40 mid-range places in Milwaukee, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Milwaukee, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Milwaukee food.
Colectivo Coffee Roasters ★ 4.8
2211 N Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Colectivo Coffee Roasters on North Prospect Avenue is Milwaukee's flagship roaster since 1993, with single-origin coffees, a Bay View Roastery cafe and city.
Bryant's Cocktail Lounge ★ 4.8
1579 S 9th St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Bryant's Cocktail Lounge on South 9th Street in Lincoln Village has poured no-menu cocktails since 1938 with dealer's-choice service and signature pink.
Tip: Tell the bartender what spirits and flavors you like and let them build your cocktail tonight.
Blue's Egg ★ 4.8
317 N 76th St, Milwaukee, WI 53213
Blue's Egg on North 76th Street in Wauwatosa is a breakfast room from chef Joe Muench, with stuffed hash browns and lemon ricotta hotcakes drawing weekend.
Three Brothers Bar and Restaurant ★ 4.7
bay-view · 2414 S St Clair St, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Three Brothers in Bay View, a Serbian tavern in an 1897 Schlitz tied house, has run by the Radicevic family since 1956 with burek and roasted lamb leading.
Tip: Cash only and burek takes 90 minutes; phone to order it ahead. James Beard America's Classics, 2002.
Lakefront Brewery ★ 4.7
riverwest · 1872 N Commerce St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Lakefront Brewery on North Commerce Street, Russ Klisch's 1987 brewery, runs the city's defining Friday fish fry with a polka band and free brewery tours.
Tip: Friday fry fills by 17:30; reservations recommended on the brewery site for groups of 6 or more.
Stone Creek Coffee ★ 4.7
422 N 5th St, Milwaukee, WI 53203
Stone Creek Coffee on North 5th Street downtown has roasted single-origin coffees since 1993, with a Factory Cafe, 12 city locations and a long espresso.
Lakefront Brewery ★ 4.7
1872 N Commerce St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Lakefront Brewery on North Commerce Street, founded by Russ and Jim Klisch in 1987, runs the city's defining Friday fish fry, weekly tours and a Riverwest.
Shahrazad ★ 4.7
3133 N Oakland Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211
Shahrazad on North Oakland Avenue on the East Side serves Middle Eastern food in a long-running family-run dining room with shawarma, kebabs and mezze.
Tip: Order the lamb shawarma plate with extra garlic sauce and a side of tabbouleh.
Fondy Farmers Market ★ 4.7
2200 W Fond du Lac Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53206
Fondy Farmers Market on West Fond du Lac Avenue, the largest farmers market in Wisconsin since 1917, runs 70+ vendors including a deep Hmong grower.
Tip: Get there by 08:00 Saturday for the Hmong produce row including lemongrass and bitter melon.
Rocket Baby Bakery Brunch ★ 4.7
6822 W North Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53213
Rocket Baby Bakery on West North Avenue in Wauwatosa is the city's leading laminated pastry shop with croissants, kouign amann and sourdough loaves since.
DanDan Brunch ★ 4.7
360 E Erie St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
DanDan in the Third Ward, by chefs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, runs a Sunday dim sum brunch with pork dumplings, dan dan noodles and modern Chinese-American.
Blue's Egg ★ 4.6
wauwatosa · 317 N 76th St, Milwaukee, WI 53213
Blue's Egg on North 76th Street in Wauwatosa is a breakfast room from chef Joe Muench, with stuffed hash browns and lemon ricotta hotcakes drawing big queues.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 09:00 weekends or expect a 45-minute wait.
Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company ★ 4.6
224 W Bruce St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Anodyne Coffee Roasting on West Bruce Street in Walker's Point has roasted small-batch single-origin coffees since 1999, with a flagship cafe and Milwaukee.
Holler House ★ 4.6
2042 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215
Holler House on West Lincoln Avenue is the oldest sanctioned bowling alley in America since 1908, with two basement lanes and a corner-bar shot-and-beer.
Tip: Two-lane basement with pin-setters; book a lane for shot-and-beer Saturday afternoon games.
Amaranth Bakery ★ 4.6
3329 W Lisbon Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Amaranth Bakery on West Lisbon Avenue in Washington Park bakes hand-shaped sourdough, scones and quiches in a small neighborhood bakery cafe since 2007 each.
Tip: Get there by 10:00 Saturday for the whole-wheat sourdough loaf and a scone with espresso.
Honeypie Cafe ★ 4.6
2643 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Honeypie on South Kinnickinnic in Bay View runs a Midwestern comfort menu around buttermilk fried chicken, biscuits and a daily pie since 2009.
Sobelman's Brunch ★ 4.6
1900 W St Paul Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Sobelman's Pub and Grill on West St Paul Avenue runs a Saturday and Sunday brunch with the Masterpiece Bloody Mary garnished with a brat, slider and pickled.
Centro Cafe ★ 4.5
riverwest · 808 E Center St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Centro Cafe on East Center Street in Riverwest is a small Italian room run by Peter Sandroni since 2009, with hand-rolled pastas at neighborhood prices.
Tip: Cash only at the original; Centro Cafe in Bay View takes cards. Walk-in policy at both.
Pilcrow Coffee Roasters ★ 4.5
416 W Walnut St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Pilcrow Coffee on West Walnut Street roasts small-batch single-origin coffees and runs a counter cafe with espresso, pour-over and a tasting room.
