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[Show only breakfast/brunch places]
Alterra
They serve breakfast, including breakfast burritos all day. The veggie burrito is one option as is the spicy Louisiana tofu hash which has quite the kick and appears to even be vegan. They usually have a vegetarian soup of the day and they're pretty darn tasty. They offer an avocado BLT as a cold sandwich option, a great falafel hot sandwich, and a grilled vegetable burrito. Oh, and their coffee is the best around. We usually stick to decaf but if you're trying the leaded version, look for the Organic Blue Heeler. Various locations throughout the greater Milwaukee area.![[Serves Breakfast]](/images/breakfastToaster.gif "Serves Breakfast/Brunch")
![[Recommended]](/images/recommended.gif "Recommended")
Anaba Tea Room
Right around the corner from us, this basement tea room serves a vegetarian/vegan soup for lunch on a daily basis, but their Asian-style dishes usually have a vegetarian option or two but most can also be converted to vegetarian by substituting tofu for meat. Their winter menu has a tofu steak with wasabi mashed potatoes that is possibly the best restaurant dish on the whole North Shore! 2107 E Capitol Dr., Shorewood, (414) 963-9510.
Beans & Barley
This is the spot for vegetarian dining. There's a good selection of breakfasts and dinners, as well as a deli and store. 1901 E. North Avenue, (414) 278-7878.
Bel Air Cantina
They start you off with chips and 3 homemade salsas that are super fresh-tasting. There's usually an "aqua fresca" of the day which can be hit-or-miss. This is a heavily-infused water and the pineapple version is refreshing but the watermelon one is too strong. There are taco and burrito options made with nicely-grilled tofu and complimented with a crunchy slaw. The baja tofu tacos are a real treat but they took them off the menu and replaced them with another vegetarian option. However, I was able to request them since they still prepare other "baja" dishes so don't be afraid to do so and maybe we'll officially get them back on the permanant menu. This restaurant is owned by the same people who bring us the Comet Café and the Honey Pie Café, so you know you're in for some good food made with fresh, local ingredients. 1935 N Water Street, (414) 226-2245.
Blue's Egg
The owner's of Maxie's have opened Blue's Egg, a restaurant serving breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. I emailed the owners and they responded that they're very receptive to substitutions to help out customers. Veggie breakfast items that they pointed out to me are the steel-cut oatmeal, house granola, creamy polenta, breakfast salad, and curried tofu. For our one visit, Kathy tried the creamy polenta and it was pretty good. The curried tofu roti "benedict" had grilled bananas that could have used more grilling, and the roti was mostly just dry pita bread. The atmosphere is nice, and they give you your own bottle of water and a free appetizer of fresh grapes. It is also worth noting that the Blue's browns section was created with vegetarians in mind. These are very large, sharable portions of hash browns that can come in a variety of forms and easily made vegetarian. They also have 6 more vegetarian sides to chose from. They told me that they are addressing veganism and also searching for egg-free bread and the best gluten-free options available. 317 N 76th Street, (414) 299-3180.
Café 1505
Haven't tried the breakfast there yet, but it is a nice spot for lunch. The downside is that their hours are limiting as they don't serve dinner. 505 W. Mequon Road, Mequon, (414) 241-7074.
Café Manna
This is an all-vegetarian restaurant out in Brookfield. It's all organic and very creative. The lentil soup was cooked to perfection with lentils that were neither too firm nor too rubbery and it had a swirl of sour cream on top. The sesame tofu was like eating steak and they came with a yummy asparagus-laced risotto on the side. They offer cooking classes every couple of months and special multi-course meals for popular holidays. They are not open on Sunday nights. 3815 N. Brookfield Road, Brookfield, (262) 790-2340.![[Restaurant.Com]](/images/restaurant.com.gif)
California Pizza Kitchen
This is not a vegetarian-specific restaurant, but they can do a tasty pizza sans cheese (when they don't look at you like you're crazy) and they have some great vegetarian pasta dishes such as asparagus and spinach spaghettini, kung pao spaghetti, and thai linguini. Bayshore Town Center, Glendale, (414) 967-8088.
