought they would be. Service first and foremost at both locations, is atrocious. Not like you'd expect a lot out of a place like this but walk in with low expectations if you don't want to be disappointed. Workers here seem to hate their lives and treat customers as an inconvenience not a guest. Any time I've walked in to Bar Louie, It's always taken 10-15 minutes for any employee to acknowledge me, and when you're there the attitude is..."oh..you really want something else?" Rarely do they ever return to you after you've ordered a drink. It gets to a point where you wonder if perhaps your server has exited the building but then you run into them in a bathroom where they're on their cellphone or you see them deeply engaged about in a conversation about their shitty boyfriend to a co-worker. Shaking my damn head. Employees and managers alike here used to be the only reason I could stomach this place but they're all long gone. It seems now all they have working are newbies that have no idea what's going on don't care all too much. Managers are rarely on the floor and when they are it can be hard to pick them out because they stand around just like the rest of the staff. On the rare occasion that the servers are crazy busy or the bar is getting their ass kicked, managers just stand around looking clueless rather than engaging with staff and working as a team. At least this is the impression I got, especially when I was informed that the woman in the particular situation I'm thinking about was the GENERAL MANAGER. Food depends on the day it seems, or whoever is cooking in the back. To me, it tastes like the cheap stuff that comes in big boxes one day a week, loaded with preservatives so it lasts a while on that back shelf. Some of the items are pretty good one day but then awful the next time you come back which could be related to a variety of reasons I don't even want to think about. At least the service is consistently terrible so you know what to expect. Perhaps one day they'll live up to consistent mediocrity with their food which would be an upgrade. Also, if you're going to charge me over $6.00 for not even a pint of beer, I expect you to be able to shoot glitter out of your ass. If that's not attainable, at least fake a smile. They will tell you not to come in if you don't like the prices and but do they really need more reasons for people not to stop by? Money is not an issue but if i am paying that amount I expect more out of a restaurant. Bar Louie does have a decent patio that's right downtown and sometimes they have live music which is cool, but then, when is live acoustic music not cool?? Also, a decent amount of TV's for whatever you want to watch makes gamedays nice if you're a football freak like myself. To sum it up...Bar Louie consistently sucks so you always know what to expect but you'll most likely end up there for whatever reason. Good luck and cheers.
(1)Gregg F.
I tried one down in Illinois when on business. Great food and great variety of beer and the price awesome for happy hour. Fast forward two weeks to try the one in Milwaukee: My wife and I ordered our drink at the bar and an appetizer - shortly after ordering our appetizer we were seated at our table. Over an hour later the manager came over to apologize for us not getting ANY food. My wife hadn't eaten anything all day, and now that we have been here having cocktails she is getting sick. I asked the manager to please bring my wife some chips or something to eat that requires zero prep time. 15 minutes later our appetizer came out as I was getting the car to leave. This was a Bucks game night (Saturday night) and clearly the manager does not have a clue how to run a restaurant like this downtown. I've never NEVER seen people leaving in droves with no food as the night we were here. Obviously didn't have enough staff, or had call in's - what ever the reason you don't seat people when you can't serve them! We will not be back.
(1)Mike M.
I've been to Bar Louie's in other towns and usually like them. This is the first time I've been to the one in Milwaukee. Boo Louie. $6.25 for a beer is kinda nutzo. Add on top of that slow service and barely attentive servers. Not a fan.
(2)Lisa A.
This is usually one of my default places when were on water street and tryin to decide where to go. The galpal I was with luckily loves the one at bayshore so she was happy with the choice. The atmosphere inside is kind of distinguished gentleman (or something) but clientele is kinda usually evenly divided between business/tourist folks and bros. Staff was really really (really) friendly. We kinda missed happy hour so it was quiet here and maybe they were bored- still, ill take that over being ignored anyday. The menu also had nonalcoholic cocktails which I really appreciate. Sometimes I want a break from the adult bevys but to quote a coworker:"u can only order so many ginger ales." It was fruity and cute and kept me from gettin to headachey. We also ordered a roasted vegetable pizza and ended up gettin some sort of Mexican chicken pizza. I woulda complained had it not been the best chicken pizza I'd had in a long time. (Or maybe that drink was playing havoc with my blood sugar-who knows.) They have a nice patio but it was packed so we stayed in. My one big pet peeve? I don't think of this as a 'if you have to ask how much it costs you probably can't afford it' type of place. Yet parts of the menu don't have prices. That's kind of annoying. Overall though, I usually have a pretty good time here for a night out.
(4)Kelsey S.
It's Bar Louie -- it is what it is. I haven't had awful experiences here like other reviewers seem to, but overall, it's just what I expect, I guess. Pretty standard menu, pretty standard bar. The atmosphere is decent, and I love the outdoor patio. Based on other reviews, I feel like I've been pretty lucky with service -- the staff have been attentive and fairly fast to respond. Only downside is that the bar tends to be overpriced compared to competitors along the Water Street strip. I do love Tuesdays here for dollar burgers night -- you get a pretty lively crowd in here those nights as well. It's also a pretty hopping place before athletic events in the downtown area. For all those complaining that it's "typical bar food," I suppose I'd just have to note that it's a chain with fairly predictable food. If you want something unique, try something local on Water Street -- if you want something familiar, stop by Bar Louie.
(3)Lisa M.
Boo! Loud, no service, young crowd! On a recent trip to Milwaukee, we got to town late and the last thing we had to eat was a snack from a gas station, so you can imagine how we are hungry. Our ids are checked at the door (are the bouncers blind or just being nice?), and we walk in. Hostess, "Hi. 2?" Us, "Yep." Hostess, "Have a seat anywhere someone will be right over." We sit down and start looking at the menu. They serve food until bar close. but apparently not to us. There are people in the booth next to us, people at the tables in the middle and people in the booths across the way. There are people and bouncers and hostesses, but no servers. 10 mins later we get up to leave. Us, "Bye, apparently you don't have any one working here." Hostess, "Oh, okay. Bye."
(1)Phillip M.
Great bar. Good menu!
(4)Kyle K.
If you feel like taking a vacation to purgatory, this is your place. The food isn't bad, but it certainly isn't good. The beer selection doesn't suck, but it isn't gonna excite you either. I had a Fried Louie, which is a burger with bacon and a fried egg. Altogether mediocre. I'm rounding up to 3 stars instead of down to 2 because the service at the bar was very good.
(3)Unyime E.
Not bad, but not particularly good either. Standard bar food. Sandwiches were underwhelming but the French fries were well-seasoned and crispy. Mojito wasn't the greatest. If you're in the area, you'd probably be better off going to AJ Bombers or BW3's, which are generally around the same price range. I wouldn't come back just for the food, but I do enjoy the outdoor patio during the summer.
(3)Jackie G.
The waitress never came around. Every time I needed something I had to go look for her. The sandwich I got was alright and my boyfriends meal was ok too but were not planning on stopping back out anytime soon because everyone just seemed annoyed and we went early so the place wasn't even busy.
(1)Eric B.
We were in Milwaukee for business and stayed over Super Bowl Sunday. Sunday we decided to watch the game at this Bar Louie (It is a chain). The service was spot on, they had appetizer specials which were really good, and the beer (several craft beers) were great. We ate later off the menu and both of our meals (chicken meals) were bad. I had the Voodoo Chicken, and the chicken was dried out like they mircowaved it. The interior and televisions are great, but the food not so good.
(3)Brittan B.
Was in town for a conference and generally try to stay away from chains but this was our best option for a large group. We ordered lots of food to share across the group and it was all gross. All of it. Seriously.
(1)Richard S.
My experience at Bar Louie started out like the rest of my bad night on Water Street. The front entrance was not wheelchair accessible and there was no one from the business there to catch their attention. As I walked by the patio area, I noticed it looked wheelchair accessible, but the gate was locked. I was able to flag down an employee, who eventually found the key and let me in. Once I got inside I was given a table right away. I was meeting a friend who was coming from work so I ordered a Mojito and The Loaded Tater Tots. The Mojito was well made and the Tater Tots were an interesting twist on Potato Skins. My friend arrived and helped me polish off the Tots and ordered a Berry Mojito. Instead of ordering a meal we decided to split the Bacon Cheese Burger Sliders. Four fantastic little Burgers, with Crispy Bacon and Pickles. I like the fact that they were served with Ketchup and Mustard on the side because I like my Burgers plain. Instead of Dessert, we ordered another round of drinks. I had the Caffienator, which was Coffee, Chocolate and Vodka. What's not to like? My friend had something called the "Skinny". I have no idea what it was, but he drank it in like a minute, so it must've been good. If not for the difficult time getting in, I might have given Bar Louie 5 Stars.
