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I'm probably not the only one curious where it can be found:

Oakland Gyros
2867 North Oakland Avenue, Milwaukee - (414) 963-1393
530 West Layton Avenue, Milwaukee - (414) 744-2555

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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Ah, yes, details.

The comments above relate to the Oakland Avenue location. I've eaten at the newer Layton Avenue location once, and the food was fine, but it can't compare with the atmosphere of the original.

I'm glad I now know which location to prioritize.

Thanks!

Regards,

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"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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Both outposts of OG serve up the best gyros in town but I agree that the one on Oakland and Locust is has the better ambiance. It was the place where I had my first gyro. I went to UW-Milwaukee and my friend, who is Greek, said "you need to try one of these." I have been hooked ever since.

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I visited Solly's for lunch today. I think this was the Glendale location. Regardless, I didn't like my butter burger. It seemed like it would be a no-brainer... I like butter and I like burgers. Usually, when it comes to food, two positives make a bigger positive. But in this case I felt like the butter masked the other flavors going on - it was just too much fat. And it was too wet - like good italian beef wet. Meh...

I'm sorry I didn't explore more eating in Milwaukee. I just flew through with contraband beer (New Glarus) and a cooler of cheese on the way home from a vacation. More another time, soon.

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That pretty much mirrors my opinion of Solly's.

And I'd say it is not butter burgers per se, as I love Kopp's.

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The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

Hello all. I am a Milwaukeean that stumbled across this thread. I'm really happy to see that people are doing culinary road trips up here. You guys definitely have a good list of places. I would like to add some of my favorites and will try to come back and list more another time.

First of all, on the way up stop in Racine for Wells Bros. Pizza. USA Today rated it one of the 10 best pizzerias in America. Here is what they said:

This is a family-run place that has been making pizza since the 1940s, when it was known as tomato pie. "They use an old bakery roller for the dough. The result is an impossibly thin, an impossibly crunchy crust. It's delicious. I get cravings just talking about it," Ruby says. 262-632-4408

http://wellsbrosracine.com/
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The previously mentioned Bendtsen's Bakery is also a must stop. The more well known Danish bakeries do not compare. Bendsten's is the only bakery that still does everything by hand.....a very time consuming process. The pecan is the pinnacle. Unbelievable. It amazes me that kringle isn't available everywhere. The spell check doesn't even recognize the word! lol

If you think Speed Queen is in a sketchy neighborhood then you will be really uncomfortable at Ashley's Bar-B-que. It is a small take out joint in a bad residential area. However, you can call your order in ahead for a quick in and out. Then just drive a couple of blocks up to Locust and take it east all the way to beautiful Lake Park for unparalleled dining views. Very few people know about this place. Those that do, often proclaim it to be better than Speed Queen. I believe they are the only joint in the city that smokes a St. Louis cut. They also have snout which I have not tried yet, but sounds interesting.

http://ashleysbarbque.webs.com/
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While burger spots like Solly's are iconic, there has been a boom of newer more upscale burger places. This was evidenced in the Food Wars show that pitted Sobelman's vs. AJ Bombers burgers. AJ may have won the show, but Sobelman's is probably proclaimed the best by most people. They don't do anything unusual.....just the absolute best sourced ingredients on a nice pretzel roll.

http://www.milwaukeesbestburgers.com/
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AJ Bombers
http://ajbombers.com/
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The new kid on the block is Oscar's Pub which was opened this year by a former cook at Sobelman's. They offer a little more variety including Chipotle-Cinnamon sweet potato fries. The prices are fantastic.

http://www.oscarsonpierce.com/
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My favorite burger choice is a biased one...Harry's Bar and Grill by UWM was the first new breed of burger spots to open about 20 years ago. All burgers are char-grilled 1/2 pound of the highest quality meat. I know because I was a cook there when I was in school. They have the most unusual toppings in Milwaukee. Example: WHISKEY ROADHOUSE BURGER $12 sautéed apples, caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon, bourbon sauce Or you can see if they will make an interesting off menu burger....We called it "The Jersey Burger" which was topped with mashed potatoes and gravy...some cheese on it would make it even better! WARNING: SUPER MESSY!

http://www.harrysbarandgrillmilwaukee.com/menu.htm

Speaking of gravy, several of my favorite foods are doused in gravy. Further down Oakland from Harry's is the previously lauded Oakland Gyros! Don't let the fast food environment fool you. Their food is incredible and the portion sizes are HUGE. While the namesake gyro gets all of the publicity, some of their Greek entrees are incredible. The lamb shank plate with fries is wonderful with the rich Greek gravy soaking into the fries. My absolute go-to is the Moussaka over fries with extra gravy.....again.....gravy fries! It is the absolute best Moussaka and weighs in at probably 10 pounds! There is a super thick layer of the custard that is perfect, but the fact that it is Turkish style and NOT the Greek recipe is what sets it apart. Instead of just eggplant, potatoes are also used.

