Caroline’s

Old school, very nice. Great bartenders although you will go a long time between drinks when they get busy. Also, they don’t always talk to one another so paying can get tricky.
The women’s restroom is in the worst possible location (stage right) so you have to go through the crowd. It’s just awkward.
Prices are standard for Milwaukee $ 5 pints, $ 6 – 10 mixed drinks.

I want to be hip and love a jazz bar. I do! But unfortunately, my recent visit to Caroline’s has not helped me on this journey. Caroline’s is located on the corner of Florida, two doors down from Soup Brothers.
My boyfriend brought me in around 11p on a Friday night, and there was a $ 5 cover. I am a’okay with that! $ 5 for a live band/​performer? No complaints here. One of the servers told he they were relatively busy but she would let us know when a seat opened. Okay! So I made my way to the bar for a drink. The biggest downside to Caroline’s is there is no drink menu. There is no way for me to know what beers are available and which cocktails they have. I asked for my tried and true Moscow Mule and they didn’t have it. Since I am not a cultured cocktail drinker, I was stuck. They also did not offer any cocktail suggestions. The bartender simply walked away.
We tried staying around for the music but it was more «wind down» music and probably best enjoyed sitting down. Needless to say, our attention was not captured for long and we left shortly thereafter.
One star for adorable old man at the door. One star for cool ambience. And I guess one star for effort from the performer.

Oh heck yeah.
Would I call it classy? Probably not, but a little grime never hurt no one.
The bartender and I are going to be besties. Calling it. He makes strong drinks and he charges fair prices.
There’s jazz. I don’t know my jazz, but jazz makes me feel… jazzy. I swear I didn’t make jazz hands the entire time I was there. Swear.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first time there and want to take everyone I know.

Classy service, smooth booze, and some phenomenal music. Great place for a night out!

Took the bus down for dinner at Morels and decided to continue our evening with drinks and live music. Paul Spencer group was outstanding! We’ve been regulars in the past at Jazz Estate, so we were ecstatic to find a neat place near the bus line with jazz.

What a blast! We came her cause our friend Mike manages the place. First timers, and we fell in love.
Went on a Saturday night around 8pm. Band started at 9:30. Local artists only. 4 piece band with a singer. Piano, jazz flute, sax, bass, guitar, drums.
The atmosphere is really welcoming. Candles on the tables. And the bar. Wrap around oval bar in the middle. Stage up front.
Seasonal parties. Christmas. Decorations.
Martinis. Tap beers (6 taps). Wine. Champagne.

This was my second visit made to feel like a VIP both times. Great entertainment, great service. A true gem in Milwaukee.

This is a groovy lil hole in the wall, where you can grab a cheap beer, slunk into a booth, and watch some good old school blues, on a Tuesday night, even. We hung out for a couple rounds, the band was great, and the beers were cheap. I dig this joint.

Had a slammin time here last night. We came for a jazz show that started at 9:30pm. The band was excellent. Very nice, relaxed atmosphere. Well worth my visit here. Only thing is that it would’ve helped if the seating was a tad bit more organized. But otherwise great time.

This place has an absolute boatload of potential. For real. Just a few tiny tweaks and you’ll be in it to win it for the long haul, Caroline’s.
I’m not talking about changing anything hardcore; just a really nice solid scrubbing, a bit of an update in the way of décor, and a drink list. That’s all. Seriously.
Caroline’s is a jazz joint, open Wed — Sat every single week. Weds/​Thurs it’s open mic and Friday/​Sat they have live acts.
I’ve driven past this joint exactly 4329 times and finally, this past Saturday, stopped in. A five dollar cover for some really solid jazz? Not bad, not bad.
Initially we were seated nearer to the stage but after exactly 20 seconds elected to move to the bar once seats opened up. I’m with Stephanie L on this! Cabaret table or bar nearer the back of the room is where it’s at if you’d like to converse AND enjoy the music.
So great live jazz, awesome old-​school venue (same building as Soup Bros and Philly Way) and a varied, interesting, and somewhat older crowd.
A few recs for Caroline’s, because I like the place a lot and would love to see more people patronize this unique MKE business, then…
1. Have a list of what’s available! Just a list of your available beverages would be enough… beers on tap, wines offered, and the varieties of alcohol you stock. I had a really hard time ordering because the bottles were all grouped together and not readily visible. Additionally, it can get loud, so it would help in that regard too.
2. Have a few «craft» or classic cocktails available on a list to make things easy?
3. A few updates on lighting, décor… but nothing crazy. Maybe just keep it classic and ditch some of the more dated elements/​dim the lights behind the stage?
And yeah, that’s it. That’s all. A few little things and this place is a perfect, classic MKE jazz club in the heart of Walker’s Point. Go. I know you haven’t been.

