Loved this bar! The service was extremely friendly and fun! I did not feel as though I was being served by a douche or a by a girl who just wanted to show her body off for more tips. The bruschetta was some of the best that I have ever had and the bartender sure knew how to make very good whiskey sours. There is a restaurant off of the bar area too for people who just want to go to eat. Great environment!
Review Source:I've been here a couple of times. Â I think I like this place. Â It's got decently priced things, and decently nice people. Â It has shuttle service, and it has a patio. Â The parking is free and plentiful, and it's close to a bunch of other things on 2nd street. Â You're A-OK in my book, O'Lydia's. Â Keep it up.
Review Source:I've been here for a couple Thursday nights.....and for what its worth, there isn't a better deal in town than the 2.95 half pound burger. Good quality burger, made almost any way you want it, for $3? You can't really beat it. I've had better burgers here for $3 than I've had at Stack'd for $13. Our waitress was a bit slow, and she brought me fries instead of chips like I asked for.....but for the price, you can't beat this deal.
Review Source:O'Lydias! I can't believe it took me so long to venture here. Trivia, we play trivia at O'Lydias. Service is great, beer selection isn't great, but it suffices, and the food is pretty good as well. The buffalo garlic wings are legen..... wait for it.... dary! Love those things, FLAVOR. EXPLOSION. Or garlic, if you like or love garlic, you will love these. But if you don't, then you probably shouldn't order them. Â Either way, can't wait for the patio in the summer, and hopefully catch some Brewers games their too.
Review Source:One of my favorites! I've lived across 1st street from this place for 3 years now, and leaving O'Lydias is probably going to be one of the hardest parts about moving someday. The parking is great, the staff is wonderful, the patio is amazing in the warmer months and they offer shuttles to big events like Summerfest, the St. Patty's day parade, etc! Because I live so close my husband and I go here probably more than we should but I have never been disappointed. I'm obsessed with the reuben rolls... I've had them at other places (Hooligan's being one of them) and they sucked in comparison. They have food specials every week night; the wings are great, the burgers are delish and they always have a great variety of soup offered everyday! And the most important aspect for any bar: the drinks. They have awesome specials for beer drinkers. I unfortunately don't like beer but have always been pleased with how generously they have made my cocktails. This place is great! My only request for them would be to start up the all you can eat crab legs like Slim's had... Love it here!
Review Source:My husband brought home their shepherd's pie for me one night and I was pleasantly surprised. Â I wasn't comparing it to other pies; just the fact that he found some in Milwaukee and it tasted good. Â Since then we've had it a few more times but the quality has varied. Â The last time mine was ok, tender but dry. Â Then I noticed that his seemed to be brimming with gravy. Â The bread that comes with it always seems stale or perhaps just left on Warm for too long.
All in all it's a good dish but you never know if it's going to be really good or just okay.
Okay.
I've been suggesting this place to my boyfriend ever since it switched over from... whatever it used to be...?? Â I guess maybe that should have been a sign, because I remember being very underwhelmed with my experience at the former restaurant. Â Maybe this place has some bad juju or something. Â Anyway, so Boyfriend was craving a burger, and was feeling very specific about the type of burger he wanted - not AJ Bombers (too thin), not Oscar's (too thick), not Sobelman's (too... I don't even know). Â He just wanted a thinnish bar burger that wasn't too heavy, which surprisingly is a hard thing to find round our side of MKE. Â And I wasn't particularly hungry. Â So we decided to try out O' Lydia's, at long last.
The atmosphere of the bar area reminded me of the middle-of-the-road bars from my hometown up nort. Â It was appropriately populated, with a middle-aged couple making out on the bar stools (The. Whole. Time.), and a disinterested waitress who could barely stand at our table long enough to hand us menus. Â I was so put off by her service that it really shaped the way the rest of my experience went. Â Every time she stopped by our table (not very often), I felt like she was zipping away, calling to us over her shoulder as she went to work on something else. Â She never came back to refill my water, no matter how close to edge of the table I place the glass full of dry cubes. Â MAJOR NEGATIVE POINTS. Â I guess I wouldn't have felt so offended about that if she hadn't been standing about five feet away, chatting up the cook because she had nothing else to do.