Half a mile further down Oakland and on the sleepy side street of Bradford is the tucked away Red Dot where you can continue your gravy fix with their acclaimed poutine.

http://www.reddotmilwaukee.com/
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And by now you are just a couple blocks from some of Milwaukee's favorite bars on North Ave. Have some drinks and pick up some mini donuts at the aforementioned Sils before the night is done!

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That's all for now. I'll try to post more again...hope more people come to visit Milwaukee! We really like visitors!

Great first post, Your Dudeness!


I like the looks of this poutine...no confit boar or roasted duck, no deconstruction, no fancy herbs, just good, simple cheese curds & gravy, like you'd find at 3am in Montreal. Is the Red Dot near any bars? Seems like a beer or five would be the perfect amuse bouche for a plate of that poutine

Welcome, indeed, Jeffrey!

As I'm sure you're finding, there's an awful lot of Wisconsin content to be found here, and it's great that you're jumping in. Though I'll be making a road trip up in that direction next month, and you aren't making the selection process any easier

The vitals, for those interested in the places Jeffrey mentions:

Wells Brothers
www.wellsbrosracine.com
2148 Mead St.
Racine, WI 53403
262-632-4408

Bendtsen's Bakery
www.bendtsensbakery.com
3200 Washington Ave.
Racine, WI 53405
262-633-0365

Ashley's Bar-B-Que
ashleysbarbque.webs.com
1501 W. Center St.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
414-372-7666

Sobelman's Pub & Grill
www.milwaukeesbestburgers.com
1900 W. St. Paul Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414-931-1919

AJ Bombers
www.ajbombers.com
1241 N. Water St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-221-9999

Oscar's Pub and Grill
www.oscarsonpierce.com
1712 W. Pierce St.
Milwaukee, WI 53204
414-810-1820

Harry's Bar & Grill
www.harrysbarandgrillmilwaukee.com
3549 N. Oakland Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414-964-6800

Oakland Gyros
2867 N. Oakland Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414-963-1393

Red Dot
www.reddotmilwaukee.com
2498 N. Bartlett Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414-964-5720

Sil's Drive-Thru
1801 E. North Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-225-9365

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www.skilletdoux.com

Thanks for listing the addresses.

I forgot to mention that if anyone visits Harry's Bar & Grill that the Cajun Firecrackers must be tried. They are blackened chicken, baby spinach, and crushed red pepper in a spring roll wrapper served with "Bayou Sauce"....and it is ALL about the sauce. Equal parts mayo and honey with cajun seasoning. Sounds disgusting, but it is incredible. I make it all of the time. Maple syrup works equally well in place of the honey. Try it on fried chicken!

Regarding Red Dot. It doubles as a bar so you can get your drink on there! It has a nice patio when the weather is good. The building is pretty cool. It was formerly the original Calderone Club. They still have a restaurant downtown as well as in Fox Point. Vastly underrated pizza that is very similar to Zaffiro's. There are a ton of bars within walking distance of Red Dot. The German bar that was earlier referenced Von Trier is in the area. Most of the bars are host to the 20's low key crowd. I highly recommend the Irish gem Paddy's Pub. It is more of a house than a bar inside which makes it pretty unique. Make sure to check out the upstairs!...And the tucked away patio is absolutely gorgeous. A great place to grab a couple pints of guiness. Slainte!

http://www.paddyspub.net/
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For something totally different, walk a block south from there to the Oriental Landmark Lanes. It's unabashedly a dive with the most diverse crowd in the area. Located below the historic Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee's best movie theater!) the Landmark is 3 "separate" bars, a bowling alley, an arcade, plenty of pool tables, and good ole free steel tip darts. There is a high concentration of restaurants in the area and Brady street is close as well. Comet Cafe is a few blocks away which was featured on DDD and is really well received. They are bacon crazy and on Sundays put out baskets of free bacon for their customers! Koppa's Fulbeli Deli serves some of the best sandwiches and is right across the street. 2 blocks further down and you're at Zaffiro's the gateway to Brady Street and Milwaukee's "Little Italy".

http://www.landmarklanes.com/
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http://www.thecometcafe.com/
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http://www.koppas.com/
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Don't forget the closest bar to Red Dot is Champions, just a short block south. One of the few remaining old school dive bars in the area. No frills place that is worth a stop. http://www.championspub.com/

I'll second Paddys. I have been going there since they were a small one-room pub that would maybe comfortably seat 20. Every expansion has been done with class. They have taken what was a single-family home with a small storefront into a great, cozy, and very friendly pub. I play softball for them so I may be biased but its my favorite East Side bar.

