Romans' Pub

kbaker91

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

I was in Milwaukee for the weekend, and had Friday night free from obligations so I wanted to find a decent, mellow beer bar to try selections I cannot find on tap in MN. Wanting to avoid the Water/Brady/Summerfest scene, I found this place on Beerfly, and was rewarded for my search.

Romans is located in the South side of town, several miles away from the downtown scene, in a regular working-class neighborhood. The tavern itself is actually a converted home, the street level converted into a bar. Not a large bar, with tables to the side and two smaller rooms in back as well as a lovely porch to the side behind the bar. This tavern looks like many other working-class neighborhood taverns at first glance, until you notice the beer selection.

The beer selection is outstanding, including 30 taps. Every one, to my memory, was devoted to an American, German, or Belgian craft beer. I cannot obtain FFF in MN, so I was delighted to find several selections from that brewery here. Romans has a handy beer menu, it looks like it is updated every couple days, or whenever a tap runs out. The menu also lists several "beers in waiting" for when a line opens up, which I thought was a nice touch. I am not a cigar aficionado, but they also sell what appears to be a high-end selection of cigars on the premises as well.

The clientele is a nice mix of locals and other beer geeks that made the trip to the neighborhood because this place is a beer destination. Unpretentious is a great adjective for the scene here, unlike many other taverns with top-notch beer selections. The other patrons were having pleasant conversations about beer or the Brewer game on the large flat-screens behind the bar.

The owner that has been mentioned on several other reviews was not present as far as I could see. Instead a lovely lady was tending the bar. She was friendly and knew her beer as well as any beer geek I have ever met. She chatted up my wife & me about her beer vacation she had taken recently to Belgium.

Prices were more expensive than what you would expect for that neighborhood, but in line with other great beer bars in the Midwest that I have visited. Basically, you are getting what you pay for.

Overall, I love this place and wish I had one in my neighborhood. Highly recommended for any BA looking to get away from the crowds of the downtown Water St/Brady St area of Milwaukee.

06-29-2009 17:31:47 | More by kbaker91

DersOne

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -31.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Well, apparently my previous (honest) review wasn't good enough, and it was removed.

Atmosphere: average overall. There is a typical beer/sports bar vibe here, with brewery memorabilia and several flat screen TVs. The building has always been a bar and there are many photos of the establishment over the years, which is a nice touch.

Quality: technical quality is great, each beer is poured into an appropriate serving glass at the correct size for the style. The bar is generally clean, although the bathroom was a mess when I was there last. Bar layout is a bit clunky, as the taps take up an awful lot of arm space. The booths are spacious but not all that comfortable.

Service: I have been here a number of times, and have seen the owner/operator be very friendly or downright rude to people. My feeling is that the more you know about beer, the kinder he is to you.

A group of 10 friends and I were in the bar this past weekend along with another large group. Apparently the surge in business riled the owner up enough to make a childish Facebook post stating that this isn't "Chuck E. Cheese" and that the next time, parties will be "unceremoniously thrown out".

I can't imagine why he would be so angry about people patronizing his establishment, and acting like that makes him look very unprofessional. I will not be returning because of his attitude.

Selection: despite my issues with the owner, he is extremely knowledgeable and has a wide selection of seasonals, small batches, and "standard" brews of many types that will suit any palate.

02-28-2012 20:36:08 | More by DersOne

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -12.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped in this place after the Palm tavern on a Wednesday night. The bar was full but the rest of the small place was empty. Unlike the Palm this one has a bright sports bar vibe but with some old school Milwaukee traits thrown in.

The bartender is a friendly guy. Also drinks on the job which I respect. The music is sort of loud and sort of crappy. The vie in this place could be better.

The beer list though is amazing. There was a Fullers "hand pull" which I had and it was good. Also a nice variety of craft on tap, nothing extremely out of the ordinary, just a solid list. The prices were reasonable.

Overall a great stop on this road with many.

12-15-2011 16:09:11 | More by crossovert

Mscarpen

Tennessee

4.74/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

What a fantastic bar! When you go out in Milwaukee and ask around, this is where the local bartenders will tell you THEY go to drink. Turns out it's true. In fact, last night I even met a local beer distributor who had chosen belly up to the Romans bar. The proprietor, Mike Romans, is simply a cool dude and is 90% of the reason I love this place. He strikes a beautiful balance between old-school Milwaukee barkeep and beer nerd. There is nothing fancy about the Bay View watering hole, but once you get inside you will quickly discover why those who "know" come here. Old school service, a great beer selection, and a fun crowd

10-11-2011 17:57:16 | More by Mscarpen

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.94/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Went back here yesterday and luckily the owner, Mike, was bartending. Not only did we get rare treats such as Sierra Nevada Juniper Black Ale, but we got to enjoy a good measure of Milwaukee humor - dry, biting, and loads of fun. They have a nice beer garden that complments the coziness of the pub itself. Mike is the quintessential beer pub owner: knows his beers inside and out, the intricacies of the biz, how to be a first rate bartender and to tie it all together. A real fun place to go to. Already looking forward to a return.