I guess on the plus side, the salad I ordered was way above my expectations, a huge, mounding bowl of every vegetable you could possibly imagine, plus a whole chicken breast with some pretty good seasoning on top. Â Boyfriend's burger and hand-cut fries were up to par, I suppose, and we left feeling sated. Â But that service... just so off-putting. Â I really don't think I'll make my way back here, since there are so many other places that serve decent burgers, fries, and salads in Walker's Point, where I probably would feel welcomed. Â And hydrated.
Really cool local spot with great food. Our waitress was fantastic. I ordered the Turkey Melt with Bacon with homemade chips. Our waitress came out with fries instead of chips and before I could even point out that my order was incorrect she came out with an order of chips and said the fries were on the house. Really appreciated that.
It looks small from the outside but there's a surprising number of tables inside.
Perhaps my expectations for this place were too high... or perhaps I should have realized this is mostly a bar and subsequently serves bar (or bar quality) food, regardless overall I was fairly disappointed. Â
My husband and I came in with two out of town friends on a Friday night- despite it being not busy, our waitress took her time coming over to our table. Â Strike one. Â The menu is really quite extensive and reasonably priced- I'm a sucker for a good bargain- however I do require the food to be good.
I ordered the meatloaf, our friends both got ribs and my husband got the friday fish fry. Â All of our food except for the fish (which was likely hot out of the fryer) was lukewarm. Â Strike two. The portions were huge and the salad that we were given as part of the "entree" was decent sized (and it was nice that it had a few non iceburg lettuce veggies in it), however quantity does not make up for quality in my book. Â
The meatloaf and mashed potatoes were extremely bland- and although there was a "guinness gravy" on the side, it  too could have done with a bit more salt, and it wasn't nearly enough to cover the very bland meat.  My husband said the fish was ok- nothing to write home about, esp. when you can find a good fish fry in a ton of places on a Friday night in Milwaukee. Strike three.
When there are so many options for really good food in Milwaukee, and specifically the Third Ward, it makes it difficult to want to choose to come back here.
Um, did I miss something?
Was I not there the night they chose to serve good food?
I thought everything was sub par at its best. The menu was borrrrrrring.
Vegetarian? The most "creative" thing they could come up with is a roasted veggie sandwich.
Then I order an "Oreo bomb" and I am told it is a frozen piece of oreo cheesecake from a box.
Really? That's the best ya can do?
The crowd was a mix, but slightly white trash. Although, I shouldn't be surprised as these are the people that run the Pedal Tavern.
Pass!
Wow just not up to the standards i was use to when this place was Slim's. Â The service was still excellent. Â The food was ok. Â the steak, part of the steak and shrimp tasted a little freezer burned and another friend got the same thing and said the same. Â nice location and a good deck if the trains aren't coming by. Â Won't go back probably.
Review Source:I've dined at O'Lydia's a few times now, and I've not had a bad meal there. I think my first visit was on their $2 1/2 pound burger night (it's $2.95 now) with a group and enjoyed it. Not one of the best burgers in town, but definitely one of the best values in town. Monday nights feature AUCE tacos for $4.95 and special prices on margaritas. Again, not the quality of a walker's point Mexican joint, but their ground beef tacos have decent flavor and come with fresh pico. Again, a really good value!
Recently I stopped in for a Fish Fry. I started with a bowl of clam chowder which really hit the spot on a chilly and rainy day. The chowder was hearty and delicious. The fish was hand breaded, as opposed to beer-battered, which made me happy because I prefer hand-breaded. The breading had some seasoning that didn't wow me, but was still good enough that I enjoyed my fish without adding tarter sauce. A little squeeze of lemon was perfect. More importantly, the fish was cooked perfectly! Very white and flaky inside as a properly cooked fish should be. There was also no sign of grease on the fish. I couldn't believe these filets were deep-fried (magic fryer?)!
But that's not all. They also give you the option of homemade potato pancakes for your fish fry. These had a nice texture and good flavor.
There are several options for fish and different options for platter size on the cod fry. Four pieces with potato, cole slaw and rye bread is only $11.55. There's that "value" word again.
O'Lydia's is one of my favorites for pub food. With hand-breaded fish and homemade potato pancakes, O'Lydia's will also be on my short list of places I'll return to for fish fry.
O'Lydia's also frequently features live music and offers a weekend brunch menu.
