{image1}Free food is harder and harder to find these days, but if you sniff around, you can still find a fair share of gratis goodies at your favorite watering holes.
But first, let's get one thing out of the way. We've all heard the horror stories about public bowls of nibbles and how they're peppered with germs, especially in bars where people tend to be less thorough with hand washing.
However, after a martini or two, even the peppermint at the bottom of your satchel from last Christmas looks pretty good. That said, OMC salutes local bars that offer complimentary noshes, especially those places boasting a bit more bar-top panache than the average bowl of stale pretzels.
Blu (424 E. Wisconsin Ave.) is first on the list with its incredible offering of free cashews. Anyone with the super munchies could easily consume more in nuts than the cost of his or her drink, yet the blue bowls seem to be bottomless. God bless them.
Art Bar (722 E. Burleigh St.) features a cut-above the usual free tavern fare. They at least go for the Gardetto's and rarely are they soft or moist.
Von Trier (2235 N. Farwell Ave.) has hot and hearty popcorn, perfect with your dusty mule or bottle of porter on a cold winter night. The Y-Not II also pops corn, but often it's cold and Styrofoam-y. All the same, it soaks up the beer and is filling, which might save you the expense of stopping off for a gyro on the way home.
Taylor's (795 N. Jefferson St.) has one of the finest free happy hour spreads in the city. Everyday, from 4-7 p.m. it features a bountiful buffet of bites, including meats and cheeses from Glorioso's, a variety of breads and more.
Paddy's Pub (2339 N. Murray Ave.) is quite possibly the table-top snack Mecca of Milwaukee with bowls of M&M's, peanuts and Chex Mix on every table. This place allows you to spoil your sweet tooth while soaking up spirits. Pinch me.
Palms Bistro & Bar (221 N. Broadway Ave.) Move over beer nuts, Palms offers a unique treat at the bar: bowtie pasta that's boiled, breaded in tempura, deep fried and finally sprinkled with seasoning salt.
Village Pub (4488 N. Oakland Ave.) Wednesday night is pickle night at the pub, and all patrons receive free kosher dill pickles. Not sure which libation goes best with the pickle, other than the obvious Bloody Mary, but this gimmic's so unique it's worth experimenting.
More bars with free food out there? Let us know, using the "talkback" feature below.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
