Wisconsin Restaurants

Yelpers and Citysearchers alike give Pizza Shuttle a 3.5-star average. Seventy-eight percent of over 100 Urbanspooners recommend it:

Milwaukee ChopHouse's menu of succulent fare begins with ahi tuna tartare with avocado, wasabi, and sriracha ($12) and wagyu beef carpaccio in a white truffle oil with parmigiano reggiano and capers ($13)—both of which sharpen the palate for the main event: the ChopHouse's signature boneless 16-ounce strip steaks prepared au poivre ($35), crab Oscar-style ($42), blue-cheese crusted ($39), or with truffle butter ($39). The kitchen also turns out hot non-bovine entrees such as sautéed sea bass with sundried tomato and basil pesto ($32) and lobster tail ($51), a.k.a. mermaid steak.

Housed in the former Brown Bottle Guest Hall and Hospitality Center in the old Schlitz Brewery, Libiamo basks in the same old-fashioned elegance that made the venue a Milwaukee landmark. A gorgeous ceiling, elaborate woodwork, and chandeliers constructed from massive antlers set the classy yet casual ambience. Paintings of rustic Italy adorn the walls and the beautiful, familiar old bar welcomes patrons like a massive, wooden old friend. As befits the historic setting, you can get original-recipe Schlitz on tap, while ghosts of departed Schlitz cans occasionally roam the bathroom area. Libiamo also lives up to the building’s illustrious precedent with a menu of some of the best authentic Italian food in Milwaukee. Appetizers benefit from Libiamo’s delicious house red sauce. Try the tender spedini—Italian steak rolled with breadcrumbs and cheeses—or fried ravioli (both $7). For lunch, order up one of the delicious and crispy panini sandwiches, like the classic Italian beef ($7.95). Equally crispy are the thin-crust pizzas, including the sophisticated pesto chicken ($9 for small, $17.50 for large) or family-recipe linguine with meatballs ($8.50).

The Allgauer’s menu offers a delicious twist on American comfort food. Courteous servers at the Milwaukee location cover tables in classic American fare such as an Angus NY strip steak layered in roasted portabella, blue-cheese gratin, Yukon mashed potatoes, and fresh spinach ($27) and potato-crusted salmon resting beside sautéed green beans and stone-ground mustard ($20). Press a jumbo button mushroom against your palate and savor its rich roasted-garlic, ham, and blue-cheese insides ($7 in Milwaukee), or crunch a jumbo crab cake with marinated peppers, arugula, bacon, and mustard ($12). A virgin shrimp cocktail ($10) spices up the evening without dampening driving abilities.

The sandwich chefs at The Philly Way cloak a meaty menu of hoagie-filling steak, chicken, and hot dogs in warm, generous ladles of Cheez Whiz. Diners can savor East Coast flavor with cheesesteaks named best Philly cheesesteak outside of Philly in 2005 by Philadelphia magazine. Hoagie-smiths top cheesesteaks with heaps of grilled onions and freshly shaved steak, and customers can upgrade to The Works, which spices up mouthfuls with sweet and hot peppers, mushrooms, and an extra helping of cheese. Diners unafraid of getting a bit messy can enjoy a Philly-style chili dog, two hot dogs sharing a bun against their parents' wishes beneath a barrage of onions, mustard, and heaps of chili. Feisty fingers can grab at schools of golden-brown fries swimming through cheese at the cheese-colored eatery’s high-top tables, retro counter, or outside patio. Guests may substitute white american, provolone, or monterey jack for the traditional Cheez Whiz on any sandwich without being silently judged by walls lined with Philly sports paraphernalia, including T-shirts, flags, and liberty bells wearing mesh shorts.

The chefs at Ginza Japanese Restaurant line their sushi rolls and bento boxes with both traditional Japanese and Western-inspired ingredients. Classic flavors can be found in shrimp-filled shumai dumplings or lightly battered vegetable tempura. Futo maki rolls combine cucumber and avocado with egg custard, pickled radish, pickled squash, and burdock, and the Funky Monkey roll takes a more experimental approach by pairing eel with banana. Teriyaki beef or ginger pork sizzles in bento boxes, surrounded by sides of rice, salad, and dumplings as neatly portioned as a librarian's potato-chip collection.