Hi Hat Lounge

Quaint, fun, and relaxing. Although, we didn’t eat anything off the menu, it looked delicious and we will definitely be back for their gastropub like fair, or for brunch. Ted was our bartender and was extremely attentive, as well with recommending local hot spots. If you’re in the area, you have to try it (an absolute must).

On our way to Colectivo we decided we wanted to try something different. A few suggestions came and went, and for some reason Hi Hat Garage popped into my head. Air conditioner is working great! Currently, Sentimental Journey is on the music, Glenn Miller– ohh and now it’s Satchmo– awesome!
There’s a Ms Pac Man and Galaga combo machine on one wall, I’d partake if I wasn’t with the Missus. Bundesliga soccer on the tv’s, not sure if they’re a Bundesliga bar or if this just happens to be the channel they’re watching.
I ordered eggs and sausage «The Standard» Eggs were done right, and the breakfast was tasty. The feel of the place was pretty cool, laid back vibe. If we were east siders I’m sure we’d be regulars.

I got a burger there the other day and it was frozen in the middle, which doesn’t make sense since it was almost an hour before I got it.
The toliets had a fresh coat of piss on them.
The employees seemed more like they were hanging out as opposed to working.

We went there for brunch on a Sunday and sat outside on the back patio. The atmosphere was very nice and included live music (that was not over powering). That is about all that was good. It took over THIRTY MINUTES to get our food and when it arrived it was lukewarm at best. Had the food been hot and brought to the table it would most likely have been very good.
We were pretty surprised at the slow and inattentive service. The place was not even 50% filled.

Like other reviewers, I would rate this lounge between a 4 and a 5. Probably the surprise of the evening while beer crawling along Brady Street and points in between. I was recommended the Hi Hat Lounge by the Nomad Pub, and wasn’t disappointed.
Upon first impression, it feels like you are entering a small pit area due to the large atrium that encompasses the bar area (very large bar area, in fact). The décor itself was dark, which was unusual, given that I arrived around 5:30 PM on a summer evening. The draft beers that the bartender served kept me comfortable, though. In fact, the drinks were unbelievably good! After my second or third, and fourth IPA (I lost track after three)), I had to get a burger & so forth to keep my blood alcohol level from reaching epic proportions.
The food and drink prices were very reasonable. I was actually surprised once I received the bill and said to myself «Thank God that these aren’t Chicago prices.» My bartender was awesome, and even recommended other bars to hop into on nearby Brady Street. The venue itself looks more than just a bar, so I’ll remember to bring the Mrs back for a lunch or dinner. The place projects itself as being not too loud, yet not terribly quiet either.
When in Milwaukee, check out the Hi Hat Lounge.

With the rise of Ramen kick across the nation, don’t venture here for it. I’ve been to many places for ramen and was pleased to see they offered it on the menu on Wednesdays. I should of known better… The presentation was slopping and pretty sure they used the pull pork from their BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Just get the BBQ pulled pork and call it a day.

Chicken wings are the best in town. Seriously. I love to go out on the patio on a tuesday afternoon and just watch the world go by. My server was Taylor last time around, and she was attentive without being redundant. I’ll definitely be back.

Great atmosphere. Good beer selection. Attentive bartenders. Haven’t tried the food yet. It gets a bit crowded on the weekends, but that’s to be expected on Brady. Moderately priced.

Went there last night and have been there many times since living in milwaukee. The bartender was extremely rude and accused me of not paying my bar tab, which I did in cash. He printed off a new bill and made me pay it AGAIN before I could leave. While trying to explain to him that I already paid it he was extremely rude and disrespectful to me. Have never been treated like this by a bartender in milwaukee and it is safe to say I will never be returning.

I’m torn between a 4 and 5 star!
I really love the lounge portion of Hi Hat.
There is something about the atmosphere I just love. The dainty chandelier, the exposed brick walls, the huge bar, and the 2 story look and feel of this place. It’s really charming.
Definitely a fun place to casually grab drinks.
My last time in there, I tried their bruchetta. WOW! It was fantastic — I wasn’t expecting that out of the Hi Hat. It was served with fresh garlic toast, a ton of fresh mozzarella and a tomato/​green pepper mixture that was so unique and tasty!
I’ll post a picture shortly of the bruchetta.

Wandered into the Hi Hat for the first time ever on Saturday night. It was really not what I expected. It was a cool, dark, super chill bar on a street full of craziness. I was really digging it. It’d be a perfect place to bring a date and sip cocktails by candle light in the dugeon-​like basement. (Dungeon-​like is a compliment. It was really cool down there.) I had a Cider Boys apple and cinnamon cider and it was maybe the best class of hard cider I’ve ever had. The only knock against this place is that the prices are really high. Cocktails are like $ 9 and $ 10. But I guess that’s probably where they make their real money. And the atmosphere is worth the extra $ 1 or 2.

Came here to meet up with some friends and grabbed a table on a Friday night. The bar was packed, loud and had some really good vibes. Being from out of town, I was sure my friends had taken me to a really happening spot. We caught a table by the window over looking the street. There was a big beer menu which was exciting because I’m a big beer fan. Our waitress however was not as informed about the menu as is hoped. When I asked her where a certain saison was from, she said «let me ask the bartender». But when she came back, she said «a saison is a kind of beer»… –_​– ok, so I googled it.
The crowd was accommodating when my brother showed up with more friends and moved down so we could occupy more tables. At the end of the night we closed out a big tab with multiple cards and the waitress was kind enough to let us point out each of our drinks on the itemized bill. I left drunk and happy and would definitely return.