Centro Café
They specialize in Italian fare as well as a selection of wine and beer, with competitive prices within the neighborhood. The vegan options are numerous and are clearly labeled on the menu, which includes house-made vegan "neatballs" and a gluten free pasta substitute. Sandwiches and entrees are in the $7 — $12 range and only cash is accepted. They only have 11 tables inside with seating for around 26 people and they don't take reservations, so get there before 6 p.m. to ensure a seat for Saturday night dinner. We found their service to be great, and the food good as well. They offer vegan bread with each meal, and there are actually more vegan options than we anticipated. The food is cooked fresh, with the vegetables crisp and the homemade sauce is delicious. It has a cozy atmosphere and can be found right next to the Fuel Cafe.
[Updated May 9, 2010] They are serving brunch which includes a regular and a pesto tofu scrambler and they have veggie sides such as sausage and rosemary potatoes. They open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. but the word isn't out yet so the place is nowhere near as busy as they get at dinner time. 808 E Center St, Milwaukee; (414) 455-3751.
Chancery
The Chancery is a pretty popular family restaurant all over Southeastern Wisconsin. They're not really catering to vegetarians so if you go, be sure to fill out a comment card requesting that they offer up a black bean burger (because their toppings are pretty good otherwise) or maybe a tofu option with their pastas and pizzas. That said, you can easily swing quite a few menu items to be vegetarian- or vegan-friendly. For example, Scott's favorite, Hey Curly, Where's Moe? is a great noodle stir-fry that can be prepared without meat. The same goes for their tasty Cashew Stir-Fry. They also offer the East-Side Market Wrap made with hummus and veggies and a build-your-own-pasta bowl with meatless options. If you visit a Chancery with a wood-fired oven (such as the Chancery in Mequon), you can order a great-tasting build-your-own pizza with no cheese. Oh, and the kids' meals are now offering a fruit or veggie cup as the side dish, which is good to see.
Cheese Factory Restaurant
Okay, this place is not in Milwaukee, it's at the Wisconsin Dells. However, we take a couple of vacations to the Dells each year and this recent discovery has an amazingly extensive menu of vegetarian and vegan items. The thai bananas are a killer appetizer and their dinner menu is loaded with so many good options it is hard to choose a favorite. They're located right across from our favorite waterpark, The Wilderness.
Classic Slice
Not only does this place serve pizza that tastes as close to East coast pizza as we've ever had in the Midwest, but they use organic ingredients and have vegan pies. We give them a hearty thumbs-up. This place also serves monster slices, and that's no joke. While you're waiting for your pizza, enjoying watching the pizza maker toss the largest pizza pie in the air. The sauce is fantastic and in 2011 they opened a spot on the East Side! 2797 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue, Bayview, (414) 238-2406 and 1609 E. North Avenue, (414) 270-1880.
Comet Café
This coffee shop has a great selection of items that can be made for carnivores, vegetarians, or vegans. They have good coffee, a great selection of beers, and it is also a really good spot for breakfast as well. Some of the foods are fried, which is good for satisfying a certain craving but can also detract from the attempted healthful benefits of going meatless. 1947 N. Farwell Avenue, (414) 273-7677.
County Clare
This downtown bed and breakfast / Irish pub now has a special vegetarian menu. Their specific vegetarian menu has items that can be made vegan. We've only been there once, and the experience was mostly good. In general, the atmosphere is very nice with a great selection of Irish beer, of course. In our one visit, we found that the home-made items were the best (such as the sauces or faux meats) yet the side vegetables were essentially cooked the traditional Irish way -- boiled, sans seasoning. We started off with the "chips" with curry sauce. The thick-cut fries were served steaming hot and the curry sauce was outstanding, although not vegan. That alone would be a great accompaniment to those just stopping in for a Guiness or Harp. Kathy tried the seitan corned beef and cabbage and their home-made seitan was different than anything else we've had. The vegetable sides were rather bland, though, as the cabbage and carrots aren't really cooked with any broth or seasoning, and mostly taste like school lunch program sides. Scott got the Gorgonzola "chicken" without the Gorgonzola. The accompanying sauce was great and the faux chicken was a good entree. We'd consider another visit as to try some of their other offerings such as the "chicken" curry, "chicken" tarragon, as well as vegetarian appetizers and vegetarian sandwiches such as a sauteed veggie reuben. 1234 N Astor St., (414) 272 - 5273.
