Great drinks and amazing views of the city. Milwaukee needed a solid rooftop bar and The Outsider totally delivered. The drinks are fun and delicious. The space, both inside and out, is stunning and totally what I'd expect from a Kimpton property. read more

The Outsider - Lounges Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Hip spot in the third ward with fire pits and outdoor TVs (good in-between for when someone in a group wants a fancy drink but you want a sports bar). Drinks were fine but didn't wow us. I got the peach mint julep, but it lacked a real peach twist. I can make a better version at home for sure. Very difficult to find a seat on the Saturday we went, which is a good sign! I was disappointed that it took 30 mins for a server to approach us once we did sit down. read more

This is where you want to be in Milwaukee at sunset. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Breathtaking views from one of the highest, biggest, outdoor, rooftop bars in the city. Super chill with games, couches, and fires too. Perfect for a happy hour after work or a romantic date later on. The outsider is nicer, dress up. On a hot weekend, expect a wait before entering. Best date bar in the city. read more

The Outsider really brings that Chicago feel to Milwaukee. It is a roof top bar, offers a variety of cocktails and some appetizers. The vibe is fun and fresh very chill. There are tables inside and out. A lot of the outdoor seating is couch seating with a fire pit. Service is good. read more

Wonderful view. Excellent ambiance. Plenty of seating, inside and out. Yummy drinks. Friendly staff. Tip: If you'd like seating outside on a warm, sunny summer day - Go early. As in, get there by 4pm (right when they open). Will definitely return when I'm visiting Milwaukee again! read more

My group sat inside since all the outdoor seating was occupied - not unexpected for a busy Saturday evening. Indoors, it was dimly lit with loud music forcing us to yell just to be heard across the small cocktail table. We successfully flagged down a waitress to get menus after 10 + minutes. Then had another long wait to place our orders. Our drinks were finally delivered and my 'eighteen hours' was initially spicy and refreshing then quickly became salty and undrinkable once the garnish fell beneath the ice. It was excessively long wait before our waitress paid our table enough attention so I could inform her - the outdoor seating seemed to have preferential treatment. I should mention she was gracious enough to exclude the mentioned beverage from the tab. The outsider seemed like a great place for singles, but I wouldn't stay if there was only indoor seating nor would I order that same beverage again. I'm still salty about that. read more

Have you tried their burger sandwich?! It's so well made and is so delicious. I know when it comes to sandwiches I can count on them because they are so dang good! Their fries are also well made and their menu has choices for everyone. The outside is an average restaurant but the service is amazing! I'll be back! read more

We were staying at the Journeyman and decided to have a nightcap at the rooftop bar. Bad decision. With the exception of our waitress, we had the worst experience with the hostess and manager. We were sat in a back corner facing toilets. When we arrived, the table hadn't yet been cleaned from the previous guest which skeeved us out. We were surprised since covid is going around and most restaurants are hyper clean these days. After 30 min of waiting for an outside table, we checked with the hostess and she said she forgot to put our name in the list. We waited another 60 min growing more annoyed as we watched over 14 groups of people paraded in front of us to their outside table. All of these groups walked up to the hostess and stand and were immediately seated - no wait, no list. The dirty table thing also wasn't exclusive to us. We made a game of watching people's reactions when they were sat at tables that hadn't been wiped down. There didn't seem to be a standard cleaning procedure between guests. Ewww. We asked how much longer we had to wait for an outside seat and the hostess said there were many more names ahead of ours. This despite no one was actually waiting near the hostess to be seated. Looking at the time, the place was soon to close. Just before we cut our losses, we spoke with who we thought was the manager but he more unhelpful than the hostess. All we got was a flippant attitude and "everything seemed to be outside of his control." We felt completely put off by this place. While I'm sure it has nice city views, we didn't experience that and those city views are not exclusive to this bar or this city. There are so many great new bars in third ward and it would take a lot for us to try this one again. Too bad because the Journeyman hotel is amazing and we do plan to go back there!!! read more