As a bonus, you'll probably see Lydia, herself, there. Her friendly face has been visible and working to help the staff where needed on each of my trips.
We were seated right away and had chosen to try O'Lydia's over other Milwaukeeland restaurants offering a perch fish fry for lunch. Â I had the cod, but all of the other guests had perch. Â Everyone was very pleased with their meals. Â
I loved the cod! Â It wasn't thickly breaded, but the light breading was crisp and delicious. Â I chose the chips, which were also very good. Â The coleslaw I could have eaten a larger serving, because it wasn't overly saucy and delightfully seasoned. Â
The atmosphere was quaint and the parking was ample. Â The owner was our server and talked us into our Pumpkin Lagers, which we all enjoyed, and the Irish Stout Brownie. Â That brownie was a powerhouse! Â Very small but exceedingly rich! Â Even though it's so small, the hubs and I shared it and were satisfied.
I would do lunch here again and hope to try the weekend brunch on a future visit!
This place is great. Â Fun bartenders, quiet locals, good drinks/specials. Â Didn't have food.
Do the Yelp Check-in for either BOGO Cocktail or 50% off an appetizer. Â On Sundays their bloody marys are $5 and they allow the BOGO deal with them! Â And they come with meat sticks and other accoutrements.
Great beer selection. Â A couple TVs.
I'll be back!
When comparing bars to Roman Gods (as I often do) O'Lydia's would definitely be Janus, the Two Faced. My experience here was a Tale of Two Bars.
Drinks: Good/Bad
Good - $1 PBR's on Friday night? Hell yes.
Bad - ok, it sucks to be the Designated Driver, watching your friends get hammered and irritate you with drunken shenanigans. O'Lydia's adds insult to injury by serving flat, tasteless soda. A glass of brown water? No thanks.
Atmosphere: Good/Bad
Good - the patio, honestly, is GREAT. It's a beautiful place to sit with friends, though a bit noisy from 1st St Traffic.
Bad - with the $1 PBRs, I expected more of a skinny jeans/ironic facial hair crowd, not the Affliction clad, collar popped chatch-fest crowding up the front bar. The whole interior needs a DEEP clean - it still smells smoky even after a one year ban.
Parking - Good
There's a big lot across the street and plenty of street parking.
Service - Bad
No excuses here - the front bar had three bartenders who were hustling around "looking" busy, but not actually pouring any drinks. Fail. The back bar was staffed by someone desperately trying to determine the difference between her ass and a hole in the ground and failing miserably at the task. It took me 15 minutes to obtain one can of Pabst and a flat soda. Excusable when the place is packed, but that was not the case.
Given the split personality of the O'Lydias experience your experience will probably vary. For me, it ended thus:
Outside + Patio = great
Inside + Service...O'Lydia's = O'Shittyas
There is nothing better than being able to walk into a bar and feel welcome anytime. From being a regular to a new patron they greet and treat everyone as if they are home. The bartenders are awesome especially Rick, Ashley, and Ashley. Food is fantastic. Even ordering a salad comes out as a great choice. They offer trivia every Wednesday  with a seasonal league. I am proud to say I am a regular here and hope to continue to be.
Review Source:Surprisingly, a great place to stop in and hang at the bar or outside on the patio. The super friendly bartender (I think he said he was the owner's son) gave us some stellar service. Â We also got to use the 1/2 off appetizer check in offer - score! Tried:
wings: very good, but slightly large (aka almost a drumstick)
reuben rolls: amaze balls inside, outside could have been crispier
I think they also still offer the shuttle service to and from Marquette BBall/Bucks games which rocks. Â The Ped-a-Tavern seems to start here as well, so be ready for some rowdy-s if you arrive on the later side.
Yeah. This place is kinda awesome.
A large group of friends and I were out celebrating a birthday and after an awesome evening of jazz at Caroline's we headed for rowdier pastures. Enter O'Lydias. This was my second time here and I'm not sure there is a bar I like better in WP. Â Their patio is just great and if it weren't for the freight trains zooming by 6 feet from your face I would rank it among the best in town. The bartenders are phenomenally friendly and there is a good enough beer selection to satisfy. Â This place really hits a few sweet spots. The bar area is a good place for a beer and shot boys night out and the patio kills it for large groups.
O'lydia's, lets not wait 8 months before we get together again.