EE-Sane
Everything on the menu of this Thai-Laotian restaurant can be made vegetarian. They have many excellent and tasty curries and sauces. The have you specify on a scale from 1 to 10 how hot you'd like your dish. Watch out because different chefs interpret the numbers differently so it is best to aim low on your first visit there. The curry squash is knee-buckling good, and this is our favorite Thai restaurant in the area. 1806 North Farwell Avenue, (414) 224-8284.
Ethiopian Cottage
We had a good meal at this restaurant one Friday night. Sadly, they were not too crowded so it'd be nice to see them get a few more customers in there to support this unique fare. It's better than African Hut was and fairly tasty, but the better choice might be to head downtown to Alem Ethiopian. They don't include utensils with their meals as the meals consist of some type of stew or vegetables placed on injura, a bread made from a grain called teff. You have a basket of extra injura, and you break off pieces and scoop up the Wat (stew) with it. It looks like they are now advertising a vegetarian and vegan lunch buffet. 1824 N. Farwell Ave. 414-224-5226
Flat Top Grill
Flat Top Grill is similar to the dismal BD's Mongolian Grill, except they seem to have gotten it right. The portion sizes are commensurate with the cost, and kids get a meal for a good price. There's a choice of many vegetables, along with twenty-four vegan sauce choices, 5 vegan proteins (seitan, bbq vegetable tempeh, tofu, veat, curry pakora), and a choice of noodles or rice. They seem to have figured out how to keep it healthy as they even offer brown rice and present a big chart above the buffet that details whether sauces are vegan or contain something someone might be allergic to. Unlike BD's, they didn't make a big deal about having our bowls cooked separate from the rest of the patrons', and they include several helpings of their roti, a tasty but hardly authentic bread. They serve a build-your-own omelet breakfast but we didn't see any vegan options for breakfast. 2751 N. Mayfair Rd., Wauwatosa, (414) 258-7676.
Fuel Café
They offer vegan chili and several vegan sandwiches and burritos and they serve Alterra coffee. Kathy had a really good vegan BLT and Scott tried a burrito, which used refried beans instead of black beans. Their breakfasts are not really vegan and they're limited mostly to a few croissants. 818 E. Center St., Milwaukee, (414) 374-FUEL.
Honey Pie Café
These are the same owners as Comet Café, a place we regularly frequent. The Honey Pie menu is slightly more upscale, as is the atmosphere. There's usually a vegetarian pasty, and the one that Scott had came with roasted root vegetables and a nice, smoky-flavored field roast. Kathy tried the risotto with winter squash and charred brussel sprouts leaves and it was outstanding. Aside from the pasty and entree, the other vegetarian/vegan items are sandwiches, but it's worth eating here for the huge drink menu, excellent desserts, and the fact that the few vegetarian/vegan dishes are excellent. 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 489-7437.
Hotch-A-Do
We tried them for breakfast one Sunday morning when Beans & Barley was overflowing. What a great alternative -- good service, good coffee, cozy atmosphere (including a new shuffleboard table and board games), and tasty food. Their breakfast hours are really good, and they bring yummy cinnamon scones with your drinks. Their menu shows promise as they have several tofu-based menu items as well as daily specials.
[Updated July 6, 2010] Popped in there for lunch when Beans & Barley was busy. They had a great breakfast burrito that was made with veggie chili, chunky potatoes, and tofu. It had a neat flavor. Kathy got a really tasty black bean soup that was flavorful but not too spicy. 1813 Kennilworth Place, (414) 727-2122.
Huan Xi
This is a nice little Chinese restaurant on the East side; very convenient to North Avenue. Their menu has both a vegetarian section as well as a "meat" section. There is one off-menu item we were told about for vegetarians, a Chinese vegetable platter. The vegetables in the dishes we ordered were crisp and not soggy. The "meat" we tried was a sesame "chicken", which consisted of acorn-shaped "chicken" in a sweet sauce. They were a bit chewy as it was tough to get the consistency equivalent to chicken, but the sauces were decent. Plus, you can order online. 2428 N. Murray Ave., (414) 906-8888.
