The Best Comfort Food in Milwaukee

Saz's State House

★★★★☆ 3.5 (251) • $$

"I've certainly enjoyed a Saz's sampler or two during Summerfest but I don't think I've formally dined in at their State House location until now.Saw that they have been around since 1976 (nearly 50 years! ) - I didn't realize they were THAT old, but I love to see restaurants that have been around for decades.The architecture/decor was certainly a more classic feel (not sure I would have guessed as far back as the 70's though) - has that "old Milwaukee" charm to it.Of course, we ordered their cheese curds - 'cause, how could we not?Now... I'm 90% sure the chalkboard promoted the "Beast Burger" - it was definitely the burger of the month for January and had, I want to say, 4(?) animals to make up the protein of the burger.It had me really intrigued, so I went with it. Needless to say, I left just beyond the line of comfortably full.I'll need to return to try other regular menu items, since I'll likely not luck out to get a Beast Burger on my next visit."

Fork & Tap

★★★★☆ 3.7 (98) • $$

"Six of us stopped in this afternoon on our way home from a girl's trip to Chicago. We were warmly welcomed and seated quickly. Many of the girls hadn't been to a "don't poke the hole" beer place before and had some questions. Our waitress was very kind and took the time to explain how the beer pour works and answered questions about the menu. Most of us had the wonderful smash burgers. One tried a chicken salad and one a chicken sandwich with a side of Brussels sprouts. All of us ate every bite and loved our meals. It was a very nice stop and we all said we would be back. I have been several times and have never been disappointed. It is a great place to stop in any season - warm and cozy in the winter, and beautiful views on the patio in summer and fall. I feel comfortable when with a group or when my husband and I pop in for a quick sandwich."

1700 Pull Up

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (14)

"We pulled up just as the restaurant was opening for Saturday brunch and were the first and only patrons. Very friendly and welcoming staff. Nice to see the restaurant as one of several businesses along the block helping to revitalize the neighborhood. A DJ was spinning 80's and 90's tunes, clean and nicely decorated. Be sure to check the menu online or note it changes daily. Took a little longer to receive our order but as the sign says on the door "Good food, not fast food". Wife ordered catfish and grits. Decent size of catfish and well seasoned. Grits were ok. She rated her order a 7/10. I had the chicken and waffle which came with 3 chicken strips and 2 waffles. Chicken well seasoned and hot, waffles were warm and a little harder than I prefer but overall tasty. I gave my order a 7/10. Also ordered lemon drop cocktail from the all day happy hour menu for 3 bucks. Decent size, good taste and a 9/10. Wife ordered peach cobbler for dessert. Good amount of peaches but not enough crust. Wife felt it needed more nutmeg but still tasty and we give it 7/10. We were there about 90 mins and more patrons began to arrive. My only negative is when we paid our check, the restaurant adds a surcharge for dining on Saturday which should be posted or told when ordering. Hmmmm, the waiter said it's due to how busy the restaurant is on Saturdays. Overall good vibes, clean restaurant, friendly staff, good music and good food. A much needed establishment in this area of the city. I would visit again and you should give it a try."

Sawmill Inn Restaurant and Pub

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (205) • $$

"Service was good however the food should stand on its own and it didn't. We ordered the Friday fish fry and the poor mad lobster. Neither of the orders were hot, warm at best. The potato pan cakes were cold not even warm and tasted as if they were boiled instead of fried. The fish was mediocre at best but only warm not hot. The coleslaw was ok but it was room temperature not cold...go figure! The poor man's lobster was again only warm and tasteless. The one good thing that we got out of this visit is now we know we won't be back."

Comet Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"As I mentioned in a previous review, I was gifted this very cool coupon book with deals at women-owned businesses. Much to my delight, Comet Cafe, is featured in that book!We dropped by on a wintry Sunday evening. The sort of evening that practically begs for comfort food. Knowing they have ample portions, we didn't opt for a starter this time. We were also headed to cocktails after, so we didn't order those either. For my main, I got the cheesy tomato sandwich with fries. My dining companion got their vegan salisbury steak and an order of their Harissa roasted carrots (which I believe was a limited special). My sandwich was just the kind of ooey gooey, cheesy delight I was hoping for. The fries are on the thin side and I ordered some of their spicy aioli to go along, which gave them just the oomph they needed. My dining companion was kind enough to offer a bite of his carrots (so flavorful with a nice kick of spice) and his vegan salisbury steak (served over a bed of mashed potatoes and smothered with gravy, it was the coziest comfort food ever). Our server was absolutely lovely in every single way. Get to it!"

