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Bounce Milwaukee is already tucked away in an industrial area in Bay View, but the adults-only bar is even a bit more secluded.
Husband-and-wife duo Becky Cooper and Ryan Clancy opened Bounce, 2801 S. 5th Ct., in 2013. In doing so, they brought the first – and only – family entertainment center located in the city of Milwaukee.
The facility features an inflatable sports arena, laser tag, rock climbing, axe throwing, massage chairs, vintage arcade games, pinball machines, food items and – the focus of this article – a full bar.
The bar is located upstairs from the main area and offers 12 beers on tap, dozens of bottles and cans, a lengthy cocktail list and, soon, a new mocktail menu. During our visit, we sampled the Bloody Mary – which comes with a choose-your-own chaser – and the Pineapple Upside Down Cake drink. Cooper says this is their most popular drink and indeed it's a delicious mix of Smirnoff whipped cream vodka, Door County Cherry liqueur, grenadine and pineapple juice.
Sangria, mojitos, margaritas, the gin-and-black-raspberry-liqueur Razzle Dazzle are also available. There's a hard coffee drink, too, made with Anodyne Cold Brew called "Good Morning, Gorgeous" for those who wanna slink in for a day drink.
As for the food, forget all past stereotypes of entertainment center food. There is nary a single chip drenched in fake cheese here. Instead, it's a conscientious mix of house-made pizzas, wings, loaded tots, wraps, salads, quesadillas, desserts and more.
“We try to keep our ingredients as local as possible,” says Cooper.
The ample seating ranges from booths to tables and those who belly up to the bar can choose from 6,000 different vintage games to play on the large screens.
"We have all the vintage games from your childhood arcade experience," says Cooper. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Simpsons, X-Men...."
The pinball room featuring 14 pinball machines is adjacent to the bar and is the setting of a pinball tournament every third Friday at 5 p.m. All are welcome.
The cost of admission is $7 which includes all of the arcade games, pinball and the massage chairs. There is an extra cost for access to laser tag, sports inflatables, rock climbing and axe throwing.
“At most bars in Milwaukee you go and you drink and that’s it. At Bounce we have lots to do while you drink," says Cooper.
Bounce hosts adult birthday parties, corporate events, anniversaries and is especially good for first dates, according to Cooper. “Sometimes it's nice to have something to focus on rather then stare awkwardly at each other,” she says.
Bounce will also host an adults-only Halloween party next month. Like their Facebook page to find out more details on this and the other new developments.
Like all food-and-drink businesses, the pandemic took its toll on Bounce, but Cooper says they are really starting to, er, bounce back.
“Things are picking up and we're looking forward to fall and winter,” she says.
Bounce is open until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In early October, Bounce will launch adults-only hours from 9 p.m. to midnight. Stay tuned here.
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.