(4)Kathy G.
I like the bar part of Bar Louie. During happy hour the beers are cheap and there are many, many tappers to choose from. I love the bruschetta, full of fresh ingredients. My husband likes their fish tacos. Their menu is better than average and the variety is good. I love the outdoor seating area and even the indoor back room is cool. The servers are friendly and the service is good. This is a great after work stop for meeting friends and hanging out.
(4)Samantha B.
This place is ok. Better than some other places on water street. Poor service but pretty good drinks.
(3)Shawna F.
Great quesadillas, shaved rib eye sandwich with queso, and a Chop Chop salad (I exchanged romaine from iceburg). I recommend this place highly. Ooh white sangria yum, s.mores martini yum. Beer selection on draft Is amazing
(5)Nelson E.
I've been to many Bar Louie's and have had decent experiences there. However, the downtown Milwaukee one is one to skip. Terrible customer service. My boyfriend and I went in to have a drink before we went to dinner. As we were walking up to the bar the bartender looked at us, twice. We sat down and he didn't come over to greet us or anything. He definitely saw us sit down and then continued to do his own thing. Washed glasses, checking in with other customers. It was like he was deliberately ignoring us. We ended up leaving, going across the street to another bar (where we had great service).
(1)Nicole S.
With all the places in the surrounding area, that offer better service and product, Bar Louie should really be a last resort....or a pit stop on a bar crawl when you have become indifferent and no longer concerned with standards of service/cleanliness/quality.
(2)Theo J.
I have been to Bar Louie in DC before so I decided to check this one out in Milwaukee. What I like about it is the outdoor seating. The food was good and I had an all around good time
(4)Jack R.
Summed up in 10 words or less. They don't know basics, and nobody can teach common sense. What is the Experience? This is the sort of place you will continue to frequent, but not really know why. The service reminds me of that song 'Because I Got High'. Sing along with me... I was gonna to get your beer pretty quick but then I got high... I was gonna get your order right, but I got high... I was even gonna get your silverware, and make sure your food was right when it got there, but then I got high, but then I got high, but then I got high... All jokes aside, it's not important that I wind up here about three times a month for lunch or weekend drinks, what is important is that it is never my choice. I honestly don't think it is anyone's specific choice, but as the largest bar on Water Street, and the great summer patio it's hard not to get drawn in. Sometimes I actually get excited to go there just to see how bad it can get. Who Goes There? During the day and evening it's business lunches and people attending the events at the Marcus Center, the Bradley Center, The US Cellular Center and the Pabst Theater. Later at night its college kids and those of us reliving those college days of glory. What Should I Expect? Well if the first section didn't give you enough of a hint, the answer is expect it to be lackadaisical and not very detailed. At least at the bar. The level of service on my latest trip was so low that it was actually comical. My friend ordered the Luigi Sandwich as a wrap, and it came out as a sandwich. She said to the bartender, 'hey I ordered this as a wrap, I hate this bread (sad face expression).' The bartender joked about also hating the bread and then walked away. I thought it was hilarious that she could not possibly have cared less that the order wasn't right.' On top of that, I ordered steak tacos and received pork tacos, at no point did we get a napkin or fork, and even as I sit at my desk on Monday morning I'm still waiting for the beer that I ordered with Saturday's lunch. To be fair there were at least 15 other people at the bar and only 3 bartenders and a barback, so they could have been overwhelmed. Service aside, all the food I have ever had there is good, and it is not bar food. It is reasonably priced and the level of quality you would expect from a casual service restaurant. Some of my favorites are the tacos, the Southern BBQ Pork, the Tuscan Chicken Pasta, and the chicken tenders are almost gourmet at Bar Louie.
(2)Dorothy H.
It it what it is I guess....The outside (Summer NIght) seating is best. Drinks eh... Food....eh Service...was eh
(3)Kourtney B.
My cousin made arrangements for her engagement party at Bar Louie. They were told they would be able to get drink specials for the guests, then someone else told them absolutely not. So if the hassle before hand wasn't a dissapointment already, the service at the party was absolutely horrible. We watched the time, and it took over 45 minutes to get another beer...when our party had a keg!? (Atleast give us pitchers if you are busy) When we first got there we were not asked for drinks until we had asked where the waitress was. On top of that, our one waitress serving over twenty people, and i am sure had other tables so we did not see her too often. After complaining to the managers THREE times, another employee finally came to help out. We would have loved to put a good word out for the business if it was a successful party, but we will NOT be returning again.
(1)Nick M.
This place is a happy hour bargain for the beer lover. A fine selection of tap beers that are all about $3 from 4-7 weekdays. The Tuesday $1 burgers are a crazy good deal. Service can be dicey and it does sometimes get too loud. But the outdoor patio is fantastic on a nice summer day.
(4)Andrew J.
Last time i was there the service seemed a bit better. Still great specials and solid food but the service still could be improved.
(3)Liz P.
I mean...its Bar Louie. What can you really say? They served me food, they gave me beer, they had TVs that played basketball on them. Bonus: there were some cute Wisconsin boys that bought us shots. Like I said - its Bar Louie. And it was...exactly what I expected it to be.
(3)Lynn G.
The happy hour is good even thought they removed my favorite appetizers (Tempura Shrimp with the buffalo sauce) from their half-priced happy hour appetizer menu. The spinach-artichoke dip, bruschetta, quesadilla and wings are good as well. The sliders were dry but edible. Have been here several times and the service has been decent; a little slow but fine. The bathrooms are in need of work but other than that, we've had a good time. The outdoor patio is very nice in the evening!
(3)M M.
I'm not a huge fan of Bar Louie. The food is average at best and the service is medicore. I have been here several times in the past year and have just felt very underwhelmed by the experience. I guess it's just a typical chain. Go to AJBombers, Water Street Brewery or support a local restaurant somewhere else instead!
(2)Joe P.
Descriptive phrase: a bar for twenty-somethings. There's got to be a Bar Louie in every Midwestern city by now. I think being a chain makes people automatically assume the worst. I do hand it to Bar Louie for taking existing buildings in the city and using them for their locations. Both the Milwaukee and St Louis spots integrated the location itself pretty well. My friend and I came here recently for happy hour drinks (before 7PM or 8PM?). We sat at the oval bar which boasts plenty of TVs and taps. There's a bigger seating area in back, a small area up front, and a patio outside. Our bartender was doing pretty well for being the only one on duty. It wasn't hopping but it was busy. Taps were $3 a piece and select appetizers half off. Great deals if you ask me. We split a Buffalo Chicken flatbread ($11 normally) per the bartender's recommendation. Perfect size for splitting, or for one whole meal. Spicy and crisp. Exactly what you'd want from this sort of bar food. Right before happy hour ended the bartender came up and warned us that he'd be getting swamped in a minute and if we wanted another beer he'd get it for us right then so we wouldn't wait. Surprisingly attentive, and appreciated. I did not see the same issues other Yelpers did with Bar Louie. It was a perfectly nice evening for me. Maybe the normal prices are a bit steep for the quality, but I'll definitely come back when the patio is open.
(3)Steve B.
My first Yelp review for a reason, terrible, terrible, terrible. Party of 60 for wedding party, they brought out every meal individually, one by one for over a two hours period. No order in distribution and tables sat empty with only one meal. Stay AWAY!!
(1)Yayi M.
I've been to the one located in Bayshore mall. Is a great happy hour place. The Diva martini is good, and the half price appetizers are great and always delicious ! for regular dinner I had the tuna and the Friday fish fry and they are pretty good also. The ambiance is nice and the staff is usually friendly. One Thursday night we even had live music it was nice, not super loud and good songs
(5)Jenna J.
Slow drink service but good variety of options on menu, always a tasty meal and love the outdoor patio with the bonfire.
(4)Em V.
