Riverwest has Nessun Dorma, the Menomonee Valley houses Sobelman’s. Cedarburg has a gem in Maxwell’s, head northeast and you run into Solly’s and on the West Side you will find McBob’s. Further travels throughout Milwaukee area will unearth many others that are notoriously good for a quick bite and a beer or Bloody Mary in what is indubitably a corner tavern atmosphere.
Bay View refuses to be left out and can proudly tout the existence of a corner tap with top-notch vittles in Club Garibaldi, 2501 S. Superior St., which boasts one of the city’s best bar burgers under $5.
In fact, unless you’re downing 18 of the historic Italian landmark’s famous, and decidedly non-Italian, hot chicken wings or a walleye fish fry dinner, a meal at Club “G” as its regular patrons deem it, will never cost you more than six bucks.
The Garibaldi cheeseburger ($4.75) delivers a plump, juicy, burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a healthy serving of fries. For a mere 50 cents, the burger can be upgraded to the mushroom Swiss version, and an additional 50 pennies will add bacon.
Wings are $5.75 for 10, or $8.00 for 15, unless you partake on a Wednesday night when they are offered for 30 cents a piece. The flavors are medium and hot and are true to form; medium will make you wiggle, hot will make you sweat.
Expect the wings to be marinated and grilled, unlike the greasy fried version you will find in many other establishments, and yes, you can still get a pitcher of beer here, and their tapper selection is impressive. (I personally like the Lakefront Whitetail Ale with an orange and an order of medium wings.)
Other offerings at Club Garibaldi include a spicy chicken sandwich ($5.75), which features their own wing sauce with lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese sauce, and celery, and a pork chop sandwich ($5.95) with provolone cheese, smothered in mushrooms.
Visitors to Club Garibaldi can expect to find nightly specials. Monday nights have $1.50 tacos, Wed. nights the aforementioned wings, and Thursday nights feature Garibaldi’s take on the Philly cheese steak for $5.50, while Friday nights promise a cod-less fish fry! Walleye ($9.50), Cajun catfish ($7.50) or a combination of the two ($9.50) comes with coleslaw and fries.
Sometimes just eating at the bar or catching a burger while you’re watching the game is exactly what we’re looking for, and in those instances, there are few places that can beat your local tap. And when the holidays are approaching and you are spending your paycheck on gifts, more often than not, a good $5 burger is just what you need.
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