06-05-2011 03:50:12 | More by drpimento

duffcalifornia

Wisconsin

4.74/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Went to Roman's the other night because it was the one great beer bar in Milwaukee I hadn't been to yet. It's a decent enough sized place - ten or so seats at the bar, some booths and tables, and an outdoor patio that appeared heated in the winter.

First off, the tap selection is great. You can search for it online and see what they have on tap, what's coming soon, and what they have sitting in the cellar. I headed over there because they said they had KBS on tap. Got there, sat down, and chit chatted with the owner Mike who was running the bar. Had a ~8oz pour of KBS for $8.50 just before the keg kicked. Besides the KBS, there's a wide selection of American craft brews (JP, Founders, Tyranena, "No Spotted Cow - not now not ever", Bells), Belgians, and German beers. For a Friday night, it was easy to walk in at 11p and get a seat at the bar. Not too loud or too crowded.

Mike was super helpful talking to other patrons about various beers, and beers were almost always poured into an appropriate style glassware.

If Roman's serves food, I wasn't made aware of it.

A pretty cool place, if a bit out of the way. Will definitely be going back.

03-28-2011 16:23:52 | More by duffcalifornia

MarcatGSB

Michigan

4.53/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Great place. Not an overwhelming amount of taps, but very well thought out and had a great variety. The price for the taps was just right, and I enjoyed the place greatly. Definitely a mid-west style bar, with a few TV's, small maybe 8-12 seat bar, with booths on the side. Seems like a great local bar, and the owner is there most of the time, so can learn your name and taste profile. When driving by, be sure to keep your eyes open as you near, because from the outside it resembles a residence. Worth the hunt, you wont be disappointed.

02-04-2011 18:01:12 | More by MarcatGSB

drpdaddy

Wisconsin

4.54/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$$

Stopped by with my brother and our wives to check the place out. I had been checking out the tap-list regularly via their web page. I was not disappointed in the selection. All taps are easily visible on a large dry erase board over the bar. There was a great variety of different beers, some of which I hadn't tried. The place wasn't too crowded and there was ample seating and a large outdoor room for smoking cigars. My overall impression was very favorable except, the restrooms seemed were dilapidated, it was like I was in a third world country.

01-04-2011 17:48:15 | More by drpdaddy

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Roman's Pub was originally my first and only choice for a beer bar in MKE. I'm glad I learned about The Sugar Maple and went there first, though! My wife and I liked it better than Roman's.

But Roman's is very good too. 30 taps, with 3 Belgians and 4 Germans among them and the British Fuller's ESB on the beer engine. Selection was very good but not as great as I expected it to be, considering the amount of kudos this place gets.

I felt teased by the "upcoming" brews listed on the menu: Burton Baton, Founders CBS, Avery Samael, North Coast Old Stock '07, Goose Island Bourbon '09... when I asked the very nice bartender (whom I believe was Roman himself) he said those rare brews would not be tapped for months. Why list them already then?

Love the ambience, blue-collar atmosphere, very nice, no hipsters here. Great garden too.

No food, though (too bad). I tried Tyranena HopWhore and Hinterland Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale, both local Wisconsin brews.

Prices were higher than Sugar Maple ($7-$7.50, as opposed to $5-$6), and no happy hour was available that I know of.

I would definitely come back if I were a local, but I favor Sugar Maple.

10-04-2010 00:01:14 | More by DoubleSimcoe

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

I'm happy to have finally made it out to Romans' after hearing about it constantly. This place was worth the drive for me. I made my way down to the south side and found the place on a Monday night. I met my cousin there for some Pumking on tap.

Once inside this small house that's easy to miss, you find yourself basically inside a living room. The bar is to the left and covered in massive tap arrays. To the right are benches for drinkers to sit in groups. I saw, through the window behind the bar, the outside lounge which looked nice as well as the back room with more seating available.

It was nice to meet Mike finally who is quite a blast to talk to. Fantastic service! Got a fresh beer in a squeaky clean glass. For a Bell's tulip full of Pumking, $7.50 seemed a little steep considering a 22 oz bottle costs less, but I wasn't about to complain about it considering the great conversation that came with it. That and it's the south (ish) side. It's to be expected.

As for the selection, there was plenty of great beer to be had there. Taps all over the place and bottles behind the bar. I went in knowing exactly what I wanted so I only took a light gander at the selection, but it was something worth coming back for time and time again.

Thanks Mike! Hopefully I'll see you again soon!

09-19-2010 22:14:07 | More by BeerFMAndy