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Haven't been to Milwaukee for awhile, but will go next week & would appreciate leads to various ethnic eateries, preferably fairly cheap (although not really necessary). Like Chinese (all regions), Thai, and Korean; also Mexican and Italian (anything with clams/seafood,too). Also anything else anyone feels worth trying.

For Chinese we have a lot of mediocore places and a few really good ones. I am not an expert on this cuisine so I cannot vouch for authenticity but I enjoy Fortune, 2945 S 108th St and China Gourmet, 117 East Wells Street. I have some others that I like but probably nothing worth recommending.

For Thai, the best place in my opinion is Bangkok House http://www.bangkokhouserestaurant.com/ Its in a non-descript strip mall. If you are there during the week the Lunch Buffet is outstanding. Its really popular so the food turnaround is quick, nothing sits out for long so everything tastes like you had ordered off the menu. The Tom Kha Gai is spectacular. 4698 S Whitnal Avenue, St. Francis

I have never eaten Korean in Milwaukee so I cannot comment on it. I think we only have like 1 or 2 places in the entire area. Probably not your best option.

For Mexican we do have a lot of nice places. For some great moles, check out Riveria Maya 2258 S Kinnickinnic Avenue. riviera-maya-milwaukee.com Also always a great time is Conejito's Place, 539 W Virginia St. Its a no frills, friendly place where everthing is served on paper plates. The chicken mole is surprisingly delicious and an absolute steal at $5. I don't think anything on the menu is over 6 bucks.

For a more upscale Mexican place, I'd give http://www.cempazuchi.com a shot. I love the duck tacos and the breaded pork chop with mushroom chipotle sauce. For seafood-centric, I like La Canoa, 1520 W Lincoln Ave. Good ceviche (shrimp) and the the Zihuatanejo Special which is shrimp and cheese stuffed into bacon wrapped jalapenos. It is served as a dinner entree (they should also offer it as an app) and it is so good. The prices are great and the menu is obscenely large.

If Tortas are your thing, JC Kings 3128 S 13th is not to be missed. They have at least a dozen varieties and they are spectacular. The steak tacos are also really nice.

There are so many great places for Mexican that I could never list them all.

I don't go out for Italian enough to recommend anywhere.

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I live in Kenosha County. I spend about 75% at Chicago area ethnic restaurants and the rest around Milwaukee.
As for Pizza, I'll certainly second or third Wells Brothers and you don't have to listen to Burt!
For Chinese I head to Chinatown, can't beat Phoenix or Tony's places. Sun Wa BBQ on the North side.
Vietnamese or Thai, Argyle St and for Mexican, Maxwell St.
Oakland Gyros is very good but Gyros was invented in Chicago, just make sure its cut from a vertical spit and not some reconstituted stuff.
Burgers are personal but I certainly agree that Solly's is not a good butter burger and the onion reduction and cheap buns only makes it worse. Better to drive on up to Green Bay and go to Kroll's near Lambeau Field for a real butter burger! Chile John's in Beaver Dam makes an awesome burger and fries as well as great pancakes. If your really hungry, say from XC skiing at Lapham Park, then a double cheeseburger from Kopp's will satisfy anyone followed by the best custard ice cream around.
One of the differences I notice about Milwaukee ethnic restaurants is that many times they substitute ingredients that are either cheaper or maybe can't be readily be obtained in Milwaukee. Since the ethnic base is not as large as Chicago and doesn't appear to demand authenticity, the dishes are many times inferior to what I find in Chicago.
Jakes Deli has great corned beef but be careful of the area. The corned beef Jake's uses is Vienna and we know where that comes from.
One last comment, don't speed in Racine County, very vigorous enforcement on I-94 and both Milwaukee Country and City use traffic stops as revenue sources. -Dick

Was in Milwaukee yesterday and made my first stop at Oakland Gyros in years. They finish the meat and pita on the char broiler which gave a nice smoky char on a very good fast food gyro imo. I wish the sauce was better, but overall really good. Glad we decided to stop.



ETA: My jacket still smells like gyro this morning!

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Haven't been to Oakland Gyros in years also.
Did you see the meat being cut off a vertical spit? I wonder why they had to finish the meat on a char broiler?-Dick

It was being cut off the spit. I'm assuming the finish was because of the volume they were doing and the spit couldn't get it brown fast enough.