I remember going here years ago before all of the great restaurants opened in Walker’s Point. Now you have no excuse if you don’t go for a great meal and then hit Caroline’s for a nice dimly lit jazz bar.
$ 5 for amazing music? Yes, I said the cover is only $ 5 and you can listen to some of the best live jazz in the city. We brought friends who were impressed… in fact his brother is a sax player in a jazz band and he couldn’t stop talking about the place.
The service is decent. Grab a martini and they will keep filling up your water glass so you don’t get too tipsy (unless you want to). The only downside was that we waited over 10 minutes to get our bill otherwise service was good.
If you haven’t gone there yet you are missing out. The crowd is very diverse which I loved!

Although my rating may suggest otherwise, I was very entertained at Caroline’s.
We (two couples) enjoyed the atmosphere, the talent, and the overall experience.
I docked two stars for serving expired beer bottles.

We stopped in here for a drink and they asked for a 5 $ cover (not bad at all for the area it was in), we declined to go elsewhere since we had tickets for comedy sports and were not staying for the show, so the bartender let us in free! The drinks were very good and reasonably priced! The décor was very cool, lots of different instruments on the walls and a very «New Orleans» feel to it. They got us our bills pretty quickly which was nice. It was a little loud once the band started playing, but if you were there for the show I’m sure it would have been fine.

9:30 music starts.
I LOVE Caroline’s.
So bad!
A true shiny, rough-​edged beautiful gem in Walkers Point. Just how I like my places.
Did I enjoy my time there? Yes
Would I go back? Yes
Would I take friends? Yes and done and yes.
My only constructiveness is to get the bar to that kind of expertise level of cocktail glass sizes and prices then it would be killer, but it’s already pretty killer now.
The stage is very close. The proximity lends itself to storytelling rather than watching performers on a pedestal. Also I like the mix of young and old.
Very much recommend.

One of my friends invited me to this place because she had heard that they had really good live bands play here so I took her up on her invitation. When we sat down, we went straight for the bar to chat with the bartender to see if he could make us up a delicious drink. The bartender made me a Pineapple Martini with Pineapple flavored Vodka, 7 Up, and Grenadine and my friend had an Orange Martini. We were both pleased with our drinks. Then we sat down and listened to the live band. The band that was playing this night was jamming. They played the Blues and Jazz all night long. And then this Saxophonist joined them. Man, he threw down and was dancing with the Saxophone (I knew that he had it in him lol)! The way that he was playing the Saxophone reminded me of one of my childhood teachers who played the Saxophone. My teacher was the first person that I had ever heard playing the Saxophone and he was pretty darn good. So every time that I hear the saxophone, I find myself always comparing them to him. I uploaded a video of the guy playing the Saxophone that night so you should check it out! I am looking forward to going back to listen to some of the other bands play!

I really enjoy the live music and atmosphere.

I
The crowd is great and five dollars for live music great deal! the drinks are fantastic
I’m a pretty young pup who kicks it old school so for everyone to be so welcoming and non judge mental (as I’m sure we have all experienced in dick head places)
I will always come here it’s a joy!

The boyfriend and I were looking for something new and different to do for «date night» and he suggested going to a jazz club. After reading great reviews about Caroline’s we decide to give it a try!
Went on a Saturday night. Doors open at 7PM and music starts at 9:30PM. We arrived around 9PM and despite the small size of the club, there were plenty of open tables. $ 5 cover. The tables filled up quickly. The staff was very friendly & drinks were nice and strong. The music was great and we really loved the atmosphere. Will definitely come back!

I’ll admit it. I know nothing about Jazz whatsoever. Do I like live music? Yes. A brass section? No doubt. Old men? Surely. Throw in a Manhattan and a dimly lit space and I am pretty much sold.
The bartender is amazingly warm. Great company at the bar and pours a mean classic cocktail. The owner, who is always present is fabulous. The door man, a little creepy and will usually take your picture which ends up on the Facebook page under «Cool Jazz Cats». A totally unpretentious corner jazz club full of regulars.
Bottom line: I am now one of said regulars.

Caroline’s is such a cozy little spot.
I dropped in with my dad after a splendid meal just up the street at the Noble. Our bourbon Manhattans were perfection, and the bartender was attentive without hovering. At one point, a rather intoxicated young man came and sat wayyyy too close to us, and the bartender told him to get back to his seat in the best stern-​angry papa voice ever. It might have been his son, maybe not, but we appreciated the consideration.
We weren’t badass enough to make it until 9:30 when the music started… but had a great time nevertheless. Will definitely be back on a day when I’ve had my afternoon nap. This late-​night-​jazz club stuff is exhausting.