If you want to get technical about it, O'Brien's Pub is not, in the truest sense, a sports bar.
But, it just might be the sportiest place in Milwaukee.
Irish in both name and theme and located directly across from Wick Field at 4928 W. Vliet St., O'Brien's draws a veritable army of thirsty softball, baseball, kickball, volleyball and flag football and teams that rolls in at regular intervals to celebrate victory, drown defeat and talk about their games while watching games on flat-screen TVs.
For O'Brien's owners and management, a crowd of sweaty, thirsty people in uniform T-shirts translates to pitcher sales.
Lots of pitcher sales. ...
"We definitely get a lot of business from our leagues," said Patti Haas, general manager of the bar that recently celebrated its ninth anniversary. "We're a sponsor of the kickball league and we probably sponsor about 10 different teams for softball, baseball and flag football"
Although many Milwaukeeans haven't played the sport since grade school, kickball is making a comeback at Wick Field. Co-ed teams with creative names like "Cut Yer Mullet," "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhoodlums" and "Dropkickers" convene at the bar en masse on Tuesday through Friday night for much of the year.
"It's a different bar when the kickballers come in," Haas said. "They pretty much take over the place. They push tables together and pretty much do whatever they want. That's fine, but sometimes it can be a little distracting for people who are finishing dinner or trying to have a conversation. (The kickball teams) can get a little loud, but they have a great time."
With two large bars and a sizable dining area in a bar that was extensively remodeled within the past two years, O'Brien's is big enough to accommodate entire leagues of weeknight warriors.
What is the beverage of choice on most nights? Beer, of course. O'Brien's offers more than a dozen varieties on tap, including Harp, Smithwick's, Guinness, Bass, Stella Artois, Miller High Life, Miller Lite, Bud Light, Newcastle, Blue Moon, several Leinenkugel selections (Oktoberfest is coming soon).
"We pour a lot of Bacardi and Cokes and Captain (Morgan) and Cokes," Haas said. "But, we don't get a lot of complicated drink orders. The teams do order a lot of shots, though. We do a lot of bombs."
While the typical post-game meal consists of beer, cheese sticks, chicken tenders and pizza, O'Brien's does offer a more complex menu of sandwiches and salads along with daily specials that include a solid Friday fish fry and an all-you-can-eat crab leg special on Saturday ($24 includes salad, bread, vegetables and potato).
"We're trying to get the word out about our lunches," Haas said. "There was a period during the remodel when we didn't open during the lunch hour. We get a lot of people from Miller and Harley, but we're trying to let more people know that we're open."
The bar also offers regular drink specials, such as reduced-priced Leinie's Red during Badger football games and $2.75 imports on Thursday night. Haas said the bar would feature live music beginning around Halloween.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
