Jon Taffer knows bars.
He’s the host and mastermind behind Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue” after all. So, when BroBible’s Brandon Wenerd asked Taffer what he’d put as his top five bar cities in the United States during an interview, you know Taffer was going to serve up some veteran nightlife expertise.
New York was a no-brainer for Taffer. But then, he had to give it some thought, telling Wenerd that it was a good question that really got him thinking.
Taffer put St. Louis at No. 2, Atlanta at No. 3 and Chicago at No. 4.
“I would have to say, for five, this one might surprise you,” Taffer told Wenerd. “Milwaukee.”
Taffer said Milwaukee has “the greatest bar association in the world” and called the Tavern League of Wisconsin “the most active and most incredible bar organization in the country.”
“They’ve got a very hip bar culture in the state of Wisconsin,” Taffer said. Wenerd added that he thinks it’s “multi-generational.”
Wenerd went on to note Milwaukee’s brewing history, listing Miller and Pabst as examples.
“Bar Rescue,” which is in its 10th season, has come to Milwaukee a handful of times. In episodes that aired in 2014, the show “rescued” Y-Not III and Packy’s Irish Pub, which have both since closed. In episodes that aired in 2025, Daq Shack (which rebranded to Royal Street) and Tropic on Water were featured.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee is a top-5 bar city in the US, this bar expert says
Reporting by Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
