{image1} The beer mug floweth over when it comes to Irish pubs in Milwaukee. There's Paddy's, Mo's, Judge's, County Clare ... the list goes on. But none of these places flaunts the fun and games that Bubs does. Skee-Ball, dart ball, Air Hockey and plenty more childhood arcade memories come alive at this Germantown pub.
And with almost 15,000 usable square feet -- 5,000 of that for intense athletic competition -- Bubs Irish Pub, N116 W16218 Main St., may be the largest Irish bar ever, says co-owner Scott Pecor, who was a recreation major in college. "I'm always wanting to do fun things," he says of his field of study.
Pecor and fiancée Nora Patrie are not quite finished perfecting the rooms that were once the hometown basketball team's practice gym and a bowling alley, but they're well on their way. "I'm sure that by the end of this year we'll be completely ready to go," says Pecor.
For now the "virtual adult Chuck E. Cheese's" offers a handful of games and leagues -- there will be about 35 games when complete -- with an Irish flair on the side.
"Where else can you go for Skee-Ball leagues?" asks Pecor. Or how about dart leagues, dart ball and shuffle board? And these games and leagues aren't just for kids. "The average age is someone in their 40s," says Pecor of his regular players.
These competitive pastimes will certainly make you hungry. And two days a week, Pecor says, they'll serve up traditional Irish items like shepherd's pie and Reubens. The back banquet hall will be used for fish fries and Irish entertainment.
Although Bubs is an Irish pub, the entertainment does not always consist of bagpipes and jigs.
Pecor says, "We've gone with an Irish flair, and our menu has a lot of Irish items on it, but we're not going to be a traditional Irish pub, day in and day out."
The daily routine brings different age groups and interests to Bubs in shifts, he says. There's the after work happy hour crowd, followed by the dinnertime family crew. "Kids can play the games, parents can eat anywhere, and kids can run wild," says Pecor.
And after that?
At about 9-9:30 p.m., "it starts changing dramatically." The younger crowd comes in, and we're a dance, hip-hop, top hits sort of a thing. But we're not a nightclub where you just go to dance.
"Our crowd here from 10:30 or 11 on, is not here to listen to Irish music," Pecor says.
But, Bubs did get its name straight from the Emerald Isle. Pecor, whose daughter is an Irish dancer, says, "Several years ago a group of dads with daughters in the Trinity Irish Dancers walked into a little pub in Ireland and the serving wench said, 'What'll you have Bub?' and these guys looked at each other and said that's it, we're gonna be Bubs."
This secret society of Irish dancer dads granted Pecor the use of their club name as long as he served Guinness at his bar. And he does.
Call (262) 255-1840 for more details.
