Pizzeria$$wauwatosa
Pizzeria Piccola on West State Street in Wauwatosa, a Bartolotta Group room, runs Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas with Caputo flour and San Marzano tomatoes.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Wood-fired calzone
Order: A Margherita off the wood oven and a side Caesar salad.
Tip: Lunch walk-ins easy; dinner reservations on OpenTable for the dining room.
American diner$downtown
Real Chili on East Wells Street has served Milwaukee three-way chili since 1931, with beans and onions over spaghetti, cinnamon-spiced meat sauce and cheese.
Signature: Three-way chili, Cheese chili dog
Order: Three-way with mild meat, beans, onions, cheese and a side of crackers.
Tip: Open late after Pabst Theater shows; the Marquette location runs college hours.
German$$downtown
Old German Beer Hall on Old World Third Street downtown is a Hofbrau-style bier hall with one-liter steins, giant pretzels, bratwurst and Bavarian schnitzel.
Signature: Pretzel and beer cheese, Bratwurst plate
Order: Giant Bavarian pretzel with beer cheese and a one-liter stein of Hofbrau Original.
Tip: Walk-in only; weekend nights stand for a long Bavarian sing-along around the communal tables in the front room.
Burgers$wauwatosa
Kopp's Frozen Custard on North Port Washington Road, founded by Elsa Kopp in 1950, serves jumbo cheeseburgers and a daily-changing custard flavour today.
Signature: Jumbo cheeseburger, Daily flavour custard
Order: A Jumbo cheeseburger and a small of the flavour of the day with a chocolate cone.
Tip: Lines move fast; counter only and three locations across the Milwaukee suburbs.
Burgers$$walkers-point
Sobelman's Pub and Grill on West St Paul Avenue serves Milwaukee's most photographed Bloody Mary with brat, slider and pickled garnish stack since 1999.
Signature: Bloody Mary, Cheeseburger
Order: The Masterpiece Bloody Mary garnished with a brat, slider and pickled vegetables.
Tip: Lines wrap weekends; weekday lunch is the calmer window. Five Milwaukee locations.
Burgers$$downtown
AJ Bombers on North Water Street downtown is Joe Sorge's burger bar with airplane-themed peanut delivery, the Barrie Burger and a deep beer list since 2009.
Signature: Barrie Burger, Peanut delivery
Order: The Barrie Burger with cheese curds and a basket of fries.
Tip: Peanut shells go on the floor by tradition; weekend brunch runs Bloody Marys 10:00 to 14:00.