Jeff

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Yes, Oakland finishes the meat on the grill. I think you are right about why they do it. The place is always pretty crowded and probably 50 percent of the people order a gyro so they just do it so your gyro is piping hot. Its not even on the grill very long, maybe a minute.

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A few comments -
On Harry's - I often go there for the pretzels. My son loves their burgers. A good place for him to mellow out after school. There is also a nice Russian grocery a block up that has interesting things. Also not too far away in Shorewood is a GREAT place for hard sausage. http://shorewood.patch.com/listings/international-foods-4. Very nice people, awesome pastries at times, and I have to limit myself from going in - they have some awesome fatty sausages that are incredible. Also the only place for some smoked fish that my father used to like.

Oakland Gyro - wonderful place, but the lamb shank the two times I had it reminded me exactly of the lamb shank multi-pack that you can get from Costco. Tasted and looked the same, but being more expensive.

For lamb Chops, the Gyro Palace in Glendale is my go to. Their prices have gone way up - it used to be for the cost of a burger lunch at Five Guys (who I was never impressed with locally in Bayshore) I could get three lamb chops, a Greek salad and a drink. Now it is close to $15 for the three lamb chops. They are also very friendly people - across from Kopps. The gyro is not finished on the grill there - but everything I ever had from the menu was good. 5336 North Port Washington Rd.

As for Solly's. I do not remember all of the details, but there was a large amount of relocation money given to them when the area was rebuilt - The amount upset me a little and I only go in when I have someone from out of town who wants to have one of the "Playboy Magazine's" top ten burgers. Otherwise for burgers, Kopps so I can bring home custard for my better two-thirds or Culvers for a butter burger when I am in that sort of mood.

However - WARNING ON KOPPS in Glendale. The Fedex location next to them is rather infamous for car break-ins in daylight. Try to park at Kopps to the north side.

They were given a lot of money but it was Tax Incremental Finance money and was paid for from the increased property value from several of the new businesses in the area including the one that was built in the former location. Moving Solly's paved the way for a business valued at over 3 million which generates over 70,000 in tax revenue annually. The City's involvement in that neighborhood also got rid of the North Shore Motel, which was really just a brothel and drug house. If you look at that area 15 years ago compared to now, I think any expenditure the City made was well worth it.

I used to work for the City and was there when it moved, so I am a little biased.

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Yep - that stuff moved to the hotel next to Milwaukee gear. I haven't been by that block in a while but I think that was closed not that long ago. I also didn't realize that there was a correctional facility nearby as well.

There is a new gyro place by 76th and Mill. I haven't been in yet to try it out
http://www.spartangyros.com/
depending on whether or not the kid wants "Panther" wings at Taylor & Dunns tomorrow after school we might go there instead and post a report.

If anyone is in the area by spartan, try out the (hmong?) mall next to the CVS. I often go in for my vegetables and greens. There are also a couple of places with good prices on rice.

I tried Spartan Gyros today for lunch (76th and Mill). Sorry but no pictures.
The (owner?) commutes from the Chicago area every day. The place already has a number of regular patrons who as they came in the owner was calling back the orders as they walked in. Fantastic VERY friendly service. I cannot compliment the service enough. As opposed to a few places nearby - they were very clean.
I brought back my wife a gyro and sampled it, she said that it is cut thicker than she is used to, but good. She was unable to make a choice between Oakland, Gyro Palace, and this place. Personally, during rush times I would pick Oakland for the gyro being a little more crunchy. I had the pork Shiskabob. There was a LOT for the price in the shiskabob sandwich. A little saltier than I like, but good. Also has the usual Chicago Dogs, pastrami sandwiches, etc.
What I did not try but will early next week:
Gyro Cheeseburger and a Pastrami Cheeseburger (I overheard that it was a major hit).

Well worth stopping into if you are in the area. I will also mention the Asian mall almost across the street from it for fresh produce and decent prices on staples. As well as not being too far away from Kallas Honey to get jars and combs of honey at their company store.

My major issue now is picking up something for my better two-thirds. House of Corned Beef that I mentioned to this forum has awesome sandwiches. She often likes pastrami rather than corned beef. She cannot make a decision in a reasonable amount of time (I often go to a place a week before we go there and ask for a copy of the menu so we do not have to wait for her to make a decision - my son and I often have finished our dinners before she can make up her (lack of) mind). Long story short, now she has a couple of choices in the area and that sucks for me.

I've used some great rec's on where to go in Milwaukee from this site since I first found it and I want to thank all for their great tips on where to go in this wonderful Chicago suburb. People look at me weird or think I'm stupid when I tell them Milwaukee is a fun place to hit up over the summer especially with its proximity to the big city. Yes believe it or not you can have fun there folks. It doesn't hurt the fact if you like to eat and drink.


