Agency — Restaurant in Milwaukee

A friend and I checked the place out for the first time last night. Despite this cocktail bar being reservation only, the owner/host found us two spots. Very fortunate for us, though next time we’ll be sure to reserve as the place was buzzing with business.

Ryan the owner was incredibly hospitable and immediately talked us through the whole menu, explaining that every drink on the menu has a non alcoholic perfect recreation, that their dealers choice drinks are a very big draw, and made some personalized recommendations to us.

The bar manager Kat and her team create such delicious and unexpected ingredients. I had the “Ryan’s Dads Biggest Regret” which was a jungle bird with a pink peppercorn/Szechuan syrup that had such a satisfying spice to it. When I was presented my drink I was surprised and delighted to see it was garnished with fire and a hot wheels car. Just so fun! My friend ordered a dealers choice cocktail and Kyle our bartender crafted something amazing. Deliciously earthy and smoky- he even used a chanterelle mushroom syrup which added such a delicious complexity. He also ordered a light and bright drink made with banana.

We were thrilled during our time here and can’t wait to go back to try the 7 course tasting menu and accompanying bar bites.

This place...

My cousin and I stopped by after celebrating a wonderful evening, excited to enjoy a drink and the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the experience was deeply disappointing.

Upon arrival, we were not greeted and stood at the host stand for 10 minutes without any acknowledgment. Seeing no one coming to assist, we decided to take two open seats at the bar. The bartender greeted us, but before we could remove our coats, someone from across the room yelled at us, asking if we had seen the sign and told us we had to return to the entry to wait.

When we calmly explained that we had already been waiting for 10 minutes with no acknowledgment, my cousin suggested we leave instead. To our shock, the person replied, “Great! Perfect!” We left immediately, stating that we did not feel welcomed.

It’s incredibly disheartening to have been treated this way, especially as we later learned the rude interaction was with the owner. We came to support the business and enjoy the experience but were instead met with hostility and poor customer service. This was upsetting and left us questioning whether the treatment we received was tied to our appearance. We won’t be returning, and we hope this feedback encourages the restaurant to reflect on how they treat...

recently visited Agency and, unfortunately, the experience was disappointing due to poor service.

From the moment we were seated, the service felt cold and unwelcoming. Our server — a man with a man bun — handed us the menu without offering any explanation and only asked if we had questions. What made this feel worse was witnessing the same server at the next table being far more engaging — he explained the menu in detail, mentioned what items were unavailable, and even promoted an upcoming mixologist event. It was hard not to feel overlooked.

To make matters worse, our second round of drinks took about 25 minutes to arrive, despite the lounge not being busy. We observed the bartenders cleaning glassware and wiping the bar rather than making drinks — there was no sense of urgency or attentiveness.

The ambiance and setting of the lounge had potential, but the lack of consistent and respectful service really ruined the experience for us.

Overall: It’s unfortunate when a place that markets itself as upscale delivers such lackluster service. I wouldn’t recommend Agency based on this visit, and I hope they work on providing all guests with equal and respectful treatment...