7 Milwaukee restaurants we wish made USA TODAY's Restaurants of the Year list
To create the list, USA TODAY Network food journalists from across the country pooled their expertise to select the restaurants, which includes the places they know, love and recommend.
Three Brothers has been a longtime favorite of mine, but it's far from the only area restaurant that deserves national attention. It landed on my first-ever Top 25 Restaurants list last fall, as did many of the restaurants I mention below. I've included them here for their distinct personalities, the shape they've directly contributed to the restaurant landscape and their representation of where our dining scene has been and where it's going.
How many have you been to? Check out USA TODAY's 2025 Restaurants of the Year.
459 E. Pleasant St.; birchonpleasant.com
Contemporary farm-to-table stunner Birch is no stranger to appearing on national lists. Last Year, the restaurant was the only Wisconsin representative on the New York Times' list of best restaurants in America — pretty impressive in just its second year in business. We love Birch for its celebration of local ingredients in an artful presentation that feels elegant yet approachable. What's best about Birch, though, is the way you can tailor your dining experience to your mood: sit at the chef's counter for an intimate evening with a multicourse tasting menu, grab a seat in the dining room for a celebration meal, or belly up to the bar for a more relaxed affair — and the only spot in the house where you can chow down on the restaurant's excellent burger. If that's not enough, Birch was a favorite restaurant of the 'Top Chef' judges when they shot Season 21 here last summer — a shining endorsement if ever the was one!
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6030 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa; calucchenzo.com
I'm a sucker for a great plate of pasta, so there's no sweeter spot than sitting at the pasta bar at this Wauwatosa charmer, where, if you're lucky, you can catch the noodles being made right in front of you. And while the scratch-made pastas are typically what draw me in, small plates like a beautiful peach-tuna crudo, grilled onions and shishito peppers in walnut pesto, and lamb carpaccio with basil crema and Michigan blueberries are surprise delights on the rotating menu. And that bouncy focaccia bread? Perhaps the best you'll find in the city.
815 E. Brady St.; thediplomatmke.com
While its name may sound regal, The Diplomat is rooted in Midwest sensibilities that celebrate the comforts that make this part of the country so special. Not that the fare isn't elevated — the menu at The Diplomat, helmed by James Beard Award-winner Dane Baldwin, may include roasted trout, house-made pretzels, knife-and-fork chicken, peanut butter pie and a banger of the burger, but these humble dishes sing with expert preparation and care behind every ingredient in each dish. The cozy dining room welcomes all, like an open invitation to dinner at a friend's house.
How did we do it? Inside look at how USA TODAY chose its Restaurants of the Year for 2025
2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; esterev.com
How often do you get to dine on food from a 'Top Chef' finalist? Well, if you're in Milwaukee, you can do so at EsterEv, the fine-dining restaurant from 'Top Chef' favorite Dan Jacobs, who owns the restaurant with chef Dan Van Rite. In fact, Jacobs just may show up at your table at the beginning of the meal to present his bread and broth course — so fun! It's at EsterEv where you see why the cheftestant went so far on the show. The rotating four-course menu blends flavors from Japan, Italy, the Middle East, America and more with gorgeous presentation and spectacular service. The friendly, quirky dining room at its new home in Bay View reflects the playful nature of its owners, who prove there's plenty of room for fun in fine dining.
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777 N. Van Buren St.; lupiandiris.com
Step into the dining room at this downtown French-Italian restaurant and you might think you're in Manhattan. The space is a beauty — slick, modern and buzzing with energy — and, thankfully, the food matches its elegance. House-made pastas, wood-roasted duck and a beautiful Dover sole — fileted tableside with flair — are more stripped-down than showing, letting the skilled preparation shine above any extra pomp. No wonder it was a finalist for the national Best New Restaurant James Beard Award in 2023.
See last year's list: Check out USA TODAY's 2024 Restaurants of the Year.
1547 N. Jackson St.; sanfordrestaurant.com
While Sanford is just a bit younger than 68-year-old Three Brothers, it is one of the most established restaurants in the city, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. What's even more impressive is how the restaurant, a catalyst for Milwaukee's fine dining scene, is as excellent and inventive today as it was back in '89. The seven-course tasting menu is an inimitable experience, with expert wine pairings that make the crafty modern-American fare sparkle. Unpretentious but refined with elegant service, Sanford's still got it and then some.
2659 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; vanguardbar.com
Casual Bay View bar/restaurant The Vanguard might seem like an outlier on this list compared to its more upscale counterparts but, after 10 years, the gourmet sausage emporium with a loose professional wrestling theme is still one of the coolest spots in town. It's only fitting that a Milwaukee restaurant would be touted for its sausages, but Vanguard goes beyond the simple brat (though they're divine here, too). Tubed meats come in the form of duck with bacon and sundried tomato, pork stuffed with lemongrass and ginger, and roasted green chiles with bison and bacon. Add terrifically goofy videos playing on the TV screens, killer punk jams through the speakers, and one of the more impressive bourbon selections you'll find anywhere and you've got one of the best hangs in the city that just also has some of the best food.
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See the entire list of USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2025 here:
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 7 Milwaukee restaurants we wish made USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year
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