Dr Dawg

★★★★☆ 4.1 (256) • $

"They have a VARIETY of hot dogs on the menu along with burgers and chicken options as well for a pretty reasonable price. the burger was very good and loved the barbecue sauce they have. The hot dogs were very good, nothing mind blowingStaff was super friendly!!"

Bierock

★★★★☆ 4.4 (62)

"Food is good, beer selection is awesome. They have sports on TV, great live music. The bar is often staffed by owner Brian, with co-owner Amanda cooking in back. Very friendly people. Lucky to have on North side."

Lina's cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (15)

"9.75 for a steak breakfast, what's even better is it was 23 dollars for 2 people to have a full breakfast... you cannot beat them prices, and it was very good food ... excellent and friendly staff... this is the diamond in the ruff people look for .. highly recommend"

Liberty Station

★★★★☆ 4 (169) • $$

"We were seated at a booth in the bar area. The booths are really high, so expect to be able to climb or hop. Our server was hard to read, but overall was not the most pleasant-seemed a bit annoyed in general, which was off putting. The food was good. I had the BBQ pork sandwich with fries. Fries are seasoned well and the sandwich was really tasty. I will return and give the service another try. I am only docking a star due to the service."

Mr. J's Lounge

★★★★☆ 4 (10) • $$

"The atmosphere is cool, relaxed and a dandy time. Running into old friends, singing your favorite tunes and meeting new people is what I got from Mr. J's. The waitress's are ok, but the bar food was actually GOOD! Lol. The waitress was a little lackluster, and looked a bit worn down, unlike my last experienced here. The fried party wings are juicy and tasty, so yummy. The sausage / pepperoni pizza took me back to my childhood, great memories of the best pizza topped with delicious cheese. They have a parking lot with a security guard, but it was full by the time we came, however, there was plenty of street parking available. I didn't like the security search down at the door. (But I guess it's necessary) they checked my purse and my body before letting me in... again, I guess I should appreciate it, it's for my own safety after all. The guards were not friendly. (Which is the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5) The MUSIC WAS GREAT!!! A female DJ played a variety of songs, covering the 60s, 70s through today's music, I really enjoyed myself. Oh, they also have a dance floor, so feel free to "cut a rug" lol. . Perfect place for social gatherings. Have a great attitude and have FUN!"

JC'S Pub

★★★☆☆ 3 (21)

"Dinner dateMy dad passed away last year and my mom had some Groupons that she wanted to take advantage of. Enter, me. This is totally not the place I'd generally go, nor expect my parents to go. This is your standard West Allis corner bar where locals end up, but it's got a great atmosphere and the food isn't bad either. On the first stop I had a burger which was just so-so, but I really enjoyed their Old Fashioned. On the second stop, I had a delish 12" ham and pineapple (spicy!) pizza which made for great leftovers. Staff is friendly. I'll definitely stop again without the Groupon in the future."

Garden Prairie Cafe

★★★★★ 4.8 (4)

"Great classic Americana diner. Biscuits and gravy are delicious. Their lunch menu is good too. Try the prairie melt!"

The Steerage Dining Saloon

★★★★★ 4.6 (55)

"Great experience! Really epic ambiance and great food and drinks! Friendly staff. I highly recommend and will be visiting again."

Restaurante El Panzon

★★★★☆ 4.4 (25)

"Since my original review, El Panzo has expanded its interior with more seating and a full service bar and I couldn't be happier. It has become my fave in the Madison area. Their cemitas are still stellar but don't sleep on their tacos. They are all well seasoned and extremely flavorful. I love their tacos arabe. Served on a flour tortilla, this precursor to El Pastor is outstanding. Friendly staff and great drinks round out the experience."

MOXIE Food + Drink

★★★★☆ 4 (116) • $$

"My friend suggested Moxie for her birthday dinner recently, which she noted on our reservation.We arrived and were seated in the weird little first table which sits behind the reception desk and in its own little plexi cubicle. The placed was packed to the gills and quite loud. Our waitress was fine, but had she been more attentive, we would have ordered more and brought our ticket total higher. She was a little neglectful despite there being a large number of employees who seemed to just walk back and forth across the restaurant floor.The burrata was good - it's hard to mess that up. Our salads were disgustingly overdressed and a soggy brown mess. My friend's chick piccata was fine, she said. My mushroom ragout was better in theory than in practice. It was bland and there was a lot of fibrous herb and vegetable matter I had to keep pulling out of my mouth. Gross.No one on staff acknowledged the birthday that was on the reservation. It was a disappointing night and my first visit will likely be my last."