Ichiban
We finally tried this Japanese restaurant and found it to be good. There is a large selection of vegetarian appetizers (we recommend the seaweed chips), sushi rolls, and entrees. They even have a kids menu and the kids get a kick out of the compartmentalized bento boxes that the food is served in. 2336 N. Farwell Avenue, (414) 278-8056.
Izumi's
This place was pretty busy around 6 p.m. on a Friday night when we tried it, so that's a good sign. While we didn't get a table, we had an equally enjoyable time at the sushi bar where remaining dinners ended up being seated. There are several vegetarian appetizers, and their grilled asparagus may be the best asparagus ever. There are only so many ways to make a vegetarian sushi, especially when it is an AAC roll but theirs had a bit of a twist on it that's worth investigating. Lastly, the teriyaki tofu was served on a sizzling plate with crisp carrots and green beans which was a refreshing alternative to the hibachi tofu we often get at Samurai. 2150 N. Prospect Ave, (414) 271-5278.
Jow Nai
They moved in to where Abu's used to be. They offer a separate vegetarian menu with around a dozen dishes. The curry is flavorful, but they're also generous with the spice so you might want to ask them to dial it down to "half a star" if heat's not your thing. The Vegan Volcano came with a chicken substitute that wasn't tofu and was a nice alternative. 1978 Farwell Ave., (414) 270-1010.
Mai Thai
Many vegetarian options abound at this above-average Thai restaurant. Their sauces are tasty; you can definitely taste specific seasoning and spices. So far, we've tried the peanut sauce and the sweet baby corn and both were great. One oddity is that they don't leave a bowl of rice at your table. Instead, they come by every so often with a bowl of fresh rice which means you're always provided with fluffy, warm rice but you may be waiting for a few minutes until they do come by. 1230 E. Brady Street, (414) 810-3386.
Maxie's Southern Comfort
Okay, Southern food is not known for being vegetarian but a quick scan to the bottom of their dinner menu shows several interesting-sounding vegetarian options. We tried this place and you could order a nice vegetarian meal just out of their tasty-sounding side orders (sweet potato fries, grits, maple-braised collard greens, etc.). However, we tried the vegetarian jambalaya and the BBQ organic tofu plate and found these Southern dishes to be a great break from the typical Japanese/Thai/Italian vegetarian fare we usually encounter. On top of it, the atmosphere was very nice, the service was good, and it was family-friendly. 6732 W. Fairview, (414) 292-3969.
NaNa Asian Fusion
They opened in December 2011 in Shorewood and offer noodle dishes that all can come with a tofu option. Their sushi and maki selections are unique. For example, I've never seen an avocado-and-peanut roll but it actually works because the avocado is a bit creamy in texture and the peanuts make it seem like you're eating peanut butter. They also have a maki roll consisting of sweet potato tempura that's very tasty. 4511 N. Oakland Ave., (414) 967-8888.
The National
They have a menu that specifically designates vegetarian and vegan items, which is nice. 839 W. National Ave., Milwaukee 53204 (414) 431-6551.
PF Chang's
Sure, it's a chain restaurant but it sure is tasty. They've got some vegetable dumplings as a good appetizer and a host of flavorful vegetarian plates. The Milwaukee location is at Mayfair Mall.
Riverwest Co-Op Grocery and Café
Most of the menu can be made vegan, and the prices are a real bargain. This is a serve-yourself kind of place with only about five tables but they offer up a fantastic breakfast burrito but everything is fantastic. They have daily and nightly specials, all of which are ridiculous bargains but creatively tasty. 733 E. Clarke Street, (414) 264-7933.
Riviera Maya
[From guest reviewer Barb Paegelow] I am not usually thrilled with Mexican restaurants; the vegetarian choices tend to be cheese, cheese, and (for variety) cheese and you take your chances with the potentially lard-riddled frijoles. This place is different. Most of the entrees are various moles over your choice of meat but there are also two vegetarian choices: Papitas (potatoes, corn, poblano pepper) or Calabazitas (zucchini, corn, carrots, and red pepper). I had Pipian Verde (pumpkin seed mole) over calabazitas enchiladas. Very yummy, not too spicy, and the only dairy was a light garnish of Mexican cheese (which I could have asked them to leave off). All entrees come with tortilla soup, which they will give you a vegetarian variant if you ask for it. They also have three specifically vegetarian entrees, only one of which appears to have cheese in it.Scott and Kathy finally got a chance to try this place and it was good. The tamarind specialty margerita was extremely good, and we tried the calabazitas. Unfortunately, they were out of papitas which is what Scott would have preferred. Kathy had the fried plantain patties that unfortunately had cheese in them. An appetizer of chips came with a really fresh-tasting guacamole salsa that was enjoyed by all. 2258 S Kinnickinnic Ave, (414) 294-4848.