Recently on my travels I took a weekend adventure to the great state of Wisconsin. I was excited for Beer, Cheese, and of course my favorite Dairy cows. Yes I wanted to fulfull all of the sterotypes of the great dairy state. I did just that and ended my weekend with a nice dinner at a local place. As you will read O Lydia's has awesome reviews. So my friend and I decided to take a stop. We wanted to enjoy the nice evening and sat outside on the patio. A good start to the meal with a spottled cow beer on tap with nachos on their homemade chips. Excellent start! The food was good but our conversation was interupted for about 20 mins by a nice train that went by right above the patio. Just a food for thought as you choose where you are going. Overall my stomach left happy after a complete Wisconsin experience! Enjoy!
Review Source:I love this place for an afternoon stop for lunch. Â Went to O'Lydia's with a friend on a sunny weekday afternoon and truly enjoyed myself. Â We sat at the bar, and my friend ordered a salad while I enjoyed a Guiness. Â We sat for about an hour and chatted, and the bartender was quirky and sweet and an excellent hostess. Â
The salad was excellent, and well presented - AND when I checked in with my phone through Yelp they honored the buy one drink get the 2nd drink half off that was being offered. Â All I did was show the bartender my phone and she hooked us up immediately. Â
I definitely dig the vibe over at O'Lydia's and think many more lunch dates here are in the works.
Disclaimer: O' Lydia's is my kind of place.
The environment is classic Milwaukee pub. The food is reliably good. They offer a nice selection of beers and their prices are fair. Lastly, the service is always good. I particularly like the way they are attentive to their social media presence.
I had a hankering for a salad a few days ago so I stopped at O' Lydia's for a Chef's Salad. Wow. Was it ever good! Artfully served in a big white bowl with fresh ingredients and my choice of dressing. Man, if you don't think of yourself as a salad eater, try O' Lydia's Chef's Salad ... you'll become one!
There aren't very many 35 cent wing nights anymore but O'Lydia's does! The wings were pretty good....Deep fried, grilled & tossed in sauce. They don't advertise their wing sauces but they have a few different kinds. I had the honey mustard and hot habanero! And the hot habanero is hot but nasty! Service was good even on their wing night and a brewer game going on.
Review Source:Fish Fry Review Only:
Our last stop on the Lent 2012 Fish Fry Tour takes us to O'Lydias on Good Friday.
There is plenty of street parking and a shared lot with Central Bark across the street. Â They do have a large bar area with a few tables. Â The restaurant area has plenty of tables and booths. Â There is also a beer garden. Â
Service was great. Â Greeted almost immediately and drinks in under 5 minutes since we walked in the door. Â They also have 2 for 1 appetizers when you check in on Foursquare - wings, bruschetta, chicken strips, nachos, onion rings, steak strips, irish soaker, reuben dip, reuben rolls, and an assortment of sliders. Â Price for appetizers ranges from $4.95 to $14.50 Â
O'Lydias offers the following for their Fry:
* 2 piece Cod: $7.95
* 3 piece Cod: $9.75
* 4 piece Cod: $11.55
* All You Can Eat Cod: $12.95
* Perch Fry: $10.95
* Panko Crusted Bluegill: $8.95
* Combo Fry - 3 battered shrimp, 2 perch, 2 bluegill, and 1 cod: $13.95
Each fry is lightly breaded with your choice of potato (fries, baked, mashed, and pancake with apple sauce), coleslaw, and rye bread.
I ordered the Combo Fry and the rest of the party either had the 2 or 3 piece cod. Â The potato pancake were AMAZING and probably some of the best I have eaten - Savoy you have a challenger. Â It was one large cake that was browned on each side and not dried out. Â I would guess made to order. Â Cole slaw was tasty and of the creamy kind which I love. Â Each piece of fish had a nice light breading on it which highlighted the taste of the fish. Â The pieces of Cod were a decent size but if you want to get full, I would recommend at least the 4 piece cod. Â The cod, perch, shrimp, and bluegill were some of the best I have this season. Â I did ask for more pieces of Cod because the combo didn't fill me up. Â The only charged me $3 for the extra 2 pieces.
So if you are on the South Side of town or near the 3rd Ward and looking for a Fry, I would recommend this hidden gem...did I mention that the Pedal Tavern starts here?
