Paulie's Pub & Eatery in West Allis, WI

Whatever brings you to West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb just outside of Milwaukee, be it the Wisconsin State Fair Park, which I would argue is the best state fair the world over, or the auto races at the Milwaukee Mile, Paulie's Pub & Eatery, located at 8031 W. Greenfield Avenue is absolutely worth stopping in while you're in town.

My wife and I, who live in the area, probably drove past Paulie's Pub & Eatery a half a million times since the pub and grill opened up its doors in 2004. In all those times, I'd never really given Paulie's a second glance. There are many bars in West Allis, and certainly in the city of Milwaukee, and so far as I knew Paulie's Pub & Eatery was just one more of them.

On one of those occassions, driving past the establishment, we happened to have noticed that there was an outdoor patio seating area, complete with umbrellas. I have no idea how long that outdoor patio may have been a part of this pub and grill on Greenfield Avenue, but it was certainly there then. Seeing it, for us, brought Paulie's Pub & Eatery into a whole new light. That outdoor patio made it clear that there was something more about Paulie's Pub & Eatery than just being somewhere to stop in for a cocktail, or your favorite fancied cold one.

On one day, out running a few errands, my wife and I were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to stop in to Paulie's Pub & Eatery to sample some of their offerings during their lunch hours. It was only spring, but the weather outside was more like a hot summer day, with temperatures rocketing into the 90s. Of all days, this seemed like it would be a perfect enough day to enjoy a quick bite, have an ice cold beer, and check out that outdoor patio they had.

It was a stop that was very well worth it. The restaurant and bar area is quite nice all by itself when you walk in. There's a nice long bar with plenty of stools to sit on, and a couple of TV's to gaze at. We walked in and told the bartender simply, "We're here to eat."

"Fantastic," he said. "Welcome." He gave us a quick rundown of our seating options. We could sit at the bar if we'd like, or there were beautiful wooden booths in the bar area itself where we could sit.

And, of course there was also that outdoor patio. That's what we were there for. Naturally we were there for the food as well. But we really wanted to check out that patio. That outdoor patio had all but taken us by the hand and lead us right through their front door.

We were given our menus, which is a very simple and typical pub menu. They serve up sandwiches and wraps, salads, and on this particular day they actually offered an all-you-can-eat pizza and salad bar. Despite the fantastic price, just $5.99, we passed, wanting to try a menu item.

My wife ordered a reuben wrap, and I had a mushroom and swiss burger with sauteed onions. Both platters were served up with Paulie's own homemade potato chips which, I must say, were absolutely great. It was definitely a nice change-up from the traditional french fries that most pub and restaurants serve up with their sandwiches.

The food? It was excellent. The hamburger was cooked to perfection. The bun was perfectly buttered. My wife told me her wrap was very good as well.

The prices? For the wrap and the hamburger, plus two draft beers, we only spent around $23 before the tip, and I felt that that was entirely reasonable.

The service? Our waitress was very attentive. It's a rarity that I will tip a waitress 20% on my bill, but in this case I felt she definitely did her job well, and earned it. Everything about our experience was first-class in my opinion, and my wife will attest, when it comes to customer service and the wow-factor I'm a hard guy to impress. But Paulie's Pub & Eatery certainly made an impression.

The business also has live entertainment on certain days of the week and on some weekends, and all-you-can-eat crab legs on Wednesdays and Sundays. They also have a fantastic fish fry on Friday nights—something my wife and I had an opportunity to check out on a later visit. The service and food were as good as our first stop in to Paulie's. It certainly is a little gem that shines, and they've definitely made a fan out of me. You can bet I'll be back many times more.

Paulie's Pub & Eatery, 8031 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, WI 53214. Tel. (414) 257-2854

Beer at Paulie's Pub

• Bud Light - Miller Lite - Coors Light
• MGD 64 - High Life
• Blue Moon - Spotted Cow - Sam Adams
• Guinness - Smithwick's - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
• Stella Artois - Hacker Pshshorr Weiss
• New Glarus Black Wheat - New Glarus Cracked Wheat
• Sprecher Root Beer