I've visited here more than I can count (mainly for the view- it's one of the cutest places in the city). Everything from happy hour to an after brunch drink on the rooftop. The service is USUALLY lack luster and the drinks generally are overpriced and not great. BUT I visited last night and had the best drink/service experience ever from this place. The waiter Angel is a gem. Despite it being particularly busy, he was quick and gave excellent recommendations (the pineapple margarita is amazing). This season's drink menu is the best I've ever seen from The Outsider. Also, the DJ is always 5 star as is the food (the crab dip is a favorite). All-in-all, if you're looking for a great rooftop kickback space, they always deliver. If they keep folks like Angel around, I'll certainly keep coming. read more

This is an awesome rooftop bar, on top of an awesome hotel! The atmosphere and the staff are all nice and welcoming. During a recent trip, our waitress was Jenna, and she was very sweet and offered superb service! Although it could get cold sometimes, there's plenty of fireplaces you could sit around while enjoying the amazing views of Milwaukee. I'm sure this place gets busy during warmer months, so if possible (not sure if it is) I would suggest making reservations! read more

This place will never have to worry about winning an award for service. Food is great, so are drinks. Atmosphere and location are both fantastic. Their service tho. I get this place is busy, but either 1) hire more staff or 2)restrict the amount of people allowed in -- here on a Friday night; not overly crowded but impossible to get the attention of a server. read more

The Outsider - Friday night. Not crowded. Poor service... actually no service. - Lounges Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Seems as though they're still working out the kinks. Our group of five arrived at about 5:00 on a Wednesday, self seated [outside] as directed by staff, and then waited 45 minutes before we received our (first) drink order. We also ordered an appetizer but after waiting an additional 30 minutes without receiving chips & dip or having the opportunity to order a second round of drinks, a member of our party tracked down our server Emily. Upon learning the app order never made it to the kitchen we requested the check. Mercifully the check arrived quickly and our server apologized for our experience. The view of the city is lovely. We saw games in use at other tables and overhead heaters already installed in certain sections for cooler months. The patio offers tables and lounge-style seating and was packed when we arrived with the after-work crowd. Try it again in a month or two when service is more consistent unless you enjoy the leisurely pace of one drink per 75 minutes at full price. read more

The Outsider - Lounges Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

You come here to relax with the view - and it's lovely. Especially in summer. I went once in summer during Happy Hour and once in late fall, just after Happy Hour has ended. In my experience, happy hour is quite busy and so I found service to be slow. Once I got my drink and noshes, it was all lovely, but you have to sip, savor, and enjoy the view because it's tough to get timely service during these hours. During the colder months, it's still lovely inside and I found post-Happy hour service to be super reliable. (Which meant I drank more! Haha). If you are visiting MKE, this is a must-do, for sure. If you live here and haven't been yet... what are you waiting for?! read more

One might not think of Milwaukee as a hub of social activity ... but this place lets you experience a view of the Skyline w good drink and good food. It's a game of jockeying for the better seats. read more

The Outsider - Rooftop cocktails - Lounges Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Trendy establishment, fun night out, younger crowd.

Great views. Great/inventive (albeit slightly pricey) cocktails, but hey - it's a rooftop bar at MKE's newest swank hotel, right? Awesome spirits list. AWESOME. Snacks on snacks on snacks and pizza delivery from downstairs' Tre Revali. People watching for days! read more

Best rooftop in the city, hands down. Beers are around $7 and cocktails $13. Hip, modern, and cool. Small bites are available as well as pizza. If you want to impress friends, co-workers, or dates this is the place. Simply stunning and without compare in Milwaukee. Go, quickly. read more

