A new bar and restaurant will open on May 21 in the 114-year-old building that formerly housed The Irish Pub in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.
Owners Adam and Melissa Weber will open Tied House after they purchased The Irish Pub and the two-story building, located at 124 N. Water St., in December, and closed it down soon after to renovate the space and re-concept the business.
The Webers, both restaurateurs who moved to Milwaukee from Chicago, purchased the building for $1.3 million from John Duggan, a senior vice president at Chicago-based real estate firm The Concord Group. He co-owned The Irish Pub for almost 12 years.
During the bar’s grand opening week, from May 21 to May 24, Tied House will host nightly happy hour events to benefit Milwaukee-based organizations, The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee, Lincoln Avenue Stables Rotary Club of Milwaukee Project, The Alliance School of Milwaukee, and The Skylight Music Theatre.
“It’s all about the community for us,” Melissa Weber said. “We want to be inclusive, and also make a positive impact. The whole idea of Tied House is being tied to the community, patrons and staff, and making sure we have the ability to do what we can and give back.”
Tied House will offer a full bar menu with a selection of craft cocktails, and it will serve “elevated bar bites” such as a charcuterie board and maple pork belly sandwich. It will also offer a full brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Tied House will be open daily, starting at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends.
The venue, which has a newly-renovated bar, a second-floor private event space, and a patio, will feature artwork and decor honoring Milwaukee’s past, including a collection of vintage Erie Street photos from the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
The Tied House name tells its own story about the building. It originally opened in 1904 as a Pabst Brewery tied house, which were brewery-owned taverns.