Taylor’s

Everytime I go here, I leave and say to myself «why did I come here again» ??? Lol
It’s ALWAYS the same creepy old men with open shirts, chest hair poking out, fat gold chains barely seen because the chest hair bush is so thick, staring at the younger chicks. (creepy) lounge pants. Italian shoes. You know the ones I’m talking about. You can’t miss them. Always loud and talking with their hands.
Or the group of foreigners with the «I only wear D&G, I’m too pretty to touch, and to get on your nerves I’m going to speak my home language so I can be that a-​hole who talks about you to your face». Can’t figure out if they’re Russian or Armenian or whatever. It doesn’t matter. They’re usually drinking vodka. Or Heineken. And look like they came out of the pages of GQ. They totally do the «t-​shirt before the shirt, before the final shirt». And totally smell of whatever overpriced crap you can get at Saks off 5^th. You know the type.
OR the group of girls with bad boob jobs, too much botox, looking for the next man to take care of her? Got just a ton of those in there! So. Pretentious. I often wonder if those are the ones that they make those meme’s of «I woke up like this» lol God. Those girls are looking for one thing. Watch ur wallet fellas. :)
YEAH. I SAID IT. Am I hating? NOPE. Just a quick over view of the scenery I saw this week.
And why is everyone always staring at each other in there? ??
The bar is filthy. It smells like it hasn’t been cleaned for months. There’s a reason that you can’t see 2 feet in front of you in there. And it’s not ambiance. It’s to cover the dirt and grime. It’s over-​priced. The bouncers are arrogant. The bar staff thinks that they are «gods» because «I bartend at Taylor’s «. Can you make a drink? NO. The bartend had to remake my martini 2x. I finally asked him where he got the recipe. He blatantly said «well, our bar manager makes them, but I don’t think he tries them». APPARENTLY NOT.
No. I’m never going there again. I’d rather go over to Belmont, or Plum.
HANG IT UP GUYS. THE OLD GREY MARE NEEDS TO BE PUT OUT TO PASTURE. CAUSE «THE OLD GREY MARE, SHE AIN’T WHAT SHE USED TO BE!!»

This place is cool. We stopped for a cocktail before and sat inside — service was excellent. Later we went back for a nightcap and sat outside. It was a perfect ending to a perfect night. We would go back. Place is nice, service is good.

In town on business and the locals took me to happy hour at Taylor’s. Very impressed. Reasonably priced for the area, funky/​hip atmosphere with impressive scenic views (people and Cathedral Park), cool snacks, good music. The best part, though, was our fun wait staff. A good drink, a friendly face… A relaxing, interesting perfect end to a hectic day.

standard bar i guess

I’ve been to Taylor’s a couple of times before and the service has been okay. The last time I visited Taylors was on a Thursday and I don’t believe we were treated fairly. When I finally got ahold of a bartender, he never fully concentrated on my order. When my friend tried to tell him we were together, he responded very rudely to the both of us, I told him that she wasn’t trying to steal my moment to order, that he was being rude, and I asked for another bartender. To that, he walked away, and within the next minute, called over the bouncer and had him escort my party of three out. We left without wanting to cause any scene. But I felt unfair treatment, and will never be back.

Always a good experience when I go here. Only draw back to this place is that the bathrooms are in the basement. As you can imagine, depending on what part of your night you make it into Taylors, going down the stairs to go to the bathroom can be an issue. There is also an ATM down there. Overall, I would suggest Taylors to everyone. This is a drink only bar, no food available.