Roots
They serve locally-grown organic food. We tried them before we gave up meat and found it to be a neat atmosphere, good food, and a fantastic overhead view of downtown Milwaukee. The tofu scrambler is different enough from other places' that it's worth checking out. They include seasonal vegetables in their tofu scrambler so you're going to get something different every time. Their vegan french toast is fluffy and tasty (mmm, chocolate) and their eggs benedict has a slight lemon tint to it that also separates it from other local versions. They open around 10 a.m. on Sunday for breakfast and get a crowd quickly, so a reservation is recommended. 1818 N. Hubbard Street, (414) 374-8480.
Samurai
Even if you can't get a seat at the entertaining cook-the-food-in-your-face hibachi tables, it's still worth a trip to this restaurant. The hibachi tofu and vegetables is a fantastic dinner, and they have good appetizers such as vegetable dumplings and edamame. You can top things off with a dish of green tea ice cream. 6969 N. Port Washington Road, Glendale, (414) 228-8818.
Shahrazad
Their dine-in and take-out menus have a special section just for vegetarian items, and they have an extensive wine list. We haven't tried their Sunday brunch but if their weekday buffet lunch is any indication, it's a small selection for the price ($8.95 for the lunch buffet). That may be worthwhile if the selections are guaranteed to be vegetarian but it didn't seem that way when we walked in once. The dinner, however, is decent. Kathy enjoyed a falafel sandwich and Scott tried the Rushta, lentils cooked with spices and fettuccini and topped with walnuts and caramelized onions, which really gives it a nice sweetness. This is a bit of a variation on Mojadra, which substitutes rice instead of fettuccini. It also came with a tasty red cabbage side. The lentil soup was a pureed version which made it more like split pea. It has a bit of a kick to it and it was served piping hot. The service can be a bit relaxed and the menu a bit basic, but it's a good spot if you're craving some Middle Eastern food.
Seoul (formerly Han Kuk Kwan)
They hung a banner out front advertising vegetarian options. They have a couple of vegetarian appetizers, such as very yummy potstickers and some nice glazed tofu. The vegetarian dinner options are limited mostly to a couple of dishes that they substitute meat with tofu, but what we had was good. Supposedly, they have a bigger crowd at lunch but who knows if they have vegetarian options on their buffet. 2178 N. Prospect Ave, (414) 289-8208.
Stack'd
Serving Sunday brunch, lunch, and dinner. We had a great time building our portobello burger and black bean burger. They come with fried pickles and topping a burger with an onino ring is a tasty addition. The atmosphere is fun, and there's a decent beer selection.
[Brunch Reviewed May 29, 2011] Kathy tried the waffles with bourbon syrup and they were fantastic. They offer a non-tofu vegan scrambler with turnips, potatoes, summer squash, and vegan chorizo and cheddar. It was awesome! It's so nice to have a non-tofu breakfast option!
Their website says: Just because we specialize in gourmet burgers, that doesn't mean that we forgot about our friends that opt for vegetarian and vegan fare. From our portabella and hummus stacks and hand-made black bean veggie burger to our bountiful salads, we're proud to offer menu items befitting of every lifestyle. Many items on our menu can be made vegan or vegetarian, so just ask your server. They're always happy to make a substitution where possible. They also have vegan cheese and vegan mayo available. 170 S. First St., (414) 273-7800.
Stonefly Brewing
This sounds like a dream come true: a local brewery with a menu that designates vegetarian items as well as those that can be made vegan. They have vegan Thai spring rolls, tofu wings, soft hot pretzels, edamame, salads, sloppy jofu, vegan and homemade vegetarian burgers, and then a bunch of vegetarian items as well. The sloppy jofu was tasty and tasted just like a sloppy Joe. Kathy found the veggie Reuben servicable. In general, it's bar food but with a high degree of vegetarian and vegan options. 735 E Center St., (414) 264-3630.
