REPLAY Sports Bar- 5 stars

This is the first of a series of weekly reviews by Tampa native Trey Killian. He will be visiting a different bar each week to give an outsider’s perspective on Milwaukee sports bars.

REPLAY Sports Bar is about a 20-minute No. 30 bus ride from Marquette’s campus, which would leave many students wondering if it’s worth the trip. Based on my experience the answer is a resounding yes.

REPLAY is located in a cozy part of Milwaukee’s East Side, at the intersection of North and Farwell (2238 N. Farwell Ave., to be exact).  The bar is just three weeks old.

Upon entering its doors on a brisk Sunday afternoon, customers are greeted with a sea of green and yellow and televisions in almost every imaginable location.

Yes, after my first hour at REPLAY, it had proven to be a Packers fan’s paradise, but I was here for my beloved Buccaneers, who were slotted to play right after Green Bay.

I arrived around 2:30 p.m. and was asked to sit at a bar stool until the game ended, as there was not a table to be had in the entire establishment. This wasn’t an issue for me but I realized arriving late for a noon game at REPLAY is not an option if you expect a table.

“I’m a big fan,” said Kevin DeGroot, a Marquette graduate student in the College of Dentistry. “I would come back definitely, but I will make sure to come earlier next time.”

As anticipated, many of the “cheeseheads” filed out after free shots were distributed for the Packer’s victory. Tables opened up, and I was seated with a great view of the game I had specifically asked for. As I settled in to watch the Bucs take on the Cardinals, I glanced over the menu, and my jaw nearly dropped.

My focus for a sports bar review is primarily the atmosphere and availability of out-of-market games, but the REPLAY Burger seemed to beg for mention. Two half-pound patties, a bun between each, covered in three cheeses and four strips of bacon make up the burger itself, but after assembly it is beer battered and deep fried.

The burger was a bit on the pricey side, coming in around $16, which was typical of the other items on the menu.

Monstrous burgers and unique, tube-like apparatuses capable of holding 100 ounces of beer give fans something else to cheer about at REPLAY. Though Sundays are a football bonanza, Milwaukee sports fanatics can cheer on every local team throughout the week.

“It’s a place that gives people a reason to show up more than once a week,” manager Mike Haferman said. “We got the Bucks, we got the Badgers and we got the Packers.”

Matt Welch, a student at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, stated what he saw as the best part of REPLAY.

“The atmosphere,” Welch said. “The type of people who come here are usually sports fans, and they are usually very loud in support of their teams.”