Somehow, some way, and for some reason, Taylor’s has been on my radar for a number of years. This is despite its being located in a specific relative location and having a specific relative vibe (club/​dance spot), neither of which have ever been desirable things from my end.
The reason Taylor’s had been on my radar for so long was due to the fact that — here on Unilocal as well as elsewhere — folks raved and raved about their happy hour specials. Seriously… keyword search happy hour on Unilocal and Taylor’s will pop up every time.
So when a friend/​collaborator suggested Taylor’s for a happy hour meeting two Thursdays ago, it gave me the perfect opportunity to check this whole elusive happy hour unicorn thing out. What would the place be like? What would the clientele be like? Would the deals be incredible? What exactly is this strange place that I’d never been inside but knew existed really all about?
Well, I’ll tell you what… it’s a club-​ish-​bar-​ish type spot with just okay happy hour deals on selections/​products that aren’t anything special. The wine list was pedestrian at best, the variety + quality of booze included in the happy hour special was nothing too special, and, well, the beer selection wasn’t out of this world either.
I guess I was a little disappointed. I’ve seen better happy hours (better products/​better deals) many times over all over MKE… so why have I read that Taylor’s hh was/​is so great? To each their own, I suppose.
The rest of the menu yielded clues as to what an actual «night out» here might look like as well. The drinks weren’t forged by any sort of «mixologist,» (sorry, I bristle at that word), the décor was 2006-​trendy, it was dark, and the space was smaller than expected. Do I sound harsh? I don’t mean to. This just isn’t my sort of place.
Redeeming quality: our server was super-​great! She was nice and on point.
Not the worst, but not a spot I’m rushing to get back to either. We’re all unique snowflakes, though… maybe you’ll be into it.

Happy Hour here was decent!
I was recently in Milwaukee with a co-​worker on business. Technically, we were in the suburbs of the city where our client is, but for once, we decided to make our dinner reservation in Milwaukee itself so that we can check out the city scene a bit. So thanks to Unilocal,we found Taylor’s as we were passing through the downtown area. It’s located on a great street with a few other bars but this one seemed to have the most «lively crowd» (for lack of better words — Milwaukee is definitely not like NYC is on a typical Wednesday during the early evening). Anyhow, there were lots of people at the bar and the surrounding tables and they seemed up-​beat so perhaps that paints a better picture :) I have a feeling that everyone there was as happy as we were to have $ 4 wine on happy hour special and — wait for it — free snacks! Not just bar nuts, either! There was a small buffet table of meats & cheeses, pretzels crackers and olives to enjoy with our wine. I’d certainly say that is a DEAL coming from where I’m from! It was the perfect place to hang out before dinner and for sure our company loved the cost-​savings! The bartenders were cool and though there were not really many single men to mingle with, we would definitely come back to Taylor’s when were are back in Milwaukee!

Came in late on a Thursday night and honestly it didn’t seem like anybody wanted us there. Combine that with what I know of how busy it can get and how much fun this place is, saves you from a one star review.

You pay a high premium for an average stock of scotches. Not trying to be a snob. But I was a little surprised to see a $ 17 bill for two drinks.
Now if I were patroning distil I might understand but I order a wood burn neat and the bottle liquid was still in middle school. The stuff was hardly 5 years old. But the décor was well worth the trip.
Visit and treat yo self

Descriptive phrase: classy but laid-​back bar scene.
I stopped by Taylor’s around 7PM a few nights back for happy hour. It was beautiful outside, so I grabbed a spot on the sidewalk. Taylor’s has windows and doors that open out to Cathedral Square, and it really is a chill locale.
I had to go inside up to the bar to let them know I wanted to be served. My waitress was very nice, but seemed new and was very slow. She also didn’t know much about anything I or other patrons asked concerning their drink menu, having to go ask the bartender each time.
That being said, the drinks weren’t outrageously priced for this area ($ 1 off during happy hour), plus there were cheeses, pretzels, and meats for free until 8PM. It has a nice atmosphere, and I may or may not return, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for Taylor’s.

I loved this place! I was visiting my friend and after a political event he brought me here. I had the Fellini and he had the Night Train both were strong and fabulous! I loved the fact that they had little eats set out for you to munch on while you enjoyed your drink (s).

