BY: TEA KRULOS AND SPENCER CREAL

READ MORE FROM OUR DIVE BARS FEATURE HERE.

Just Art’s Saloon 

181 S. SECOND ST. 

Dive resume:  bad jokes – bar dice – local news on the tv  

Located on the outskirts of restaurant row in Walker’s Point is a rectangular block of three shacks cobbled together. Art Guenther, 79, opened the bar in 1980. Back in the day, Art’s employed about 40 employees, but now it’s just Art, who lives upstairs, as the sole bartender.

With long, shaggy white hair and a beard, he looks like a castaway, the bar his island. Things are slower these days, but Guenther says he’s “content.” 

“I sell a drink, put the money in the register; at the end of the night, I count the money – immediate gratification,” Guenther says. “I make a new customer, I tell a joke, people laugh, and that’s my schtick.” 

The main attraction here is Art himself, who is unafraid to share his opinions as well as a vast collection of off-color jokes. Regular Patrick Swan, who comes in once a week to play bar dice, says the jokes “mostly aren’t inappropriate.” Others might find that debatable

“In the bar business, you’re not supposed to talk religion, politics, culture. But no, I don’t shy away from that. I enjoy a good conversation. I don’t need to agree with someone to appreciate where they’re coming from as long as they have facts to back up their opinion.”

– Art Guenther, owner

Jamo’s

1800 N. ARLINGTON PL.

Dive resume: cash only – pull tabs –  bathroom graffiti – owner lives upstairs 

Dusk is approaching, and about a dozen patrons are turned toward Jamo’s sole TV. “This! Is! Jeopardy!” sounds out. It’s a tradition dating back to the bar’s opening in 2002; most regulars stick around for “Wheel of Fortune” afterward, and then for the (muted) ballgame or straight-to-TV movie that carries the bar into the night. 

Jamo’s lights are abundant but dim, always comfortably in your periphery. Most are Christmas lights, strung from the cedar panels of the ceiling, illuminating oil paintings of animals, landscapes and the occasional scantily clad woman on the walls. “If you ever see a neon light in here, you’ll know I’m dead,” says Jamison Goll, the eponymous owner and oft-bartender. “I hate neon.”  

The music comes from a five-CD changer filled by that night’s bartender. Like the light, it’s soft, perfect for the conversations flowing comfortably around the room – unless “Jeopardy!” is on.

“It’s mature, it’s mellow, it’s relaxed. It’s kind of like a grandfather’s basement, you  know?”

 – Jamison “Jamo” Goll, owner

Dale’s of Milwaukee

6132 W. CAPITOL DR.

Dive resume: clown decorations – strong drinks – homemade soup  

This lively North Side bar has mostly Black patrons but was started by a white clown … literally. Dale Middleman, who opened his eponymous bar in 1976, volunteered as a clown for the Shriners, and his collection of clown paintings and knickknacks decorate the bar. Middleman, who died in July 2023, was also passionate about Christmas decorations and was a soup aficionado – legacies that remain today.  

“He was just such a special, unique guy,” says John Conway, Middleman’s nephew, who is now the bar owner. “After he passed away, it brought me to tears to the way customers would talk about him and how iconic this place is.” Conway, 59, started working in the bar’s kitchen when he was 14 with his mom, Julia, who helped her brother cook and co-authored two soup cookbooks with him.  

Dale’s staff and patrons reflect the mostly Black neighborhood, though a lot of the bar’s old clientele – middle aged, working-class white people, still stop in to visit and grab a bite on the weekends. The vibe is friendly and fun, and the staff says that this holiday season, they plan to light up the place with Christmas cheer, just like Middleman would have done.

“Dale’s saying when he took a shot was ‘happy happy.’ that was his clown character’s name, and that’s how he lived his life.”  

– John Conway, owner 

Stella’s: A Cocktail Dive

746 N. JAMES LOVELL ST.

Dive resume: hanging old style sign – weirdly empty location – American flags – great smoking patio  

Blocks away from Marquette University’s campus is Stella’s, the type of joint that the old MU Coach Al McGuire would have liked.  

Kitty corner from what soon will be the old site of the Milwaukee Public Museum – mostly a Downtown dead zone at night – the paint has chipped off the green siding and the yellowish front door. But the American flag hanging out front is in good shape.  

Inside, Stella’s walks a line between lounge and dive – deep colors and framed Francophile posters on the walls – but even the couches in the curtained back alcove feel unfussy. The patio’s for smoking. Bartender greetings are warm and enthusiastic. 

And you can’t get much friendlier than the nightly happy “hour” – $1 drinks from 9 to 9:15 p.m. Pro tip: Don’t order more than two.