I'm 34 and a Veteran who doesn't drink alcohol (yea, I know) and they won't let me in because I dont have an ID that has my birth date on it. How do Veterans who don't drive get treated at Bar Louie? They don't. The managers couldn't even look me in the eye. My friends were playing in the band but the management has no common sense. Btw, if you've eaten here (which I was not going to anyways) it sucks. They don't support Military Veterans, so why would anyone support them?
(1)Jessica P.
The food was tasty, the drinks not so much. If I were a beer drinker, that probably would be the place to get a nice special for Wednesdays, Sadly, I would not go back to this place even for the food. You can barely hear the person who sits next to you, and the waitress we had seemed in another world waited 15 min for drinks and 30 min just to have an order taken for food
(2)Clayton D.
My server, Kellie, did a fantastic job keeping my drink full. I stopped in on burger night (Tuesdays) where every burger is only a dollar. Even though it was pretty busy, it seemed like the staff was keeping up with customer demand pretty well. This place is fantastic. Their drinks are well priced and their food is delicious. I can see myself coming back here time and time again.
(5)Bob S.
The burger I got was gross. The service I got was gross. The prices for drinks was gross. This place is just pretty gross. Do not recommend.
(1)Annie F.
Nice outdoor patio with great ambiance, and great staff every time I'm there. Love the chicken salad!
(5)Angela W.
I will start by saying... If you look at my reviews, I don't stop into chain/franchise restaurants often, and when I do there is little reason to give a review. But my friend and I were so pleasantly surprised by our lunch/ drinks at Bar Louie that we both agreed that it deserved a shout out! It was a beautiful Sunday, so a friend and I randomly agreed that we wanted brunch, at a location with outdoor seating. But we weren't feeling like eggs or an overly heavy brunch. As we were driving and looked at bar Louie's, we noticed the HUGE outdoor patio, lots of tables available and an open parking spot- decision made. Honestly, we both agreed that we were settling due to the above mentioned factors, but we were wrong. We were greeted and seated by a very friendly server, at the table of our choice. Once seated- we got down to business- ordering a drink. We both chose the Pineapple Express Sangria, and it was much, MUCH better than we expected. Presentation was fun and the pineapple was perfectly ripe, making our drinks that much more perfect. I really thought I was going to regret ordering this because I tend to shy away from fruity drinks- they are typically too sweet for me, but this one was light and bubbly- genius to use a dry procceco. We were shocked! Then we decided to eat light- but we still wanted something of substance. We shared the hummus and tzatki platter and the shrimp lettuce wraps (see pics) both were perfect. I mean.... I know it isn't hard to slap some hummus on a platter, but I will say that the veggies were fresh and the presentation nice- it was exactly what we were looking for. I admit- we had our food and drink and left to continue our Sunday funday at another... Let's say "bar" atmosphere, with a little cheaper drinks. But I still felt that it earned a four star rating for our overall experience. We both agreed that we will be back!
(4)Marian Q.
I don't usually go to Bar Louie unless it's $1 burger night (Tuesday's)...and when I do come, it's usually because the wait for $1 tacos was too long. Now this review is based on $1 burgers. I haven't had anything from their regular menu and after having these burgers, I don't think I would. Why, you ask? Simply put, the burgers are not good. Not good at all. Sure, they have an array of toppings to choose from but even the toppings are not good. On the most recent burger I had, I asked for grilled onions (which I got very little of) and grilled mushrooms (which tasted like they were marinated in vinegar-yuck!). The main component of my burger, the patty- dry and tasteless....I've had burgers from fast food joints that had more flavor. Did I finish my meal? Yes, but it was only a matter of hunger vs. taste. The bottom line is this: I love a good deal, but even I wouldn't recommend it. There are plenty of other restaurants to choose from around the area, go there and then maybe come to Bar Louie and grab a drink on the patio, but save your appetite for somewhere else. Your taste buds will thank you.
(2)Eugene P.
Nice location. They have outdoor sitting area with a lot of couches. My server Oliver was super friendly. And huge list of draft beer.
(5)Phillip S.
After our long day at work, our group of coworkers decided to check out Milwaukee's beautiful downtown, though this city has a bit of northern and southern flair, parts of it reminded me of New Orleans. But when it comes to food, there's plenty of options. We ended up trying Bar Louie, what got us to choose this place was their beautiful, spacious patio, that has sofas, and even a large firepit in the centre. We took advantage of the space and quickly took our spot. They have happy hour m-f from 4-7, so we just made the cut off time at 6:55pm. Half price on appetizers, $3.95 for selected drafts, $4.95 on selected wines, etc... For drinks I had their Samuel Adams Seasonal Octoberfest beer which was delighful, and it was a change from my usual red wine! For food, those who know me, I am a nachos type of guy because its got all your necessary food groups, veggies, meats, dairy, etc! Their portions are very generous, and they dont cheap out on cheese and chunks of meats that came with this dish.....though it was a lot I was amazed that the FOOD-GODS gave me the will to finish the whole dish of chicken nachos lol... Overall the service was a bit slow at times, and Bar LOUIE has a nice vibe to it. Luckily it was not so packed since it was the NFL opener GreenBay vs Seattle, unfortunately the Packers lost, but it was to the defending champs... so dont feel so bad Milwaukee :)
(4)Jenn D.
I've been to bar Louie in a few other cities. It's okay. Not a huge fan. They had live music which was a plus but it wasn't very busy. Good location but don't frequent it.
(2)Andy K.
I'm parched. $1 Burger Tuesdays. I asked for a turkey burger and got a nice sized very well done beef patty. I also ordered fries which didn't come out with my burger, however the server kindly gave me a basket destined for someone else. Never got my water.
(2)Kara K.
Walking into the patio the vibe was great. The music was up, people were dancing. We were pleasantly surprised they served food until bar close. Even happier when we found an open table! We orders drinks and appetizers all at once because this was our first stop while showing a friend from out of town the city. Our appetizers came out before our drinks, which took well over an hour. Our waitress was MIA the whole time. Never even came over to tell us sorry for the long wait. Not only that, but we were never offered water even after she brought out our apps with NO DRINKS. Needless to say I will not be spending my money at these establishments anymore. Two bad experiences is enough for me.
(1)Michael G.
We had a spontaneous dinner at the Bar Louie and most of us had Burgers. They all were great. I especially enjoyed the one with bacon and a fried egg. There was no unnecessary mayonnaise or other sauce on the burger that would distract from the juicy meat. The other dishes seemed to be tasteful, too. Oh yes, and they have a nice choice of beers! Friendly staff like you would expect in a US restaurant.
(5)Pamela M.
Only my cousin drags me to places I'd never otherwise want to go... Bar Louie I'm a "no go" as you won't ever hear the words "Hey! Let's go to Bar Louie" come out of my mouth. Reason #1 - I'd much rather support a local business that's owned in Milwaukee and because of that, the money stays in Milwaukee. Reason #2 - it's corporate. It's a CHAIN (bad word! bad word!) Reason #3 - it's a huge rip off. I'll tell you why. I go up to the bar and order a Miller Lite and a red bull and vodka. Not even top shelf vodka. She says single or double? I say single... (no, really you wouldn't think so but I actually did say single). So, one Miller Lite, one single pour of rail vodka. How much you think? I'll tell you. It was $16 and some change. Why in heaven's name would it be $17 for TWO, yes TWO drinks? Rail. Single. One domestic beer. I was charged $5.75 for the cheap vodka and $4.00 for the Red Bull. WTH. And of course the tax and tip. So it's about $20 FOR TWO DRINKS. You disgust me, Bar Louie.
(1)Kathy T.
A lot of wait staff standing around but not a lot of good service. Food average. Still waiting for a good drink
(3)Shelly S.
No stars! We came in to listen to the band. It was so loud (in a bar that was less than a quarter full) that we had one drink and left. I asked the bartender to ask the band to turn it down and she said, "It's always this loud on a Friday and Saturday night!" I am guessing that this is why the bar was pretty empty. There were several people who were yelling "turn it down!!" Point of their story - do NOT go to Bar Louie on a weekend night!!!
(1)Leah B.
