Let’s play pretend.
It’s a Wednesday evening. You just finished dinner (grilled chicken breast with parmesan couscous and grilled zucchini). You’re cleaning the kitchen and filling the dishwasher when the phone rings. It’s your college buddy Brian calling from Montgomery, Texas. After some chitchat and the retelling of the time he got arrested for public drunkenness at 10:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, he tells you he’s going to be in Milwaukee for business. He plans on taking some clients to an Admirals game at the Bradley Center. Being the sports lush that you are, he asks your advice on where to take his guests for a pre-game bite and a beer. Before Brian can even finish asking, “Where do you think would be good place?” you’ve already barked out – startling your significant other/roommate/dog – MAJOR GOOLSBY’S, DUDE!!
Sure, you could send Brian to a bar on Old World Third Street or a few more blocks to the east to Water Street, but why not send Brian and his associates to a Milwaukee sports pub institution?
Major Goolsby’s (340 W. Kilbourn Ave.) is a sporting haven that has provided suds, inebriants and food stuffs for more than 40 years. Plus, in early January, FOX News honored the bar by placing it at No. 8 on its America’s Best Sports Bars list (No. 1 is Chicago’s Will’s Northwoods Inn, a Wisconsin themed bar – take that Illinois!). And in 2005, MG’s landed at No. 4 on Sports Illustrated’s list of America’s Best Sports Bars. Impressed? Well, you should be. Think of how many sports bars there are in Dallas or Pittsburgh or Denver and even Hawaii – yeah, the American sports viewing/drinking/eating landscape is vast, plentiful and oh so super.
The accessibility of televised sports has definitely put this bar in the top tier of the aforementioned lists. When you walk into Goolsby’s you’ll immediately notice the amplitude of HDTVs. Without vacating my seat – and with Riverwest Stein in hand – I counted 30 televisions. That’s called setting a high standard.
Aside from the clear, colorful and accessible TVs, the walls are bursting with a variety of sports’ photos and memorabilia. Goolsby’s is, of course, a Wisconsin dedicated bar, no doubt about it, but it’s also a fan of all sports and teams. On one corner you’ll find a signed Robin Yount print. A few steps away a signed picture of boxing great Joe Louis hangs next to some baseball players whose signatures I can’t decipher. Above the bar is a Charles Barkley jersey. Then, a series of pictures scattered about the bar of non-athlete, Richard Dean Anderson. C’mon, you know who he is … MacGyver! I’m guessing there was a bomb to defuse in the kitchen that night. The collection of sport and MacGyver memorabilia MG’s has acquired over the years enhances its devotion to the sporting world and wherefore it is recognized in the top tier.
The bar in MG’s is very large and very long. Above it, the partial eave of a cedar shake roof hangs down, giving the feeling that you are looking at an Old World Milwaukee exhibit from the Milwaukee Museum, minus the fake cobblestone and creepy mannequins. Don’t get me wrong, the roofing looks very cool in its aged glory while the extensive square footage of the bar gives comfort for those last minute drink orders prior to heading into a Bradley Center or US Cellular housed event; be it sports, concert or circus. Speaking of events, MG’s houses a ticketing office from TicketKing featuring promo tickets to sold-out events. Procrastinators rejoice!
When sitting in MG’s this particular night, I regret not making an appearance for a Packers game. Being there for a non-Packers playoff game was okay, sure, but not as intense and, as one would expect, the people weren’t as involved. But, as a sporting bonus, MG’s offers drink and food specials during televised games. Cheap domestic taps, special app’s and sandwiches – all worth checking out. I had some MG’s chicken wings while enjoying the NFL playoff game and the combo of wet/dry rub make for a great wing. I ate a clean dozen, no problem. (Note: I tend to not workout, I eat out.)
As you may have figured by now, I’m not one to create a pricing breakdown for bottles of beer, taps, cocktails, smoothies and various other bar items. This review will be no different. It’s a downtown bar and so you’ll be paying downtown prices. If you like Miller Lite, you’re better off than the guy drinking a Sprecher Amber. If you’re counting pennies, you probably shouldn’t be going out anyway. If you’re simply frugal, well, I’m sure you’ll discover the cheapest drink available. But, for those of us who know what we like, we know what we are expected to pay. If by some chance that expectation has been completely spoiled, then we move on to another drink/bar. That’s not to say MG’s is expensive, it’s all relative and it’s all good!
The Major will neither destroy your expectations nor empty your wallet. He will offer multiple views of sporting functions, a variety of drink selections, a succinct listing of eats and ample room to do it in. If you should be passing through MG’s on the night of a home game or weekend, it will be busy, so plan accordingly. Its location near the multiple downtown venues makes it the perfect starting point, thereby making it the perfect endpoint.
Like any institution, Major Goolsby’s prides itself on the happiness of its people. Whether it be Brian and his out of town colleagues or you and your pals hitting the town before/after/during a downtown event, MG’s has the solution for the “what do we do’s.” There’s a reason he’s a Major. Ten-hut!
