Diners' Choice: Contemporary American restaurants in Milwaukee

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary American cuisine in Milwaukee? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

EsterEv

4.9

4.9 (190)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

Located in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood, EsterEv offers a 6-course chef's tasting experience, which evokes globally inspired nostalgic flavors from grandma's kitchen. Presented by James Beard Best Chef Midwest nominees Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite.

Top review

Shannon

Dined 4 days ago

Absolutely amazing experience from start to finish. We will definitely be back!

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Guest Chef Dinner with Amanda Turner ($140)

Buckley's Restaurant & Bar

4.8

4.8 (402)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

Buckley's is a cozy neighborhood spot in the heart of Milwaukee's East Town. Located two blocks from Lake Michigan and the Calatrava, Buckley’s is an ideal all occasion restaurant in downtown Milwaukee. An ever-evolving menu showcases seasonal ingredients from local farmers and purveyors. To compliment your dining experience, peruse the thoughtfully curated 200 bottle wine list or select a beverage from an extensive cocktail program that has consistently been recognized as one of the best in the city. Customize your dining experience to meet your needs whether you choose to enjoy a four course meal or simply grab a burger at the bar. However you choose to enjoy a visit to Buckley’s, do not forget to order a signature house-made dessert. You won’t regret it.

At this family owned and operated restaurant, guests are treated like family. Come see for yourself!

Top review

AnicetoVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Food was excellent and as always great service, wonderful place for any occasion!

MOXIE Food + Drink

4.8

4.8 (1326)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Whitefish Bay

About the restaurant

Inspired American comfort food, cocktails and wine. Dining room, patio and curbside. Serving dinner 5-9 Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday Brunch 10-2.
Reservations or order online: www.eatatmoxie.com.
Our Reservation Policies:
- We do not take PATIO reservations. Patio seating is first come, first served.
- Maximum reservation/table size in our DINING ROOM is 6 guests.
- All guests must arrive within 15 minutes of reservation time.
- Payment with one check is required for parties of 6 or more.
- A 20% gratuity may be added to parties of 6 or more.

Top review

Lora

Dined 5 days ago

We always have great service good cocktails delish food and the atmosphere is great

The Knick

4.7

4.7 (2196)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

Come enjoy an upbeat, contemporary dining experience at one of Milwaukee's favorite restaurants. The Knick offers an exciting menu and great nightly specials. A big city feel with friendly service, we offer an unique specialty drink menu and feature over 60 different vodkas from around the world. Enjoy our homemade desserts or a "Great Maltini" as a nightcap after a night on the town. End your weekend with our fabulous brunch and indulge with our signature "Queen Mary".

Top review

joe

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

The Knick is always exceptional. Highly recommended

Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (2426)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

Bacchus - A Bartolotta Restaurant is set in a sleek, stylish space in the Cudahy Tower in downtown Milwaukee. Its menu emphasizes seasonal ingredients and its wine list is among the most extensive in the city. Bacchus offers several exclusive spaces for private events, including a glass-enclosed conservatory. Valet is available Monday through Saturday from 5 - 9 PM.

Reservations are recommended, and we have a 15-minute grace period, so please call us if you are running late.

Top review

Janette

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

The food, ambience, and service are exceptional. Kimberly and Nick are a great team. They made me feel comfortable and well taken care of. I also appreciate the manager checking on me. The octopus starter and kiwi desert were both excellent recommendations. The amazing experience is always well worth the money.

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4.7

4.7 (1763)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Delafield

About the restaurant

A modern American kitchen located in the heart of Lake Country. Small plates, featuring locally sourced ingredients, and craft cocktails headline this farm-to-table restaurant. Choose from the artfully curated wine selection or let the sommelier on staff make expert recommendations. The Sunday brunch menu boasts one-of-a-kind dishes and breakfast classics. Private space for every event--from intimate dinners to large gatherings.

Top review

Dined on Apr 19, 2025

We love all the food and the service was excellent we just wish there was mention of how much cilantro was going to be used in the dishes on the menu! Overall awesome!

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Experience

4-Course Mother's Day Brunch at I.d.

Red Circle Inn

4.7

4.7 (1468)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Nashotah

About the restaurant

- Wisconsin's Oldest Supper Club -

A lot’s happened since we opened our doors in 1848, and I guess you could say we’ve seen it all. From dirt road to plank road to railroad, Red Circle Inn has been serving up good food with good service for generations of people in Lake Country. Over the years, we’ve been a stomping ground for traders, trappers, settlers, working class, high class and everyone in between. There’s so much history in these walls, you can almost taste it.

It was former owner Captain Fred C. Pabst who gave Red Circle Inn its name and iconic red circle logo, a nod to his Pabst Brewing Company. He made the restaurant the place to see and be seen around the lakes, not just for a beer, but for high-quality food and warm hospitality.

Over 170 years later, the legacy lives on. As you enjoy your meal and the nostalgia of Red Circle Inn, you’ll learn why guests have been returning, generation after generation. Some might call Red Circle Inn a legend…that’s fine by us.

Top review

Kevin

Dined 5 days ago

What a hidden gem, absolutely amazing food and service.

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Popular dish

Wedge

Experience

FAMILY STYLE SUNDAY SUPPER

Merriment Social

4.5

4.5 (1001)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

You are cordially invited to experience our industrial-chic neighborhood restaurant located between Walker's Point and the Third Ward serving eclectic, seasonally driven small plates, Milwaukee's favorite burgers, and amazing fried chicken. The restaurant also features an extensive, unique wine by-the-glass selection, craft cocktails, and several varieties of craft beers. We have multiple private dining areas that can accommodate several types of events and celebrations.

Top review

cassie

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

This was our first time here. We would definitely return. I’m very grateful they were open on Easter to accommodate us.

Foxtown Brewing

4.5

4.5 (356)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Mequon

About the restaurant

Foxtown Brewing is steeped in tradition and driven by a passion for great beer. Once the Opitz Zimmerman Brewery in the mid-1800s, Foxtown is a reclamation of Mequon history. We’re not the biggest brewery around, nor the flashiest, but you’ll see that we take brewing very seriously. Every ingredient in every recipe is backed by reason. Our beer is good on purpose.

Top review

Joanne

Dined on Apr 11, 2025

Fish fry was great. Special was sliced beef on a baguette with au jus for dipping. Kind of tasteless. One of us had a Rueben which was good. Great beer choices. Overall the service was good, but really noisy on the enclosed porch. We’ve been here many times. Beautiful building, exposed timbers, beer caves below.

ARIA - The Restaurant at Saint Kate

4.5

4.5 (780)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

ARIA, nestled on the second floor of Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel, is an artful dining experience that captivates with its culinary creativity. Delighting in its offering of Artisanal American cuisine, ARIA transcends tradition and leans into the realm of playful and inventive flavors.

Top review

CHRISTINE

Dined on Apr 21, 2025

Food was wonderful. Service was amazing. LOVE the view! Staff was pleasant. It was an overall great experience. Will return the next time I'm in Milwaukee.

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