As an avid Holey Mackerel enjoyer, this has been on my list for a while to check out. I came out on a Sunday night for a few drinks. The staff were super friendly and willing to let my colleague test around with the Wisconsin Old Fashioned. Spoiler alert: it's better with the bitters as it comes. I was super pleased to see they carry Central Standard Door County Cherry Vodka too. There's a small patio area out back of the bar with a food truck. I would love to check out the food there whenever I visit back. read more

Stopped in here for a nightcap after eating at Paloma across the street. This intimate space gives off a warm and trendy vibe with good drinks and engaging bartenders. My girlfriends and I enjoyed sitting in the section by the window, and melted into the coziness created by the bar's soft pink glow. This is a wonderful place to wind down your evening. Beautiful presentation in space and cocktails. A great place to connect. read more

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The last time we were in this space it was Boone & Crockett. So it's been a long time!! We had a wait for Room Service and what better place to post up, have some delicious drinks and enjoy HH pricing?? The mister was well pleased to see several NA spirit options, and I was pleased to see many tasty cocktails. I had my first Harvey Wallbanger, and I really liked it - very refreshing. Also had a Negroni Spritz served in a very pretty glass. The bartender was very pleasant and the space is both comfortable and stylish. Even if you don't have to wait on Room Service (totally with it BRW) Lost Whake is worth a stop. read more

Lost Whale - #3 - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Funky little cocktail joint with a unique menu and atmosphere. I ordered one of the espresso cocktails (blanking on the exact name but something 'le tired') and my husband got an old fashioned, both excellent with a lovely presentation. There's plenty of seating including outdoor seating around fire tables and the service was attentive and fast. Will definitely visit again! read more

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I visited the Elf Bar at Lost Whale to check out the Christmas vibes. I was very I happy I did because this place was well decorated and the holiday libations were fantastic. I am giving this place a 4/5 just because I felt like there were not enough Elf photo opportunities (please add more props next year!). read more

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Some friends and I went for there elf Christmas pop up and we had a great time. It's not that huge of a bar so seating is limited. They do have bar seats and lounge chairs. We got there too late so the kitchen has just closed but from what I hear the food is good. The bartender Joe is a certified mixologist he makes your drink to perfection! They play a variety of music and there are TVs if you're looking to catch the game. read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I stopped in to try lost whale after dinner and loved the vibes! We sat at the bar and the bartenders were super helpful and attentive. I loved that there was a speciality cocktail menu based on the holiday season. This is now on my list for a place to stop for a drink, and maybe next time I'll sit at a table and play one of the many games they had to offer. read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I've been meaning to visit this cocktail bar for so long. No idea why it took me all this time when it has recommended by so many friends to especially those working in the service industry. Beautiful place! Quirky, fun, and such wonderful decor. Bartenders were super friendly and knowledgeable. If you lovely electric cocktails, this is definitely the place for you! I'm a bit basic with my mixed drinks (gin & tonic gal), but my partner LOVED the unique and creature cocktail menu. A huge recommendation for this sport. Nice for a date night or meeting with friends. read more

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Great cocktails and the aesthetic is so cute. I got the Harvey Wallbanger and really enjoyed it. We got there right when it opened, so it wasn't super busy-the bartender was just the right amount of helpful. read more

Lost Whale - Love the plants - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Had the Harvey wallbanger and it was delicious! Happy hour is 4-6, half off select cocktails which we enjoyed. Love the atmosphere of lost whale. Super cute and Lots of good seating options and VERY Comfortable chairs! read more

Lost Whale - Harvey wallbanger - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Friends and I came here for a drink on a later Friday evening recently and had a good time! The inside was too loud for conversation because of the music, so we found an area on tye back patio which suited us better. The outside area was nice and there was a good truck stationed out there as well. I got the John Daly drink and it was good, but got watered down fairly quickly. One of the bartenders also made my friend a custom drink which was absolutely delicious! Overall a nice place to hang out with some friends and a drink or two. Would come back! read more