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The first time I tried to visit The Outsider, the line was out the door of the Journeyman Hotel, so I decided to skip it and try again on another day. Yesterday was that day. I arrived early for reservations at Tre Rivali and to my surprise, there was no line at the elevator to The Outsider, so I went on up to the ninth floor rooftop bar. At a little past five and even though there was no line, the outside part of the bar was already packed. I found a table adjacent to the bar and took a moment to relax and appreciate the open, airy design. My server soon dropped off a drink list and I decided on The Oaxacan Exchange, an interesting combination of Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Lime, Orange-Peppercorn, Pink Sea Salt Mist and Stiegl Radler. This was a great refreshing cocktail. Smokey and sweet, with a slightly tart finish from the grapefruit flavored beer. I did consider ordering a snack, but I didn't want to spoil my dinner. Maybe next time! The staff was helpful and friendly, even though they were very busy.The Outsider is wheelchair accessible and the men's room was easy to navigate. I also was very impressed that they have a unisex bathroom. Everyone should feel comfortable. I definitely did and I will be back soon. One little piece of advice. If you don't like standing in lines, get there early, because when I left at 6 pm. that crazy long line was already back! read more

I came here for drinks on a cold Friday night in December with a friend, and this place called "The Outsider" was great even when having to remain inside. The mixed drinks are a bit pricey by Milwaukee standards, but there are plenty of reasonably priced beer and wine alternatives. The majority of the interior seating is lounge seats, which makes this a great place to get to know a date or to have more of a private convo with a friend. This place can also accommodate groups of any size. The outside looks amazing, and I'm looking forward to coming back in the warm months. The bartenders and staff are attentive, smart, and friendly. The customers were of all ages (that were legal to drink) with one thing in common: an air of sophistication. But if you take away anything from this review, believe me, this is a great place to go even on a cold winter's day. read more

I really want to like this place but our first experience wasn't quite how we had expected it due to a not so friendly and extremely inattentive server but I'll get to that later... We showed up on Friday for happy hour and waited in line downstairs (which is totally fine) so if you plan to go on an evening with beautiful weather make sure to get there early. Due to the wait; the staff suggested we grab a drink from the downstairs bar to make the wait in line a bit more bearable so of course we grabbed those drinks. The staff member who runs you up and down the elevator was pretty rude and needs to drop the "cool kid" attitude. It only took about 10 minutes until we got upstairs so not a bad wait at all. Once we got to the roof we were immediately impressed by the space and especially the view. We were fortunate enough to get a couch so we took a seat and enjoyed our drinks. There are bags and shuffleboard so make sure to take advantage! After multiple attempts to flag down the server she didn't stop until we finally got her attention about 30 minutes later which is pretty ridiculous especially since she was serving the group on the other end of the couch from us. I understand we already had drinks but the least she could have done was greet us and offer water and menus. At that point we ordered two more drinks but no longer had time to order an appetizer since we needed to get to our dinner reservation elsewhere. The beer, wine and spirit selection is pretty solid. A bit on the expensive side but that was to be expected. We had to quickly finish our drinks and head out. Hopefully, the attitudes are dropped by the waitstaff so it's a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Bad attitudes will run the "down to earth" people of Milwaukee away and that's not good for business or the Third Ward residents like myself. Until next time... read more

I really really like this place. The views are incredible! Might be my new favorite patio with a view in the city. The patio sits atop the 8th or 9th floor, so you have a nice view of the city, all the way to the Hoan bridge. I was surprised how big the patio was. A ton of seating - couches (so you might have to sit next to some strangers and make nice), some tables, and seating at the bar. Would be a great spot to grab a drink with some friends and/or a date. I really liked the mix of people there, too. They have a nice cocktail list worth checking out. And, some good beers on tap. Waitstaff was friendly. It was busy (and still new) and never felt like I had to wait long for a drink. Didn't get around to trying their food, yet. But I'll be back. read more

I love love love the patio. I love the ambiance. I love the fire. I love the heaters. I love the blankets. I love the patio games. I love the couches. It's delightful when it's 80 out and delightful when it's 50 out. The drinks are overpriced. The snack menu looks tasty. The service is crap. Repeatedly. I've been three times and all three times, still crap service. The last time I went they delivered our drinks and the next time we saw the server it was to silently deliver the bill. Later, she came by again and asked if we wanted another drink. Yes, that's right. We were supposed to pay first, and then order another. When we said no and were futzing around with the receipt and tip, she waited for us to be done to take the book and her tip. No. Just No. I get so frustrated with places that put all their chips in location or ambiance and ignore the rest of the details. Sigh. read more

Beautiful venue. Great view. If you're on a budget sharing a bottle of wine is the way to go. Some really nice quality cocktails. Take out of town visitors here. read more

Great rooftop spot. Nice views, pleasant seating arrangement & very helpful, friendly staff. Definitely recommend!

