Thief Wine Shop & Bar

Love this place! The place and staff are inviting and welcoming. The staff is not snooty if you don’t know a lot about wine; except that you like to drink it. They are great at helping you find your taste and exploring great wines. They have a small menu of good food which comes from North Star bistro; flat bread, sandwiches. They also have small cheese, meat and olive plates they serve too.
I go there for glasses of wine and bottles. Another unique thing is you can buy bottles wine and booze to take home after 9.

I just want to say that we were able to bring in food from other places to sit at their tables with no problem even though only half of us ordered wine. They gave us all water and kept coming back to refill our glasses. Such generous service.

So much fun on a beautiful evening with a beautiful glass of wine and my beautiful daughter. Does it get better than this? This is the best place for a lovely night out.

I absolutely love thief wine, it not only has a friendly and attentive staff but a delicious and fairly extensive wine menu. While not all wines are ‘top shelf’, the environment is semi casual and very fun. It is not difficult to get the attention of the staff, and food can be ordered from northshore bistro. Everything here is wonderful, for casual, formal, and even a more ‘party’ vibe. 5 stars!

I went here last night and found myself wondering why I don’t come here more often. I always forget how much I like this place. The wine selection is fantastic and reasonably priced and the setting, both inside and outside on the patio, is beautiful. My only complaint is that the bar stools are really uncomfortable. Maybe it’s by design to keep you from having more than 2 glasses of wine, but after 2 there was no way I could sit there any longer.

Recently had a girl’s night here. We made our own red flights and enjoyed food (cheese plate and crab cakes, yummy!) from North Star Bistro. Staff knows their wine; they are friendly and did not rush us. The selection is great and the ambiance is nice. I will be back!

Large selection of wine at reasonable prices, both bottles and by the glass. Our bartender was very knowledgable about the wines and helpful in assisting us find the perfect crisp white for the sunny afternoon. They also had a great patio to relax on while you sip your wine. An additional plus was the beer selection — great for the anti-​wine drinker. Old Rasputin… on tap? Really? Awesome.
I will definitely come back to this place the next time I am in Milwaukee. Great spot.

I love Thief. While I like the Milwaukee Public Market location, I prefer this location. It has an assortment of bar seats, high-​top tables, and bigger, low tables, making it a great location for a small or mid-​sized group. The wine list is, of course, extensive, and the staff are great about making recommendations. Wine is available for purchase by the glass, carafe, or bottle. There is also a limited menu available for food. I’ve always had good experiences coming to Thief and look forward to going back for more!

I phoned in a wine delivery for a friend and was seriously amazed by the customer service. They helped me select the wines, offered to write the gift card, and offered to make the whole package look festive. Amy was awesome. Go, Amy!

What a cool place to hang out in Shorewood. The bartender who is also the manager is so knowledgable about wines. What’s great is you can get a two ounce, five ounce, carafe or a bottle. They have a handful of pages of wines, so many choices. They also have items like cheese plates and other tidbits to have with you’re wine, or you can order off a limited menu from Northstar Bistro next door and they’ll bring it over. I’ll be back!

I love Thief. I’ve been to both the Shorewood and Milwaukee locations. They’re both great, and have completely different atmospheres. The Shorewood Thief Wine is dimly lit, and feels super grown up to me. I think it would be a great date spot. The Public Market location is brighter and bustling, since it’s in the middle of the market. I love both locations, but maybe the Public Market a little more.
I really like getting to order 2 oz. pours at reasonable prices. I’ve tried so many new things at Thief! Recently, I discovered that I’m a fan of ports.
The employees are all really friendly and helpful, and if you like something you tried, you can pick up a bottle to take home before you go.

I finally had a chance to use the Groupon I purchased in January at Thief Wine this past Friday night. My friend and I decided to get a little taste of everything and try the wine flights. The flights are three two-​ounce themed tastes of wines. We tried the following wine flights: Roses, Rieslings, and Crisp Wines. I loved the descriptions of the wines provided in the menu and the information given to us by the servers. I also liked how the wines were served from a tap dispensing system. My favorite wines are Rieslings, so naturally I enjoyed all three of those. My favorite was the St. Hallett 2008 Riesling. I also liked the Roses, my favorite being the Grande Cassagne 2010. The crisp whites were my least favorites, and I liked how one of the staff described them as simple «one-​note wonders.» I’m no wine connoisseur, but I love wine and enjoyed getting to sample, discuss, and critique nine new wines. I’ll be back to with others to try more wines at the bar and possibly purchase bottles from the shop. Great local place!

Really like Thief. Sitting outside today was beautiful and the wine lovers in our group were impressed with the selection (my Spotted Cow was cold). Enjoyed meeting Aimee — she gave a great recommendation for a bottle we needed to purchase for a gift (and I discovered that we used to be neighbors in S.F. — small world).