Bar Louie is the same franchise you can rely (or not) rely on. Same atmosphere & décor, same uniforms, and a lot of taps. On the flipside I'm gonna talk about what disgruntles me about this place over and over. The waitstaff /bartenders are nice, but act stuck up. Which, if I were looking to be employed here, might change my mind. I've noticed that the bartenders have their hair down. Fine, whatever, but the girl's got her whole face covered like Cousin IT and the other one keeps pulling hers out of her mouth. YUCK. All the waitstaff, from my experiences, are attentive... But nothing above or beyond. Idk. The décor and the uniformed employees look great, but I feel like I should be able to expect more from a place like this.
(3)Pa Y.
I went there during the badger game and it was extremely busy and crowded. Sat at the bar and ordered a mojito which was pretty good. The bartender was attentive when she came over but overall if we had came on a not so busy night, might have rated it better.
(3)Brad K.
The only reason this place gets two stars is because of the great beer specials. It's either $2 or $3 I forget which for any of their draft beer on weeknights and they have a huge selection of beer on draft probably around 40 beers. The service at this place is terrible though. Whether you're at the bar or at a table. You have to hound down servers to get a beer and they often bring food out and wave it around a general area until someone claims it. And speaking of the food, it's gross. If you can stomach the bad service and come here on a night not named Tuesday then you can get some good beer for cheap. That is, if you want to beg for each beer.
(2)Bartleby F.
I would give this location four stars, but their happy hour beers are now 3.25$ when just a year or so ago they were $2.50 (when I first moved to Milwaukee they were $2.00). And they don't give you pints, they still use the happy hour glasses which I was willing to overlook when a beer was under 3$. Still, fantastic selection of beers. I like this location because it's not as loud as the Bayshore location. And even though it gets crowded, there's always somewhere to seat, especially when the patio is open. BTW I love the addition of the fire pit on the patio because that will extend its use far into fall. $1 burger night is still intact and one of the best deals in town. Other than that, their food is consistently good. Later in the evening it gets a little meat markety, but that's the Water Street experience in general.
(3)Justin L.
Review is for HH only...and I'll probably only go to this place for HH. Like all franchise places...I really don't expect a whole lot. I just came because they have a pretty decent HH, which runs til 7pm. $2 taps, $4 wines, $5 martinis as well as 1/2 off selected apps. The patio area is nice as well too especially if it's a sunny and warm evening. This place is mostly for young adults as that is what they try and attract by playing their loud top 40s music..definitely not a hipster place...very mainstream. Food was good for what we were paying...it's franchise establishment food...how fancy can you get?. My favorite was probably the firecracker flatbread (five-spice beef w/ julienned carrots and scallions w/ a hoisin-plum sauce?) Our group got 6 apps and 5 drinks and only spent $56 before tip...not bad. The service, however, was very slow. They're really nice about it but they either need to hire more waiters or pick up the pace.
(3)Kim W.
Trying to get a drink or a bartender to notice you is extremely difficult. Visited on 3-28-15 and think that will be the very last time I ever go! The bartenders were extremely rude.
(1)Mari L.
I'm always on the fence about venturing to Bar Louie. The fire pit and outdoor seating in the summer is fantastic!! It's hard to find an outdoor fire pit in the heart of the city so that is definitely a draw. So good job with that. However, the wait staff needs to get it together. We had a table of 8+ (which would result in a nice tip) but not one server came over to our table on Saturday night. We had to go inside for drinks and then go to the outside bar to order some appetizers. Not cool. I did appreciate the outside bartender asking if a server had even been to our table. She apologized when I said no. Definitely not my first choice for a downtown destination.
(2)Jackie S.
Went here on a Friday afternoon around 3:30. There were 7 other people at the bar. No bartender even in sight for about 15 minutes. Pathetic that there wasn't someone behind the bar. The service was horrible! Will never go back.
(1)Ronnie E.
This review is for the Bayshore Bar Louie: I regret the day I set foot in this place. I went for a late dinner and ordered the ahi tuna steak sandwich. The dish arrived very raw and had a strange taste. Regrettably, I still ate the sandwich. Much to my dismay, I spent a whole week suffering from food poisoning, dealing with diarrhea and vomit of the worst kind. Stay away!
(1)Merete M.
Some of us stopped by for happy hour drinks and appetizers. We sat around the fire pit outside, and were not served by anyone for the first hour we were there. Since we weren't technically at a table, we just brought ourselves to the bar when we needed a drink or food. My husband and I ordered food, and drinks. 45 minutes later, we found out there had been a problem with the computers, and our order had not made it to the kitchen. By this time, a server was frequenting our group to take and drop off orders, and she was fairly attentive. I felt this place wasn't staffed or set up to handle a busy happy hour. Maybe with more staff, they could earn another star or two. The boneless wings were very good, the quesadilla was good, drinks weren't all that cheap, considering it was supposed to be happy hour prices. I can get a beer for $5 almost anywhere in town at almost any time.
(2)Tony K.
I usually end up coming here for lunch, and it seems on every experience our server looks like he or she ended up staying over night after closing the bar. Disheveled. The food isn't bad. It's ok. Service just really stinks here.
(2)Bex J.
Decided to give this place another try and I don't think I should have. We were ignored by a group of waitresses for over 15 minutes. Mind you we were sitting at the bar and these group of waitresses were standing around chatting. When out waitress came over she was not friendly at all, rolled her eyes and could care less that she was here. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
(2)Nikita V.
The weekday Happy Hour and $1 burger Tuesdays are worth the value. Any other time, skip Louie and head to one of Milwaukee's better burger joints. I recommend Sobleman's but you could also venture to competitor AJ Bombers. Either way, you'll be able to get a Wisconsin fresh burger, real cheese curds and all the local beer you need.
(3)Cujo S.
great venue, Tuesday $1 burgers was an awesome deal. Attentive service too!
(4)Rachel F.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? I don't mean to seem mean, but I certainly don't need to be nice about the fact that I don't care for Bar Louie. I mean, for serious: if you go all the way back one review of mine to yesterday's you'll see that I don't necessarily hate on/rail against every chain restaurant simply for being a chain; in fact, there are plenty of spots that boast multiple locations both regionally and nationally that do things really well. Bar Louie is not one of them. Sysco-quality frozen food, specialty drinks rife with random schnapps and puckers, crazy loud music/TVs, spotty service, and a clientele I'd rather not fraternize with. Frat-ernize. (Get it?) I just don't see any reason to spend money here when Milwaukee boasts so many other fantastic options.
(2)shaun m.
Horribly slow service. 1 beer took 30 minutes and it was far from packed, our waitress (Ally) was nice enough but was always talking to friends and not getting our food/drinks. Warm beer and decent food at best. Bad representation of a good spot in other cities.
(1)Rachael G.
So here's the scene. Monday night it was pouring rain, and I wanted to treat myself and coworkers to some of Bar Louie's loaded tots. I decide to order a salad as my dinner, and then 2 orders of tots, one with bacon and one without. Total? 31 mother f-ing dollars and 50 freaking cents. For what?! I ordered a BBQ ranch salad and it sounded delish! It was supposed to have romaine, avacado, corn, tortilla strips, fried onion strings, portabella, and BBQ ranch dressing. Sounds yummy, no? It would have been, had 50 percent of the "salad" not consisted of tortilla strips and shoe string onion rings. It was ridiculously unhealthy, and the romaine that was there was DRENCHED in dressing. The "loaded tots" were 9 dollars an order which is a joke in itself, let alone the fact that the loaded part seemed to be missing. They were supposed to include cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and green onions, little of which was to be found. Moral of the story? Don't order from restaurants whose prices are not listed online.
(2)Scott S.
Go with good friends, the time and energy this establishment has put int there patio must be enjoyed. Right in the heart of downtown, you can't ask for much more. Great service, relaxed but professional decor. Whether you go with friends or a romantic date, i can assure you that the experience is going to be grand.
(4)Marc B.
Bad publicity, it says nowhere on there they had special time for Fat Tuesday, that the special for dollar burger was starting at 5:00 pm. It looks like Fat Tuesday special is all day but really it's just their normal Tuesday special. Disappointing because deceiving and we walked there.
(2)Jenni P.
Great outdoor patio space. Fun place to see a live band. 2 bars for faster service. 2 thumbs up!
(4)Nancy M.
Horrible!! Bad service..lunch took over an hour to get a sandwich and water to drink. Waiter dropped off the check and vanished never to be seen again (until we were leaving and he went to pick up his tip!)
(1)Jc C.
