OnMilwaukee has partnered with MillerCoors to highlight some of Milwaukee's legendary watering holes. Don't you forget about them! Read all of them here. AND please celebrate this summer responsibly.
Located on the top floor of the opulent Pfister Hotel, Blu Bar and Lounge offers customers a unique view of the eastern-end of Downtown, the lake and the Hoan Bridge, which is now illuminated nightly thanks to the "Light the Hoan" project.
(Insider tip: Blu’s ladies room offers a fabulous view to the west of Downtown Milwaukee.)
For more than two decades, the swanky-yet-comfortable cocktail lounge has welcomed Milwaukeeans along with guests from around the world and – other than the spectacular view – is known for its elegance, romance, live entertainment and craft cocktails. (Pre-pandemic it was known for its crunchy complimentary snacks, too.)
Like all public establishments, Blu closed in March 2020 because of the onset of COVID-19, and reopened with restrictions in December.
“We were able to reopen at a limited capacity with additional processes to improve our already high standards,” says Marcus Hotels marketing manager, Katie Eiring. “We implemented socially distant tables, enhanced sanitization, technology and processes for low-to-no contact interactions, and the use of personal protective equipment.”
Aiming for a healthy environment, Blu now has fewer, socially-distant tables and bar stools and installed plexiglass barriers. They have changed their live music offerings to feature strictly pianists and instrumentalists instead of vocalists.
“Additionally, we have implemented extra sanitization measures, as nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our guests and associates,” says Eiring.
Since the partial reopening, business has been slow but steady, and Eiring is confident more and more customers will return later in 2021. OnMilwaukee readers have repeatedly picked Blu as their favorite Brew City Hotel Bar and will undoubtedly bounce back.
“We can’t wait to see all of our customers that have become like family return,” says Eiring. “We are also excited to see some new faces and welcome people to discover the magic of Blu.”
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
