Allium

Cafe Brucke is certainly a hidden gem, and has that intangible "je ne sais quoi" that sets it apart in terms of atmosphere and general Gemutlichkeit. It feels European, though ive never been in Europe either, as other reviewers have said. There were banners from the Neue Galerie in New York on the wall showcasing German Expressionist art. Sparse framed art on the wall and potted plants in the windows, with faded yellow coasters of obscure beers ive never seen or heard of. Maybe 10 tables in the place, there was a group of 15 or so holding court in one corner. The small bar sat 6-8, and the staff were playing records on a turntable on one end of the bar. Spaten and Optimator were on tap, $4 for a .3L, .5L & 1L were also available. Bottle selection was affordable and varied, notable interesting choices included 1809 Berliner Weisse, Cuvee Rene, Aventinus, and others. Styles ran the gamut, 50 or so bottles covered all the bases. Trappist ales had their own section, they had everything but Westvleteren. Tim was the bartender, and he chatted the whole time I was there about Milwaukee neighborhoods and the future of Cafe Brucke. Apparently ownership changed this year, and there may be changes in the future, but I hope they dont alter the atmosphere at all. Hand built shelves on the back bar hold an eclectic assortment of spirits with some interesting whiskies and spirits from local distillery Great Lakes. Overall this is the sort of bar thats timeless, classy, relaxing, and effortlessly cool. Pretty much an ideal spot to unwind after a long day and get some quality locally sourced grub too.

A wonderful little place to stop for a nice meal and a properly served beer. They have an elegant European beer tap that has a built in glass rinser. They have added patio dining since getting entered. Just a wonderful place to spend and afternoon or evening.

Anyplace where the beer menu dwarfs the food menu is aok in my book. Very cozy little restaurant with excellent and inexpensive eats.

I’ve never spent time in a corner Belgian cafe, but I did spend some time in corner walk-up cafes in Italy, and Cafe Brucke reminds me of those experiences. This is not a place to rush through, and unfortunately during my visit I was in a bit of a hurry. I really liked this bar not as a pure beer nirvana, but as a really nice place to hang out that happened to have some nice beers. Decor is soft colors and wood. There is a big metal roadside historical sign behind the bar devoted to the subject of Wisconsin brewing history. I sat at the bar, and we were served by two women, one of whom was the owner, whom I would describe with the title "barrista" rather than bartender. There were two taps; during my visit they were both Spaten (lager and maibock). Bottle slection was about 40 bottles. I had an 1809 Berlinerweiss, which was great. Food was simple stuff, but I had a chicken sandwhich with sundried tomatoes and tampenade which was tasty and inexpensive, although I left a bit hungry. I would highly recommend this place as a nice spot to relax.

A quaint, comfortable, European cafe with good inexpensive food and great atmosphere.

What a cozy small cafe/restaurant/bar all in one...great atmoshpere and better than average beer selection. As previously noted the selection is heavy on the Belgian beers but this is not a bad thing considering they had Duvel, Orval, St. Bernadus Abt 12, Westmalle and others. The free appetizers during happy hour were excellent particularily the hummus and salsa. Didn’t have any entrees but they sounded delicious. This is a great SMOKE FREE place to have an excellent brew and good food.

Went w/ DavidP and agree with most everything he said. The prices were affordable the beer good and the food very good.

Small cafe with an even smaller bar. They only have 2 taps but they’ll be occupied by a local micro and something from abroad (currently a Lakefront beer and Jenlain’s Beer de Garde). Decent variety in their bottled beers, although I think there’s too much emphasis on Belgains and not enough on American micros. For example there’s about 5 what I would call "sweet ’n yeasty" Belgians vs. one IPA (Bell’s Two-Hearted). I was pleasantly suprised to see Berliner Kindl Weiss and Hanssen’s Guezue and Kriek available. This isn’t the premier place to get a beer in Milwaukee but a good selection combined with good food makes it hard to pass up.