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Melanie LeBeau grew up a block and a half away from the bar she now owns, a German-themed corner tavern called Eckbar located at 7408 W. Walker St. in West Allis.
“We rode our bikes around the neighborhood and my mom would say, ‘stay away from that bar at the end of the block. That’s where the bad kids hang out,'” says LeBeau, who bought the bar in 2021. “I guess that makes me captain of the bad kids.”
LeBeau, who is of German descent and a German beer drinker, named the tavern Eckbar because it means “corner bar” in German.
“I’m not trying to be an authentic German bar, just a neighborhood corner bar with a German theme,” says LeBeau. “We’re an authentically unauthentic German dive bar.”
When LeBeau took over the space almost three years ago – it was formerly Guzzler’s – she made some significant changes. Instead of two rooms, the bar is now one open space. She also painted the dark walls white.
“It’s amazing what a coat of paint can do,” she says.
The first decoration LeBeau hung up in the fresh space was a photo of her aunt’s childhood home in Penting, Germany. Then she continued decorating with German tchotchkes like “Prost” banners, cuckoo clocks, lederhosen, German and Bavarian flags and a few beer steins. Almost immediately customers asked if they could donate their family’s steins to Eckbar’s collection. Today, there are hundreds of steins displayed in the bar, with many more in the basement that will be on display when more shelves are hung in the near future.
“Every one of these steins has a great story beind them, but unfortunately, steins are a lost art now,” says LeBeau. “So many people collected them in the ‘70s and 80s. But people who inherited them don’t always have the room to display them. So they ask me if they can bring them here, and I just love that they do, because now people get to come in and feel even more a part of the bar because pieces of their family history are here.”
Eckbar features a sizable beer garden – or biergarten – adjacent to the building with tables and chairs imported from Germany and a beer trailer that holds 20 kegs of beer.
Eckbar serves many German beers including those brewed by Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world that was founded in 1040. They also have local and macro beers, simple cocktails and a food menu featuring German favorites like pretzels and brats along with burgers, tots, mozzarella sticks and chicken tenders. In the future, LeBeau hopes to offer a Friday Fish Fry.
“Nothing fancy schmancy,” says LeBeau.
Eckbar offers beer and food special during Packers games.
LeBeau is the mother of five daughters, a few of whom are old enough to work in the bar. Thus, women feeling safe at Eckbar is her top priority, not only for her daughters and bartenders – who are all female – but also her customers.
“I want women to come into a bar and have a beer and feel comfortable,” says LeBeau. “This is a family business and a place to relax and have fun or unwind after a stressful day. Everyone takes care of everyone here.”
LeBeau and her husband-as-of-June, Mike, opened a second bar this summer called Mike & Mel’s Handle Bar. It’s a motorcycle-themed bar that’s in nearby West Milwaukee on 54th and Burnham Streets.
Eckbar hosts a Trivia Night on Mondays at 7 p.m. and karaoke every Thursday at 8 p.m. LeBeau says when she first opened the bar, she swore she’d never have a karaoke night because of her inability to carry a tune.
“You couldn’t pay me to sing,” she says.
But after a few customer requests for karaoke, she relented, and now Thursday nights are her favorite night of the week to work.
“I look forward to Thursdays. I get to bartend with my husband and the crowd is amazing. It keeps getting bigger and bigger and the vibe is always really great, really positive,” say LeBeau.
Positivity in the bar is something LeBeau constantly strives for. She placed dozens of tiny ladybug charms throughout the space with the intention to bring good luck, good vibes and good energy into the bar.
“This is a work in progress, but after two-and-a-half years I think we’re off to a very good start,” she says. “We will continue to adapt based on what our customers and the neighborhood wants. But since day one, everyone who works here or drinks here gets respect.”
Eckbar will host Ecktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 5. Follow the Facebook page and Instagram for more information about this event and others.
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.
