Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen

The food was delicious and the cocktails taste amazing. We ordered three different sandwiches:meatloaf sooo good and differentMilwaukee cheesesteak perfectly cooked and full of flavorBeer can chicken tender and tastyEspresso Martini - the bestBourbon Old Fashioned - a nice mix of flavors

OK - I'd like to be positive but I just can't. I'm still annoyed (from last night's outing) and that's a bit uncommon. The positives are the charming, well-appointed build out of the space and its overall character which are just spot on. The feel and sense of distillery-themed, exposed brick, creative/comfortable/midwest urban thing are all there. It's too bad that the service was just above college-kids-attempt-gastropub-management and food is only approximating what it should otherwise be.Directing people to wait while open tables are evident in decent number (a ploy to get more pre-seating drinks rolling?), a slower-than-molasses bar crew (OMG - I'm standing there watching a multiple bartenders muddle drinks while several customers are waiting patiently and obviously for bar front service with the occasionally disinterested glance from the oh-so burdened drink mixing crew made for an infuriating and disappointing start to the evening. Once seated, the impatient and apparently annoyed server immediately asks if we are ready to place our order and was a bit put off as we hadn't yet really looked at the main menu. The food arrived in a very efficient amount of time but Its hard to describe our feelings about it. The food is of a high caliber. The chicken piccata was cooked absolutely perfect. It was juicy and hot and accompanied by asparagus and a substantial side of capellini. What they did with the "picatta" sauce itself however is a bit of a mystery. It tasted much more like a marsala dish but with capers added. Overall it was tolerable (again - perfectly cooked chicken) but needs a rethink at minimum. As for the banh mi wrap - WTF? First of all I didn't really catch the "wrap" part of the dish until I was ordering (I sometimes go into automated ordering mode when the two words BANH MI are put next to one another) but I thought to myself - that's an odd assemblage but I let it go hoping their culinary creativeness was up to the task. Well - if it were only the wrap that was wrong with this! First off it had some distinct spiciness that was a straight up turn off on this type of sandwich - even for a spice hound such as myself. Then was the carrot/daikon mix which was missing almost any daikon, was finely shredded as opposed to thick and banh mi classical texture, and lastly was MUSHY. Mushy banh mi veggies are a no-no regardless of anything else. And lastly, If there were any fresh herbs on that wrap (another joy of a good banh mi) I certainly couldn't taste them. If the picatta dish needs a rethink, the banh mi needs an URGENT DELETE.I'm sorry to say that I don't have any plans to return. I think our city needs more restaurants along this vector (sharply presented, aiming higher, and beautifully designed). I would start with a stronger front of house manager and put in the work to move from a distillery that can cook to an urban gastro-pub that can carry its own weight as a stand alone restaurant.

What a great space! Wandered in during a weekend trip to Milwaukee and would definitely make it a stop again! Happened to be during their anniversary celebration so, got some party treats and a boozy ice cream tasting! Their rooftop is cute, but no shade at all, and could be a little more seating. The view is of the highway, but....what can you do? Definitely a cute little space. The downstairs was bright and open, plenty of seating and tables, and we ordered a round. Non alcoholic drinks were reallyGood too, and everyone was super kind and polite!

So my sister and I decided to stop at Central standard for lunch today. When you first walk in we notice how exceptionally clean it is!!! The ambience decor is so cute!! We then ordered our lunch. I had a fish sandwich with coleslaw and some really good seasoned french fries. My sister had a salad with Gorgonzola cheese. It was absolutely delicious. Oh, she also had vegan chili, which was a little bit on the spicy side, but so spicy good! We both ended up getting Brandy old-fashioned's. But my sister got the Brandy old-fashioned with toasted rosemary!! It was outstanding!! Our service, our bartender, who was also our waiter by the name of Max was extremely outgoing, greeted us with a humongous smile and treated us as if we were queens for the day! We will definitely return. Thanks for making our afternoon so special.

Date of service: July 9, 2024We wanted to go somewhere nice for our anniversary as our friend was taking us out. She was looking for somewhere with a rooftop and I had heard that Central Standard had a good one but I found out after placing the reservation that the rooftop was just for drinks (odd, but okay) but we went ahead and stuck with the dining room for dinner.Central Standard went all out for the occasion! Unfortunately much of it was wasted on me as I don't drink and they gave us a free flute of sparkling chardonnay and a nice card signed by the staff. They also came around with a special limited edition whiskey (again, wasted on me).Food was a bit more uneven: The cheese curds were quite good, but the fries were pretty meh. The aioli was definitely the best part there. I had the shrimp and scallops and was quite underwhelmed for the price. But I would definitely come back and try again based on the wonderful experience!

Saw the place as a top Yelp destination, and it was okay. Nothing special and very expensive. Food was good, service was meh. Cool place but the rating in comparison to other spots isn't accurate to our experience.

I ate here for downtown dining week and the food was good. It's a distillery so they a lot of ales, etc you can try. The service is fast and friendly. They also have a rooftop overlooking i94 and downtown area, which is great for watching the fireworks in the summer.

Went before a concert, place was lively and busy. Cute ambiance, wait staff was nice and food was quick and delish. just a little loud in my opinion, wouldn't recommend for something intimate but rather a social situation

While visiting Milwaukee we wanted to try a fun spot for brunch and landed on Central Standard Crafthouse. To start, the inside is very spacious with a cool vibe. Our server was attentive and kind. Unfortunately, the food to me was a bit lackluster. Nothing terribly bad about it, but pretty bland. Each dish was really lacking in seasoning and we left a bit disappointed by our meals.Overall, this seems to be more of a trendy spot for pictures and/or events. To be fair, we didn't try out any of their cocktails. However, if you're looking for quality food, maybe steer clear.

The perfect spot for an after-work happy hour with colleagues! Great drinks, delicious snacks, and a great atmosphere supporting an awesome local business. What more could you want?!