I'm constantly disappointed in this place. I hate coming here because service sucks, prices are too high, and specialty drinks taste like cleaning solution. I come because I don't want to rock the boat with friends sometimes. Still is bad.
(1)Adam J.
Atmosphere, live band, food, and staff were good. However, most of the beers we tried were old or completely skunky.
(2)Jeff D.
Our server was Amanda. She took our order, asked if we wanted another beer and that was the end of the interaction. She didn't offer flatware, plates, come back to ask how everything was and brought the check without asking if we wanted anything else. She complained to the guy next to me about working a long 14 hour day and how she doesn't want to take another food order. Them you know what, go home. Food was good, mixed drink ok but her piss poor attitude was shitty. Last time here.
(1)Nelson E.
I've been to many Bar Louie's and have had decent experiences there. However, the downtown Milwaukee one is one to skip. Terrible customer service. My boyfriend and I went in to have a drink before we went to dinner. As we were walking up to the bar the bartender looked at us, twice. We sat down and he didn't come over to greet us or anything. He definitely saw us sit down and then continued to do his own thing. Washed glasses, checking in with other customers. It was like he was deliberately ignoring us. We ended up leaving, going across the street to another bar (where we had great service).
(1)Nicole S.
With all the places in the surrounding area, that offer better service and product, Bar Louie should really be a last resort....or a pit stop on a bar crawl when you have become indifferent and no longer concerned with standards of service/cleanliness/quality.
(2)Theo J.
I have been to Bar Louie in DC before so I decided to check this one out in Milwaukee. What I like about it is the outdoor seating. The food was good and I had an all around good time
(4)John G.
I'm going to start out by saying that they hire good servers who mostly go out of their way for customers. However, the review goes south from here. If you need food, go someplace else because they apparently don't care who they hire in the kitchen. I work in the service industry myself and the slop they serve isn't something that I would feed to my dogs. My other half works for a downtown company and we go here in large groups for celebrations because the location is convenient. We visited last week in a large group. Well, lots of apps were ordered at the table including calamari that was so greasy or water logged that nobody ate more than a bite. The artichoke dip was pretty good so no complaints there. The boneless wings would have been better if we had heated up tyson in a microwave. There were some other seasonal apps that were so unmemorable that that's what they were. I finally reminded our server that I had ordered a specialty app called "street tacos" and she brought them about 20 minutes after I reminded her that she forgot them, which was no big deal. But, the street tacos were actually the best app that we ordered and then she took them away after about 15 minutes. Not sure what that was about but we kind of were in the slow noshing stage since we did have a few beers. So, she could have left the street tacos as she left the other apps but she seemed to be in a big hurry to take those off the table. If I were the manager of this place, I'd hold a staff meeting and ask the staff to think of how they would want food to taste if they were patrons and such.
(2)Victoria G.
Go for the atmosphere, not the food. Crispy chicken sandwich had wilted lettuce and craft singles as "cheddar".
(1)Nick K.
Ya know, I am very high on Bar Louie. Their happy hour is the best in the city. YEP, the best. All taps are 3$, wine is 4, martinis 5. AND, it goes until seven. Not very many food happy hours go until seven, but the Lou, takes it to the next level (I just made up that nickname). They have a bunch of appetizers that are 5$ also. Great place to swing in before a bucks game or event downtown, and it is a clean and nice place. Much of the other items on the menu, I have sampled a lot of them, a well done. It isn't a place where you get anything crazy, but at Bar Louie you know what you are going to get.
(3)Kailey S.
Went here for a psuedo rehearsal dinner for a family wedding. They reserved a large portion of the patio for our party and it was rather nice. I definitely suggest this place for events. Bar Louie also catered with some burgers and tater tots. My only complaint there is that they weren't quick to replace empty trays and that kept the line for food pretty stop and go because people would have to wait for them to bring out more food. Outside of that, the ambiance was great, food tasted good, service for drinks was pretty decent. I would love to come back and try this place for a normal dinner.
(4)Anthony K.
I've been here about 4 different times and each time the service was HORRIBLE no matter what day or time I came. Expect to wait 20 mins for a drink and at least an hour for food. Oh yeah, if you want a second drink, expect to wait 20 mins for the server to come around again!
(1)Mike C.
If I was reviewing the happy hour specials and Tuesday $1 burgers, this would be a 3 star review. This will focus on what should have been the perfect conditions for a great evening at Bar Louie. I want to like Bar Louie. They have a great space, huge terrace, and professional (for the most part) patrons. What I cannot get over is being charged ~$6.50 for a normal beer (pretty much any beer) that comes in a tiny seeming glass. Maybe if you fill it to the top it's 12oz, but they don't do that. Service is spotty, they ignored a coworker for 15 minutes because she needed to leave and was trying to close her tab on a relatively slow afternoon. Some of the bartenders prefer socializing with each other to working. My final gripe comes from the outdoor bar: There is no soda fountain outside. They fill pitchers with coke/sprite/soda water/tonic and put them out for hours with plastic wrap on top. This gets you a warm, flat soda on ice to start off any cocktail. Gross. Food isn't bad here, and even though they nickel and dime (more like dollars) you on Tuesday burger night, you can still get a good deal. Come for happy hour, leave when it's over.
(2)Gregg F.
I tried one down in Illinois when on business. Great food and great variety of beer and the price awesome for happy hour. Fast forward two weeks to try the one in Milwaukee: My wife and I ordered our drink at the bar and an appetizer - shortly after ordering our appetizer we were seated at our table. Over an hour later the manager came over to apologize for us not getting ANY food. My wife hadn't eaten anything all day, and now that we have been here having cocktails she is getting sick. I asked the manager to please bring my wife some chips or something to eat that requires zero prep time. 15 minutes later our appetizer came out as I was getting the car to leave. This was a Bucks game night (Saturday night) and clearly the manager does not have a clue how to run a restaurant like this downtown. I've never NEVER seen people leaving in droves with no food as the night we were here. Obviously didn't have enough staff, or had call in's - what ever the reason you don't seat people when you can't serve them! We will not be back.
(1)Mike M.
I've been to Bar Louie's in other towns and usually like them. This is the first time I've been to the one in Milwaukee. Boo Louie. $6.25 for a beer is kinda nutzo. Add on top of that slow service and barely attentive servers. Not a fan.
(2)Nick M.
This place is a happy hour bargain for the beer lover. A fine selection of tap beers that are all about $3 from 4-7 weekdays. The Tuesday $1 burgers are a crazy good deal. Service can be dicey and it does sometimes get too loud. But the outdoor patio is fantastic on a nice summer day.
(4)Andrew J.
Last time i was there the service seemed a bit better. Still great specials and solid food but the service still could be improved.
(3)Liz P.
I mean...its Bar Louie. What can you really say? They served me food, they gave me beer, they had TVs that played basketball on them. Bonus: there were some cute Wisconsin boys that bought us shots. Like I said - its Bar Louie. And it was...exactly what I expected it to be.
(3)Kyle K.
If you feel like taking a vacation to purgatory, this is your place. The food isn't bad, but it certainly isn't good. The beer selection doesn't suck, but it isn't gonna excite you either. I had a Fried Louie, which is a burger with bacon and a fried egg. Altogether mediocre. I'm rounding up to 3 stars instead of down to 2 because the service at the bar was very good.
(3)Eric B.
We were in Milwaukee for business and stayed over Super Bowl Sunday. Sunday we decided to watch the game at this Bar Louie (It is a chain). The service was spot on, they had appetizer specials which were really good, and the beer (several craft beers) were great. We ate later off the menu and both of our meals (chicken meals) were bad. I had the Voodoo Chicken, and the chicken was dried out like they mircowaved it. The interior and televisions are great, but the food not so good.
(3)Brittan B.
Was in town for a conference and generally try to stay away from chains but this was our best option for a large group. We ordered lots of food to share across the group and it was all gross. All of it. Seriously.
(1)Unyime E.
Not bad, but not particularly good either. Standard bar food. Sandwiches were underwhelming but the French fries were well-seasoned and crispy. Mojito wasn't the greatest. If you're in the area, you'd probably be better off going to AJ Bombers or BW3's, which are generally around the same price range. I wouldn't come back just for the food, but I do enjoy the outdoor patio during the summer.