Tanners Grill & Bar

★★★★☆ 4 (24)

"Atmosphere: Sports bar environment with high top tables and booths. Lots of seating. Big screen TVs with sports on. Quite a bit of parking in the lot which was nice. Service: Greeted right away when walking in. Efficient server that was knowledgeable about the menu. Food came out fast too. Food: Standard bar food (pizza/wings/burgers/wraps/fried apps). We ordered the app basket and the boneless wings. The sauces on the wings was really good. The boneless wings had a lot of breading on them but they were juicy on the inside. The app basket was standard prepackaged frozen to fried food. The chips in the app basket were a bit thick and needed salt. Drinks: Beers were nice and cold, decent list of options to choose from.This place is close by and I'm going to be going back to try more items off the menu, maybe some of their other items aren't prepackaged frozen and have a bit more flavor. I'll update my review then."

Norske Nook Restaurant & Bakery

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (189) • $$

"PIE!PIE!PIES! Classic Midwest pies that only your grandma can make! You have to get the raisin rum meringue, heaven on earth taste! Location was easy to find, lots of Norse breakfast and old world favorite! Don't miss this if you're in Madison or on your way to the Dells!"

MACS - Macaroni And Cheese Shop

★★★★☆ 3.9 (119) • $

"When I'm craving mac and cheese, Macs always satisfies this craving. Added bonus is their kids menu; the meals come with a drink and side."

Mother’s Day Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (4)

"Mother's Day may not look like much on the outside, and is a bit outdated on the inside, but the breakfast here is fantastic. We stopped here mid-November of 2023 on our way back from the Dells in search of a diner that served home-style meals. Mother's Day did exactly that with quick and friendly service. My husband's traditional breakfast of eggs, hash browns, toast and bacon was served hot and delicious, and my biscuits and gravy were just what I needed after spending a weekend of indulging. The biscuits were soft, the gravy creamy and savory, the hash browns and bacon crispy and the eggs nice and fluffy.There are a lot of breakfast options here, and I don't see where you could wrong with any of them. No nonsense, no frills, just a good home cooked meal to get your day started right."

Tofte's Table

★★★★★ 4.7 (357) • $$$

"This place is top notch! Between four of us we had 8 different dishes and we loved them all. The prices are reasonable and the service was lovely. The only thing I will knock is the chicken drumstick just a little, I guess the hype was too much and while it was a nice delicious drumstick it was only a chicken drumstick. I can't wait to go back and try some new things and have some of my new favorites again!"

Jazz Comfort Food And Catering

★★★★★ 5 (2)

"REALLY good! This was a food truck that was at Art History in Geneva - we were actually late but the gentleman that was in the truck stayed late and we were SO glad he did! We tried RIBEYE MACARONI & CHEESE & the BEAT'BOPPIN BBQ RIBS - both were amazing! The meat was so easy to cut I used my plastic spoon! The flavors were so good - not spicy but super flavorful!!"

Golden Chicken

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (24) • $

"Chicken here is always good... actually most of the food is decent and always hot and fresh. My only complaint is I feel the prices are a bit high compared to fast food chicken places but it is what it is..."

Meyer's Restaurant Bar & Banquet Hall

★★★☆☆ 3 (120) • $$

"Excellent variety of foods and service was friendly and pleasant. Tender chicken and flavorful fish and delicious whipped potatoes hit the spot! Coleslaw was a little tart but maybe it's just me."

The Soup Market

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (44)

"This Soup Market is located on Vliet street on the south side of the Washington Heights area. It is a small retail store front that has limited seating and appears to be set up mostly for carry out.I've been to this location twice, now. Both times, I have gone to get soup to carry out. Both times, I have ordered the tomato bisque, which I think is outstanding; some of the best tomato bisque I have eaten.Price point, wise, some may consider the soup may be a bit expensive. I've only purchased the quart to go and notice that I pay several dollars more for the quart than at other restaurants that sell soup-to-go.It is nice to have a neighborhood soup shop so close to home. Its convenient to park at the unrestricted street curb, run in, and take some delicious soup home for a quick meal."

