Best Curious Restaurants In Milwaukee Near Me

4worldlovers: Zarletti was established in 2004 and is a fine dining northern Italian style restaurant located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee.

Brian C. Zarletti focuses on creating flavorful, northern-regional Italian inspired dishes from lessons learned in his grandmother’s kitchen, and on his extensive travels throughout Italy.

Dine confidently with us or in the comfort of your home with our contactless curbside to-go service

Pre-order a full or half tray of our delicious handmade take & bake lasagne.

4worldlovers:
Book your wedding, party or meeting at this iconic restaurant. Family-owned for over 120 years.


Mader’s is the #1 rated German restaurant in Mid America by Trip Advisor


The arrival of the Internet has brought the dawn of accurate restaurant ratings. They gather opinions from thousands of guests, not just a single critic. The biggest is Trip Advisor. TripAdvisor’s hundreds of millions of users currently rank Mader’s the fifth best of 1,270 Milwaukee restaurants, and Milwaukees’ best ethnic restaurant. Trip Advisor also awarded Mader’s it’s Award of Excellence. Well respected Open Table currently ranks Mader’s 4.6 of 5 stars.

4worldlovers: It is the philosophy of Sanford Restaurant to start with the finest possible ingredients, coming from as close to home as possible, supporting local farms and artisans whenever possible. We then treat those ingredients with the utmost respect, coaxing and elevating the natural flavor to the highest possible level.

Our inspiration starts with the seasonal bounty of produce. As Sandy always said when fresh tomatoes are here we will use them, when they are done we will wait until next year. Embracing what each season will bring, we then take great care in the development of the menu.

Our food, in large part, is described as Modern Ethnic. We like to take taste profiles and food traditions from the world over and integrate them into modern dishes. Exploring these traditions became a great passion of Justin’s when he started to explore his own Armenian heritage and family recipes, which are often included in the daily menu.

As important as the food is to our vision, the service and comfort of our guests plays an equally important part. We want our guests to feel comfortable, as if they have been invited into our home. We strive to be attentive but not intrusive and to always anticipate our guests’ needs. Over the last twenty plus years Sandy and Angie’s travels and experiences around the world have helped to shape the service at Sanford. Our goal is to continue these methods to ensure that each person leaves Sanford having had an outstanding dining experience.

Justin Aprahamian entered the culinary world at the age of 12 helping out with his uncle’s catering company. What started as small family favors ended up being the beginning of Justin’s intrigue to the culinary field. At the age of 16 Justin applied for work at the chef owned and operated, Steven Wades Café. Wanting to learn all aspects of a kitchen he accepted a job as dishwasher and worked his way up to garde manger. During his time at Wades, Justin graduated high school and immediately enrolled in the culinary program at Waukesha County Technical College.

At the age of 18 Justin’s eagerness and determination earned him an associate’s degree in May of 2002. At this time he joined the kitchen staff at Sanford Restaurant, then owned by renowned Chef Sanford D’Amato and his wife Angie. Hired as a prep cook, his drive and passion helped him to move up the line and by 2005 was promoted to Sous Chef.

After working closely with Sandy on recipe and menu development as well as the daily function, he was named Chef de Cuisine in 2008. In 2010 and 2011 Justin was honored as a semifinalist for Rising Star Chef from the James Beard Foundation. In 2011 and 2012 he also received nominations for Best Chef Midwest. In December of 2012 Justin purchased Sanford Restaurant from his mentors, the D’Amato’s. He had kept a number of the Sanford “staples” as well as implemented a few of his own inspirations. One major addition was the extended beer list, including a seasonal selection which changes with the seasons and a cellar list of hand-picked beers he has been aging for several years. In 2013 and 2014 Justin was again nominated for Best Chef Midwest and in May of 2014 he was honored with the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Midwest.

Sandy D’Amato grew up in Milwaukee, where his father and grandfather operated a grocery store for nearly 80 years. He attended the Culinary Institute of America where he studied under Chef Peter Von Erp. Shortly thereafter he became the first American cook at Le Veau d’Or and worked under Chef Roland Chenus through the groundbreaking opening of Le Chantilly. D’Amato returned to Milwaukee and made his mark as the chef at John Byron’s restaurant in the First Wisconsin Center.

