Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Milwaukee

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best overall restaurants in Milwaukee? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Screaming Tuna - Mequon

4.8

4.8 (58)

$30 and under

Sushi

Mequon

About the restaurant

Home of Chef Jason Morimoto, Winner of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's Sushi Master Season 2. The Lil' Tuna is the long awaited baby sister to Screaming Tuna Milwaukee. Located in the Mequon Public Market, & serving surprises from proper omakase to ramen & sushi tacos, it's the perfect size sushi bar to put a little extra love into every bite. And when you're done hanging out with the chefs you can peruse the stellar lineup market neighbors: Good City Brewing. Boca Rica. Purple Door Ice Cream. Lakeside Cookie Co. Santorini Grill. Mad Rush Pizza. Aloha Poke.

Top review

VincentVIP

Dined on Jun 14, 2025

First time eating at the Mequon location. It was a terrific experience. A great Fathers Day for me and my family.

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Experience

Weekend At J's: An Omakase Experience

Cafe Manna

4.9

4.9 (898)

$30 and under

Vegetarian / Vegan

Brookfield

About the restaurant

Café Manna is one of the first 100% vegetarian restaurants in Southeastern Wisconsin. We are committed to bringing you fresh, “made from scratch” delicious food. We have produce delivered daily to ensure our dishes are fresh and full flavored. Many of our ingredients are locally grown and chosen for seasonality. Additionally, we use a reverse osmosis water purification system. Café Manna was the first restaurant in Wisconsin to reach the 3-star Green Restaurant Certification level. We have been the Open Table "Diners' Choice" award winner, and also the "Best of Milwaukee" winner for best vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free restaurant. Our fresh menu features many vegan, gluten-free and raw dishes and our specials change up every 2 weeks. Visit us during the summer to enjoy patio dining, or indoors for a more intimate experience. Our friendly staff is ready to serve you!

Top review

Valerie

Dined on May 28, 2025

Incredible food served by an incredible server who is so friendly, smoky and proud of what she is serving. Lovely lovely place. Definitely will go back!

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Experience

Tapas & Tequila

EsterEv

4.9

4.9 (191)

$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

Jeff

Dined on May 2, 2025

EsterEv was fantastic! A great mix of casual atmosphere and next level food! Had the 8 course tasting menu and we let our server decide what the dishes would be. She picked some great ones. We left fulfilled but not stuffed and can’t wait to go back again soon!

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Guest Chef Dinner with Amanda Turner ($140)

Morel

4.9

4.9 (769)

$50 and over

American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

A modern American restaurant that's dedicated to source consciousness, Morel's menu finds inspiration from Chef Jonathan Manyo’s roots: Wisconsin. Morel explores natural flavors, colors, and textures from local farms, purveyors, foragers, and artisans. For eight years, Jonathan has remained dedicated to featuring a menu comprised of nearly 100% Wisconsin-sourced ingredients.

Top review

Brett

Dined 4 days ago

Food was awesome and the staff (including the host, bar, cooking staff and our server) were very knowledgeable and friendly. One of the best dinners we’ve had in a while, definitely going back on our next visit to MKE.

Safina

4.9

4.9 (421)

$31 to $50

Italian

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

It’s been over four years since guests last tasted the Sicilian dishes from longtime Milwaukee restaurant Giovanni’s. But all of that changes with Safina: a new casual Italian concept that comes to the historic building at 785 N. Jefferson St.

Focusing on comforting dishes with roots in Sicily and the southern regions of Italy, Safina's goal is to keep the menu familiar and accessible. The restaurant also features a full bar and second-level seating, complete with wood and marble finishes that highlight the rustic, modern Italian ambiance.

Top review

Brian

Dined on Jun 20, 2025

A gift certificate from a friend brought us to this wonderful Italian restaurant. The beauty of the decor was very inviting and every staff member we encountered greeted us with a smile and welcomed us. The service from our waitress was great and attentive. We split an arugula salad that had cherries, blood oranges and pistachios with a big serving of burrata in the center. It was wonderful and fresh. Our entree was the stuffed filet that was spectacular, flavorful and mouthwatering. We then shared a cannoli and a chocolate mousse dessert that had cherries, whip cream and a sprinkle of mint leaves shavings. Both were awesome. We will definitely be back to enjoy this new favorite in the near future. I highly recommend you try Safina!

