Shanghai Speakeasy — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Note: This is a very small and secluded speakeasy bar with great intimate atmosphere. Do not expect to bring a big group of people. This is more for a group of five or less to be comfortable in the space. Even five is pushing it. Summary: if you want to do just a drinks date or hang out with focus on upscale cocktails this is a great place. It is relatively quiet and a peaceful environment. Also decent for those wanting just to be out without big crowds. Not your usual beer and margarita place. HIGHLY ENCOURAGE: calling and making a reservation and showing up at that time, not too much before. With the limited space that reduces the amount of seats they have available. This is also not a walk-in place. You need to be buzzed in if they have available seating. Let's go with the drinks since that is the focus of this type of speakeasy. They are fabulous and have a very great bar staff with doing higher quality drinks. Well they can be creative with substitutions I at least encourage you to try their drinks as they are. My personal favorite was the Shanghai Fog (see my flavor description below). You will smell food by the connected restaurant but they're independent of each other and you would have to go into the restaurant for that. Staff: All of the staff was very pleasant and very courteous. They were willing to banter and discuss drinks and general conversation. Please do be mindful that they also are supporting cocktails for the restaurants as well as for the speakeasy.

The two drinks I had from the menu: Shanghai fog - mystical teacup cocktail that requires a pause. Sipping the foam at first offers a soft citrusy flavor rolling into a very mild bitter that is definitely not off-putting. Dig deeper to the golden brew beneath for floral, citrus silk you almost do not want to swallow as it shifts along flavor profiles. Memories of vintage candy residue clings to your lips as you enjoy the candle lit ambiance.

All eyes - The silk road delivers oranges that saturate the palette with soft richness caressing your senses. The bite is of deeper temptation to your heart with savory pineapple as an afterthought. Your glass will finish without a distinguished goodbye, but the fading away of a love you will...

My roommate and I originally tried to make a reservation Bryant's, but they were booked. So after a internet search, we stumbled upon Shanghai MKE. Having lived in Milwaukee for many years, I was surprised I had never heard of this place!

This was a lovely little nook to have a few cocktails. It's a small intimate space with a fun entry way in Black Cat Alley. Their menu was great and definitely recommend the Dealers Choice. You are able to describe what typically like to drink and other flavors you like. The two drinks we got were both fantastic. Also, our server was great!

Definitely consider making a reservation in advance, especially if it's a larger group, as it's such a small space. We were able to get a table for two at 9:15 and we're there for about an hour. In that time frame, many groups of two were...

We had a reservation for 2 hours for our CEO and 3 partners. We had two more partners last minute become available. Called four times to update and the call was disconnected. When we showed up, they allowed us to sit and served us. When we ordered a second round they claimed we were "wasted" and gave our reservation away. It was 9 PM on our first round of drinks for the evening. The bartender became belligerent and insisted we were intoxicated - it was ridiculous. They gave our reservation away to make more money and did not like being questioned on it. We won't be coming back. Our company will know not to support this unscrupulous business practice. We will tell everyone about their shady practices. Only go if you are willing to be wrongly called drunk so they can sell your table out...