(3)Jackie G.
The waitress never came around. Every time I needed something I had to go look for her. The sandwich I got was alright and my boyfriends meal was ok too but were not planning on stopping back out anytime soon because everyone just seemed annoyed and we went early so the place wasn't even busy.
(1)Richard S.
My experience at Bar Louie started out like the rest of my bad night on Water Street. The front entrance was not wheelchair accessible and there was no one from the business there to catch their attention. As I walked by the patio area, I noticed it looked wheelchair accessible, but the gate was locked. I was able to flag down an employee, who eventually found the key and let me in. Once I got inside I was given a table right away. I was meeting a friend who was coming from work so I ordered a Mojito and The Loaded Tater Tots. The Mojito was well made and the Tater Tots were an interesting twist on Potato Skins. My friend arrived and helped me polish off the Tots and ordered a Berry Mojito. Instead of ordering a meal we decided to split the Bacon Cheese Burger Sliders. Four fantastic little Burgers, with Crispy Bacon and Pickles. I like the fact that they were served with Ketchup and Mustard on the side because I like my Burgers plain. Instead of Dessert, we ordered another round of drinks. I had the Caffienator, which was Coffee, Chocolate and Vodka. What's not to like? My friend had something called the "Skinny". I have no idea what it was, but he drank it in like a minute, so it must've been good. If not for the difficult time getting in, I might have given Bar Louie 5 Stars.
(4)Kathy G.
I like the bar part of Bar Louie. During happy hour the beers are cheap and there are many, many tappers to choose from. I love the bruschetta, full of fresh ingredients. My husband likes their fish tacos. Their menu is better than average and the variety is good. I love the outdoor seating area and even the indoor back room is cool. The servers are friendly and the service is good. This is a great after work stop for meeting friends and hanging out.
(4)Gabrielle B.
This place has the WORST service! The food is just okay, but overpriced. If you're just looking for a place to get a beer it's great, cause there are so many on tap. I suggest going for $2 pint happy hour. Don't pay full price for a brew.
(2)Jesse B.
I usually only go on Tuesdays where they have a fairly good deal. Tuesday nights are $1 burgers, which sounds great, but your burger only includes lettuce. For the rest of the toppings it is either $.50 or $.25 for each topping. My usual burger runs me $2.00. Considering it is a 1/2 LBS burger with bacon and blue cheese it is a good deal. They also have 1/2 off some of their appetizers until 7. Drink prices are average during happy hour, but once happy hour is over the prices seem to be a little high. Otherwise the food is pretty good, and the atmosphere is great. I would also suggest the tater tots, they are arguably the best tots around when they are cooked enough.
(4)Lisa A.
This is usually one of my default places when were on water street and tryin to decide where to go. The galpal I was with luckily loves the one at bayshore so she was happy with the choice. The atmosphere inside is kind of distinguished gentleman (or something) but clientele is kinda usually evenly divided between business/tourist folks and bros. Staff was really really (really) friendly. We kinda missed happy hour so it was quiet here and maybe they were bored- still, ill take that over being ignored anyday. The menu also had nonalcoholic cocktails which I really appreciate. Sometimes I want a break from the adult bevys but to quote a coworker:"u can only order so many ginger ales." It was fruity and cute and kept me from gettin to headachey. We also ordered a roasted vegetable pizza and ended up gettin some sort of Mexican chicken pizza. I woulda complained had it not been the best chicken pizza I'd had in a long time. (Or maybe that drink was playing havoc with my blood sugar-who knows.) They have a nice patio but it was packed so we stayed in. My one big pet peeve? I don't think of this as a 'if you have to ask how much it costs you probably can't afford it' type of place. Yet parts of the menu don't have prices. That's kind of annoying. Overall though, I usually have a pretty good time here for a night out.
(4)Kelsey S.
It's Bar Louie -- it is what it is. I haven't had awful experiences here like other reviewers seem to, but overall, it's just what I expect, I guess. Pretty standard menu, pretty standard bar. The atmosphere is decent, and I love the outdoor patio. Based on other reviews, I feel like I've been pretty lucky with service -- the staff have been attentive and fairly fast to respond. Only downside is that the bar tends to be overpriced compared to competitors along the Water Street strip. I do love Tuesdays here for dollar burgers night -- you get a pretty lively crowd in here those nights as well. It's also a pretty hopping place before athletic events in the downtown area. For all those complaining that it's "typical bar food," I suppose I'd just have to note that it's a chain with fairly predictable food. If you want something unique, try something local on Water Street -- if you want something familiar, stop by Bar Louie.
(3)Elizabeth A.
Was just there with a group late on a Saturday night. The DJ was playing horrible music, and the place was totally dead. Our server pretty much ignored us the whole night and kept forgetting to bring us our drinks. She was really good at checking her phone over by the cash register, though.
(1)Jon S.
Having gone to college in the Chicago area, I had always thought of Bar Louie as a chain of generic and uninspired bars. On a Saturday night after dinner, my fiancé and I (with only a limited knowledge of the area) were drawn to this bar by the sounds of the live band from the outdoor patio (found out later they were called the Modern Giants). The band was great and although I was probably over the median age for that night's patrons, I saw people of all ages (college kids, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and townies) having fun (including a pair of grandparents dancing next to us). Drinks and service were average yet passable but the summer seating and the atmosphere made the night.
(4)Jen H.
If all you want is noise and beer, this is your utopia. If you want wine and food and restrooms that won't make you completely ill, and service that isn't surly or crummy, keep walking.
(1)Lisa M.
Boo! Loud, no service, young crowd! On a recent trip to Milwaukee, we got to town late and the last thing we had to eat was a snack from a gas station, so you can imagine how we are hungry. Our ids are checked at the door (are the bouncers blind or just being nice?), and we walk in. Hostess, "Hi. 2?" Us, "Yep." Hostess, "Have a seat anywhere someone will be right over." We sit down and start looking at the menu. They serve food until bar close. but apparently not to us. There are people in the booth next to us, people at the tables in the middle and people in the booths across the way. There are people and bouncers and hostesses, but no servers. 10 mins later we get up to leave. Us, "Bye, apparently you don't have any one working here." Hostess, "Oh, okay. Bye."
(1)Phillip M.
Great bar. Good menu!
(4)Samantha B.
This place is ok. Better than some other places on water street. Poor service but pretty good drinks.
(3)Shawna F.
Great quesadillas, shaved rib eye sandwich with queso, and a Chop Chop salad (I exchanged romaine from iceburg). I recommend this place highly. Ooh white sangria yum, s.mores martini yum. Beer selection on draft Is amazing
(5)Lynn G.
The happy hour is good even thought they removed my favorite appetizers (Tempura Shrimp with the buffalo sauce) from their half-priced happy hour appetizer menu. The spinach-artichoke dip, bruschetta, quesadilla and wings are good as well. The sliders were dry but edible. Have been here several times and the service has been decent; a little slow but fine. The bathrooms are in need of work but other than that, we've had a good time. The outdoor patio is very nice in the evening!
(3)M M.
I'm not a huge fan of Bar Louie. The food is average at best and the service is medicore. I have been here several times in the past year and have just felt very underwhelmed by the experience. I guess it's just a typical chain. Go to AJBombers, Water Street Brewery or support a local restaurant somewhere else instead!
(2)Jack R.
