Milwaukee is a great city with a suprisingly large variety of food options. There are many establishments fitting within all ranges of the budget spectrum from great value establishments to higher end steakhouses. From the thousands of restaurants in Milwaukee, here are some of the newest additions to the city's culinary scene.
1. Ardent
Ardent is one of the fanciest locations on this list but despite being known as a fine dining restaurant, the pandemic has brought about huge changes to Ardent in the past year. The head chef Justin Carlisle has taken a more casual approach to the experience at Ardent and chose to instead highlight the many seasonal ingredients the kitchen has access to in creating a true pandemic style, "lounge at home" option where patrons can choose their very own meal kit and bring it back home to eat in the comfort of their own homes.
Ardent can be found located at 1751 N Farwell Ave.
2. Wy'east Pizza
While the Midwest is full of very popular styles of pizza ranging from Chicago's deep dish to Detroit's pan pizzas, Milwaukee style pizza has its own cult followings as well. At Wy'east Pizza, Milwaukee pizza has been brought to its apex and has perfected its pizza preparation techniques in order to provide one of the most flavorful pizza joints in Milwaukee. The highlight at Wy'east Pizza is definitely their pizza dough that goes through a lengthy fermentation process and is expertly hand stretched right into a perfectly chewy crust that creates the ideal transportation vehicle for cheeses, sauces, and other toppings.
Wy'east Pizza can be found located at 5601 W Vliet St.
3. Zarletti
Zarletti is one of the classic names on Milwaukee Street and is a favorite of many locals. Head chef Brian Zarletti has been able to hand down his family's protected recipes and transform them into the legendary menu that supports Zarletti. Due to the pandemic, Zarletti has also expanded its options to include a very convenient curbside pick up. In addition, the portion sizes at this establishment are very generous and will fill up any hungry patron.
Zarletti can be found located at 741 N Milwaukee St.
4. Alem Ethiopian Village
At Alem Ethiopian Village, the entire experience of Ethiopian food is brought and served as authentically as possible. The menu is full of Ethiopian dishes like their doro wat with ayib and the kitfo which are respectively, a spicy chicken dish with cheese and a steak tartare dish. Due to the pandemic situation, despite what may be customary with Ethiopian food, sharing dishes at a restaurant table might be a little more difficult to find but instead Alem Ethiopian Village has adapted with a carry out option that aims to replicate the experience as close to the original dining experience as possible.
Alem Ethiopian Village can be found located at 307 E Wisconsin Ave.
5. La Dama Milwaukee
La Dama Milwaukee actually takes the place of Crazy Water, a hugely popular and much loved restaurant for the locals in Milwaukee. Fortunately, La Dama does well to fill in the shoes left behind by Crazy Water with chefs Peggy Magister and Emanuel Corona creating wonderful food creations with inspirations drawn from regions like Mexico City and Oaxaca. Some of the most popular dishes at La Dama include options ranging from the oysters a las brazas all the way to their taco menu. The crowd favorites seem to include the duck confit tacos and the smoked pork belly tacos.
La Dama can be found located at 839 S 2nd St.