In Search For The Perfect Packers Bar, Milwaukee Record contributor and Green Bay native Maggie Iken sets out to find the best Packers viewing experience Milwaukee has to offer. Catch up with previous weeks here.
Walking into Camp Bar Shorewood, I felt very warm and welcomed, like I was at a relative’s house up north. The seating options turn the vibe from lumberjack sports bar to cozy family hangout. There are two bars, plenty of tables, and groupings of comfy chairs around fireplaces. This was a perfect selection after the first snowfall of the season.
The place was absolutely packed when I arrived roughly 20 minutes before kickoff. My recommendation is to get here early to get a seat in a prime game-viewing location. The amount of people didn’t wear on the employees—everyone I spoke to was very courteous and helpful.
In the moments leading up the kickoff, the bar staff went all out. There were smoke machines, DJ lighting, and that one song from Jock Jams everybody knows. They announced who was working during the game, which was a friendly albeit kitschy touch. (Shout out to our bartender, Mr. Jeff, from Rhinelander!)
The Sunday drink special is $6.50 bloodies. The pint came with a hefty garnish (cheese, olive, two kinds of sausage, pickle, AND asparagus) and a Rhinelander pony, which made this the best bloody for the value this season. Camp Bar also has an option to upgrade to a 22 ounce bloody ($8).
After this, I moved on to Lagunitas IPA ($4-5). My companions ordered a bucket of five High Lifes ($18). Camp Bar also offered $3 shots of Fireball during commercials. The touchdown shots were a sweetly sickening mixture of Mountain Dew and what I assume was flavored vodka or rum. Camp Bar also has a fairly extensive cocktail list, including a full page of old fashioneds.
There is a unique set-up for food. Camp Bar does not have a kitchen, nor does it assemble any food on-site. All food is ordered from Falbo Brothers, less than a half mile away. Instructions for ordering are listed on the front page of the menu: text your order to a specific number, receive your order number, tell your cocktail waitress, get your food. With a maximum wait of 40 minutes, the system is on par with bars that do their food in-house.
I ordered a 14-inch deep dish pizza with sausage, pepperoni, black olives, and jalapenos. This is part of Camp Bar’s Pick 6 deal, and I could have gotten two more toppings for the same price if desired. With tip, this cost me around $24. To call it “deep dish” is a bit misleading—it’s simply thick crust. I pride myself in my ability to put away some pizza (maybe not as much at Tyler Maas), and I was full after two slices. It was so delicious I forgot to take a picture (oops).
I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy hanging out in Shorewood. But Camp Bar had a variety of beverages, more food options than I knew what to do with, and an energetic vibe that I strive to find on these expeditions. To top it all off, the Packers finally won.
It didn’t matter that this was against the young, fragile Teddy Bridgewater, who got sacked six times. It didn’t matter that a football fan outside of the Packers’ division might not be able to name any of the Vikings’ players besides Adrian Peterson. The Packers finally pulled away from their losing streak. Jeff Janis had a 70 yard kick return! Mason Crosby didn’t miss any field goals or extra points! James Jones wore a hoodie under his jersey that made him look like he was playing a casual pick-up game with relatives! There was a squirrel on the field in the first quarter!
All of these things contributed to Green Bay beating a team they should have had no trouble beating. We can stop saying stupid things about Olivia Munn that make no sense. We can stop calling for Dom Capers to be fired, until the next game. With the Packers’ next two opponents being the Bears and the Lions, I think we can hold off on worrying for a while.
