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Years ago, OnMilwaukee’s Molly Snyder told you about the Tokyo bar named in honor of our fair city, asking “Why is there a bar in Tokyo called Bar Milwaukee?”
After my friend Yance Marti – and fellow Milwaukee history fan – sent back some photos from his trip to Madrid, we might also ask, “Why are there five burger joints in Madrid named for Milwaukee, and why does one of them have a Billy Mitchell-themed speakeasy?”
Marti stopped in at the Milwaukee Burger locations on Calle Narvaez – presumably NOT named for former Brewers catcher Omar Narvaez – and on Avenida de America, but there are four more locations, too.
“We didn't eat or drink there,” he says. “There were reservations required for the one location for the speakeasy but we said we were from Milwaukee and wanted to see it so they let us in.
“They serve brandy old fashioneds along with American beers. The diner serves basic American butter burgers and fries. The Billy Mitchell memorabilia was interesting too. The other funny thing was framed pictures of U.S. Presidents eating at American fast food restaurants.”
While the burger place has a lunch counter / diner vibe, the speakeasy looks a bit swankier, in a sort of upscale version of “the coolest 1950s Milwaukee basement bar I’ve ever seen” kind of way – with a stone wall, juke box and bright red carpet.
It also has portraits of Gen. Billy Mitchell, newspapers with headlines about Mitchell’s trial and other related memorabilia.
In fact, the speakeasy is called “Billy Mitchell.”
It seems so random, right?
“I didn't get much on the background of the restaurants,” Marti says, but that’s OK, because a visit to the Milwaukee Burger website has the story...
”Milwaukee was founded by a group of friends from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a Valencian living in Madrid, Spain, who shared a passion for bringing butterburgers to everyone,” the site notes. “Their story, built on almost 15 years of friendship, travels and life experiences from Milwaukee to Madrid, inspired them to introduce the classic luncheonette ‘lunch counter’ service to Spain.
“Milwaukee brings the original Wisconsin Butterburger to its new home. ... definitely no lettuce, they serve burgers, beers and lots of butter.”
So much butter that the French fries are called “Butterfries.”
Although I see a shake mixer in one of the photos, it appears there is no frozen custard.
According to popular TikTok-er Cenandoconpablo – who has nearly 900,000 followers – the burgers are solid.
“This for me is one of the best restaurants in Madrid if you want a good smashburger ... with a super cool atmosphere that teleports you to the USA.”
I guess it seems only right that if Milwaukee can have a Hotel Madrid, Madrid can have a Milwaukee Burger or 5.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
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