The Newport is the Best Milwaukee Thing of 2025

And we have a winner!

After six rounds and more than 115,000 votes (!), Bay View bar The Newport (939 E. Conway St.) has been crowned the Best Milwaukee Thing of 2025! Congrats, Newport! (And congrats to the fantastic runner-up, Washington Heights mural The Heights Dream Library!)

Looking for a classic no-bullshit Milwaukee tavern with good drinks, good company, and good bar pizza? Look no further than The Newport. It’s a wonderful place to enjoy a drink alongside a great cast of regulars and exceptional bartenders, get free hot dogs on select days, catch a game on one of the watering hole’s many TVs, partake in the occasional meat raffle, and board a shuttle to Summerfest. It’s awesome, classic, and quietly iconic.

The building dates back to the early 1900s. After doing time as a soft drink parlor, possibly a candy store, and numerous bars, it became The Newport in the mid-’70s. Franky Creed has owned and—along with the help of his sons—operated The Newport since 2005. In May 2025, the Creeds celebrated 20 years of Newport goodness.

And now, seven months later, The Newport is officially the Best Milwaukee Thing of 2025! Congrats again! Oh, and be sure to stop by the bar’s Christmas party on January 13. “Yep! It’s in January!” says The Newport.

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