Sprecher Brewing Company ★ 4.5
701 W Glendale Ave, Glendale, WI 53209
Sprecher Brewing on West Glendale Avenue in Glendale, founded by Randy Sprecher in 1985, brews German-style craft beer and Sprecher root beer with tours.
Third Space Brewing ★ 4.5
1505 W St Paul Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Third Space Brewing on West St Paul Avenue in Menomonee Valley is a craft brewery with a long taproom, IPAs, Wisconsin lagers and rotating sours since 2016.
Eagle Park Brewing Company ★ 4.5
823 E Hamilton St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Eagle Park Brewing on East Hamilton Street on the Lower East Side is a craft brewery and music venue with hazy IPAs, sours and barrel-aged stouts since 2017.
Wolski's Tavern ★ 4.5
1836 N Pulaski St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Wolski's Tavern on North Pulaski Street has been a Lower East Side corner tavern since 1908, with the city's most famous I Closed Wolski's bumper sticker.
Burnhearts Late Night ★ 4.5
2599 S Logan Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Burnhearts on South Logan Avenue in Bay View is a craft cocktail and natural wine bar with rotating pet-nats, draft beer and a late-night kitchen on weekend.
Centro Cafe Riverwest ★ 4.5
808 E Center St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Centro Cafe on East Center Street in Riverwest is a small Italian room run by Peter Sandroni since 2009, with hand-rolled pastas at neighborhood prices.
Tip: Walk-in only at the original; arrive before 18:00 weeknights to get one of the eight tables.
At Random ★ 4.5
2501 S Delaware Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
At Random on South Delaware Avenue in Bay View has poured tiki and dessert cocktails in a red-velvet lounge since 1964; recently revived after a brief.
Tip: Order a Tiki Love Bowl or a Pink Squirrel; cash-friendly bar with no menus on most tables.
Miss Molly's Cafe ★ 4.5
9201 W Center St, Wauwatosa, WI 53222
Miss Molly's Cafe on West Center Street in Wauwatosa runs an all-day American breakfast room with a pastry case, eggs Benedict and a long espresso list every.
Centro Cafe Bay View Brunch ★ 4.5
2178 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Centro Cafe Bay View on South Kinnickinnic Avenue runs a weekend Italian brunch with eggs Benedict over polenta, fresh pasta plates and Bellinis from Peter.
Honeypie Cafe ★ 4.4
bay-view · 2643 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Honeypie on South Kinnickinnic in Bay View runs a Midwestern comfort menu around buttermilk fried chicken, biscuits and a daily pie since 2009.
Tip: Brunch is the busiest window; book on Resy or arrive by 09:00 weekends.
Lazy Susan ★ 4.4
bay-view · 2378 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Lazy Susan on South Howell Avenue in Bay View runs a small-plates menu of wood-roasted vegetables, steamed buns and a cocktail program with an Asian pantry.
Tip: Weeknight dinners take walk-ins easily; weekend bookings open on Resy two weeks ahead.
La Merenda ★ 4.4
walkers-point · 125 E National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204
La Merenda on East National Avenue in Walker's Point serves global tapas across Spanish, Argentine, Greek and Moroccan plates from chef Peter Sandroni.
Tip: Sister room Centro on Bremen Street shares Sandroni's pasta program.
Kompali Taqueria ★ 4.4
downtown · 256 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Kompali on East Wisconsin Avenue downtown serves a Mexico City taqueria menu of birria, al pastor and esquites alongside mezcal cocktails since 2022.
Tip: Walk-in lunch is best; reservations on Resy for dinner Friday and Saturday.
Beans and Barley ★ 4.4
east-side · 1901 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Beans and Barley on East North Avenue is a grocery, deli and all-day cafe with a long vegetarian menu of burritos, stir-fries and grain bowls since 1973 here.
Tip: The deli counter does excellent take-out sandwiches; grocery is open later than the kitchen.
Sobelman's Pub and Grill ★ 4.4
walkers-point · 1900 W St Paul Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233
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.
Tip: Lines wrap weekends; weekday lunch is the calmer window. Five Milwaukee locations.
The Vanguard ★ 4.4
bay-view · 2659 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
The Vanguard on South Kinnickinnic in Bay View serves 20 house-made sausages including vegan brats, plus 30 taps of craft beer since 2014, counter-only room.
Tip: Weekday late-night kitchen runs to 23:30; weekend brunch is a sleeper.
Miss Molly's Cafe and Pastry Shop ★ 4.4
wauwatosa · 9201 W Center St, Wauwatosa, WI 53222
Miss Molly's Cafe on West Center Street in Wauwatosa runs an all-day American breakfast room with a pastry case, eggs Benedict and a long espresso list daily.
Tip: Brunch is bottomless mimosa; reservations on OpenTable for parties of four or more.
Valentine Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4
5918 W Vliet St, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Valentine Coffee Roasters on West Vliet Street in Washington Heights roasts small-batch single-origin coffees, with a cafe pouring espresso.
Kickapoo Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4
232 E Erie St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Kickapoo Coffee on East Erie Street in the Third Ward is the Driftless area roaster's Milwaukee cafe with single-origin espresso, pour-over and bagged beans.
Good City Brewing ★ 4.4
2108 N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Good City Brewing on North Farwell Avenue on the East Side is a craft brewery and gastropub with IPAs, lagers, sours and food, with three Milwaukee locations.
Miller Brewing Company ★ 4.4
4251 W State St, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Miller Brewing on West State Street in Milwaukee Valley has brewed American lagers since Frederick Miller bought the Plank Road Brewery in 1855.