Underground Tavern, the Brady Street bar at 1239 E. Brady St. in Milwaukee, is shutting its doors for good on October 8. The closure comes less than eight months after the business rebranded from its original incarnation as WurstBar, and just five years after it first opened under that name in 2021.
The final-week news was confirmed by Milwaukee Record, which reported that the bar will close its doors for good on October 8. Underground Tavern is marking its last days with an all-day happy hour featuring $4 drinks, a sendoff for a Brady Street spot that has spent its brief life cycling through identities. The bar was formerly known as WurstBar, per the same outlet, before a rebrand earlier this year reshaped both its menu and its look.
From German Sausages to Dive-Bar Burgers
WurstBar first opened in late 2021 as a German-themed sausage spot, the brainchild of owners Scott Schaefer, Andrew Fronek and Darryl Towers, according to Milwaukee Record’s earlier coverage of the concept’s debut. The trio also owned the Milwaukee Brat House locations downtown and in Shorewood, along with Jack’s American Pub on Brady Street, the outlet reported at the time. WurstBar’s menu leaned on German street food and beer, serving sausages, German beer and other German-inspired offerings throughout its run.
That changed on February 21, when WurstBar officially became Underground Tavern, the same report noted. As reported by The Business Journal, the owners of Milwaukee’s WürstBar broke away from the business’s German theme entirely and reimagined the space. Döner kebabs and the lineup of Bunzel’s Meat Market sausages disappeared from the menu, replaced by sandwiches, sides, wings and soup, Milwaukee Record detailed in its look at the retooled concept. Burgers and rib-sticking sandwiches took the place of sausages, the outlet added of the post-rebrand menu.
Same Bones, New Look
Despite the overhaul, the physical space stayed largely untouched. The paint job, tiling, flooring and table arrangement remained nearly identical to the WurstBar days, per Milwaukee Record’s description of the relaunch. What did change was the decor: vintage beer signs, craft beer tin tackers, sports memorabilia and other touches nodded toward a classic dive-bar identity. The rebrand also brought a notable happy-hour perk — $4 drinks, excluding top-shelf liquor, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the Wednesday special running until 2 a.m…