Why Milwaukee Is One of America’s Best Dining Cities in 2024

When Eater asked readers to vote for the next hot dining destination in the U.S., a dining scene that could sit alongside some of the world’s greatest food cities on the ultimate 2024 bucket list, they resoundingly chose Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Residents and fans of MKE gobbled up a third of the total vote, pouring out their love for the food of the Midwestern hot spot into glowing comments. New restaurants leading the scene, food trucks proliferating all over town, the city’s deep Germanic culinary roots, its collection of global cuisines, and its casual culinary attitude all informed the ways fans went to bat for Milwaukee. Here are a few of our favorite comments that we received.

There are all sorts of reasons to love MKE’s food scene:

“Amazing, diverse food scene. Well infused with Midwestern love and hospitality. You can’t find nicer people who can cook this well anywhere else!”

“Accessibility over exclusivity.”

“Big city dining in a compact and easily-traversable area.”

“Supper clubs, drive-ins, Friday fish frys, beer halls, low-key African + Asian + Middle Eastern + Indian eateries, old-school pizza taverns, Italian markets and delis.”

“The low cost of living is attracting creative chefs and allowing them to take risks. There are amazing things happening at the high end, the low end. This is largely driven by chefs who started at the fine dining mainstays who go off to open their own spots.”

“Milwaukee has a surprisingly good vegan scene! The veggie paella sans aioli at Movida is fantastic! (They have meat too.) Visit Odd Duck for James Beard Award [semifinalist] small plates. Blackwood Brothers has delicious comfort food. So does Comet. You really can’t go wrong in MKE.”

“Our smaller carryout joints and food trucks have improved SO MUCH in the last five to 10 years. Top-notch food is at your fingertips, everywhere. Come find out and taste for yourself.”

“Some cities only get their high-end restaurants worthy of a feature, while others get the privilege of articles that open, ‘In Los Angeles, it’s carts, strip-mall joints, and common food that excels.’ You should pick Milwaukee but treat it as the latter! Everyone who comes here, even Top Chef, does the same thing: a little frozen custard, a little fine dining to surprise the coasts. However, it’s the middle-class restaurants that really flourish these days.”

“Milwaukee’s food scene exists in its own bubble. Even with Chicago just 90 minutes away, nobody is cooking food with the hope to draw Chicago clientele. Lower cost of living and rent means restaurants can take risks and just do what they want. Sort of punk rock in the ‘We’re going to do this, if that’s not for you, then eat somewhere else’ mentality.”

Voters called out a few popular restaurants over and over as evidence of Milwaukee’s strength:

Readers commonly cited restaurants with James Beard Award winners and nominees at the helm, like Lupi & Iris, the Diplomat, Amalinda, Sanford, and Bavette. Restaurants like Birch, Odd Duck, Goodkind, Morel, and Uncle Wolfie’s were popular picks as well for their casual yet calculated approach to dining. Many also cited the wide range of cuisines that call the city home, including the food at restaurants like Three Brothers, La Dama, Saffron, La Merenda, and Lebnani House.

Transplants and Chicago residents are cooing:

“I moved here from Nashville two years ago and have been blown away. So many incredible and unique options. More restaurants are opening up all the time, and we are so lucky to have these great places and great people in this city. It’s truly a gem!”

“Moving from Chicago to Milwaukee, I was worried I would suffer with chain restaurants and horrible dining. I was so wrong! Amazing independent restaurants, a cool chef vibe, awesome cheese curds, great steaks, ethnic eateries, and more!”

“As someone from Chicago who frequently goes to Milwaukee, eateries like Kopp’s Frozen Custard, Sherman Phoenix, Comet’s Cafe, and Ristorante Bartolotta are places that America deserves to see.”

“We live in Chicago and when we have the chance to go on a weekend getaway, we love to hop to Milwaukee and visit Three Brothers Restaurant and enjoy their famous cheese burek.”

Bavette La Boucherie

Long-time Milwaukeeans have plenty to be proud of too:

“I have lived here in Milwaukee for 45 years and worked in many restaurants. There are so many new great restaurants opening all over our city. Developers are pouring money into Milwaukee to make this a world-class city.”

“I live in New York City, and I’m constantly surprised how much my home city rivals the country’s largest. The food in Milwaukee is consistently really good, no matter where you go. Newer places like Third Street Market Hall and Movida offer innovative ideas, the Third Ward neighborhood and downtown are bustling with exciting options, and long-time staples like Cafe Lulu and Beans & Barley continue to satisfy unlike anywhere else.”

“I’ve lived in Milwaukee for 40 years now. There have always been a good variety of restaurants to choose from, especially German ones, but in the past few years I’ve noticed an explosion of new ones representing cuisines from around the world. Trying new restaurants and foods has become a fun adventure. Two of my newest favorites are C-Viche (Peruvian) and Saffron (Indian).”

The diversity of global cuisines was an especially strong selling point:

“Milwaukee’s food scene is filled with local, Wisconsin standards (supper clubs) as well as innovative, new foods from all around the world, including Mexico (La Casa de Alberto); Serbia (Three Brothers); and Chinese/American fusion (DanDan), just to name a few. It’s new and exciting!”

“There are far too many outstanding restaurants and chefs to name, matching the wide variety of cuisines here. No matter what type of food you’re interested in, you can find it in Milwaukee — well prepared and reasonably priced. There’s a reason why Top Chef was recently filmed here.”

“Farm-to-table before farm-to-table was a thing; affordable high-end eats; down-home casual Friday night fish fries; best pho in the Midwest; a range of Latin cuisines in mom/pop storefronts; and an emergent Middle Eastern restaurant destination. Oh yeah: beer + cheese + sausages.”

“The Lao cuisine (Vientiane, An Ox Cafe, Sweet Basil), tavern-style pizza (Calderone Club, Zaffiro’s, DeMarini’s), Serbian food (Three Brothers, Old Town).”

Of course, cheese came up:

“Milwaukeeans were raised on cheese and beer — nobody is afraid of fat or butter. We embrace it.”

“Black Sheep’s pancake battered cheese curds are to die for.”

“Chef Erick [Disbrow of Palomino Bar] is also making the best beer-battered cheese curds around.”

“Lakefront Brewery: Wisconsin’s best cheese curds.”

The bloody mary at Sobelman’s got a lot of love too:

“The best bloody mary money can buy at Sobelman’s.”

“Bloody marys with enough appetizers attached to feed you if the burgers don’t.”

You all sure are excited:

“There isn’t a more deserving underdog of a city deserving of shedding its undeserved reputation.”

“Milwaukee fucking rules! And is low-key a sleeper city.”

Momo Mee