4worldlovers:
After a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus we are thrilled to bring Comet back to Milwaukee! Comet is once again part of the PIE Inc gang – which includes Honeypie, Palomino, SmallPie and Honeypie Bakeshop Milwaukee and Chicago. Comet is where our restaurant group started in 2005 being our first café that we operated before opening Honeypie (our second), in 2009. It was also in 2009 that we landed ourselves on the Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” forever cementing Comet into national food history (at least in TV reruns). In 2015 we sold Comet to our then partners and focused on growing Honeypie and Palomino, opening SmallPie, and expanding the Bakeshop to Chicago. We are over the moon to have Comet back in our care.


Opened in 1995, Comet started as a small coffee shop slinging amazing sandwiches and delicious, strong coffee that you could linger over with a cigarette (it was the 90’s) – Comet has from the start been a loved third space for many. Comet operated as that tiny punk-rock café until 2005 when PIE Inc partnered and expanded Comet into the space it is now. We introduced a full bar and scratch-made diner food that we sourced locally (rare to find at the time) in addition to the classic sandwiches and coffee menu Comet started with. Comet has held a special place in so many lives in its 25+ year history – it has been a neighborhood hangout, a place for first dates and engagements, birthday celebrations, family meals, hangover cures, band meetings, business meetings, Beer School and book clubs. It has been a place for every age and welcoming to everyone.


You’ll notice a few things are different now than when you were likely last here. Some of it is on purpose, some of it is a by-product of current industry issues. We have done our best to preserve the favorite menu items from the history of Comet – while also updating a few things to match our current times. The pandemic really rocked the restaurant industry, and we still have not fully recovered. Restaurants are still struggling with supply chain issues, rising costs, and extreme staffing shortages. All of us are doing the best with what we’ve got – we are an endlessly creative industry after all – but it does mean that most restaurants are still not open 7 days a week, have eliminated services, have smaller menus, etc, etc. Our priority at PIE Inc. is to keep the integrity of our restaurants in place – from-scratch, responsibly sourced food, great service for our community, support, kindness and a good living for our talented teams. The choices we make for our operations put those values first and sometimes that means we have to take something else away to stay true to them (R.I.P cupcakes). We hope you understand! It is a privilege to operate Comet and be here to feed and care for you all once again. We promise to do our best to keep Comet a special place for another 25 years.


We can’t wait to see you! – Valeri Lucks, Founder, CEO and Managing Partner & Derek Petersen, Executive Chef and Managing Partner, PIE Inc.


We strive to be a great employer, a valuable part of our community and a fun place to work!


Comet is once again part of PIE INC. We are a small but growing company that includes Palomino, Honeypie Cafe, Honeypie Bakeshop-Milwaukee, SmallPie, and Honeypie Bakeshop-Chicago. (We originally operated Comet from 2005-2015 and we are thrilled to operate Comet once again!)

4worldlovers: Experience the inviting aromas of Mason Street Grill and the best food in Milwaukee - we've been voted as having one of the best steaks in Milwaukee! From our wood-fired grill to our craft cocktails you'll love everything we have to offer. At Mason Street Grill, we want you to be a part of the family; come see why we are one of the best restaurants in milwaukee.


Take advantage of The Pfister's parking options when you dine at Mason Street Grill. On Sunday-Wednesday, park in the attached garage and get up to 4 hours of your parking validated. On Thursday-Saturday, take advantage of $10 valet parking.

4worldlovers: A classic checkered-tablecloth Italian restaurant, Calderone Club dishes up mounds of delicious pasta like Mamma used to make. It also makes some of the city's most beloved thin crust pizza.

Classic, old-school touches shine through this Downtown Italian’s copious menu, including fried eggplant, veal piccata, chicken parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs. Pizza is also a big deal here too. The recipe for Calderone’s pies comes from the Caradaro Club, a pioneer of the Milwaukee thin-crust style.

Our traditional, award winning, Neapolitan thin-crust pizza is from the original Third Ward Caradero Club recipe dating back to 1945.

Made fresh every day entirely from imported durum wheat semolina and fresh eggs with only the finest extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

A Wisconsin supper club tradition – still served with fresh Italian bread, a garden salad and your choice of potato or pasta.

Calderone Club has been a staple of the Milwaukee restaurant scene for decades. Our long history is a testament to the love our patrons have for our food, ambiance, and service.

“Calderone Club truly has Italian cuisine and hospitality down to a science. I look forward to my next visit.”

“Besides the great menu and great food, Calderone Club is in a great location in downtown Milwaukee, well-situated for dinner before a concert or show.”

4worldlovers: Small plates, big ideas! Odd Duck serves an ever-changing globally inspired small plate and shareable menu featuring local ingredients with something for everyone – omnivores, vegetarians & vegans alike.

Join us in the bar for Milwaukee’s Happiest Happy Hour!