Combo Fry - 4 Â 1/2 stars out of 5
Cod - 4 Â 1/2 stars out of 5
It's my type of neighborhood bar in Milwaukee, and to boot, they have really good bar food. Â The drinks are strong and priced right, the bartenders are very nice and talkative, and the atmosphere is laid back. Â
Get your drink on! Â and if you're hungry, fear not... Â You found yourself in a bar that has quality food. Â I'm a fan of the steak sandwich.
Nice people, good beer list, decent fish fry, solid mozz sticks. How can a Wisconsin girl not like this? It's big enough to handle a crowd yet always feels cozy. Nice patio space! I've had a consistently positive experience each time I've stopped in. Have yet to try their brunch, it's definitely on my to-do list!
Review Source:I recently enjoyed a birthday brunch at O'Lydias where myself and 15 of my friends in tow, received good food, good prices and great service.
Being that I often dine with anywhere between 10 and 20 people, I know how difficult it can be for restaurants to accommodate that large of a group. O'Lydias did so without hesitation and with a smile. The service was friendly and our cups of coffee, glasses of beer/water and Bloody Marys were never empty.
We made reservations and a place was all set for us when we arrived. Â I was delighted to find I could spend my birthday with a pseudo summer experience sitting on/in O'Lydias patio bar. Â
When in Rome do as the Romans do. Since I was at O'Lydias, I decided to do as I can only guess Irish pub dwellers might do, and order the Corned Beef and Hash. The corned beef and hash was completely satisfying, with real pieces of corned beef and shredded style hash browns. Even better was my Bloody Mary. I am very picky about my Bloody Marys and found this one to be perfectly blended, (definitely not a mix, which makes me cranky) and rightfully garnished with pickles olives, and a sausage stick.
O'Lydias is nestled between the 3rd and 5th ward and will have happy neighbors as it brings together some of Milwaukee's favorite things! With a history as a Pabst bar built in the 1800's, friendly service, wide variety of food choices, quality beer list and decent prices, O'Lydias is a place where you can meet up with just about anyone.
This place rocks...best bartender ever .....when she is being nice !
Food is good, people are friendly and the drink specials make going out a bit more affordable. I would highly recommend this place to anyone that is just looking for a down to earth bar with good food and friendly staff.
AND...as an added bonus, the live music on the weekends is well selected !
Stopped for Sunday brunch, Great eggs, toast, hash browns and.......Canadian Bacon.....Yum, Sourdough toast and a big spicy Bloody Mary, Wash that all down with a I.P.A. and stick a fork in me!(I'm done)
Got a bonus jelly shot when the Packers scored.
We'll be doing brunch at O'Lydia's again soon.
Friendly bartenders, a stellar patio, homemade potato chips, AND it's a hop + skip + jump from where we practice. New after-derby Maiden hang-out? Methinks so...
Excited to try the food at some point. Pub grub!
Seems a great spot to catch a game, hang on the patio in the summertime, or just relax with friends over a beer. I like!
I encourage people to go here. When you walk in you are greeted right away. I've always sat at the bar because I've gone down to watch a game on one of the many TVs. I've always been very pleased with the food. The wings are fried and finished on a grill. The sauces are original and very flavorful. My personal favorite is the Buffalo Garlic. It could be more spicy since it has buffalo in the name, but the taste is great. As is the honey mustard. The Reuben Dip is very good. It is however missing something and I can't quite put my finger on it. That doesn't stop me from ordering it though. Try the garlic mashed potatoes as well.
Wednesday night at around 8 they have trivia. Three rounds. The more people they have playing, the more prizes are offered. All in all, a fun atmosphere and very good food.
Not to worry Slim-fans, it is basically the same place/same vibe. I went with a friend the other night just because I loved Slims and wanted to know what they had done to the place. The place was PACKED when we walked in at 5:00pm but that is because the Pedal Tavern (the bike that people drink on and ride around to various bars) was picking people up there however O'Lydia's is doing very well based on how packed the bar and dining room was.
The food is good---there is not much in the way of healthy options- but hey--it is is pub. I got the Veggie Sandwich which was grilled with homemade potato chips! YUM! I asked for a Blue Cheese dipping sauce and the chips were definitely the highlight :)
Good beers on tap! Fun place! Happy the new owners just "cleaned" up the place but mainly left everything else that was great about Slims, the same.
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