Bullwinkle’s at the Galleria, 18900 W. Bluemound Rd., is a family-first sports bar and restaurant. The owners are two married couples who are also cousins: Peter and Tina Antonopoulos and Sakis Milionis and Cortney Johnson Milionis. Both couples have a daughter who works in the family biz. This wouldn’t work for every family, but it does for this one. It’s the reason why they’ve retained staff since they opened two-and-a-half years ago and have so many repeat customers.
“Everyone is treated equally here,” says bartender Mady Shaver. “It truly feels like a family.”
After family, community is most important to the Bullwinkle's crew. The business sponsors myriad neighborhood school activities and will soon open Bullwinkle's Clubhouse, a public event space.
"We do whatever we can do for the community," says Peter. "We support them and they support us."
Bullwinkle’s is large, clean and has a distinct personality. Named after the cartoon moose from iconic cartoon "Rocky & Bullwinkle," the bar and restaurant keeps the theme alive with a massive moose head mounted on the wall, a moose wood carving that greets guests upon arrival and a "moose" burger on the menu. The barrel-based bar tables and fireplace provide a cabin flavor. Shake-of-the-day, a dice game that’s popular in Wisconsin corner bars and taverns, is a favorite at Bullwinkle’s. This, too, adds to the intimate charm. But at the same time, the illuminated, honeycomb-patterned bar front has more of a big city vibe.
As for entertainment, sports are the main events at Bullwinkle's. Vintage photographs of Wisconson athletic teams adorn the walls as do 42 televisions that screen sporting events of all kinds. Packers parties take place every Sunday that there's a game and include a live DJ, give-a-aways and drink specials. There’s also a game room for kids, gambling machines and live music on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Bullwinkle’s serves lunch and dinner. The vast menu features appetizers, pizzas, burgers, wings, salads, pasta, sandwiches, wraps and made-from scratch entrees like chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie, lasagna, ribs, salmon, rotisserie chicken and more. Daily specials include all-you-can-eat ribs every Sunday and a baked or battered cod fish fry on Fridays. A portion of the menu items reflect the owners’ Greek heritage: gyros, gyro pizza, spinach pie and Greek-style wings which are baked instead of fried. Longtime employee Abel Garcia runs the kitchen and creates most of the recipes.
“Everything is homemade and most of our menu is made to order,” says Peter.
The towering back bar is stocked with spirits galore and specializes in tequila and bourbon. Bullwinkle’s hosts bourbon tastings every few months. The cocktail menu includes cucumber smash, tiki beach party, martini’s, margaritas and more. They also have about a dozen rotating taps as well as beer in bottles and cans. Wine, hard seltzer and NA options are also available. Bullwinkle's happy hour is Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. and serves up a plethora of drink and appetizer specials.
The clientele is a mix of community members of all ages, combined with visitors from all over the world who are staying at the nearby hotels.
Prior to opening Bullwinkle’s at the Galleria, Peter and Sakis worked at the first Bullwinkle's (which was Pano's Charhouse before that). It was located at 20290 W. Bluemound Rd. and owned by their extended family. When that restaurant closed, the cousins took the concept to the new location which was formerly a Mama Mia's.
“We really wanted to keep the business going and were happy to find this place,” says Peter.
Bullwinkle’s will expand into the building next door with Bullwinkle’s Clubhouse, an events space and cocktail lounge. The owners are hoping for a late December or early January opening date.
Peter and Sakis have worked in restaurants for much of their lives. Although their daughters work in the restaurant now, they may or may not choose to take over the family business, and that's OK.
“It’s a lot of long hours. It never stops," says Peter. "But I’m dedicated. We’re all dedicated. We want to keep the community happy for a very long time.”
Bullwinkle’s is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Follow Bullwinkle’s on Facebook and Instagram.
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.
