Your journey into a bar called Mucha Lucha Milwaukee begins by approaching the bartender at the Hotel Madrid and saying a secret password (we’ll let you find that on your own). You’re given a card that acts as an entry pass, and you’re led to a bank of wood panels in a nearby wall that opens into a doorway. You walk down a flight of stairs to a dimly lit basement that feels like a rec room decorated by an obsessive fan of lucha—the Mexican wrestling sport made famous by its colorful mask-clad combatants. Lucha has long been popular in Mexico and has a following in the US; here, in Milwaukee, lucha is present with the locally-produced Mondo Lucha wrestling events.
On the walls of Mucha Lucha, you’ll find framed posters of classic lucha adventure movies starring famous luchadors like Santo Contra el Doctor Muerte (“Santo Versus Doctor Death”). Loud hispanic hip hop blares from speakers while a flat screen TV shows lucha wrestling.
Hold a battery-powered candle up to the menu in the dark and you’ll find a mezcal and tequila connoisseur’s dream. The small basement bar serves classics like margaritas, palomas, and a spin on classics, like an anejo tequila version of an Old Fashioned. Clever specialty drinks like “Mezcal me in the Morning,” “I Caz ‘adore’ You”, and “Jarritos Locos” fill out the menu. There’s Mexican beer in stock for those not tequila inclined.
Limited to weekend hours only, Mucha Lucha is much the same appeal as the Safe House—the password and clandestine passageway into a unique spot is what makes the bar interesting—a fun place to bring friends, a date and, of course, anyone that loves tequila and lucha wrestling.