Thai-namite
We've only tried a couple of dishes via carry-out, but just about everything can have tofu in it (except for the chef's special Thai-namite curry). For carry-out, it was pretty good. The curry was flavorful and had a slight kick to it, and the tofu was cooked nicely. We will be sure to try some more dishes to enhance our review, but this clearly is a much better option for Thai carry-out than our nearby Thai-a-Kitchen restaurant on Oakland Avenue. The also offer sushi and vegetarian sushi. 932 E. Brady St, (414) 837-6280.
VIA Downer
They have vegan cheese as a topping. The atmosphere is nice but they do get busy. 2625 N. Downer Ave., (414) 501-4510.
West Bank Café
This place has pretty tasty Thai food. Their service has been excrutiatingly slow all the times we have visited. It's not the place to go to if you are trying to make a movie. The vegetarian egg roll appetizer was really delicious because it was thin, long, and crispy. The have a dedicated vegetarian section on their menu, although we've avoided the items slow-cooked in a clay pot for fear that it would even further delay the service. 732 E. Burleigh Street, (414) 562-5555.
Alem Ethiopian
African food is great because they separate the vegetarian and non-vegetarian, but what's even better is that the lunch buffet is all vegetarian. There were tasty yet healthy options centered around peas, lentils, collard greens, and potatoes. It was warm, tasty, and all-you-can-eat. Optionally, you can order your own dish and share plates with people and try different things. The plate sharing isn't as strange as it seems because the food is in separate little piles. This ended up being a "Foodie Pick" in the December 2009 issue of M Magazine. 307 East Wisconsin Avenue, (414) 224-5324.
Casablanca
An all-you-can-eat Middle Eastern vegetarian lunch buffet that's both tasty and a bargain. 728 E. Brady Street, (414) 271-6000.
Maharaja
This is a favorite of ours for lunch. They serve a large variety of Indian dishes on their buffet along with two soups and multiple desserts. An equivalent alternative also in the Milwaukee area is Tandoor (1117 S. 108th St., West Allis, WI). 1550 N. Farwell Avenue, (414) 276-2250
Mayura
This is very similar to Maharaja, but is a more recent addition to Farwell Avenue. I'd say that their buffet is nearly comparable to Maharaja but with a smaller salad bar but a few different dishes than we had seen at Maharaja. The atmosphere was current, and the food was hot and maybe just a bit fresher and tastier than Maharaja. Since it's still new to us and closer to our home, we might be opting for this place for our Indian dining from now on. 1958 N Farwell Avenue, (414) 271-8200.
Chipotle
Vegetarian tacos and burritos are a great deal and fill you up easily. This is a family favorite, and what's an added bonus is that at least they are making an effort at serving humanely-raised meat. You can sign up for their mailing list at their website. An equivalent alternative also in the area is Qdoba.
Noodles & Company
The noodle dishes can be made with tofu, and the Indonesian peanut saute is a favorite.
bd's Mongolian Barbeque
The concept looks great: you pick the ingredients and sauces for your own custom stir fry. However, at $11.50 for a bowl, we can go over to the Samurai restaurant in Glendale and for $10.50 get a delicious hibachi tofu and vegetable meal that is cooked right in front of us. The Flat Top Grill is a nicer option, although it's farther away from us. The food is not dazzling enough to warrant the long wait nor the fact that the customer is doing half the work since you have to put together the bowl and then stand in line while it gets cooked. When we inquired about their advertised vegetarian option, they sent us to the "allergy-free" cooking station and "grilled" us as to whether we really were strict vegetarians. I'm assuming that they have to clean that grill after each bowl is cooked and were feeling a little lazy about doing so.