Summed up in 10 words or less. They don't know basics, and nobody can teach common sense. What is the Experience? This is the sort of place you will continue to frequent, but not really know why. The service reminds me of that song 'Because I Got High'. Sing along with me... I was gonna to get your beer pretty quick but then I got high... I was gonna get your order right, but I got high... I was even gonna get your silverware, and make sure your food was right when it got there, but then I got high, but then I got high, but then I got high... All jokes aside, it's not important that I wind up here about three times a month for lunch or weekend drinks, what is important is that it is never my choice. I honestly don't think it is anyone's specific choice, but as the largest bar on Water Street, and the great summer patio it's hard not to get drawn in. Sometimes I actually get excited to go there just to see how bad it can get. Who Goes There? During the day and evening it's business lunches and people attending the events at the Marcus Center, the Bradley Center, The US Cellular Center and the Pabst Theater. Later at night its college kids and those of us reliving those college days of glory. What Should I Expect? Well if the first section didn't give you enough of a hint, the answer is expect it to be lackadaisical and not very detailed. At least at the bar. The level of service on my latest trip was so low that it was actually comical. My friend ordered the Luigi Sandwich as a wrap, and it came out as a sandwich. She said to the bartender, 'hey I ordered this as a wrap, I hate this bread (sad face expression).' The bartender joked about also hating the bread and then walked away. I thought it was hilarious that she could not possibly have cared less that the order wasn't right.' On top of that, I ordered steak tacos and received pork tacos, at no point did we get a napkin or fork, and even as I sit at my desk on Monday morning I'm still waiting for the beer that I ordered with Saturday's lunch. To be fair there were at least 15 other people at the bar and only 3 bartenders and a barback, so they could have been overwhelmed. Service aside, all the food I have ever had there is good, and it is not bar food. It is reasonably priced and the level of quality you would expect from a casual service restaurant. Some of my favorites are the tacos, the Southern BBQ Pork, the Tuscan Chicken Pasta, and the chicken tenders are almost gourmet at Bar Louie.
(2)Dorothy H.
It it what it is I guess....The outside (Summer NIght) seating is best. Drinks eh... Food....eh Service...was eh
(3)Kourtney B.
My cousin made arrangements for her engagement party at Bar Louie. They were told they would be able to get drink specials for the guests, then someone else told them absolutely not. So if the hassle before hand wasn't a dissapointment already, the service at the party was absolutely horrible. We watched the time, and it took over 45 minutes to get another beer...when our party had a keg!? (Atleast give us pitchers if you are busy) When we first got there we were not asked for drinks until we had asked where the waitress was. On top of that, our one waitress serving over twenty people, and i am sure had other tables so we did not see her too often. After complaining to the managers THREE times, another employee finally came to help out. We would have loved to put a good word out for the business if it was a successful party, but we will NOT be returning again.
(1)L. W.
Bar Louie used to be the spot on the good days of Water (2003-2007) but it's kind of dead now. I've never been there during the day so I can't say much about the food, but the drinks are reasonable.
(3)Sue B.
Compared to the Bay Shore Bar Louie, this one is much more open and not as loud. I love the bruschetta and quesadillas. Downtown never seems to have a long wait. The staff is friendly. Tickled pink martini and burger night are the best. I love the late night hours. I would recommend this one for the patio if you are drinking. I don't think they serve food outside but you can order at the bar and take it out.
(4)Meghan L.
My fiance and I went in for our free beer (from the coupon that lakefront gives you during their tour) and that's all we left with. We were thinking about getting some bar food but when we asked the waitress what was good she mentioned one thing and then we asked her what she wouldn't order and she started listing item after item off the menu.. I am sorry but if your staff can't recommend a dish, it shouldn't be on the menu!!
(2)ryan h.
I was here last night. I'll give the drinks and the drink specials about a four, but the food a three... granted it is mainly a bar so i dont hold that completely against them... i'd say in future attempts i'd just go to have a few drinks and eat somewhere else... the wait staff could use a facelift, or a workout routine. Normally I wouldnt care but with the outfits they were made to wear it was almost un appetizing.
(3)Jen Y.
Bad service, ok food, decent drinks. The only reason I can see going is happy hour is cheap... 1/2 price appetizers and a few drink specials. But the food is not great, processed junk food.
(2)Amy V.
Just wrote a complaint to Corporate. Thought I'd just share it on here as well. I would like to share my dining experience. My girl friends and I stopped at Bar Louie a little after 6:45pm. We seated ourselves as the sign directed and patiently waited almost 10 minutes before being greeted by a waiter. Our waitress took our order at 6:52pm, we ordered two signature martini's, a root beer and the Tennessee Whiskey Cake. We just wanted something quick and lite before our 7:30 show, upon receiving our last item I handed our waitress my debit card (about 7:15 pm) and asked her to just charge everything on to it because we had somewhere else to be. Upon her return at/about 7:17pm, she handed me the receipt and thanked us for our time. A few minutes after her departure I looked at the receipt and not thinking, I just signed the bill without considering the total but one of my girl friends noticed that the total seemed too much. We placed our order well before 7pm (the end of Happy Hour) and to our dismay the happy hour price was not honored for our signature martini's. I flagged down another waiter and asked him to get our waitress, after waiting more than 5 minutes and not seeing our waitress I asked another waitress to speak to the manager. This waitress said ok then went to the back and came back out stating that the manager would be with us shortly and I asked her how soon because we have a show at 7:30pm. She went back to the manager and came back out and said it might be a bit because the manager is in the middle of something then asked if I could email the issue instead. I then informed this waitress of the issue that I had with the bill and she said she would grab our waitress, this other waitress and our waitress were less than a foot away from us and we heard them discussing the issue and when our waitress asked where the manager was the girl that went to get the manager said that the manager was smoking. Then our waitress came to our table and said she would have it corrected but she had to get someone else to correct it. This other person then came over and explained what they would have to do then they did it (this was two minutes to 7:30pm) - the issue was eventually corrected, they took off $10 but I'm still extremely disappointed about the service and the fact that we were late to our showing of Wicked the musical because of the lack of urgency from your employees and manager. To hear that a manager is in the middle of something else but really only smoking instead of trying to better serve their customer is pretty sad. It really shows where their priority is. I didn't have time to ask for the manager's name as we were already running late so I only have our waitress's name and our receipt with time stamps on it but the point of me sharing this is so you know that you have three dissatisfied customers who will probably not return to the Water Street location nor recommend it as an outing to any of our friends. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I really hope that my complaint is taken seriously.
(1)JAMES M.
DUDE!!! WOW!!! oh man I might not remember much about this place BUT im sure I was here!!!!! I remember being in the back beer garden with the rest of the guys...........awesome time, shots galore.......then we went to other bars around water st. Water st is Legendary people!!!!! Make sure to stop by water st's many watering holes...... Bar Louie Just because your on Water street............you get the Shake & bake seal of approval!
(3)Meena V.
I have to preface this review with the fact that this Bar Louie location is barely half a block from my apartment building -- and believe me, it's taken a lot of restraint to give the place 4 stars instead of 5 just for that. The food is your standard Milwaukee bar fare - greasy and cheesy - which is fine and even great if you're in the mood. I was excited to see a veggie option of a hummus plate, a welcome change from what you usually see for veggie options at such joints! They've also got 50+ taps, including both local brews you'd expect, and some surprising, unique international brews as well. Fantastic happy hour deals ($2 everything on tap and 50% off appetizers) too! However, don't expect your waiter/waitress to know much about the options on tap, or be able to offer intelligent suggestions -- we asked two questions and were given their cheat-sheet from training (?). Great, except it was about two months outdated. So you best know your beers by tap handle, I guess? What this place REALLY has going for it, is that despite being an (ugh) Water Street Bar, somehow the general Water Street scene stays out of here. So you can go in, enjoy your food and drink and maybe even a conversation without having to yell over a bunch of frat boys or worry about being doused in Bud Lite. Whatever it is that's responsible for this shift in clientele, thanks!
(4)Jon B.
Yup the rumors are true; this place sucks. Food is ok, service is poor at best and drinks are terrible.
(1)Sara J.
I always order the cajun salmon with rice, beans, and mango salsa and it's really good. My fiance has experimented with the place and has always found the food really good. My problem is their customer service! Last time (and THE last time, I'm not going back) we went it was packed and tables were full, so they gave us a beeper to call when one became available. They said 10 minutes, we waited 20-30 and I finally went up to ask what's going on. She was like "oh, we called three times I guess it's not working." Umm... didn't they think to come up to us and get us to a table LIKE THEY WERE DOING FOR A BUNCH OF OTHER CUSTOMERS!!! We ate there, but we will not go back because their service is sh!t.
(1)Alix G.
Don't come here for food. Only come here to drink. Maybe. My bacon and egg sandwich had no bacon. My dad's burger was missing two things also. They didn't microwave (LOL) the spinach dip the whole way through. I hate this place. And why do the waitresses have to be wearing next to nothing?
(1)Erika B.
I've been here once and I will never go back. First, my friend and I waited in an empty restaurant while a bartender and three waitresses chatted with each other for ten minutes before we were even given menus or greeted. The waitress seemed put-upon, as if we were inconveniencing her by simply eating there. When the food arrived, it was less than stellar. I ordered the mac and cheese and it was awful - bland sauce with overcooked pasta. This is definitely a restaurant I'll never waste my time at or money on again.
