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The days of 10-cent wings might be long gone. But there are still great happy hour deals to be found, sometimes in the most unexpected places around town.
I’ve rounded up some of the best in the area. All of them include not only great drink specials, but tasty snacks to whet your whistle for the dinner hour.
Aperitivo
311 N. Plankinton Ave., (414) 276-4400
aperitivomke.com
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Want to wind down in style? Aperitivo offers up a beautifully appointed historic environment and a great happy hour. Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. they offer an ever-changing menu featuring five wine pours, five cocktails and five creative food items for just $6 each. It’s one of the best deals in the city.
Partner Pick
Birch
459 E. Pleasant St., (414) 323-7372
birchonpleasant.com
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Have you been to the bar at Birch? It’s modern and bright and there’s even a happy hour for you to try. Tuesday through Friday (at the bar only) from 4 to 6 p.m. you can nab special pricing on select drinks, along with a rotating cast of menu items like Crunchy Farm Vegetables with miso dip, slow-smoked lamb ribs or a smoked walleye tostada. The Birch Bar is also the only spot where you can enjoy the Birch Burger, a beefy delight that I’d consider to be among the best in the city.
Black Sheep
216 S. 2nd St., (414) 223-0903
blacksheepmke.com
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Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m., you can belly up to the bar at Black Sheep for a slew of great happy hour deals. That includes $10 cheese boards plus $5 drinks, including Stoli martinis and Four Roses Manhattans, red or white wine pours and housemade sangria.
Partner Pick
Cafe Corazon
3129 N Bremen St., (414) 810-3941
2394 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 544-2774
4102 W. Bradley Rd., Brown Deer, (920)-932-3062
corazonmilwaukee.com
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After a pretty long hiatus, happy hour is back at all three locations of Cafe Corazon! Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. you can enjoy house margaritas or palomas for just $7; sangria for $6 or $1 off Mexican brews. Pair up your drink with taco dip or queso and chips ($5); chicken flautas (two for $4); a mini quesadilla ($5); a la carte tacos ($3 each) or mini nachos for just $10.
Camino - Walker's Point
434 S. 2nd St., (414) 800-5641
caminomke.com
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Camino in Walker’s Point has always been a great spot to go for happy hour, and that hasn’t changed over the years. Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. you can grab up two-for-one domestic tall boys and half-off pierogi for your snacking pleasure. But that’s not all. Pop in on Monday and you can double up with a $5 Camino Burger (½ pound beef patty, double American cheese and sizzled onions on brioche); on Wednesdays you can get a pound of wings and fries for just $12. Specials valid at Camino in Walker’s Point only.
Dorsia
1307 E. Brady St., (414) 539-6826
dorsiamke.com
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When’s the last time you bellied up to the bar at Dorsia after work? It’s time to revisit. They’ve got all the goods including $3 tap beer, $4 Spotted Cow, $6 tap wine and a slew of beverages from $5 limoncello and $10 martinis to $6 Wisconsin Old Fashioneds. Pair them up with snacks like fried eggplant chips, cheesy garlic bread or a chicken parmesan slider for just $6. There are also finds like burrata bruschetta, a Dorsia meatball or mozzarella sticks for $7 or a 9” pizetta for $12.
Happy hour at Dorsia takes place Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and extended happy hour on Wednesdays until 8 p.m. (at the bar only).
Maxie’s
6732 W. Fairview Ave., (414) 292-3969
maxies.com/milwaukee
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Maxie’s serves some of the best oysters in the city. And they offer them up for just $1 each during Milwaukee’s Happiest Happy Hour, which takes place Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. You can also nab $9 appetizers and “Buck Off!” drinks including beer, wine and cocktails.
Appetizers on offer include fried green tomatoes with housemade remoulade; a half pound of PEI mussels cooked with country ham, smoked tomato and lemon pan sauce; a quarter pound of peel-N-eat shrimp; Kentucky Nuggets (fried chicken nuggets served with Comeback sauce); Creole chicken meatballs in creamy Creole rose sauce with grilled bread; and bowls of Maxie’s Mighty Mighty Gumbo with chicken, andouille and crawfish.
Mason Street Grill
425 E. Mason St., (414) 298-3131
masonstreetgrill.com
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The bar at Mason Street Grill might be among the comfiest spots to relax after a long day. And it’s even better when you factor in their happy hour, which takes place Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
During those two hours you can choose from $9 bar snacks including fried surf clams, steak forks, flatbreads, herb baked goat cheese or Angus beef & Berkshire pork meatballs. There are also wine pours and rail drinks for $5 each and draft beers for $4.
Odd Duck
939 S. 2nd St., (414) 763-5881
oddduckrestaurant.com
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Looking for something different? You got it. Head over to the bar at Odd Duck Tuesday through Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. for $5 draft beer and $8 glasses of wine. You can also indulge in their ever-changing limited-edition menu of bar snacks. I guarantee there’s nothing else like it in the city.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
