Casablanca on Brady is a levantine restaurant in Brady Street, Milwaukee.
Casablanca on East Brady Street has run Lebanese cooking since 1997, with mezze, shawarma and the city's deepest hummus list on Brady Street.
Signature dishes: Lebanese mezze, Shawarma
Must order: The mezze platter with hummus, baba ghanouj and falafel and a lamb shawarma plate.
Tip: Hookah lounge upstairs runs late weekends; the main floor closes at 22:00.
Address: 728 E Brady St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
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.
Signature: Wood-roasted vegetables, Steamed buns
Order: Wood-roasted carrots and the steamed pork buns with kimchi.
Tip: Weeknight dinners take walk-ins easily; weekend bookings open on Resy two weeks ahead.
Smyth on East Buffalo Street in the Third Ward serves a New American menu with hand-cut pastas and seasonal Wisconsin produce in a brick-walled corner room.
Signature: Seasonal tasting, Hand-cut pasta
Order: The pasta course and whatever vegetable plate the kitchen is featuring.
Tip: Bar seats hold space for walk-ins; the dining room books on Resy a week out.
La Merenda on East National Avenue in Walker's Point serves global tapas across Spanish, Argentine, Greek and Moroccan plates from chef Peter Sandroni.
Signature: Empanadas, Patatas bravas
Order: Beef empanadas with chimichurri and patatas bravas with a glass of Spanish red.
Tip: Sister room Centro on Bremen Street shares Sandroni's pasta program.
Thief Wine inside the Milwaukee Public Market on Water Street runs a wine bar with cheese plates, charcuterie and retail bottles in the Third Ward.
Signature: Charcuterie, Cheese plate
Order: Cheese plate from the Public Market cheesemonger next door and a glass of natural orange.
Tip: Sister bar Thief Wine Shorewood; both shops do tastings most Friday evenings.
River Lane Inn on West River Lane in Brown Deer is a North Shore seafood room with Lake Michigan perch and cedar-plank salmon, running since 1981 here.
Signature: Lake perch, Cedar plank salmon
Order: Lake perch fry on Friday and the cedar-plank salmon with lemon-butter.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable for Friday and Saturday; bar takes walk-ins from 16:30.
Kompali on East Wisconsin Avenue downtown serves a Mexico City taqueria menu of birria, al pastor and esquites alongside mezcal cocktails since 2022.
Signature: Birria tacos, Esquites
Order: Birria tacos with consomme on the side and a small esquite to share.
Tip: Walk-in lunch is best; reservations on Resy for dinner Friday and Saturday.