The wait staff was friendly and attentive, the drinks were strong and reasonably priced and the rooftop bar was spectacular. Great spot for an after dinner drink, date spot or place to meet new peeps. Patio closes at Midnight, which sucks- I imagine that's a City imposed restriction. read more

The Outsider - Lounges Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Love this spot! Great view, good ambience and yummy drinks! Staff was super friendly!

Tim, the manager of The Outsider, was the most accommodating host! Amazing venue and made for the best night for a proposal. Thank you Tim and The Outsider! read more

The Outsider - Tim, the manager of The Outsider, was the most accommodating host! Amazing venue and made for the best night for a proposal. Thank you Tim! - Lounges Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is a fabulous rooftop scene... Five stars for atmosphere, ..but stick to beer. The wine by the glass was awful.

Horrible service and pretentious vibe. Great location and beautiful views, you just have to deal with the lack of service.

This was our first time here. And although there is no denying the beautiful layout and furnishings of this outdoor space, the service was subpar at best. Our glasses sat empty for quite sometime before we had to flag down wait staff to order another round. We were walked by several times. Waters and drinks were served with no cocktail napkins which left our table a puddled mess. The lovely weather and space made up for the poor service. Overall I feel they could do better. Also, the kitchen was not serving food which was a disappointment. I may go back for the ambiance and I hope that my first experience was just a fluke. read more

The best drinks I've ever had, hands down. Serena is a PHENOMENAL mixologist (and I don't use that word lightly). She knows how to balance cocktails to a perfection. The drinks we were served were some of the best drinks we've ever had. The Four Roses bourbon Old Fashioned was incredible. Definitely ask for Serena's whiskey sour with egg whites. Absolutely incredible. Recommended 100%!!! read more

Sincerely wish we would have read reviews more thoroughly before settling on drinks at The Outsider for our last evening in town. Pros: Ambiance. Fantastic views. Cons: Everything else. Upon arriving at roughly 11:30PM, there were various tables, fire pits, etc. that were visibly available - along with no hostess to be found. After watching 10+ other individuals seat themselves, we (myself and boyfriend) took it upon ourselves to follow suit and thought, 'maybe it was too late into the evening for a hostess to be necessary.' We walked to one of the fire pits and sat down, and began scanning the menu. After about 10 minutes, a server approached us for our order. We inquired about the cider listed and were informed we could not purchase just 1 glass, but rather the whole bottle - which was $20, according to the server. Totally understandable! Not a big deal at all. All of 5 minutes later, the experience plummeted. A manager quickly approached us and [without hesitation or a simple greeting] stated, "You two cannot just seat yourselves like this. I have had people waiting for over 2.5 hours. You can't just walk in and sit wherever you want." Holy... wow! Because THAT was an appropriate introduction, apparently? After stating we did not mind moving seats, I attempted to express that it was not our intention to cause any inconvenience, but that we simply did not realize we could not seat ourselves due to the late time, no hostess, visibly available seating, and various parties walking right in and doing the same. "There was no hostess because she was clearly guiding the group in front of you to their table." To note; the 10+ individuals that walked in ahead of us were not a singular group, which showed it was obvious this manager (or whatever his position may be) was going to be combative regardless. We had absolutely no problem with moving seats or waiting, but the approach to the request/direction was absurd. After moving to a high-top table (11:45PM), we received our [rather small] bottle of cider. Again, $20 - no big deal. We finished the bottle by 12:05AM and our server was nowhere to be found. It was Saturday night. It was busy. We expected a wait / slower service. So again, no big deal! After another 15 minutes (35 minutes since we received the bottle), we had not been checked in on, and decided it was no longer worth the wait to try to get another drink of any kind. As we tried to flag down quite literally any employee [at this point] to bring us our check, it gradually became more and more evident just how terrible the service truly is at this rooftop bar. The pure reluctance [to help] from employees across the board was disgusting. Finally, by 12:50AM, our server reappeared to 'see how our drinks were.' Check, please! I honestly was not too surprised to see that the bottle we purchased was not $20, but $30. Whatever. $10 difference. I just wanted to pay the tab and get out of that place, and never step foot inside again. The layout/decor, ambiance, and city / river views are the ONLY reasons this post is getting 2 stars [instead of 1]. This rooftop bar has so much incredible potential! However, being that these reviews date back a few years and contain the same/similar feedback, I highly doubt any positive or productive changes will be made any time soon. Unless you have an unheard of level of patience, I would not recommend The Outsider. read more