Café Corazón
This is not necessarily a place to avoid, but there's nothing much here to go out of one's way for. They will make a quesadilla with vegetables and soy cheddar. The cheapest, most basic item is the truck stop taco ($2). After you choose a filling, tomato, onion, cheese and cilantro will be added. Meat-free options include grilled vegetables, soy chorizo, and a vegan taco. The soy chorizo is an excellent substitute that tastes like the spicy pork sausage. The restaurant is small so don't expect a table to be easy to come by, but you can eat at the bar. The food just didn't have anything out of the ordinary enough from what we might make at home. 3129 N. Bremen St., (414) 810-3941
Mama DeMarini's
Lucille DeMarini's original recipes are what make this family-owned restaurant famous. This corner bar in Bay View looks nondescript from the outside, so it is surprising to find vegan-friendly pizza options. They offer several options for pizza, with vegan sausage and vegan cheese, garlic bread and pasta dishes. However, on our visit in late 2008, we found that the pizza crust was nothing to write home about, and the smoky atmosphere is more than enough to counteract one's attempt at healthful eating. 2457 S. Wentworth Ave, (414) 481-1770.
No. 1 Chinese Restaurant
This place is right around the corner from us and we finally tried it on Christmas Eve, 2007. Instead of "No. 1", they should call this place "No one" because we think no one would really want to eat there. Maybe we just hit them on a bad night but the food was about as dull as possible. The veggie egg rolls were a complete joke as typical veggie egg rolls have a minimum of 3 vegetables (carrots, cabbage, maybe bean sprouts) and theirs basically were just cabbage. The rest of the food continued down the flavorless path, unfortunately.
Oriental Coast
While we haven't tried their inexpensive lunch buffet, a family dinner there was disappointing. We arrived at dinner time on a Thursday night and the place was empty, which was not a good sign. While they have a reputation as a decent Chinese restaurant with vegetarian options, it didn't live up to the expectation. All three dishes we ordered consisted of sauces or coatings in which you could taste the sugar in each. Even cheaper places surround their sesame chicken with steamed broccoli but here the ingredients are minimal, save for the excessive sugary taste of the sauces. I'm not sure we're going to even eat the leftovers. 1230 E. Brady Street, (414) 278-8680.
Palomino
They definitely have quite a few vegetarian options. However, this is not healthly eating as all of their dishes are fried. To top it off, it's actually a bar so you're battling a potentially-smoky atmosphere as well. Sure, Comet offers similar fare but you'll get a nice side of beer-sauted green beans with your meal and no smoke. 2491 S. Superior Street, Bayview, (414) 747-1007.
Rio West Cantina
If you view their website, they list a lot of items that "can be made vegan", which sounded appealing to us when we were craving some Mexican food. We started with an appetizer of guacamole which is often a way we judge a restaurant, especially a Mexican one. Their guacamole was fairly bland, and nowhere near as good as Beans & Barley's or Riviera Maya's. The items that can be made vegan aren't necessarily vegan-ized with non-dairy cheese or sour cream, instead, those things are just left out of the dish and you're essentially down to tortilla-wrapped vegetables. At least if the sauces and food was flavorful, it might make for a good meal, but unfortunately, that was not the case. They do, however, have an impressive array of tequilas to choose from for your tiny margerita, but without any type of description associated with them, let alone any grouping according to strength or flavor, you're basically taking a shot in the dark with what you order unless you really can distinguish from a list of *64* tequilas. 2730 N Humboldt Boulevard Milwaukee, (414) 562-5540
Shiraz Persian Grill
This is a decent option for fast-food vegetarian, but they missed on just enough things to not really make this is favorable dining option. While they offer a good amount of vegetarian options such as samosas and falafel, they seem to still be coming up to speed with their new restaurant. The service was iffy with one staff member being particularly helpful while the other one was utterly confused and disinterested in actually even working. The falafel plate, which doesn't actually appear on the menu but is an option, was $6.99 but lacked the typical lettuce, tomatoes, and other garnish that would make a falafel plate complete. It was only when one of the employees asked if we wanted tahini that there was at least something to put on the falafel sandwich we made out of the pita bread. Oh, and the pita bread comes fresh out of the bag rather than toasted or grilled the way most places would serve it. The rest of the food had a fast-food feel to it, with the vegetable side dishes typically cooked down enough to practically dissolve on your fork. 2921 N. Oakland Ave., (414) 967-1000.