My friends and I visited Lost Whale on a Saturday evening around 5 PM. Since it was still early, we were able to find seating right away. The bartender was exceptionally friendly and crafted some fantastic cocktails. I especially enjoyed the Negroni Spritz, which was served in a unique strawberry-shaped glass--a fun and memorable touch! One standout aspect of Lost Whale is their commitment to serving alcohol without additives, which I found both interesting and refreshing. The atmosphere is chill, moody, and relaxed, with dim lighting that adds to the ambiance (though we did need a flashlight to read the menu). The decor features deep, rich tones that enhance the cozy and intimate vibe. If you're in Bay View, I highly recommend stopping by Lost Whale for a well-crafted cocktail and a laid-back experience! read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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This past Friday, my friends and I checked out Lost Whale's Elf-themed pop-up for the holidays! We dressed to the nines in heels and fur coats and grabbed some festive drinks. Boozy Christmas cocktails and getting all dolled up? Yes, please! I tried "Does Someone Need a Hug?" and "Did You Hear That?"--both were amazing. This place nails it with quick and attentive bartenders, even though the place was packed. We never waited long for a drink, and the decor was absolutely adorable--decked out with Christmas lights and cozy holiday vibes. Plus, there was complimentary hot chocolate at the entrance, which was such a sweet touch for the pop-up! read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Visited Lost Whale to check out the holiday decor before it's taken down! The Dirty Martini was perfectly balanced, with a crisp brininess that wasn't overpowering. The Manhattan was equally impressive--smooth, with a rich depth of flavor and just the right hint of sweetness and giant sphere ice cube. The ambiance of Lost Whale is trendy yet welcoming, with attentive bartenders who clearly have a passion for mixology. It's the kind of place where you can sip your drink and truly savor the experience! read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I've been to the Lost Whale many times. I live right in the neighborhood, so this is a spot I hit up often for happy hour. What I love most about this place is their unique menu, in addition to their wonderful decor and outdoor patio. Patio. On summer nights or even cool fall evenings, this is a place where you can enjoy a cocktail and just vibe. Their cocktails are uniquely crafted, and what's really neat is their menus are often rotating where you can try different items each time you come in. Their lagoon pop-up right now is going and it's quite fun. I will say the service is fairly good, but I've also had some experience where I've felt the bartenders were extremely indifferent to the fact that I was in the establishment. Almost as if I annoyed them asking a question about a drink and cocktail and how it was made. It could have been I just caught them on a wrong evening, but that did put a sharp taste in my mouth. Overall, I really enjoy this place. Check it out for a wonderful Bay View experience. read more

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Love this Bay View staple with the best cocktails in the neighborhood. They have great happy hours specials that are also on weekends with half off hour staples. They have indoor seats and an outdoor patio with a weekend food truck. It is a great place to play a board game and have a drink in the afternoon. This is the kind of bar where the bartenders know your name and can have a conversation. They serve you fast and always have a smile read more

Stopped in quick for happy hour drinks and it's definitely a lounge-y feel. The drinks are decent. I think next time I'll stick with a classic. Service was quick and easy. Will definitely be back for more drinks. read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Lost Whale is one of my favorite spots in Bay View. The drinks are creative, and bursting with flavor. The atmosphere is cozy, fun and inviting, making it the perfect spot to unwind. They have classic cocktails, as well as more adventurous new flavors. The Happy Hour is fantastic with half price house cocktails. I highly recommend checking it out! read more

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Started our night at Lost Whale before our dinner down the street. I loved the Christmas decor and holiday cocktails. Elf was playing in the background on the TV so it was the perfect Christmas bar. Service was really quick when we ordered drinks at the bar and they were really helpful with recommendations. The holiday cocktails were a little sweet for me, but they were good. Looking forward to coming back after the holidays to try their signature drinks. read more

Lost Whale - Inside - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This was my second time at Lost Whale and I forgot how much I love their drinks!! I really hate making my way out to bayview cause it's just far from us. They have a daily happy hour 4-6pm every day and we came just in time for it. Got an Oops not Berrys and an old fashioned. Their drinks are always solid and well-priced. They have a wall with a few games to play if you're staying a while. Bartenders always give great service and the vibe is very chill/welcoming. They have about 5-6 tables with comfy couch seating and then a few seats at the bar. I imagine it'd get busy/crowded at night but a great place to start your night out with yummy drinks while you can remember them! read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I've been here twice now and I know this: the drinks are delicious, the service is fantastic, the seats are comfy af, and the dimly lit interior is my jam. I will recommend this place to anyone! read more

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This was a weird one to evaluate. My friend and I showed up on one of the few rainy days the week after Summerfest ended. Lost Whale was quiet at 5:45 PM. Their Happy Hour is amazing - $5.50, but the drinks are restricted to their house list if you choose to enjoy happy hour pricing. I didn't want to mix booze, but the price was too good to refuse. Their set cocktails are made in a flash, the template set in stone, and robotic in nature. Asking for something to meet my palate was not encouraged. Lost Whale makes me ponder what is truly the art of mixology. Is it creating a cool drink list? Or, is it creating cocktails that meet your customer's needs? I'm old, so templates annoy me. Most people today enjoy uniformity. Drink lists rule I guess. Ben was our server, and he was friendly enough. Lost Whale is slick without pretension. I enjoyed the stylish seating and comfy armchairs. It's small, but not claustrophobic, good for a date or a tryst. Lost Whale is sort of an upscale Mothership. It would be ideal, if I could get a custom, bespoke cocktail. Yet, I crave personal attention. If you don't, Lost Whale might fit the template of the "perfect" Milwaukee cocktail lounge. read more

