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Visiting a friend in Milwaukee and she recommended we check out this place for a pre-game drink because apparently they are S-T-R-O-N-G.
apparently she wasn't yanking my chain.
I come from Chicago so paying $7 for an amazing, boozy cocktail is pretty standard (if you are ever in Chicago, go to the Whistler for similar quality drinks.)
The decor is amazing but not in a "lol we are a tiki bar way" that is common in chicago's yuppie neighborhood.
The crowd was cool, laid back, and nobody was pushy at the bar.
And the drink.
I got a beach comber but I tried the boyfriend's zombie and HELLO YES I WOULD LIKE SOME RUM!
This place just SMELLS like rum. Which definitely helps cover up the cigarettes (get with it milwaukee, shit is gross.)
I do gotta give props for being able to buy one drink with a card instead of being forced to open a tab with a $25 minimum. Good job.
Next time I'm in town I'll definitely come back to try that humongous lava drink that is lit on fire. I can't say no to the kitsch!
The Foundation bar has gone through a lot of evolution. Originally a skater/Punk bar with a Tiki night, it's now a full time Tiki bar that occasionally plays punk music. The crowd is mixed and a lot of people from the neighborhood seem to stop in. I like it.
Drink prices are a little on the high side for Riverwest, but if you don't order from the drink menu it's pretty cheap with good specials. The specialty drink menu is outstanding with many island themed drinks. The Mai Tai is the best I've had in Milwaukee by far. Oh and yeah, that 8 dollar drink price may seem high, but remember, that's pretty much all booze. You can also get collector cups you get to keep. They're nothing special imo.
Service is typically ok. Sometime if they're busy and the bartenders are pumping drinks, it can be a bit slow. Exotic cocktails take a bit more time and love than a shot and a beer. Be patient. It's worth it.
It's worth noting that it can get a bit busy on the weekends. So finding seating for your party may prove a challenge. Also the wait for the restrooms can be a bit long at times. Neither of these really discourage me from going there.
I'd recommend this bar. Stop in and have a drink at least once so you can say you've been to a proper tiki bar.
Yet to find a bar with this much charm anywhere.
Tiki/Retro/Dive all at the same time. This Riverwest hang out is anyways a good place to get warm in the winter. Unique drink specials, and basic MKE beer.
MMMmmmmm, The Foundation makes me want to move back to Milwaukee.
Powerful tiki drinks, great decor....a mini vacation in Riverwest.
One of my favorites, I've seen it go from looking like a punk house living room to a lounge befitting Don Ho [and my friend Melissa, a professional Polynesian dancer who you can catch performing when one of Don Nelson's bands play]. Find: friendly staff, spacious bathrooms [heh], tables for all, blowfish lamps and pirate maps and ships and bikini girls, insane tiki drinks and tasty Dino's pizza. Don't forget the Really Good Happy Hour topped off by a rotating line up of DJs who play mostly 60s soul, funk, lounge, garage but you will also hear punk, indie and whatever else the hell happens to fall out of the record box - one bar whose jukebox I don't really miss.
Hipsters and old cranky locals drink side by side, even my parents like it.
This is the best goddamn bar in Milwaukee, and possibly the best bar on the North Coast. The Foundation occupies a place in my liver heretofore held only by my locals of 8 years in Champaign-Urbana - the Esquire and the sadly-defunct Blind Pig - and the forever-to-be mourned Point in Atlanta.
Tied with Edinburgh Castle and Club Deluxe (closed) in SF as my favorite bar of all time. The owner is a real exotica afficionado, and actually plays surf and exotica music instead of aerosmith like that goofy rock a tiki place in chicago. also, i think he has taken great pains to recreate Trader Vic's original mai tai recipe from the 40s, but with more liquor than fruit juice. Everytime I go in here, it just looks and feels better and better, keep up the good work Don!
Update: Officially wins 'Best Bar of All-Time' because they outdo themselves everytime 8/14/07
In a city with a healthy supply of great, historic and interesting bars, this is the bar I come to when I want to hang out with the cool kids- overall, it's my favorite Milwaukee bar, and that's saying a lot.
Foundation has a selection of good beer, a little pool table scene, cool staff, good music. The bar itself is tucked away just off Center street- feels pretty residential until you get inside and immerse yourself in the smell of cigarettes and beer. I rarely get to Milwaukee without finding my way here for at least one quick beer.
Haven't been there in a while, but going there was always an enjoyable experience. This review was for those of you who were inquiring about the bumper sticker on my car.
Gotta love a good Mai Tai every once in a while.
very unique and well decorated.
It's hard to fuck up a coke. Hehe. The place is cool. Go.
Sweet bar, and the only bar in Milwaukee (to my knowledge) that has delicious Scrimshaw. My only complaint is that they upped the price on their arcade games from 25 cents to a dollar. no me gusta.
A very good dive bar without being too dirty.
It is smoky with limited seating and a lot of tiki-related paraphernalia. The drinks are alright. It has got a lot in common with a lot of other bars in Milwaukee. I guess i am not really sure why this place doesn't tickle my bits...but it doesn't. Maybe if there were some sort of raffle? It is alright. Give it a try on your rounds...
Foundation! How much do I love you? So much that I'm giving you five stars even though I have to store my bar-going clothes in a plastic bag after even a half-hour of drinking because your air consists of very little aside from cigarette smoke.
I've been going to Foundation since my 21st birthday, and although the demise of Tiki Tuesday left a Blue Malahini-sized hole in my heart and it can be a risky venture for city kids with colorful pasts (you WILL run into exes of all stripes), I adore it all the same.
The bartenders are awesome. Decor is kitschy and fantastic (think tiki-themed rec room). Drinks are dirt-cheap and wonderfully strong, but make sure you don't go too overboard when you leave your tab open anyway ("HEY EVERYONE! NEXT ROUND'S ON ME!" -- speaking from experience).
Happy hour runs from 5 to 10PM, which is ridiculous, amazing, and dangerous all at once. You'll usually wait a while for your mixed drinks past 11, and it's definitely standing room only, but them's the breaks for being at a bar near the midnight hour. Frozen pizza and sticks of beef jerky for drunk munchies. Absolutely no vegan options aside from bags of plain potato chips, so herbivores should eat before you go (actually, everyone should eat before they go to Foundation, so as to prevent an even more crushing hangover).
The music can be iffy, but when it's on, it's ON. There's a pool table for y'all sharks and parking isn't usually too much of a hassle (try Weil if there's nothing on Bremen). Bonus points for the purse/coat-hanging hooks along the wall, if you're lucky enough to grab a table.
As it happens to be the only bar I find worth frequenting, Foundation is where I take absolutely all of my out-of-town drinking-aged guests for a uniquely Riverwestern experience... and, of course, standard-issue pints of Stein on tap. Everyone always comes away with at least one novelty glass from the extensive and 100% delicious tiki menu -- tipsy, grinning, marveling at how cheap it is to drink and what a cool place it is.
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Bars
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Lounges
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Pubs
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Dance Clubs
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Lounges
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