Milwaukee Area Resources for Vegetarians
Typically held exactly at 5:30 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at the Friends' Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Place in Riverwest. This is very kid-friendly and the turn-out is usually around two dozen people.Urban Ecology Center
We love the Urban Ecology Center and now one more reason for us to keep showing up there is the vegetarian potlucks that are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Bring a plate and fork along with your meatless dish to share at their picnic-style meal. It's also kid-friendly, and typically between a 12 and 18 people attend.
Bangkok House
A work colleague recommended them. He went so far as to say that they are better than our favorite Thai place, EE-Sane's. 4698 S. Whitnall Ave. (Whitnall Square Shopping Center); St. Francis, (414) 482-9838.
Bombay Sweets
The Indian people at work always bring in samosas, kachori, and pakoras from this place and they're good. This is supposedly a small place but they have great vegetarian options. They were a "Foodie Pick" in the December, 2009 issue of M Magazine so I've finally added them to this list. 3401 S 13th Street, (414) 383-3553 and 19555 W Bluemound Road, (262) 780-2998.
City Market
We haven't tried them for breakfast yet. Supposedly, they have vegetarian chili as well as a build-your-own-sandwich option; but they have a reputation for being a bit pricey. 2205 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood, (414) 962-0100.
Hue Vietnamese Cuisine
This Bayview restaurant highlights specifically what on their menu is vegetarian. They seem to offer tofu and other veggie "meat" options. I am curious as to how they compare to the great-tasting but slow-serviced West Bank Café. 2691 South Kinnickinnic, (414) 294-0483.
Jing's
While their prices are slightly higher than other Chinese food restaurants, supposedly the quality of their food is excellent and quickly makes up for the few extra dollars. There are a number of tofu-based dishes on their menu that seem worth exploring. 207 E. Buffalo St #101, (414) 271-7788.
Kiku
Their menu has a special set of vegetarian maki options as well as tofu or veggie teriyaki and veggie tempura along with the usual noodle and rice dishes. 200 W. Wisconsin Avenue, (414) 270-1988.
Peking Chef
Serving Indonesian dishes and other Southeast Asian fare from the original owners of Peking Palace. Supposedly, they have a good number of vegetarian items. 8673 N Port Washington Rd, (414) 228-8222.
Soup House
Their menu shows 6 soups a day, with at least one always being a vegan and/or gluten-free soup. There's free soup on your birthday as well! 324 E. Michigan Street, (414) 277-7687.
Swig
A reader emailed this suggestion in. They don't appear to have much more than soup and salads for lunch, but dinnertime fare includes entrees such as rustic pasta and wild mushroom gnocchi along with "sides for sharing" that included various sauteed vegetables. They also have a small plates menu that features rustic flatbread, tempura snap peas, hummus with pita, and black bean cakes. The menu also features 20 martinis, an eclectic array of wines and champagnes as well as award-winning desserts. Swig's earthy tones offer a warm and cozy environment that makes for perfect place to spend your evening and experience a classy, big-city atmosphere in Milwaukee's Third Ward. 217 North Broadway, (414) 431-7944.
Transfer Pizza
Their pizza is supposed to be good, and they offer vegan cheese. You also have to feel good about the following statement from their website: Transfer makes every effort to use local, organic produce when in season, as a member of Braise RSA (Restaurant Supported Agriculture). Transfer is also a member of the Milwaukee Community Compost Network, a project of the Victory Garden Initiative. We are proud to contribute our vegetable and fruit scraps, as well as coffee grounds and spent tea leaves, helping to create soil for Milwaukee's urban farming community. 101 W Mitchell St, (414) 763-0438.
Triskele's
Some neighbors have recommended this place as they have a separate vegetarian section on their menu. There's a lot of cheese-based options so it's not for the true vegan and I'm not sure that those dishes can even be made without cheese. Perhaps someday we will get to try it, though. 1801 South 3rd Street, (414) 837-5950.
Verduras Tea House and Café
They're located in the Third Ward and claim to have "healthy food without the health food taste". Their menu looks to be all vegetarian and consists of soup, salads, and sandwiches. For breakfast they have homemade assorted breads and sweet or savory muffins. They are closed on Mondays and only stay open until 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 181 N. Broadway, (414) 224-6144.
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Another good list of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Milwaukee can be found at the Vegan Milwaukee web site.