The Rumpus Room

Bar, Eatery

1030 N Water St
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202-3120
United States

(414) 292-0100 | map
rumpusroommke.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.33
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
21
pDev:
6.93%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

4.61/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75
Visited with my wife on a recent trip to Holland, MI and Milwaukee, WI.

Tried the following:
Central Waters Mimosa - Brut Pilsner & NE IPA Hybrid (draft)
Bear Republic Weekend In Berlin (sample)
Stone Vengeful Spirit IPA (draft)

Beers were excellent across the board, and the tap lineup was one of the best that we encountered in Milwaukee. Had the Candied Bacon and Deviled Eggs and Scallops with Heirloom Grits to eat; both dishes were outstanding. Classic dark wood bar ambience that resembles an old-fashioned lounge (yes please). Service was great as we had a lovely conversation with the bartender and our food and drinks arrived quickly. Our overall experience was fabulous, and we would come here regularly if we lived in the area.
Apr 13, 2020
Photo of zonker17
Reviewed by zonker17 from Texas

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Tuesday evening visit. Generally calm, not crowded, but not quiet. Just had the best Scotch Egg of my life. 23 drafts tonight very well curated and one of the most impressive liquor selections anywhere. Super friendly bartender and great service.
Sep 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.49 by BarrelAgedG from California

May 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by psoriasaurus from Thailand

Sep 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by hoosier222002 from Illinois

Mar 31, 2016
 
Rated: 4.6 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Aug 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.26 by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

Mar 29, 2015
Photo of Bshaw22
Reviewed by Bshaw22 from Wisconsin

4.66/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Great Food, great beer, great décor, great service. One of my favorite restaurants/beer restaurant. Also have great Bourbon (including pappy). Never disappoints.
Mar 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.44 by eawolff99 from Minnesota

Dec 20, 2014
Photo of Chipnputt489
Reviewed by Chipnputt489 from Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
My bartender was knowledgeable and friendly. The formula is simple...pour great beer and employ who are passionate and enjoy talking about it. The local beers were excellent - great variety and quality. The Founders Dark Penance is very good and the Karben4 (WI) Fantasy Factory IPA was a hite but my favorite of the night had to be the Sproose Joose Imperial IPA by Black Husky...another WI brewery. Just a great night. I will be back next time I'm in town on business and wouldn't hesitate to bring buddies or co-workers. It's that good.
Dec 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by baseballfury from Georgia

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Bodurtha

Jul 09, 2014
Photo of robear
Reviewed by robear from Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Atmosphere- great, but only if you sit at the bar. Once you get to the dining area it's typical "high end hotel restaurant" dressing. I'm not sure who designs Bartalotta's spots, but he/she could use a bit more style in this location. Starts of farmhouse meets speakeasy but ends up feeling like they gave up once the bar was in. Check out the tap handles. They are awesome. The new chalkboard taplist is a major improvement. Chairs at the bar are big and difficult to move around when it's busy (usually during Friday Happy Hour).

Quality- outstanding on all fronts- food, cocktails, beer, wine. They don't cut any corners on ingredients or preparation. To be honest, this is what you're paying for.

Service- good servers. Bartenders can be a bit slow, but they are often very busy. I do enjoy sitting at this bar.

Selection- best tap list in the downtown area. Rivals Roman's for best curated tap list in Milwaukee. Food selections range from moderately priced bar food to expensive fine dining dinners. The burger is good but the sandwiches are better.

Food- have never had a bad bite here. We've done everything from calf brains at a beer dinner to brown sugar and chile bacon at the bar. It's all been top notch. If you are planning a special date, this is a great choice.

Value- the value here is in the quality. You have to decide if it's worth great food at a pretty substantial price. Same for the beer. The same pours will cost you $1-2 less at Roman's, Sugar Maple, or Comet- but there is no guarantee they'll have the same beers on any given night. If you're looking for great beer and don't care about food, head down to Bayview. If you want great food & great beer, give Rumpus a try.
May 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Vinithing from Wisconsin

Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by LLL_MKE from Wisconsin

Feb 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by DersOne from Wisconsin

Nov 25, 2013
Photo of UncleT62
Reviewed by UncleT62 from Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Great environment for a night out with friends. A little on the pricey side, but with an excellent Beer and Whiskey selection.

I had the sea scallops and they were cooked perfectly, I know everyone in my party enjoyed their dish. The rest of the menu has a good variety, can't wait to go back there.

The bar is very accommodating with plenty of bar tenders to answer questions.
Nov 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by atone315 from Wisconsin

Oct 16, 2013
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Stopped in here for some grub recently.

The atmosphere was typical Bartolottas. White linens, black ties on all the help, dark wood etc. The tap list was solid if lacking any real sexy offerings. The bottle list is extensive. Littered with bottles from all points. Service was very helpful and patient. A couple of the people I was with were fairly intoxicated and required some careful handling. The food was awesome. Which is expected from these guys. I've eaten at just about every Bartolottas and have never been disappointed.

Overall a bit stuffy for my tastes as far as beer bars go. For a great meal and some craft to wash it down it's top notch.
Feb 20, 2012
Photo of crossovert
Reviewed by crossovert from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Place inside of a big building near MSOE.

It has a posh, upscale vibe to it. The host/hostess is near the back of the place which is odd. There isn't too too much seating but it has a nice long bar.

I got Aventinus on tap which was amazing. The waitress did seem to know beer although when she gave it to me she called it "AVentis". But I pronounced it the correct way "Ahh-vent ee - noose" (more or less) and she understood.

The charcuterie chef was gorgeous. Kind of a side note I know but she appeared to handle the meat well.

Overall a decent place, there was what about 30 taps, the soup was good.
Jan 19, 2012
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Stopped into the Rumpus Room midweek on a recent trip to Milwaukee and had dinner at the bar. This place is a gastropub that is part of an upscale restaurant group which I presume, from their website, has about half a dozen different restaurant formats in Milwaukee.

Walking into the restaurant there is a charcuterie/cheese prep station on the side, followed by a long bar. Tables line the window opposite the bar and there are more tables in the back.

The crowd was business professionals and the beer appeared secondary to many both at the bar and dining tables. It is the kind of place that a beer geek on a business trip might take some colleagues for drinks/dinner. Best of both worlds for both the beer geek and the colleagues.

Having read the thread here about the "rare" beer list when the place first opened, I was expecting to see some whales on the beer menu (Dark Lord, Westvleteren, etc.) but the bartender told me that the "rare" list had been discontinued.

I had a nice chat with the bartender, who was generally knowledgable about beer but still learning the topic. Still, the tap list was good, though it was surprisingly light on Wisconsin beers. I had a Pride and Joy on cask(there were a lot of Three Floyds on tap and in the bottle) and a Breakfast Stout.

The menu was interesting, offering a choice of either small plates or apps/entrees. Lots of good choices and the presentation was thoughtful and creative.

Rumpus Room is part of the growing trend of upscale gastropubs with a decent beer and food selection and a crowd that is older and nicely attired. In other words, it is not for everybody who frequents this site but it fills a gap in the market for those who are comfortable drinking and eating in this type of establishment.
Nov 12, 2011
The Rumpus Room in Milwaukee, WI
Place rating: 4.33 out of 5 with 21 ratings