Taylors is one of those rare bar/​clubs thats managed to stand the test of time. And I don’t go there very much but its a just fine default. Friendly bartenders, no problem getting a drink, good hiphop/​pop/​dance mix of songs, great location with outdoor tables kiddie corner to cathedral square. The crowd is pretty friendly and while «trendy» kind of sums up the ambience, all kinds of downtown people and tourists seem to come here. This is a good standby spot to stop at during a night out downtown/​easttowne.

Taylor’s, where 1994 never ended, LOL!

One of my favorite things to do is sit outside at Taylor’s on Thursdays in the Summer during Jazz in the Park. It’s a great spot for people watching and a great atmosphere with so much going on around you. Taylor’s has one of the best happy hours and even puts out cheese and cracker trays for free!!! (It’s first come first serve so come early if you want to take advantage of it!)

I love happy hours.
I used to love a good «blackout» happy hour in my younger days and now I am more of a «Where can a get a good deal and relax» happy hour kind of guy. My solution is Taylor’s. $ 1 off beer and $ 5-​$ 6 glasses of wine for $ 4 until 8:00 with complimentary light appetizers set out. We always receive excellent service and friendly conversation from our waitress. Grabbing a drink here always works out well when we grab dinner in Cathedral Square or nearby MKE St.
Occasionally, we come later in the evenings during Jazz in the Park season or when we are out with friends. The place does some kind of transformation at ~9 or 10 o’clock and the crowd converts from a «laid back» to a «I think I am awesome and were loud graphic T-​shirts» kind of crowd. I like to avoid this crowd, so my review is based on the 95% of the time I am here for happy hour.

Alright if I had to solely rate the Key Lime Pie Martini at Taylor’s, Unilocal would need a new star system. It is out of this world. As a bartender, from a previous life, I have made my fair share of «designer martinis» but this one takes the cake, or pie that is.
Whenever I am in Milwaukee this is one of the first places I go to start the night.
But I should mention, Taylor’s doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t. It’s a lofty-​soho-​trendy bar that attracts the same kind of people who want to be seen at a bar like this.
I will say this, the fake tans and designers impostor threads that seem to occupy every other seat in the martini bar haven’t once ever offended me or been inappropriate. The wait staff is ridiculously nice and quick to get another drink and they seem to have a knack on understanding why you are there.
This may not be your scene, especially if you have any of the following interests: Fantasy Football, natural skin color, or owning clothes from any line other then Ed Hardy. But I have all three and I don’t shun away from it.
If anything grab a drink (Key Lime Pie Martini, seriously it will change your life), a good seat at the bar and watch the Milwaukee version of Jersey Shore unveil itself.

Taylors is a place that I hate to like. I’ve walked by from point A to point C so often, Taylors used to be a good point B, but now it’s joining the ranks of A and C! Hope you can follow that.
The point is, you simply can’t miss Taylors when driving or walking around, and it’s difficuly to resist it’s siren song. Once inside you will probably stick it out becuase it doesn’t try to be much of anything but what it’s patrons make of it.
It has two bars, although the main bar is better stocked (I believe). I never go to the smaller one, but if push comes to shove you might get a drink quicker.
The prices are pretty standard prices for the area, around $ 4 for a tap beer, around $ 8 dollars for a martini. If you can get there during happy hour which goes until 8, you should find some good deals. Even after 8, ask your server, there might be a special.
The bartenders and wait staff are good at what they do, and you always see the same ones there, which is nice. It’s often a good mix of cool people and people that hate cool people, so if you’re in one of those classes, you’ll be among friends.

I’ve only been for happy hours, so I can’t speak for the «iffy» night crowd some others have mentioned.
That said, the happy hour is one of the best deals in town and goes all the way until 8pm. Very attentive and nice bartenders every time I’ve been. Very nice when the weather allows for their large windows to be open.
Nothing over the top. Just a nice bar to drink on the cheap and have some good conversation in a busy area of downtown.

DOUCHE BAG CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE
fake orange tans, bad coke, hair gel, new mid-​level managers, area sports «stars» banging 18 year olds in the bathroom. The only thing that would make this place worse is if I DIDN’T get ruffied when going there.