The Otto’s chain of liquor stores has one of its most popular locations at this site near the UW-Milwaukee campus. The friendly staff is more than happy to help customers work their way through its voluminous liquor and beer selection.

As a rock club, Mad Planet is one of the city’s finest, a perfectly sized venue for midlevel touring bands and popular local acts. When bands aren’t playing, though, the venue doubles as a full-out dance club.

Back when the best that most Milwaukee bars could offer was a shot and a beer, there was Elsa’s, serving a touch of big-city class. Over the past quarter-century many restaurants, bars and nightclubs have come and gone while Elsa’s has thrived, changing little except for the art displayed on the elegant walls.

The Otto’s chain of liquor stores has one of its most popular locations at this site near the UW-Milwaukee campus. The friendly staff is more than happy to help customers work their way through its voluminous liquor and beer selection. If you can't find something at Otto's, it probably isn't available locally. Even . . .

Back when the best that most Milwaukee bars could offer was a shot and a beer, there was Elsa’s, serving a touch of big-city class. Over the past quarter-century many restaurants, bars and nightclubs have come and gone while Elsa’s has thrived, changing little except for the art displayed on the elegant walls.

As a rock club, Mad Planet is one of the city’s finest, a perfectly sized venue for midlevel touring bands and popular local acts. When bands aren’t playing, though, the venue doubles as a full-out dance club. Every Friday, its ’80s-themed Retro Dance Party attracts a clientele as diverse as you’d expect from the Riverwest . . .

Some have postulated that the Loch Ness monster ate Jimmy Hoffa as a way to hide its affair with Bigfoot, long considered the Marilyn Monroe of hairy beasts—until they both met their tragic ends at the hands of JFK. The best place to discuss this and other ideas? Happy hour. The best place for happy hour in all of Milwaukee?

It doesn’t have to be St. Patrick’s Day for you to enjoy the atmosphere of this fine, authentic establishment. You’ll find the usual collection of Irish food (stew, corned beef) when you come in to catch the soccer game or listen to Irish fiddle music, but there are also some delightful surprises on the menu, including . . .

With live music at least five nights a week, this cozy, ’50s-style jazz club on the East Side welcomes some of the area’s best jazz acts, often with minimal or no cover charges. It’s the type of venue you can just pop into and see who’s playing. If you stop by on a Tuesday night, you’ll catch The Erotic Adventures of the . . .

The word "scuttlebutt" is an old naval term for where sailors would gather to share information. This lounge lives up to the tradition of being a good place to share drinks and talk with friends in a comfortable setting. For those who want to do more than just talk, the lounge has been voted Best Karaoke Bar, with singing starting . . .

By some accounts, Walker’s Pint is Milwaukee’s longest-running lesbian bar. It features Packers parties, pool, darts, drink specials and—come the warm season—a beer garden in back. It has been a favorite watering hole for a select crowd of Shepherd Express readers, winning top honors in this category four years

“Margarita” is a Spanish word meaning “hands-down the most precious liquid in the history of the world, even though water sometimes tries to steal its glory.” Admittedly, that’s a loose translation. Luckily, to find the exact definition of Milwaukee’s Best Margarita, you only need to know one word: Cempazuchi.

One of the best known of the growing number of locally owned microbreweries, Lakefront specializes in handmade beers like Riverwest Stein, Eastside Dark, Klisch Pilsner and Organic Extra Special Bitters, which frequently feature ingredients grown in Wisconsin. In 2006, the brewery said it shipped 8,863 barrels of . . .

Part cocktail lounge, part dance club, Decibel/Deep Bar put a shiny swagger back into Milwaukee’s nightlife when it opened its doors in spring 2007. In gutting the smoky remains of club-land castaways (Mantra Lounge, Esoteria and Micro.Bar: RIP), the venue proved that reinventing an image built on cocktails . . .

For years now, the Up & Under has been a haven for those seeking live entertainment. Under new ownership, the club has remained a hot spot for blues and reggae while expanding into the area of harder rock acts as well. Monday nights are open mic at the Up. If you’ve spent any time down on Brady Street, you . . .

If you can't find a place to play pool in one bar, you have two more bars to choose from, along with 16 lanes for bowling. Also, one of the bars is available to rent for private pool parties. The tables are well maintained and the competition is keen for those who seek a higher level of play.

It’s a funny name for a romantic bar, but then, romance often assumes a melancholy hue. Blu is a comfortably furnished bar with wing-back chairs and warm mahogany. The biggest attraction of this perch atop the historic Pfister Hotel is the perch itself, with views of the lake through the east windows by day and . . .

Truly, it’s all about location. Try wedging a sawbuck into the underpants of the person in the adjoining pew, and you’ll likely end up getting upbraided, excommunicated and a job in Washington. Selfsame behavior at On the Border, however, will be much appreciated by the huge roster of lovely ladies performing each day at the . . .

Located on Bay View's northern edge, the Highbury Pub offers Milwaukee a raucous and fan-involved soccer experience. Singing to support the team is not only welcomed, but encouraged. Even if you don't know your Wigan Athletic from your Bayer Leverkusen, the regulars welcome anyone willing to enjoy what everyone

In Milwaukee, a clean glass, a few decent taps and some good friends can make for a great evening. Tasty tavern fair can elevate the experience even further, and no place serves up better food from behind the bar than Hooligan’s.

Bartenders, those unsung heroes of the libation world, satisfy immense thirsts, refill holes in the heart and settle drunken disputes of epic proportions—all in the name of keeping peace at bar time. Surely that’s worthy of a Nobel Prize.

Since opening earlier this decade with little fanfare, the Palm Tavern has become a low-key Bay View nightspot, known for its inconspicuous blink-and-miss-it location, a dark yet welcoming interior decorated with music posters and thrift-store seating and a hip selection of recorded music. Owner Bruno Johnson knows a few things . . .

Nothing ushers in a new morning like a cocktail glass full of vegetation and booze—and the more the merrier (pun completely intended). Poured over a healthy helping of ice and garnished with a meat stick, shrimp, a marinated mushroom, a blue-cheese-stuffed olive and strings of mozzarella cheese, the well-seasoned Bloody . . .

This is a great place for a romantic, after-work rendezvous or a post-dinner drink on the fashionable East Side. The main bar of the split-level establishment is located down a flight of stairs. The bar area is dimly lit, with small tables available for private conversations. The food is top-notch, as are the cocktails, particularly . . .

The next time you toss a football around the American Museum of Natural History and knock over a priceless Egyptian artifact, think of what you’d give for the ability to improvise a humorous line that makes people laugh at the entire situation. To find the best in the biz at making stuff up and making you laugh, make your way . . .