Disclaimer: This review is for my experience at Thief was was via a Unilocal CMYE. Unilocalers were treated to a 20% discount on flights, glasses, and bottles by owner discretion. So in that regard, our experience was a bit different. That being said…
I heart Thief, a lot. A lot lot. It’s really great. They have an awesome set-​up, and the staff is super knowledgeable and super nice. Phil, one of the owners, was especially attentive and cool. (As were two employees whose names escape me… I feel like a jerk.) Everyone was attentive and cool despite the fact that the joint was jumpin’. Mad jumpin’. So, that says something… doesn’t it?
I heart wine. I heart it a lot. And Thief has LOTS of wine. Wine dorks rejoice, their bottle prices are affordable and they have lots of boutique-​y stuff here… old world, new world, small and larger formats, the recognizable and the obscure and the unassuming. They also have a small beer selection and a bit in the way of craft spirits. (Hangar One Kaffir Lime, whaaat?)
The charcuterie/​cheese/​olives from next door North Star Bistro were a nice accompaniment to our flights. Yum. Cheese… I’ll never not eat it. (That should be my tagline or something.)
I will be back, yes I will. I have a feeling this spot will become somewhat of a regular one on my rotation of happy hour go-​to spots for meetings or catch-​ups in the near future. Well done, Thief. I like.

First impression from a first time visitor. Very relaxing in comparison to the open market store south. The original store in the Milwaukee public market is further from my home so it’s nice to know they have two locations. The weather was still cool for spring but the bars atmosphere was warm and inviting bright and happy, this was even before having any wine. Modern, open and packed to the ceiling with bottles of glorious wines from regions even I forgot. Must review geography. I settled for making a red flight. All varieties for all tastes. The courtyard is a great option when summer finally hits. Service was excellent checking on customers. Although they were busy two other employees asked if I needed anything while paying my tab. More attention than I deserved. And I’m grateful… Thanks.

I love Thief. I don’t drink lots of wine — preferring brown liquor — but Thief is terrific. Their retail selection is impressively displayed and seems to include a great array of varietals and price points. They also sell artisanally oriented liquors from boutique distilleries.
The bar is large, gracefully curving from the storefront windows on Oakland toward the retail space to the rear. The store looks out into a courtyard that, if the weather ever cooperates, will have some 30 seats for vinophiles and their companions (and North Star will have another 60 or so!).
While they don’t prepare food on site, they do serve the appetizer menu from their neighbor to the north — North Star Bistro. So, you can augment your casual evening (or afternoon) of sipping wine with terrific food and make a longer date of it.
The owners are incredibly knowledgeable about their craft. Phil is about to become Wisconsin’s only certified Master of Wine. Their staff is helpful, courteous and charming.
The only downside of their success is that it does occasionally get a bit loud. I understand they understand the issue and have actually ordered some sound attenuation tools. I totally appreciate a positive reaction to an identified issue — it’s a sign of terrific management.
I get Howie’s desire for the tv, but with my ADD tendencies, I strongly prefer not having the distraction. With the courtyard getting ready to hop, there should be plenty of people watching. And, wine to swirl, and smell, or swish. Or, just drink. And, rumor has it they’re going to start serving fine scotch. Mmmm. Scotch.

Stopped in on a weekend evening. There were a handful of people, lighting was low and music was fairly loud. Unlike Howie, in his review below, I loath going out and being surrounded by people attached to the tv teat. Leave the damn tv watching at home or sports bar, instead here you can focus on conversation with your friends and community.
I am not knowledgable about wine beyond finding that what I really like, I can not afford. So the staff here, although a little over the top with black current, tobacco, turmeric, rich sun– baked earth, young virgins dancing under a rainbow after the first rain in a deep drought type descriptions, did help us narrow it down to a tastey bottle… no rainbows or virgins popped out of the bottle when we opened it or after we drank it.
We ordered an appetizer from North Star bistro and they brought it over from next door. I was glad for that option.
Once the weather is better, I think I would rather stop by here to pick up a bottle and head to the beach or back yard as the ambiance here was not quite right. Maybe more comfortable lower tables and chairs and lower volume on the music would encourage me to stay.
For the wine geek, this place might hold your attention longer.

Stopped in late Saturday night for a glass of wine. It was surprisingly quiet! They displayed their wines well, which added to the dimly lit ambiance. The chairs were somewhat uncomfortable unfortunately, sitting at the bar. The bartender was quite friendly, although we both felt he was a very fast talker! I would like it much better if it was a tad more comfortable to just sit back and relax over a glass of wine. Some live music or a fireplace would be a nice addition! All in all, its a pretty spot to stop by and visit on occasion.

Thief is the best thing to happen to the north shore. If you like wine, you’ll love thief. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. You will find no pretension here. The selection is great and always changing. The décor is perfect with the coolest wine little lights. I cannot wait for the patio to open and for them to have cheese plates at this location. At that point they will do the impossible and improve on perfection.

Hundreds of wines available. Knowledgeable staff. Cool bar. Craft beer and small, diverse top shelf alcohol for sale too. And! And, if you’re hanging at the bar and get hungry, order food from North Star Bistro next door. Took off a star because there is no flat screen TV which doesn’t always have to be on but for big sports games, no matter what bar you are in, you need one.