Lost Whale - Some Mezcal template drink - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Love this place so much for a cocktail! They do some really great themes certain times of year as well. Keep in mind the space is small, on a busy night it's not gonna take long at all for there to be standing room only. Check this place out earlier in the day on a weekend or on a weekday if you want a quieter space or better odds of a seat. read more

We go to Lost Whale pretty regularly and am normally a huge fan. However the last few times we have gone the service has been so-so and they are always out of certain drinks. This past Monday, however, really left a bad taste in my mouth. It was St. Patrick's Day and it was a little slower, likely because the holiday fell on a weeknight. It seemed to be a lot of bartenders that work there had their night off and were taking up a bunch of seats at the bar while we (patrons) were waiting for seats. Two (non-employees) stood up and left and my fiancée and I went to sit down at the bar. Then, the bartender asked us if we could switch seats so that all her bartender friends could sit together. This pissed me off as I have worked in retail and service before and WOULD NEVER ask a customer to move so my friends (who again also work there) could sit together. We decided to stay and it took forever to get a drink. Not to mention, one of the other bartenders left and got a sub sandwich while on duty and had it up at the bar. Just not professional IMO and if I wanted experience like that I'd go to our usual dive down the street not a bar with a minimum ~$12 drink. read more

One of our go-to cocktail spots, especially for their happy hour! The house favorites are half off and they've got some great options. The bartenders are always very nice and provide great service. The indoor set up is very chill with mood lighting. They also have an outdoor patio in the back that is super cute! Such a fun spot. read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

great local cocktail bar in bayview! we stopped by on a Friday early evening and was thrilled to see a happy hour special. I enjoyed a delicious $5 sangria and my husband opted for a super fun themed Halloween drink with flavors of apple and butterscotch. they even had a Halloween pop up theme. fantastic spot to cozy up on a couch or at the bar for a date night. bartenders were super nice and inviting. read more

Adding to my original review as I have now experienced the Elf pop up for Christmas. First of all, the idea is brilliant! What a fun way to be festive. The drink selections are varied, elaborate and have such fun names! Sitting under the paper snowflakes and Christmas lights I enjoyed a Cotton-headed Ninny Muggins that came with a bunch of cotton candy to either eat or dissolve in the drink. It was a good drink and went down easy, then I tried the "Not now Arctic Puffin," this drink is similar to a grasshopper and comes with a candy cane and a bit of a fudge pop tart. It was very good!! Overall, I had a great time, enjoyed the Christmas music and elf on loop in tvs. I'm not sure if it was an anomaly but when we visited there was 1 bar tender for the whole place. While Lost Whale is compact, it was packed and it made for some long waits to get drinks. The bar tender was cool under pressure but I just felt bad for her given how many garnishes come on each Christmasy drink. She did a great job of cranking them out I just wished she'd had help! read more

I am so mad at myself for taking so long to visit Lost Whale! I love this place and would move in if I was given the option. The decor is very mid century modern and has some fab seasonal decor. It's a cozy and cool spot to get an amazing cocktail with friends. We got a bunch of different cocktails (half off for their last day of the fall menu!) and loved all of them. They have a bunch of variety in their drinks - I'm more of a fruit/tiki drink person while A likes spirit forward, and we both loved everything we got. The music was on point - my early 2000s punk pop/emo phase was well represented in the music at Lost Whale. I am so excited for the Elf pop up this winter - definitely looking forward to returning! read more

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Seeing as I am officially leaving the Milwaukee dating pool, I can now let you in this little secret of a place: my go-to first date spot. Good atmosphere. Comfy chairs. Solid drinks. Options around the area if the date is going well and you want it to go longer. Drinks you can chug if you feel DEFINITELY the opposite and can't wait another minute for it to end. You're welcome, Yelp. Use this knowledge for good and not evil. read more

Fun drinks. Fun bar. Good atmosphere. The happy hour had lots of options! The drinks are unique and not something you can find everywhere else. As expected with the fun cocktails, a little pricey but great during happy hour. The staff is super friendly and doesn't feel like they are in your face all the time. Great non alcoholic options as well. The decor was very stylish and everything was clean! Bathroom could use a little extra love, but could've been much worse Would definitely go back. read more

