Photo Credit: Gabby Usinger
Milwaukee’s Hospitality Democracy restaurant group has done it again by bringing another unique spot to our city’s culinary culture, Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria. The two-story restaurant on the Milwaukee River is an outstanding spot to unwind, grab a light bite for lunch or enjoy an evening with friends. It has a modern coastal beach vibe with a huge sign in the bar area that reads “GOOD TIMES” and has a happy hour that lasts all day, every day. And Blue Bat offers more than 160 tequilas.
The agave plant mural on the Cream City brick wall is a focal point and draws you in like the long-nosed bats thirsty for sweet agave nectar. When you sit down at your table you will notice that in place of a water glass there is a shot glass getting you prepared for the superstar lineup of tequila and its smoky sister, mezcal. The two-sided tequila menu has a break out box enlightening us on the tastes of tequila.
On the other side is an explanation of what the blue bats represent on the menu and to tequila—Blue Bat Kitchen supports an interchange project preserving traditional and quality practices in making agave-based spirits. The blue bat marks the tequilas that support these practices. The tequilas and mezcals (the difference is in the agave; only blue agave is used to make tequila) are priced by the shot, pour or ’rita and range in price from $4-$225. Move over bourbon and bitters, tequila is town!
Photo Credit: Gabby Usinger
You can also just opt for a good ol’ House ’Rita ($6) a perfect balance of Hacienda Vieja, lime juice and simple syrup or one of their refreshing, beachy craft cocktails like the Coconut Cream or Jalapeño Blast ($10). The pitcher of Cantaritos for a group is not only a “good time” but a whole mess of fruit, tequila and topped off with grapefruit soda ($40). Blue Bat also offers a small selection of beer and wine.
The food menu consists of snacks, bowls, tacos and salads, and has globally inspired flavors and reinvented classics like the tuna poke nachos. One of our favorites, the fried brussels sprouts, are paired with lime, cotija and small diced dried mango that was not noticeably visible but added the right sweetness to the bitter pecan and spiciness of the chipotle aioli to make the whole dish pop. Agave caramel was a nice addition to the blistered shishito peppers and corn hushpuppies. They offer bowls ($12-$16) featuring Korean, Cuban, Creole and Moroccan options, and you can turn any of their tacos into a rice bowl too.
Photo Credit: Gabby Usinger
The list of eclectic street tacos ($3.25-$4.25) covers a variety of flavors. I was drawn to the curried cauliflower tacos on all three visits because of the flavor combinations, but the other riffs on tacos such as the FGT (fried green tomato with bacon and lettuce), smoked brisket, Cajun shrimp or buffalo fried chicken were equally good. Although all three signature sauces are delicious and house made the big flavors in each of the tacos rendered the sauces almost superfluous. It’s worth getting the bag of chips ($8) served with choice of mango salsa or guacamole just to try all three. The Baby Bat was a mild green poblano sauce, while the Blazing Bat had just the right amount of heat in the finish and well the Bat S#it crazy sauce—wowza! It was as hot as habanero hell.
Blue Bat offers several vegetarian salads, including the watermelon with grilled corn, jicama and a mezcal vinaigrette, and you can opt to add choice of protein for an additional cost. Dessert comes in the form of special flavors from Purple Door Ice Cream and a creamy cheese cake.