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Bavette (Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee)

4.9

4.9 (419)

$31 to $50

Farm-to-table

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

What started out as a butcher shop concept, has evolved and changed over the years to become a full-service restaurant, which was solidified with the restaurant's move to a larger space in 2022. At Bavette, the consumer will enjoy complete transparency of its food moving from farm to plate. Although the butcher shop has been phased out, the restaurant still works with the same farms, and uses the same high quality meats on its menu, which consists of a daily changing menu consisting of salads, sandwiches, small plates, pates, cheese, and charcuterie boards. The restaurant truly is a farm-to-table restaurant, sourcing not only the meat but most of its produce from nearby farms. In addition to the highly seasonal menu, there is a small store featuring chef-curated retail items, such as Wisconsin cheeses, local charcuterie, artisanal jams, pickles, salts, vinegar, and oil. Going along with the thoughtful menu is a select and unique offering of craft beers, wines, and cocktails.

Top review

Ashley

Dined 7 days ago

Wonderful food, interesting flavors, and great staff.

Santino's Little Italy

4.8

4.8 (244)

$30 and under

Italian

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

Santino's Little Italy, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood with rich history echoing years gone by in the City of Milwaukee. The building housing the restaurant is over 130 years old and has been beautifully remodeled by talented designers and carpenters. The vibe has an old school Brooklyn New York feeling and is the perfect place to make wonderful memories with friends and family.

The menu features delicious gourmet pizzas / house-made pastas / salads / appetizers / deserts along with delicious Italian wine / cocktails and are professionally served to you by our attentive staff. Our amazing Neapolitan Style Pizza is hand made with the finest and freshest ingredients and cooked in a 6,000-pound Italian woodfired oven. With humility and gratitude our pizza was ranked nationally as the 46th best pizza in North America and we are very proud to serve many happy diners here in Milwaukee.

Reservations are highly recommended as space is limited. We look forward to serving you.

Top review

Adrienne

Dined 7 days ago

My favorite place for delicious Italian food. The service, attention to detail, everything is always perfect.

ParkSide 23

4.9

4.9 (55)

$30 and under

Farm-to-table

Brookfield

About the restaurant

Gather around the supper table at ParkSide 23 and enjoy a truly one-of-a-kind farm-to-table experience. Choose from a menu full of fresh, innovative dishes made with locally sourced ingredients from Wisconsin farms & businesses you love. Wash it down with one of our locally brewed beers, hand-crafted cocktails or a smooth glass of wine.

PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. RESERVATIONS ARE FOR MAIN DINING ROOM

Top review

Julie

Dined on Jun 24, 2025

Josie our server was just excellent. She made great recommendations and was just very pleasant! Food was great as well as our drinks.

Cafe at The Pfister

4.7

4.7 (383)

$30 and under

American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

Café at The Pfister features a casual full dining area available for breakfast and lunch, as well as a barista counter and patisserie in downtown Milwaukee. We proudly brew Starbucks® Coffee on the go and serve freshly baked-in-house pastries. Whether a quick meeting over coffee, a power breakfast, or a business luncheon, we offer a varied menu from Starbucks® favorites and traditional breakfast items to homemade soups, seasonal salads, a multitude of fresh sandwiches, as well as delicious gluten free and heart-healthy options.

Top review

MarkVIP

Dined 6 days ago

The Café at the Pfister was an enjoyable lunch. Service was a little slow. Food was satisfying. Staff was friendly and polite.

Central Standard Crafthouse and Kitchen

4.8

4.8 (360)

$30 and under

American

Milwaukee

About the restaurant

WE DO NOT OFFER FOOD SERVICE OR RESERVATIONS ON OUR ROOFTOP PATIO, WHICH IS "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED". We highly encourage you to make a reservation in the main dining room and then head up for a cocktail or two after! For groups larger than 4, please call the restaurant (414) 455-8870.

Located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Central Standard Distillery's Crafthouse & Kitchen is an experience like none other. Enjoy culinary creations from our scratch kitchen or stop by for a few of our award winning cocktails at the bar or lounge created with Central Standard spirits.

Exec. Chef David Sapp
Sous Chef Noah Shirikian

Top review

Anne

Dined 4 days ago

Fun atmosphere with delicious food and drinks! Best salmon I have had in years.

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