TV Restaurants

What Happened to Packy's Pub After Bar Rescue? (Milwaukee, WI)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Packy's Pub has closed — confirmed via milwaukeerecord.com, April 29, 2022.

Primary source
milwaukeerecord.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Milwaukee Record reported Campbell's Irish Pub (the former Packy's Pub) closed in April 2022 after its building, for sale since 2017, was purchased by a buyer who said it likely would not remain a bar.

  • Season / episode Season 4, Episode 10
  • Original air date
  • Address 4068 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

Packy's Pub was a Milwaukee tavern owned by Patrick "Packy" Campbell when Bar Rescue filmed "Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling" (aired December 14, 2014). Jon Taffer's team retrained the staff on drink and food preparation, refreshed the bar's decor, and rebranded the business as Campbell's Irish Pub, leaning into an Irish theme built around the owner's own name and adding new signature cocktails and pub fare to the menu. The rebrand outlasted many of the show's other Milwaukee-area makeovers: Campbell's Irish Pub continued operating for roughly eight years after its Bar Rescue episode aired, considerably longer than the run of Milwaukee's other featured bar, Y-Not III, which closed and was demolished within about two years of its own episode. According to Milwaukee Record, the building at 4068 S. Howell Avenue had been listed for sale since 2017, and in April 2022 it was purchased by Hector Espinoza of Guaves Homes LLC. Espinoza told Urban Milwaukee at the time that he had not decided what he would do with the property but that it likely would not continue operating as a bar. Campbell's Irish Pub closed that same month, which Milwaukee Record described as leaving Milwaukee without any of its original Bar Rescue-featured bars still in business. Milwaukee Record's report did not tie the closure to any specific problem on the part of the pub's operators, framing it instead as a consequence of the long-pending building sale and the change in ownership of the underlying property. No reporting located since April 2022 indicates a new tenant has opened in the former Packy's Pub/Campbell's Irish Pub space, and unverified web listings describing the property's current use have not been independently confirmed for this report. The pub's roughly eight-year post-rescue run stands out among the show's Milwaukee-area subjects, most of which closed within a few years of their episodes airing.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 4, Episode 10
Original air date
Episode title
Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling
What was featured
Irish-themed rebrand of a Milwaukee tavern
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Packy's Pub

Frequently asked questions

Is Packy's Pub still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Packy's Pub has closed — confirmed via milwaukeerecord.com, April 29, 2022.

What happened to Packy's Pub after Bar Rescue?

Packy's Pub was a Milwaukee tavern owned by Patrick "Packy" Campbell when Bar Rescue filmed "Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling" (aired December 14, 2014). As of September 2026, Packy's Pub has closed — confirmed via milwaukeerecord.com, April 29, 2022.

Is Packy's Pub permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Packy's Pub has closed — confirmed via milwaukeerecord.com, April 29, 2022. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Packy's Pub located?

4068 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Packy's Pub?

Season 4, Episode 10 of Bar Rescue, first aired December 14, 2014. The episode is titled “Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling”.

Did the makeover last at Packy's Pub?

The episode first aired December 14, 2014. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 12 years later —: As of September 2026, Packy's Pub has closed — confirmed via milwaukeerecord.com, April 29, 2022.

Is Packy's Pub still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

Jon Taffer's team retrained the staff on drink and food preparation, refreshed the bar's decor, and rebranded the business as Campbell's Irish Pub, leaning into an Irish theme built around the owner's own name and adding new signature cocktails and pub fare to the menu. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
4068 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Venue type
bar
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • milwaukeerecord.com — https://milwaukeerecord.com/food-drink/r-i-p-campbells-irish-pub-the-last-of-milwaukees-bar-rescue-bars/

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