The Palamino

The Palamino, at the corner of Superior and East Russell is just what you would expect from a neighborhood tavern in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; hardwood bar with regulars perched on cabin-rustic stools, cigarette machine in back by the pool table, and an eight point buck mounted on a knotty pine wall. But as you look around at the tattooed arms of your waitress and the bartender’s spiked hair and dangling earrings that purposely don’t match, there’s something else that doesn’t match your first impression. Hipsters have taken over the corner bar. The beer list features microbrews from around the world, but you can still get Blatz in a bottle and Old Style in a can for a buck fifty. On the flat-screen wall television they were playing a modern Godzilla movie. But the best part was that half the menu was dedicated to vegetarian fare. They served Southern fried tofu, tempeh lettuce and tomato sandwiches along with hushpuppies and mountains of thin-sliced onion rings. We finished it all off with fresh homemade blueberry pie. I can’t wait to go back again.