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#30. Sweet Joy Brazilian Cafe
- Rating: 4.6/5 (41 reviews)
- Address: 1208 East Brady St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Cafes, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
Highest-rated restaurants in Milwaukee by diners
Humans are creatures of habit. We tend to stick to our morning routines, rewatch movies we've seen time and time again, and hit up the same tried-and-true restaurants when going out for a meal. In fact, 35% of Americans say they rarely or never try a new restaurant they haven't been to before, according to a 2024 survey of more than 1,500 diners from TouchBistro.
But those numbers look quite different when you focus on younger generations—67% of Gen Zers and 40% of millennials in the U.S. say they visit new restaurants once a month or more. When it comes to deciding which new restaurant to try, younger generations are also more likely to rely on social media or online restaurant reviews, through sites like Yelp or Google. The TouchBistro survey found that 52% of Gen Zers have opted to try a new restaurant due to positive feedback on social media, and 67% of millennials have gone to a new dining spot solely because of favorable reviews online.
New restaurants in particular tend to garner a lot of online attention. About 50,000 new restaurants open each year in the U.S., and that number continues to rise. An analysis by Yelp published in June 2024 found that new restaurant openings were up 6% from May 2023 to April 2024. But some of the best restaurants in your neck of the woods might be those established eateries that customers have been visiting for decades.
To help you determine which spots—both new and long-standing—to try out, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in Milwaukee, according to Yelp reviews from diners as of January 2025. Only restaurants with at least 20 reviews and a 3.0 rating were considered. Read on to find some inspiration for the next time you dine out.
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#29. Larry's Market
- Rating: 4.6/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8737 North Deerwood Drive Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Caterers, Grocery, Delis
- Read more on Yelp
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#28. Mobay Cafe
- Rating: 4.6/5 (74 reviews)
- Address: 1022 South First St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Cafes, Beer Bar, Caribbean
- Read more on Yelp
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#27. Park Place Cafe
- Rating: 4.7/5 (147 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10843 West Park Place Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
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#26. Room Service
- Rating: 4.7/5 (110 reviews)
- Address: 2159 South Kinnickinnic Ave. Unit A2 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Japanese, Thai, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#25. Interval Bay View
- Rating: 4.7/5 (21 reviews)
- Address: 2268 South Kinnickinnic Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Cafes, Breakfast & Brunch, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
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#24. Brute Pizza
- Rating: 4.7/5 (39 reviews)
- Address: 316 North Milwaukee St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp
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#23. Mara's Grill
- Rating: 4.7/5 (140 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3441 North 84th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp
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#22. Santino's Little Italy
- Rating: 4.7/5 (387 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 352 East Stewart St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Italian, Pizza, Wine Bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#21. FreshFin - Third Ward
- Rating: 4.7/5 (58 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 316 North Milwaukee St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Poke, Salad, Asian Fusion
- Read more on Yelp
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#20. Gordo's Bubble Waffles - Bay View
- Rating: 4.7/5 (80 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2301 South Howell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Desserts, Waffles, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
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#19. Las 7 Estrellas
- Rating: 4.7/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 150 West Holt Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
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#18. Seven Swans Creperie - Milwaukee
- Rating: 4.7/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: 808 East Chambers St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Creperies, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp
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#17. Back Street BBQ & Hotpot
- Rating: 4.7/5 (31 reviews)
- Address: 2116 North Farwell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Chinese, Barbecue, Hot Pot
- Read more on Yelp
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#16. Tavo's Signature Cuisine
- Rating: 4.7/5 (145 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5814 West Bluemound Road Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: New Mexican Cuisine, Latin American
- Read more on Yelp
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#15. Riley's Sandwich & Social House
- Rating: 4.7/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 411 East Menomonee St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
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#14. Press Waffles
- Rating: 4.7/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 207 East Buffalo St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Food Trucks, Waffles, Caterers
- Read more on Yelp
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#13. Copper on King
- Rating: 4.8/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 1019 North Drive Mlk Jr Drive Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Sports Bars, Bartenders, Restaurants
- Read more on Yelp
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#12. Coaches
- Rating: 4.8/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 1125 North 9th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Comfort Food
- Read more on Yelp
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#11. Bunzel's Meat Market
- Rating: 4.8/5 (244 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9015 West Burleigh St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Meat Shops, Delis, Butcher
- Read more on Yelp
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#10. Anytime Arepa
- Rating: 4.8/5 (42 reviews)
- Address: 636 South 6th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Food Trucks, Venezuelan
- Read more on Yelp
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#9. Bento Xpert
- Rating: 4.8/5 (82 reviews)
- Address: 1125 North 9th St. Unit F Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Taiwanese, Chinese
- Read more on Yelp
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#8. El Tlaxcalteca Restaurant
- Rating: 4.8/5 (63 reviews)
- Address: 1300 West Burnham St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp
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#7. Amaranth Bakery & Cafe
- Rating: 4.8/5 (92 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3329 West Lisbon Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Bakeries, Soup, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp
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#6. Cavas
- Rating: 4.8/5 (91 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 401 East Erie St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Spanish, Wine Bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#5. Blue Star Cafe
- Rating: 4.8/5 (216 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1619 North Farwell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Halal, Somali
- Read more on Yelp
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#4. Real Dogs
- Rating: 4.8/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 111 East Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Street Vendors
- Read more on Yelp
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#3. The Lafayette Place
- Rating: 4.9/5 (38 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1978 North Farwell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Cafes, Breakfast & Brunch, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
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#2. Wantable Cafe
- Rating: 4.9/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 123 East Walker St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Cafes, Venues & Event Spaces, Wine Bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#1. Charles E Fromage
- Rating: 5.0/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 5811 West Vliet St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Beer Bar, Wine Bars, Salad
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 318 metros.
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