Milwaukee Riverwalk

I enjoy every chance I get to head on up the lake and see whats going on. In the last few months there were a couple spots that came to my attention thru LTH that I really enjoyed so I thought I would give them some more love in this detailed thread.


Located on Silver Spring Drive

House of Corned Beef has its own thread HERE. It shot up to the top of my list of "places to try" there when it was brought to our attention by Rene G who's led me the right way too many times to remember. Milwaukee has some great corned beef spots and HoCB should be considered one. In its own thread someone mentions that they would never go near there again, I wouldn't trust their taste if I were you. This was an excellent sandwich. There were some fatty pieces but that's to be expected. They offer extra lean meat for a little bit more so go with that if you dont like any fat. I liked what I got as far as the regular goes. I wish we had a spot like this in the city and yes I've been to Manny's and Moon's plenty. Both of them I consider to be very good but it's a HoCB sandwich I'm craving right now as I type trying to describe it. Cant say if it's better than Jake's until I try them side by side.


Corned Beef Sandwich

I've never been to Hawaii but have always looked forward to the day. I'd need to spend at least a week there since it would be real hard for me to go for just a few days and lay out on the beach and be lazy. I'd need to eat. The more and more I see/read about the food on the island the more it makes me want to go. After a recent trip to Ono Kine Grindz I'm thinking a vacation there may be in my very near future.


Located in the close suburb of Wauwatosa

Ono Kine Grindz has it's own thread HERE which is where it was first brought to my attention. It's located on North avenue so its a straight shoot from some of the other Milwaukee favorites such as Jake's Deli. Since I've never been to the island and haven't been to California in years my only real familiarity with Hawaiian food comes from Aloha Eat's on Clark in Lincoln Park. Ono is a family (from the Island) owned place and it was almost like walking into someones home when I went in.


A peak inside

As you enter your greeted by those behind the counter which is where you can place your order and also pay for any of the Hawaiian food products which they stock. I decided to buy a really good sweet and spicy brand of hot sauce that's made on the island as well as a bottle of Hawaiian Shoyu Soy Sauce to be used at home for recreating some authentic dishes. They also sell Hawaiian Sun Iced tea by the can which I was put onto by Aloha Eats. It was a tough choice as far as what to order but for my first trip I went with the char siu chicken over the beef short ribs. I was disappointing to learn they only do shaved ice on Saturday's when serve it out in front. Its a big hit in the neighborhood I was told.


Char Siu Chicken Lunch Plate

Doesn't look like your typical sconnie lunch does it? Well except for the portion size that is. Wow. I loved my lunch plate and ended up eating all of it instead of saving some for later as as my plan. The sticky purple rice hidden beneath the super tasty chicken was grand and the pineapple carrot slaw was quite refreshing since it was in the upper 80's on this day. I cant wait to go back. You cant do Milwaukee without getting a few drinks and this most recent trip I finally got to try some at Bryant's Cocktail Lounge.


Since 1938, Milwaukee's oldest Cocktail lounge

Before Bryant's turned into a cocktail lounge it was a Miller Brewing Company Tied House. It was around 1938 that the then owner of this old beer hall decided to ditch the hops and only serve cocktails. In the early 70's a fire deteriorated the entire inside of the place but instead of shutting down shop the then owner built it to be even better than before. It still has the old school charm today. There is no menu but they claim to be able to make over 500 drinks and if needed they still have the original index card with all the recipes. Happy Hour is Tues-Fri 5-9p and depression era drinks are cheap. Mix those with their popular old school Pat O'Brien's style drinks and its an eclectic well rounded selection. See this from their website. I asked for their most popular drink on one of my rounds and was given this big hard hitting concoction below. More good times in Milwaukee.


Black Magic at the bar

House of Corned Beef
6200 West Silver Spring Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53218
(414) 461-4292

Ono Kine Grindz
7215 West North Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
(414) 778-0727

Bryant's Cocktail Lounge
1579 S 9th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204
(414) 383-2620

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Might I also suggest for this thread Spartan Gyro for their pastrami burger and their gyro burger.
76th and Mill.

Also check out the Hmong mall directly across the street. No sign, just located between the CVS and Remy battery.

I've heard very good things about Bryant's from a friend who worked in downtown Milwaukee but I need a designated driver with me before entering! We drove past the other evening after getting take out at Taqueria Jalisco and the area is not that great. We drove through a 4 way corner with a lot of drug traffic right near there. -Dick