Sam’s Tap, the small Bay View tavern that has anchored the corner at 3118 S. Chase Ave. since 2016, has gone dark and appears to have shuttered. The bar’s social accounts have not posted since November 2025, the business phone is disconnected, and neighbors say the doors have been locked since last fall. Regulars who stopped by this week found a quiet storefront where a nearly decade-long run once drew late-night crowds.
Bar quiet online and at the door
As reported by Urban Milwaukee, Sam’s Tap’s social page currently lists the business as “temporarily closed” and the listed phone number no longer connects. The neighborhood spot opened in 2016 with a focus on draft beer, wine and cocktails. The same report notes that the tavern’s liquor license is set to expire in September 2026. Proprietor Sam Leaf did not respond to requests for comment before that publication.
Owner also runs a neighboring bar
Leaf is a Bay View operator who runs nearby The Backyard, a beer-garden style bar that opened in 2011 and is known for its large patio and community events, according to OnMilwaukee. Local business coverage and property listings identify Leaf Property Investments as the owner of several South Kinnickinnic Avenue parcels, including the lot that hosts The Backyard. BizTimes listed Leaf Property Investments among holders on the corridor.
Federal suit, then a consent order
In a related matter, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in September 2022 alleging that Leaf Property Investments and a property manager, Dennis Parker, harassed a tenant because of his sex and disability. The Justice Department said the complaint included allegations of repeated harassment and physical assault by Parker. Local reporting shows the case was later resolved through a consent order that required the defendants to pay $40,000, adopt nondiscrimination policies and undergo fair-housing training while barring Parker from managing residential properties; outlets covering the settlement said the order was entered in May 2024. AOL and other local outlets reported on the consent agreement and its terms.
What this means for the space
The 3118 S. Chase building dates to 1929 and has long housed a neighborhood tavern, according to city records and local reporting. With the liquor license currently listed to run through September 2026, the next steps, whether a new tenant moves in or the proprietor seeks to reopen, will depend on whether the owner reactivates the license or a buyer steps forward. Urban Milwaukee contains assessment and year-built information for the property.
Legal implications
The consent order imposes enforceable obligations: training on the Fair Housing Act for Leaf Property staff, posting equal-housing notices and other compliance steps meant to prevent future discrimination, according to the Justice Department and local reporting, including coverage by AOL. Those remedies are civil and administrative rather than criminal, but they could affect how the owner manages mixed portfolios of rental housing and taverns going forward. For now, the legal resolution appears to have closed the litigation, even as neighbors and patrons wait to see whether Sam’s Tap’s doors will ever reopen.