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Tl:dr Dan and Tripper are some of the most amazing guys and Ben, my husband, and I will be forever grateful and intertwined with them! Where to start - Ben's old place of employment burnt to the ground in a horrible fire and after a couple of months of figuring out what to do - he had an interview at a brand new bar on the scene - Lost Whale. Not only were the owners thoughtful in what they wanted to create in the former Boone and Crocket space, they had specific ideas about water conservation and eco-friendly aspects of cocktails (even before the big fight against straws started!) They taught Ben and the rest of the staff from A to Z of the classics of cocktails, all while pushing the innovative limits of creative drink flavor combinations as well items to elevate drinks from the garnishes, to the glasses to the ice. Ben is now working in radio, but we've kept Lost Whale as our most active "going out" place. They handled Covid in the safest and most amazing way. They closed inside and went with selling cocktail kits. Then, they opened up the Pufferfish tiki tent in their backyard. During Covid when we were figuring out what to do, BEN AND I LITERALLY GOT MARRIED THERE. It was the most perfect place, since we had gotten engaged there the summer before and the tent was just the right size for our small Covid wedding party. The classic cocktails will always satisfy you (they have an old fashion that will make you go weak in the knees), all while Lost Whale is constantly looking to thrill and push the boundaries - incorporation of burned wood to trap smokiness in a glass, installation of a fancy highball machine and even a new gun that creates a bubble with vapor inside! Always using new technology, bringing new flavors and figuring out creative marketing and special things that make their drinks truly unique. We were just there for Valentine's Day with their incredibly safe social distanced inside (officially open) and went through nearly more than half the menu (thank goodness we ubered.) These are the type of local business owners that need our support now more than ever. They care, they're doing it right and they're creative. read more

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Me and my friends always love stopping by Lost Whale if we ever want some funky drinks! I've never tried their food but that is on my to do list next time I come! I always see their sign for ramen and I have high expectations considering their drinks are so good. I got the Wisconsin old fashioned and it was a little sweet but still good! I love when bars use this kind of ice (if you know you know). My friends all had different drinks I can't recall the names of but if you stop in, the menu has just about anything from hot, to cold to spicy and sweet. The retro vibes are always a plus and the bartenders are so friendly and accommodating! Love it always! read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Super fun cocktail bar. Great ambiance. Fun cocktail specials. And our bartender went above and beyond.

We were recommended this place from some friends so we decided to check it out when we had family in town. The vibes were moody and comfy with a fun Lake Michigan theme menu. We sat down and had a couple gnats flying around and moved away from the plants in the front. Unfortunately the drink I was going to order at first was out so I ordered another. When I picked it up from the bar there was a bug in my drink so they made a new one right away. We played some board games they had in the bar and hung out. Overall not the best experience but would be open to trying again another time! read more

Lost Whale - Lake Michigan menu - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We've been wanting to try Lost Whale and finally got around to it. The aesthetic inside is very 70's casual bar. The drinks here are definitely mixology drinks. A lot of things go into the drinks to make a great cocktail. The happy hour prices is what makes it so great. Every day from 5-7 it's half off on sangrias, draft and house favorites. They have other deals throughout the week as well. Not a bad deal at all but even at full price their worth it. The bartender was also very friendly. read more

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service - The bartender was extremely attentive and listened to customers wishes before recommending a particular drink Ambiance - very crowded but was able to sit at the bar. obviously this place is know enjoyed our experience and will return read more

Lost Whale is a neat little spot with vintage flair and top notch drinks to select from. They do a great job engaging guests with a variety of events throughout the year. Bartenders are great and skilled at making anything. If you go, be sure to ready to stand around before finding a seat. My only complaint about Lost Whale is the musty aroma that inhabits the interior. I'd opt for the patio out back if the weather cooperates! read more

Small bar in the harbor district that's definitely got a vibe. They make seasonal and themed alcoholic drinks which makes things fun! There are a couple of couches and small tables, otherwise just a bar area. They go all out with the effects - toasted marshmallow, bubbles of fog, you name it. It's definitely a fun spot to check out! read more

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Amazing drinks & amazing service! The bar tenders & so personal & out going. They keep the vibes at this place amazing. Drinks are super good, & made out thoughtfully. I will def be returning here for nights out & happy hour! read more

Lost Whale - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Super chic and great drinks staff was nice! Great date spot as it's close to other attractions. Good place to start or end your night.