Coaches

★★★★★ 4.8 (32)

"I saw Coaches in the Eleven25 at the Pabst Food Hall a few times, while visiting other restaurants, but the new Ritual app, offering a $1 meal from Coaches, sparked an immediate visit.I ordered a 2-piece fried chicken dinner with mac-n-cheese and a "biscuit," which I'd say is more of a beignet. Everything was perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, and delicious. I vowed to return to try the catfish that I was eyeing on the menu.Monday night, I went back for the catfish dinner with fries and mac-n-cheese (because I liked it so much the first time), and the "biscuit." again, everything was perfect! The catfish was slightly crisp and white and flaky inside. The fries were perfectly cooked, and obviously cooked in clean oil, which helps make the fries great. Coaches adds to make my difficult food decision at this food hall because every place is great, and now I have another to choose from. It's a great addition to Milwaukee's first food hall, along with meat on the Street, Marco Pollo, and Bento Xpert! Coaches has a $2 burger special on Tuesdays, but you can get a burger and fries for $4.99 any day at Coaches, so I think the burger is next on my list to try there."

Karol's Kitchen And Catering

★★★☆☆ 3 (4)

"Karol's Kitchen food truck came to my apartment location on Brewers Hill; very timely as it turned out, because I'd invited my G'Daughter, her husband, and G'G'Son for dinner. The portions were large and delicious. Among us we had BBQ wings, pork chops, catfish (crispy outside with cornmeal coating), yams, greens (fabulous!!) with bits of meat, cornbread and Mac'n cheese, I've lived in Tennessee, Georgia, and Wash DC, plus the South Shore area of Chicago (WAY BACK). I go for soul food when and where I can find it. Mmmmm.... bullseye."

River Run Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3 (20) • $

"Very surprising. My son and I did a little fishing on the river and wanted a quick breakfast. Decided to give River Run a try, wasn't expecting anything special. For a Wednesday morning it was fairly busy. The waitress did a good job keeping up with the coffee and had a pleasant attitude. Food came very fast and was portioned very heavy for the low price. My sons French toast was huge and the hash browns were crispy and delicious. I was surprised how good the meal was and will be back for more quick breakfasts."

1878 on the Lake

★★★★☆ 3.5 (44)

"Wonderful lake views. Enjoyable atmosphere. Solid food. We had a chance to dine at 1878 during a recent stay at Lake Lawn Resort. I'll preface with a disclaimer that the service is indeed quite slow here. I think it's because it's the main restaurant on the resort "compound" if you will, so everyone comes here which means you're really on their time.The husband and I both started off with a mimosa, a refreshing start to brunch. I ordered the egg white frittata and would say it was A-OK. It had sauteed spinach, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and arugula. Just a little on the dry side. It also came with a generous bowl of seasonal fruit. My husband had the chorizo egg tacos, to his enjoyment. We also added a side of bacon and side of sausage to our order to share. Overall I felt the bill was a bit pricey for what ya get, but all in all it was still a lovely breakfast.Loved the decor here. Very elegant with crisp clean furniture, unique light fixtures, and an overall airy feel to the place."

Rye

★★★★☆ 4 (180) • $$$

"Went on a Friday evening around 6:15. 1.5 hour wait for table, recommend reservations. They had available seating outside on the sidewalk, nice evening so definitely took advantage of this no wait option. There is street parking, and red ramp garage nearby. Seated outside promptly. Water immediately provided. Good options on the menu. Plenty of drinks. Had the short rib mushroom rage and a wedge salad and a Diet Coke. The salad was great. I would get it again. Lettuce was fresh. Ranch dressing I selected was good. Pickled onions were a nice touch. I enjoyed the maple pepper bacon. The entree was also delish. Extremely flavorful and tasty. Noodles were great texture, short ribs tender. Great variety of fresh mushrooms. Service was fast and attentive. Nice evening to sit outside. There is street noise so enjoyed the music of the passing cars. A great meal. Recommend. Note the dress is business casual or higher. Fortunately with jeans I sat outside!"

The Coop

★★★★★ 4.5 (172) • $$

"Nice friendly welcome and great food. Love the eggs classic and the bacon is excellent. Coffee is very good. Always busy but wait times move quickly"

Black Pig

★★★★☆ 3.9 (258) • $$

"We really enjoyed Black Pig. We had a caesar salad & the house fries to start, as well as a Cherry Stout and their Oat Fashioned on tap. My wife enjoyed the fish (halibut, we think) special, and I had the Iberian Pork Pluma, which turned out to be super tender with two delicious sauces incorporated. We also had a dessert but I don't remember the details other than that it was good. Portions were generous (we got another meal out of the entrees). Didn't take any food photos this time, sorry!"