MIDWEST
Where to Eat in Milwaukee Right Now (Before Everyone Else Finds Out)
By Eric Barton | May 21, 2025
Birch
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. He’s had one failed at-home sushi-making experiment. Email him here.
Our team didn’t come to Milwaukee expecting subtlety. Most of us, at least those who were new to Milwaukee, figured we’d be drowning ourselves (happily) in cheese curds and beer. And while that’s here—oh, is it here—what surprised us the most was the precision. Behind the faded Schlitz signs and tater tot menus are chefs quietly turning out thoughtful, borderline-obsessive plates. Some of them even wear aprons without logos.
After our tour of the city, and our overeating, and the donning of several garments with stretchy waistlines, here then are the 15 best Milwaukee restaurants right now.
1. Birch
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Chef Kyle Knall runs Birch with the quiet confidence of a guy who once cooked at Gramercy Tavern and now sources half his menu from nearby farms. The open-hearth kitchen turns out fire-kissed vegetables, handmade pastas, and meats that taste like someone actually cares. It’s refined without being precious—and just warm enough to make you stay for dessert. —Eric Barton
2. Braise
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Dave Swanson was the original poster child for Milwaukee’s farm-to-table movement—he even ran a CSA before it was cool. At Braise, his menu is as grounded as his sourcing, built around Wisconsin’s rhythms and spiked with quiet invention, like kimchi-laced pork belly or beet carpaccio. —Jamie Dutton
3. DanDan
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Chefs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, both veterans of fine dining, created DanDan because they wanted to cook the food they actually eat. The result is General Tso’s sweetbreads and Sichuan peppercorn-spiked cocktails in a room that somehow balances irony and reverence. —Eric Barton
4. Lupi & Iris
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Chef Adam Siegel, the first James Beard winner from Milwaukee, runs Lupi & Iris with the polish of a man who’s plated a thousand perfect risottos. Having just celebrated a three-year anniversary, it’s upscale without being sterile. And while the roast chicken is lovely, the olive oil cake might be the real reason to come.
5. Odd Duck
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Co-owners Ross Bachhuber and Melissa Buchholz have kept Odd Duck weird and wonderful for over a decade, with a menu that changes daily and dares you to trust it. It’s the rare place where lamb meatballs, nori deviled eggs, and gochujang carrots all belong—and somehow don’t fight. —Jamie Dutton
6. Third Coast Provisions
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This is the passion project of chef Andrew Miller and restaurateur Zak Baker, two guys trying to prove Milwaukee deserves good seafood. Third Coast Provisions serves scallop crudo and caviar service without irony, and the lobster pot pie is a sleeper hit. —Eric Barton
7. Ca’Lucchenzo
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If you’ve ever rolled fresh pasta at home and thought, “This is good,” go to Ca’Lucchenzo for a well-deserved humbling. Chefs Sarah and Zak Baker—both veterans of Bartolotta’s empire—run this cozy Wauwatosa spot like an Italian dinner party, where the wine’s flowing and the agnolotti actually makes you close your eyes. It’s romantic in that candlelight-and-carbs kind of way, the kind of place where your server might talk you into a third course—and they’d be right. —Rebecca Thompson
8. Sanford
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Founded by James Beard legend Sanford D’Amato, Sanford has been run by Justin Aprahamian since 2012. Just two years later, Aprahamian claimed the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest by keeping Sanford as a time capsule to another era of white-tablecloth dining. Compared to the showy restaurants you’ll find so often nowadays, it’s slower, quieter, and serious—but if you miss foie gras torchon, this is your place. —Eric Barton
9. La Dama
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Chef Emanuel Corona took over after Peggy Magister retired in 2021 and brings serious fine-dining chops to La Dama, where Oaxacan mole meets Milwaukee chic. The room is airy, the cocktails stiff, and every plate makes the case for elevated Mexican food without a single taco in sight. —Eric Barton
10. Amilinda
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Gregory León, a chef with roots in Venezuela and family ties to Portugal, runs Amilinda as a deeply personal expression of Iberian cooking. His bacalao is a love letter to Lisbon, and the seasonal vegetable dishes are restrained in a way that feels almost radical. —Eric Barton
11. Goodkind
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Co-owners Paul Zerkel, Lisa Kirkpatrick, and chef-prodigy Katie Rose have made Goodkind into the city’s most approachable chef hangout. It’s got the drinks of a dive bar and the duck confit of a prix fixe, all delivered without a trace of condescension. —Eric Barton
12. Flourchild Pizza
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This is what happens when a former fine-dining chef gets bored with tweezers and decides to make the best pizza in town instead. Owner Joe Sandretti spent time at Bacchus before launching Flourchild, where the crust is slow-fermented and blistered just enough to remind you someone gave a damn. The “Hot Honey Love” pie, with pepperoni, pickled jalapeño, and a drizzle of heat, is basically Milwaukee’s unofficial mascot at this point. —Rebecca Thompson
13. Bavette
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Bavette La Boucherie is part butcher shop, part restaurant, and all about great meat. Chef Karen Bell has created a space where you can either grab a sandwich or sit down for a full meal, with every dish emphasizing quality. If you like the idea of knowing where your food comes from without being lectured about it, this is your spot. Bonus: there’s always something interesting on the charcuterie board. —Jamie Dutton
14. Harbor House
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Chef Paul Bartolotta, a two-time James Beard winner, runs this Nantucket-inspired seafood haven where buttery lobster rolls and seared scallops are as sharp as the lake breeze. The team nailed the reboot last year—you’ll find the best seafood on Milwaukee’s waterway scene right now. —Rebecca Thompson
15. Story Hill BKC
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A West Side gem from the Black Shoe Hospitality team, Story Hill BKC is laid-back but never lazy. Chef-driven yet accessible—shakshouka for breakfast, mushroom gyro for lunch, and pull-apart rosemary-brie bread for dinner—all speak the truth to your taste buds. —Jamie Dutton
