Jo-cat's: For professionals only.

Jo-cat’s is definitely one of the best bars in Milwaukee. And this city has a shit load of them. What other bar do you have Brewers players pouring drinks to the musical stylings of Asia or Eddie Money? The bar’s greatest asset is perhaps also its greatest weakness. It’s small. As fuck. I’d be shocked if the entire bar is more then about 800 square feet. And it gets crowded. The other bad part about the size of the place is if you are a none-smoker. The place tends to get pretty bad on a crowded night, and you will get a healthy dose of second-hand. On a weekend night (or even some weekday nights) it can be hard to maneuver around the bar, especially if you are carrying a shot or two. But this intimate atmosphere is part of the Jo-cat’s allure. The size of the bar creates a bond between the staff and the patrons, which is part of the reason that most of Jo-cat’s customers are on a first name basis with the bartenders. That is another great asset Jo-cat’s has. On a typical night the crowd is 80% regulars which helps cut down on the riff-raff you get at most bars. Another good thing about the crowd is that it is mostly comprised of professional drinkers. These are not the people who go out a few times a month, these are the ones that go out 3 times a week and wouldn’t be caught dead on Water Street. The drinks are stiff, and the music is great. They recently upgraded their T.V.s to two 50 inch plasmas, which are in a perfect spot for watching a sporting event with a few dozen friends. The only other real drawback to Jo-cat’s is the fact that they don’t take credit cards. I rarely carry cash on me, mostly because I’m lazy and don’t like to go to ATMs. I cannot fault Jo-cat’s for their setup though. It is a purely cash bar, and they own the ATM in the back. So not only do they collect the ATM fee when you drunkenly take out 40 bucks, they are well aware that the money you just paid to take out, will go right back in their cash registers. Another thing (I don’t mean to sound like fucking Jerry Seinfeld here) but what’s the deal with those black lights? Once in a while they come on at totally random times, so I am not totally certain why they are installed. Perhaps the best feature at Jo-cat’s is the dance floor. It is tucked away in the back corner of the bar by the rear door. It’s really more of a 25 foot section of the bar they forgot to carpet then an actual dance floor, but it serves its purpose. Overall, this is exactly what you would expect, and want a neighborhood bar to be, if your neighborhood happens to be the whole city.