SPECIAL BEST OF MILWAUKEE | PRESENTED BY BUNZEL'S OLD-FASHIONED MEAT MARKET & CATERING
D I N I N G O UT AFRICAN RESTAURANT
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH
Ethiopian Cottage Restaurant
Blue's Egg
ethiopiancottagerest.com 1824 N. Farwell Ave.
The restaurant's name refers to the traditional dwellings of Ethiopia, where the delicious stews redolent of Africa and the Near East were prepared over open fires and arrayed on a crepe-like sourdough called injera. The hearty tradition is kept alive at Ethiopian Cottage, which features an assortment of meat and vegetarian options plus Ethiopian beer, coffee, tea and honey wine. (David Luhrssen)
FINALISTS:
• Alem Ethiopian Village • Blue Star Cafe • Immy's African Cuisine
BAR FOOD
Camino
434 S. Second St. CaminoMKE.com Located in Walker’s Point, Camino combines the charm of a dive bar with the food of a top-notch eatery. A craft beer pairs well with plenty of deep-fried options, as well as an array of pierogis, wings and sandwiches. A quick bite to go with your drink or a full meal are available here, and all of their specialties are done very well. (Allen Halas)
FINALISTS:
• Pete's Pub • Steny's Tavern & Grill • The Stillery
BARBECUE/RIBS
Double B's BBQ Restaurant & Timbers MKE Style BBQ Food Truck 7420 W. Greenfield Ave. doublebs.com
Double B’s believes barbecue is an art. Their hickory-smoked ribs, brisket and chicken are cooked low and slow. They’ve got burgers, too, and along with mac and cheese, coleslaw and cornbread that compliment a true barbecue meal.(Sheila Julson)
FINALISTS: BARBECUE • Heaven's Table BBQ • Iron Grate BBQ Co. • Smoke Shack
FINALISTS: RIBS
• Pitch's Lounge & Restaurant • Sandras On The Park • Smoke Shack
40 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
317 N. 76th St. bluesegg.com
If it’s breakfast or brunch (or both), then Blue’s Egg is the place to go for unique approaches to traditional dishes. Hash browns get special treatment: pulled ham, aged Provolone, chicken Chorizo roasted mushroom. And for those watching their calories, there’s even skinny browns. And that’s just the beginning. (Harry Cherkinian)
FINALISTS: BREAKFAST • Honey Butter Cafe • Mad Rooster Cafe • Sweet Diner
FINALISTS: BRUNCH • Sweet Diner • The Noble • Sabrosa Cafe
BREW PUB/FISH FRY FRIED CHEESE CURDS
Lakefront Brewery 1872 N. Commerce St. lakefrontbrewery.com
More of a beer hall than a pub, Lakefront’s hospitality is legendary, and so are their beers. Their spacious bar and dining area, overlooking the river, feature their array of beers and an extensive restaurant menu with everything from Friday fish fry and cheese curds to mac & cheese, brats and kielbasa. Don’t miss their famous brewery tour! (Barry Houlehen)
FINALISTS: BREW PUB
• Eagle Park Brewing Company • Faklandia Brewing • The Explorium Brewpub Third Ward
FINALISTS: FISH FRY • • • •
Kegel's Inn The Packing House Sandras on the Park The Stillery
FINALISTS: FRIED CHEESE CURDS • AJ Bombers • Camino • Faklandia Brewing
BUFFET
Maharaja
1550 N. Farwell Ave. maharajahrestaurants.com After the pandemic, Maharaja cut back its famously popular lunch buffet to Saturday and Sunday only. On weekdays, they offer instead a $13 lunch special with many options to satisfy longtime fans of the restaurant (unless you were one of those people who filled your plate four times at the buffet line). (David Luhrssen)
FINALISTS: • • • • •
Casablanca Golden Corral Buffet & Grill India Garden New China Buffet Singha Thai Restaurant
BURGERS/ICE CREAM-FROZEN CUSTARD STANDS
Kopp’s
Multiple locations kopps.com Kopp’s opened its first location in 1950 and is considered one of the “Big Three” of Milwaukee’s frozen custard legacy. Although they offer standard vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavored frozen custard, they’re known for more exotic concoctions like blueberry cheesecake, tiramisu or peanut butter, along with a “flavor of the day.” Their generously sized “jumbo” burgers are available with a range of toppings. (Sheila Julson)
FINALISTS: BURGERS • AJ Bombers • Crafty Cow • Oscar's Pub & Grill
FINALISTS: ICE CREAM-FROZEN CUSTARD STAND: • Gilles Frozen Custard • Kilwins Milwaukee Bayshore • Leon's Frozen Custard
BURRITO/MEXICAN RESTAURANT/TACO
Café Corazón
Multiple Locations corazonmilwaukee.com Clearly there is a lot to like about Café Corazon. When you have Milwaukee’s best burrito, taco, and margarita, you’ve got to be the best Mexican restaurant! The fun and colorful decor, pleasant waitstaff, locally sourced ingredients, and excellent vegan and gluten free options only add to Corazon’s popularity. (Susan Harpt Grimes)
FINALISTS: BURRITO • • • •
Botanas Restaurant Electric Lime Taqueria Jalisco Restaurant Mr. Señor's
FINALISTS: MEXICAN RESTAURANT • Botanas Restaurant • Electric Lime Taqueria • Guanajuato Mexican Restaurant
FINALISTS: TACO
• Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria • Electric Lime Taqueria • Paloma Taco and Tequila
