A new cocktail bar, Foy’s, has joined the ranks of nightlife establishments lining a lively block of North Jefferson Street just south of Cathedral Square in downtown Milwaukee.
Foy’s opened its doors July 10, offering a gin-centric craft cocktail menu as well as a comfortable environment “with some style and friendliness,” said local industry veteran Michael Foy, who owns and operates the new spot with his wife, Lauren Foy.
The bar’s ground-floor space at 784 N. Jefferson St. was previously home to The Belmont Tavern, which closed in mid-May after 14 years in business. In announcing the closure over social media, Belmont Tavern owner Mike Vitucci — another well-known name in Milwaukee’s bar scene — said the Foys would take over the space with a new concept. A license application filed later with the city indicates Foy’s LLC paid $100,000 for the fixtures in the space.
Foy said he and Lauren had been looking for a space prior to talks with Vitucci.
“I worked for our family business for 20 years, and we were just excited to do our own thing, and this opportunity came up and it was a good fit,” he said.
Foy spent the past two decades managing establishments owned by his father-in-law R.C. Schmidt. Those included the iconic now-closed RC’s on North Avenue, The Harp Irish Pub and Trinity Three Irish Pubs, which he and Lauren helped open in 2007 (one of the pub’s inside the venue is named Foy’s).
Foy is no longer with Trinity or any of the bars under the Schmidt family enterprise, which also includes nearby haunts The Brewery (rebranded from Water Street Brewery in 2022) and Vagabond.
Instead, he’s building a family operation of his own.
“It’s very convenient when you have 13 nieces and nephews, so I have a three of my nieces working (at Foy’s) right out of the gate,” he said.
Foy’s is located in the same building as several other dining and nightlife venues including, Barrel Burrito Company, Expert’s Only, Room 7, Sport Club, Midwest Sad and Shah Jee’s. Across the street is The Sofie, Safina, Allure MKE and Taylors.