We came. We saw. We drank. .. .and drank some more!
Hi Hat serves up some pretty nice craft cocktails and on the night we were there– we also got to taste one of their «punches». This one tasted like those atomic fire jawbreakers from when I was a kid. .. .not my favorite but interesting nonetheless!
You enter and go downstairs to where the bar is. Great bartenders who keep it all moving with a smile on their faces creating some very interesting mixtures.
The menu looks good too but given we had just come from dinner– it was only drinks on this fun night!
Um. .. .now bartender…what else have you got that I might like?

They try too hard. Clearly this is a place for the hip, younger crowd. The «foodies» must love it. But it looks like they try to carry every liquor ever conceived by man. They must have 500 different liquors behind that bar. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust most of them… how often do those bottles get cleaned? A large selection can be nice, but too large, you overwhelm a guest with choices. And it really does make me wonder about cleanliness.
As for the food, it was good, but overpriced, and clearly catering to the crowd that thinks it has to be different to be good. I wouldn’t go back here.

Great bar, drinks are a little expensive but overall the bar was much more popular than other bars around the stop for that night and granted Waka Flaka flame wasn’t there the over all appearance was great. The prices were a little high but what else do you expect for a Friday night out on Brady street

This is an update on Hi Hat– just for their cocktails and service in the bar–
The vibe here is very cool– retro lights, mood, great music, but what shines is their expertly prepared cocktails– the splitting of the ice by hand, retro cocktail glasses and most importantly what’s put in them. One of the best Manhattans I’ve had ever– great place for drinks!

Oh Hi Hat, you killed my dreams…
A friend and I visited the restaurant on a Thursday evening around 6pm. We were one of few patrons in the bar area, and the only ones to order food. I ordered a drink to start off and was excited to see Death’s Door Gin behind the bar. I asked if they had any drinks on their menu made with the spirit. The «mixologist» said no, but said he could make something up, and asked what i liked. I said something similar to a Mint Julep, with lemon or lime and a basil or minty flavor.
And so the nightmare began.
Death’s Door has a strong earthy, juniper flavor unlike a lot of gins on the market. The bartender was using all kind of funny tools and zests on other drinks, and shaking them like a mad man, so I assumed he knew his liquor. I was wrong. He brought out my drink and explained it to me.
Death’s Door, plum cinnamon tea simple syrup, Lemon, seltzer and other madness. It was really, really bad. I went back to the bar and explained what I was asking for. He suggested adding more lemon to the mix. Lemon, Cinnamon and Plum were a disastrous combination. The drink was so bad, and the bartender couldn’t figure out how to fix it. He clocked out, and crossed the bar to start his evening drinking. I gave up and ended up paying $ 11 for a drink I couldn’t stomach.
After the drink disaster, I hoped dinner would help Hi Hat redeem itself. However, I was sadly mistaken. My dining partner had a chicken sandwich and I had the steak sandwich which was served medium rare with squishy tomatoes, squishy letttuce and squishy onions. It was a mouth full of squishy, and made me nauseous chewing it. DON“T do it. Order a side of fries, and realize it’s not going to get any better than that.
Sorry Hi Hat i tried…

I’m usually here with a group of my close friends after work but recently I found it to be the perfect spot to spend a snow day. In the upstairs dining area, I like the simplicity of the mahogany wooden furniture lighted by 2 small candles on the dining table. Hi-​Hat does a very nice job with separating the party scene in the lower level with the quieter ambience from the upstairs crowd. In the past, I’ve ordered their tomato soup, grilled cheese but I have to say that my fave dish would be the «Queso Fundito». It’s a mix of cheese, green chili, sour crème, pulled pork & Tortilla chips; a perfect choice for a snow day :)
The server was very courteous, polite and appeared to be in a pleasant mood. I definitely tipped my server for his awesome service and would recommend Hi-​Hat in the future to others that have not dined here yet

Debating 3 and 4 stars.
Hi hat is one of those places that’s been around a long time. I often chose to come here when I was in my 20s and without fail would get a cell phone call around midnight from a galpal informing me that I’d lost her to the vortex across the street known as jocats. I **think** it was called the hi hat because it opened in the mid nineties during that very brief time when ‘swing’ music was in.
Anyhow…
I really usually like the hihat, especially the partially subterranean lounge (the garage not so much). It always exudes a certain atmosphere that’s hard to duplicate. The music is pretty eclectic like the crowd. People dress up, dress down; you’ll see people from the neighborhood, college kids, couples, biz types, etc. Their drinks evolved with the times and they went from makin a mean metropolitan to a chocolate martini to a flavored mojito, to the other night when they were making drinks from the 1920s and concoctions involving egg whites. Drinks are pricey but good.
There food is really good too. Ive had their brunch, and especially in the summer when you can sit out on Brady, its very inviting.
Where they *occasionally* lose me is the service. We had a great bartender the other night, and I’ve had other good servers, but I’ve had a lot of times when its crowded and hard to get served. And other times when it felt like the staff thought I wasn’t good enough to be there. (Boo!)
Buuuuut…I’m on a new years resolution to not be petty like that, so let’s go with 4
stars.
Side note: the giant statue of the woman holding a head on a plate (you’d have to have seen it) is gone. A large picture has replaced it and we were told the idea is to have rotating art there.

+
.ambiance/​space layout + design
.specialty cocktails
.patio
-
.overpriced (i usually don’t note this, but this place is)
.wayyy crowded on the weekends
.parking
.clientele sometimes consists of douchers
meh
.food is hit or miss… i’ve had awesome and also, not-​so-​awesome