Sam's Tap

Blink once and you’ve passed it. Sam’s Tap (3118 S. Chase Ave.) is a tiny place refurbished out of a decaying dive bar, The Long Trail. Almost entirely gutted (only the bar and the vintage Blatz sign remain), Sam’s is a neighborhood hipster hangout with wood floors, a replica antique tin ceiling and just enough room for a slender handful of tables. Sam’s has interesting specialty drinks, including the whiskey twist (described by one patron as “a Millennial old fashioned” with lemonade and bitters), daily soup specials (from the Soup Market) and giant soft pretzels (served with quark cheese and honey or brown mustard). For something more filling, Sam’s has a pizza oven and a pair of panini presses. Try the Milwaukee panini: perfectly toasted, sprinkled with oregano, loaded with corned beef and sauerkraut and slathered with Swiss cheese. The prices are, as they say in Milwaukee, “reasonable.” The service is friendly and so are the customers.