August 27, 2026
a night out for spies
in which I return to SafeHouse after 10 years
The first time I visited SafeHouse in Milwaukee was about 10 years ago. I thought it was a fun campy time. I had not yet entered my Spy Era, but I appreciated it as an experience.
Returning now, a good two years into an obsession with the Cold War, espionage, and 60’s spy media was glorious.
Safehouse is a “secret”. To get into the restaurant, you have to know where it is and then give the receptionist for the cover business the password. If you don’t know the password, there are ways of gaining entry, but since I am a super good spy I knew what it was. If you do know the password, you pull a hidden lever and a secret door opens, allowing you to go down the twisty narrow hallway to enter the Safehouse.
Inside there is themed decor, actual spy history items, and tons of movie posters. My spouse said “This is what I imagine it would look like if the inside of your mind exploded into restaurant form” and I think he’s probably right. The servers call everyone “spy/spies”, which has to get annoying. Customers wandering around looking at the super cool stuff and generally being in your way, and you have to say “Excuse me, spies!” and “Ah careful, spies, right behind you!” I appreciate their commitment to the bit. There are a lot of interactive elements, like doors that lead to nowhere and phone booths and whatnot. At one point I opened a very themed cupboard thing and found it full of napkins and “spy ketchup” (as my spouse called it). It was super fun to explore after devouring Cold War history and pop culture for the last couple of years, and I definitely want to go back.