The place is really cool and the fire was nice but the service was absolutely horrible. The waiter checked up on us barely ever, was rude, and it was impossible to order a second drink. Will not be returning. read more

Don't waste your time!! 15 minutes no server to be found. Great view beautiful space but no help!! Maybe Covid but beware!!

It was my parents 22nd anniversary so I was trying to take them somewhere nice and Kate was incredibly rude to us at the host stand.. as if she was already angry prior to us arriving? We then finally get seated & the table is filthy. We waited 33 minutes before a server could take care of us. Then when we do finally get the chance to order our food comes out cold. Managers were on their phone & appear to be mingling with friends at tables. Unaware of her being an employee let alone a manger we got confronted about someone we ran into there & she told us to leave if were gunna have more than 6 people at our table. He was just saying hi and we got our whole dinners mood thrown off with bad energy. It's not the Outsider I remember. Seriously. R.i.p to a great spot. Will always be missed!! read more

Super cool place-- a fun place to drink on a rooftop! We came here on our anniversary for a drink after dinner. It was definitely busy- seemed like a lot of groups. They have friendly bartenders and an interesting drink list. This is the most downtown Chicago-y feeling place I have experienced since moving here last year, and I must admit, I liked feeling all glitzy and fancy up there! Check it out, especially on a nice night! read more

Coolest place in MKE! Amazing rooftop bar with great views. Drinks are a little pricey but the brownie sundae is amazing

These are the reviews where I wish I could give another 1/2 star. The Outsider is probably the "coolest" roof top bar in MKE. Located at the top of the Journeyman Hotel it is the place to be seen on a Friday or Saturday night. It offers indoor-outdoor seating which is mostly "hip" couches surrounding fire tables. There are large games to play like a connect 4 that is 3 ft square. Drinks are solid and the small plates are very good (flat bread pizza etc). So why the 4 stars you ask? Well this is Yelp so its my personal preference and I'm not a huge fan of hanging out at the most "popular" places. For me its a little to "happin" place but for others it may be just for you. So I had to take a star off for all the "air quotes". If you listen to Hipster Cocktail on Pandora then try this place out. You will probably see some local sports stars, their entourages and the ever present bachelorette parties. It will be crowded so ladies were your stillettos so you can step on some toes and claim your turf. read more

Can't really order consisted of this place because for some reason when I went on Sunday evening they weren't serving pizza. Very bizarre but I did get the beef jerky and tuna cone things. Both were just good, jerky more so than tuna. Something about this place that's very... Milwaukee in the worst way possible. Very West Elmy, very looks like it wants to be high end but high end is too expensive but we don't wanna be cheap either so let's over charge for relatively boring and generic aesthetic. -I really don't like it.- I will say the city does need places like this. Rooftop places with drinks, views, fun little games, it's perfect. It just needs that touch of more luxury that Chicago rooftop places has. 3/5 needs another chance. I plan to go back to actually try the real food read more

Waited for 20 minutes without having a host to speak to. We were given the worst possible place to sit. The service were rude and condescending. read more