(1)Daniel R.
Mixed drinks and burgers are a safe bet here. The service is usually mediocre but the food and drinks will deliver.
(3)Marty S.
I go to this Bar Louie location very frequently and can't think of a bad experience (full disclosure: Bar Louie is located adjacent to my condo and the closest bar in walking distance). I'd argue that Bar Louis has the best happy hour on Water St... $2 all taps until 7 and certain appetizers are half priced. There are a number of bars downtown / on Water St. that have $1 domestics (aka Miller or Bud taps) but if you want to drink MGD or High Life cheaply you can buy a 6-pack. Bar Louie's $2 on all taps means you can get a pretty well poured Guinness (I've had some near perfect pints and some horribly poured pints but the only places in Milwaukee I've never had bad Guinness pours being County Clare and Paddy's), Delirium Tremens, Framboise, and any of the other imports or micro brews that are normally $5-9. Bar Louie does not have the largest serving of nachos but I've yet to have a plate of nachos in Milwaukee with as "gourmet" (or as gourmet as nachos can get) of ingredients. Guacamole, diced tomatoes, onions, black beans, melted cheese, and chicken all for around $5 during happy hour (9.99 with chicken I believe is the normal price). Bar Louie's biggest consistent crowds seem to be on Tuesdays for what they call $1 burgers and I call $1 not really $1 burgers....$1 gets you the burger and bun with fries available for 1.99, and cheese/toppings available ala carte for .25 or .50...the burgers normally end up being about half off of the normal menu price when you get done building them out. The misleading price notwithstanding you need to get there early on a Tuesday or be willing to wait 30-60 minutes for a table.
(4)Ed K.
As I read the rest of the reviews, I'm happy. So many unhappy patrons means we can go there again and have great service and a great time. We were there for happy hour. Two martinis, two appetizers, and out for 20 bucks. What more can you ask for?
(3)Alma Z.
Our waitress decided to charge her own tip on our credit card and took the cash tip we gave her! Took 3 days for management to solve it and they left me a gift card for my trouble and to make up some up the difference that he couldn't refund me and said I could pick it up when ever I wanted that it would be at the bar for me. That was a like a month ago because I dont get downtown as much as I like. So I planned on going tonight but the General Manager, who is not very nice, was like, that manager is no longer here and there is no gift card, I don't know why he would do that. So after all his rudeness he was like next time you come in you can have $10 off. I felt like it was some HUGE favor this GENERAL MANAGER was doing for me, that I was like you know, keep it, I will never step foot into your location again! I have been in customer service for years and the one thing you always do is please your customer to keep them coming back. And after reading some of these reviews, I think he needs to reevaluate how he runs his operation. I could understand if I was a someone who repeatedly was trying to sucker him out of some free meals, but it all started with his waitress....
(1)Michele R.
My experience at Bar Louie has always been excellent. My favorite part about Bar Louie is when I won a martini party and we got a private back room. I would recommend Capricio Salon & Spa to all of my family and friends because they provide excellent service and everyone is always so friendly!
(5)Jessica W.
blegh. the food here isnt TOO bad...it's bar food. but the drinks here are RIDICULOUS. i get dragged here every once and while, so a big group and i went for $1 burger nights. we were all ordering double mixed drinks all night except the girl next to me. she ordered one short drink and it was $5. besides the fact that the drinks were awful, they were literally double the price. $10 for a crappy rum and coke that was mostly coke!? and besides that, there must have been something wrong with their soda dispenser because the coke tasted wayyyyy off im sure i'll get dragged here again soon enough, but i will be ordering a beer next time....
(2)Melissa P.
Thanks Dani for serving my 21 year old friends on their birthday and not carding us, as I'm sure the girls looked far beyond old enough (being sarcastic here). The service at this place was terrible. We waited over 15 minutes at the table for a greeting, 20min for a round of drinks. When we skipped dinner & paid early, the server just shrugged. She actually had me stand at the computer until she finished placing another customer's order. Guess the whole smile and manners approach isn't trendy enough for this place. There are far better places within walking distance to spend your money.
(1)Tonya C.
For being a national chain, this local venue is comfortable and enjoyable for a tasty variety of after-work libations. I appreciated one called "decadence" that was not only tasty, but also packed enough of a punch that I didn't need any further drinks to thoroughly enjoy the rest of the evening (yeah... I'm a cheap date, but my colleagues don't need to know that!). My boss arranged for hors d'oevres to further spice up the evening for my work group, and I have to say the spinach and artichoke dip, with crisp, fresh chips, was as good as any I've had elsewhere in the city. Their taquitos and quesadillas were also well done. I really liked the subdued atmosphere that allowed for congenial conversation without competing with too much smoke or overly loud music or TVs. I would definitely return... even though I'm not much for a regular night-life scene. And now for the lunch version... Originally I'd given this spot a 5-star rating. After the debacle of today's lunch, they lose two for incompetent help. People who arrived after my group ate before us; our waitress didn't clear any of the appetizer dishes until we'd almost finished our meal (she seemed more inclined to flirt with a table full of men strategically positioned on the outside porch where she couldn't see us trying to catch her attention); she delivered the wrong order for me; and she left us waiting... repeatedly. First it was a half an hour after she delivered our drink orders that she took our lunch order, then it was another half an hour before the lunch order was delivered (either over-fried or over-cooked), and in the meantime she kept saying she'd refill our drinks, but only managed that twice in the hour and a half span during which we listened to music that was good, but too loud to allow comfortable conversation. I don't think we'll be returning for lunch any time soon.
(3)Monica S.
As a Milwaukee native it's a known fact that no one ever WANTS to go to Bar Louie. It's usually a situation in which you either just end up there because it's convenient, a friend drags you there for the okay happy hour or you're sick of thinking of a better place to go. It's a place I like to call a "settle place." You want more, but you can't put your finger on exactly what it is you want so you give up. start at Bar Louie, and things are just as shitty as you thought they would be. Service first and foremost at both locations, is atrocious. Not like you'd expect a lot out of a place like this but walk in with low expectations if you don't want to be disappointed. Workers here seem to hate their lives and treat customers as an inconvenience not a guest. Any time I've walked in to Bar Louie, It's always taken 10-15 minutes for any employee to acknowledge me, and when you're there the attitude is..."oh..you really want something else?" Rarely do they ever return to you after you've ordered a drink. It gets to a point where you wonder if perhaps your server has exited the building but then you run into them in a bathroom where they're on their cellphone or you see them deeply engaged about in a conversation about their shitty boyfriend to a co-worker. Shaking my damn head. Employees and managers alike here used to be the only reason I could stomach this place but they're all long gone. It seems now all they have working are newbies that have no idea what's going on don't care all too much. Managers are rarely on the floor and when they are it can be hard to pick them out because they stand around just like the rest of the staff. On the rare occasion that the servers are crazy busy or the bar is getting their ass kicked, managers just stand around looking clueless rather than engaging with staff and working as a team. At least this is the impression I got, especially when I was informed that the woman in the particular situation I'm thinking about was the GENERAL MANAGER. Food depends on the day it seems, or whoever is cooking in the back. To me, it tastes like the cheap stuff that comes in big boxes one day a week, loaded with preservatives so it lasts a while on that back shelf. Some of the items are pretty good one day but then awful the next time you come back which could be related to a variety of reasons I don't even want to think about. At least the service is consistently terrible so you know what to expect. Perhaps one day they'll live up to consistent mediocrity with their food which would be an upgrade. Also, if you're going to charge me over $6.00 for not even a pint of beer, I expect you to be able to shoot glitter out of your ass. If that's not attainable, at least fake a smile. They will tell you not to come in if you don't like the prices and but do they really need more reasons for people not to stop by? Money is not an issue but if i am paying that amount I expect more out of a restaurant. Bar Louie does have a decent patio that's right downtown and sometimes they have live music which is cool, but then, when is live acoustic music not cool?? Also, a decent amount of TV's for whatever you want to watch makes gamedays nice if you're a football freak like myself. To sum it up...Bar Louie consistently sucks so you always know what to expect but you'll most likely end up there for whatever reason. Good luck and cheers.
(1)