“What I preach to all my staff is they have to be able to constantly interact with people.” 

–  Jay Stamates, owner 

Gordie’s Place

2000 E. CORA AVE., ST. FRANCIS

Dive resume: cash only – video poker – regular named Kenny  

Gordie’s is the very definition of a corner bar. The stone building looks like a house on its quiet side street in St. Francis, but for the gorgeous vintage Braumeister neon above the door. Inside, a horseshoe-shaped bar seats about 15 – a layout as simple and classic as can be. There are a few video poker machines, a jukebox that still plays CDs, Brewers bobbleheads, Christmas lights year round, a baseball game on TV. 

Bartender Scott Martin grew up just a few blocks away and has been serving drinks here for over 25 of the bar’s 40-year history. Its namesake, Gordie Pierce, passed away in 2022, but it’s still operated by his wife, Joyce, and their two children, Kelly and Marty.  

When asked about the bar’s staying power, Martin turns the question to the 10 patrons hanging out on a Sunday afternoon.  

“The camaraderie,” says one regular. “The people,” adds another. “Kenny!” suggests a third, adding a point. “Yeah, we come here for you, Kenny,” chimes in “Packer Dave.”  

“Ah, c’mon,” Kenny says, shaking his head. “What a mistake.”

“A lot of us here are old farts, but we get the whole gamut of ages, and everyone has a good time.”  

–  Tony, regular

Mamie’s Bar & Grill

3300 W. NATIONAL AVE.

Dive resume: cheap drinks – $3 burritos – live blues – open at 6 a.m.   

To Debbie Mickey, dive bar is a negative term – not fair to her dedicated staff and regulars, who have supported her for decades. She prefers “neighborhood bar” to describe the 43-year-old Silver City tavern named after her mother.  

Mamie’s is comfortable and eclectic – bicycles and wagons hang from the ceiling, and the walls are filled with vintage beer signs, old license plates and mounted fish. The bar opens early to accommodate third-shift workers, and the small menu is cheap and satisfying.  

What makes Mamie’s stand out from other corner bars is the diverse clientele – in race, background and age – and dedication to live blues music on Friday nights, a longtime place to check out local acts like Milwaukee Slim and Mighty Ms. Erica.

“People say, ‘Wow, you got people from all over, Deb.’ I have a doctor who comes in from River Hills who likes the blues and he might be sitting next to a roofer that lives up the street. I get a really wonderful blend of people, all walks of life.” 

– Debbie Mickey, owner

19th Hole New Berlin  |  Axel’s Inn Riverside Park  |  Bad Moon Saloon Tippecanoe | Bosco’s Riverwest  |  Bremen Cafe Riverwest  |  The Bubbler Bay View  |  BUZDUM’S Germantown  |  The Buzzard’s Nest West Allis | Capt’N Nick’s West Allis   |  Champion’s Pub Riverside Park  |  Club Tap Wauwatosa  |  Colonel Hart’s Wauwatosa | Creed’s Foggy Dew St. Francis  |  Dale Z’s on Tour Tippecanoe   |  DAY DRINK INN Town of Lake  |  Dick & Gloria’s Cocktails & Dreams West Allis  |  Dopp’s West Allis  |  East Side Tavern South Milwaukee  |  Fairview Tap Bluemound Heights  |  Falcon Bowl Riverwest | Gard’s Enderis Park  |  Gator’s Pub Town of Lake  |  Gee Willickers Riverwest  |  The Gig Riverwest  |  Hideaway Parkway Hills | High Dive Riverwest  |  Holler House Forest Home Hills  |  Hosed ON BRADY Lower East Side  | JC’S BLUE COLLAR PUB Cudahy Kip’s Inn West Allis  |  Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall Burnham Park  |  Natty Oaks West Allis  |  The Newport Bay View | Patti’s Power Plant Bay View  |  Puddler’s Hall Bay View  |  Ray & Dot’s Greendale  |  RedBar St. Francis | Regano’s Roman Coin Lower East Side  |  Riverwest Tavern Riverwest  |  Rollie’s Brown Deer  |  Scaffidi’s Hideout Lower East Side  |  Sobo’s Tap Greenfield  |  SQUIRREL CAGE Riverwest  |  STALLEY CATS West Allis  |  THE STANDARD TAVERN East Side  | Stingers West Allis  |  Thurman’s 15 Lower East Side  |  Toni’s Moody Blues Humboldt Park  |  Uptowner Riverwest  |  Vegga’s Riverwest | Walters’ on North  Wauwatosa  |  WOLSKI’S TAVERN Lower East Side  |  Woody’s Walker’s Point  |  Y-Not II East Side  |  Zad’s Walker’s Point