The Best Restaurants in Wisconsin, According to Top Chef Finalist Dan Jacobs (2024)

Before moving from Chicago to Milwaukee in 2011, chef Dan Jacobs didn’t know much about Wisconsin’s food scene. That hardly made him an outlier. Ask folks outside the state what they know about Wisconsin cuisine, and most will crack a joke about beer, brats and cheese curds. (We Wisconsinites may roll our eyes at this, but amongst ourselves, we’ll also readily admit that those are, in fact, the best and most important things.) Over the past year, though, Jacobs has become Wisconsin’s most visible chef, garnering a James Beard Best Chef: Midwest nomination with his partner Dan Van Rite for their tasting menu restaurant EsterEv, and reaching the final of Bravo’s Top Chef. And as the local lad on a season that was filmed in Wisconsin, Jacobs also became something of an ambassador for his adopted home, helping introduce a national audience to a dining scene that goes way beyond the stereotypes. Here are Jacobs' favorite restaurants in Wisconsin, including fine dining, supper clubs, Asian eats and greasy spoons.

Milwaukee

Goodkind

Wedged between the Kinnickinnic River and Lake Michigan, Bay View is one of Milwaukee’s most characterful neighborhoods—friendly, irreverent, quietly hip. It’s where Jacobs and Van Rite opened EsterEv when they moved it out of a back room at DanDan and into its own space this year. It’s also home to Goodkind, which Jacobs calls “the definition of a neighborhood restaurant.” The husband-and-wife operation is known for its bucatini with a red rock crab ragù and its dry-brined Amish chicken, but Jacobs also loves the bar program. “The food’s great,” he says, “but some of the best cocktails in the city come out of that little bar.”

Dan’s Tip: Order a Manhattan. “They probably have the best one in town.”

Vientiane Noodle Shop

Thanks to its sizable Hmong population, Milwaukee has plenty of places to get good Lao and Southeast Asian food, but Vientiane Noodle Shop, a family-owned hole-in-the-wall, might be the best of the bunch. “I think I fell in love with this place during Covid, getting takeout,” says Jacobs. “But definitely go and eat inside. The food is so good right after it comes out.” One of his favorite things on the menu is the oxtail khao poun, which comes with whole hunks of oxtail that require you to put your chopsticks down and take a hands-on approach.

Dan’s Tip: After dinner, head down National Avenue to Boone & Crockett for a moody drink under the chandeliers and taxidermy.

Sanford

“C’mon, man. There wouldn’t be a Birch, a Goodkind, a DanDan, an EsterEv—there wouldn’t be any restaurants in Milwaukee without Sandy [D'Amato, the original owner],” says Jacobs. The notion may be a tad apocalyptic, but it gets at the standard this fine-dining venue sets for the city. At Sanford, chef/owner Justin Aprahamian (who took over the restaurant from the D'Amatos in 2012) emphasizes local ingredients, but his perspective on flavors is global. “Justin does this little four-course exploratory menu, and I think that’s where he’s doing some of the coolest stuff,” Jacobs says. “That’s where he often features dishes from his Armenian heritage, and it’s winners all the way.”

Dan’s Tip: “Anytime Justin’s got Armenian food on the menu, get it. Also, at the end, the banana butterscotch toffee tart. Best dessert in Milwaukee.”

Three Brothers

“What’s not to like about this place?” says Jacobs. “It reminds me of the food my grandma made when we were kids.” The nostalgia’s been simmering for almost seven decades at this third-generation Serbian eatery, which, in all that time, hasn’t moved and has hardly changed the menu that Mama Milunka Radicevic drew up in the 1950s. That includes two of Jacobs’ go-to orders: Sarma—pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with beef and rice and cooked in tomato sauce (“One of my favorite things in the world”)—and burek, a filo dough pastry filled with meat, spinach, or cheese. It's Three Brothers’ signature dish.

Dan’s Tip: The burek takes an hour to prepare, so order ahead of time. And bring cash. Three Brothers doesn’t take cards. It’s old school like that.

Madison

Tornado Club Steak House

Jacobs’ Top Chef home-field advantage paid off with a win in the episode dedicated to Wisconsin’s supper club culture. When he trades the kitchen for the dining room, his supper club of choice is the Tornado Club Steak House. “It’s exactly what I want a supper club to be,” he says. “There’s something about that place that’s magical. The front door’s actually the back door, the back door’s really the front door; the bar’s super classic.” As for his order? “Everybody goes for the steaks and chops, but the rabbit in mustard sauce—killer. Get it with a side of hash browns.”

Dan’s Tip: Tornado Club has a late-night menu and serves until midnight Wednesday to Saturday.

Mint Mark

In college, Sean Pharr hosted a gonzo cooking show called The Punk Rock Chef on public access TV. The studded bracelets may be gone, but Pharr is still challenging expectations as chef and co-owner of Mint Mark, centering on Wisconsin produce but also obsessing over French terrines, stealing Southern thunder with honey butter biscuits and fancifying pork n’ beans. Madison Magazine named him chef of the year in 2023, and his work gets Jacobs’ backing, too. “I think Sean’s a really creative, really fun chef,” he says. “Plus, he’s also a really nice guy, and being able to support the nice guys is great.”

Dan’s Tip: “Anything that’s on the menu charcuterie-wise. Usually [Pharr]’s got a pâté and a sausage—those are must-gets.”

Ogden’s North Street Diner

Tucked in a residential neighborhood out by the airport, Ogden’s North Street Diner isn’t the sort of place you just stumble across. Jacobs will tell anyone who’ll listen to find it, though. “I literally eat there every time I’m in Madison,” he says. Ogden’s largely sticks to the basics—omelets, sandwiches, meatloaf, pie—but it does them well. “It’s a little corner diner, but it’s like if your diner was upscale. They don’t charge like it’s upscale, but they use interesting ingredients, and things are thought out.”

Dan’s Tip: Make it a weekend and spring for a room in the Governor’s Club level at the Madison Concourse Hotel for grand views of the state capitol.

Ha Long Bay

When Jacobs and Van Rite were in the planning stages for DanDan, their contemporary take on Chinese-American and Asian classics, some of their inspiration came from right in Wisconsin. “Ha Long Bay is one of the restaurants we based DanDan on,” Jacobs says. “It’s just so good.” Owned by sisters Stephanie and Jacqueline Le, Ha Long Bay serves up Vietnamese, Lao and Thai dishes in Madison’s beloved Williamson Street neighborhood. If you find its extensive menu overwhelming, go with the nem khao tod, a crispy rice salad with pork sausage, peanuts, coconut, lime, mint and fish sauce. “It’s just a flavor and textural journey. It’s great,” says Jacobs.

Dan’s Tip: Stay on Madison’s East Side for post-dinner cocktails at the Robin Room.

Editor's note: As of October 2024, Ha Long Bay was temporarily closed for renovations. They are currently open at Little Palace (225 King Street) with a blended menu until renovations are complete.

The Rest of the State

The Driftless Café, Viroqua

The deep river valleys and rolling hills of Wisconsin’s Driftless region are home to hundreds of organic farms, and Luke and Ruthie Zahm take full advantage of the local blessings at Driftless Café. The restaurant has turned the rural hamlet of Viroqua into a foodie destination, drawing in diners with offerings like squash borek and sweet corn fritters with chipotle maple butter. “Everything they use is basically purchased within a 90-mile radius,” says Jacobs. “At any point in time you’ll have a table of farmers, a table of tech bros who are fishing on the West Fork [Kickapoo River] and a family in town."

Dan’s Tip: Book a room in the recently renovated Hotel Fortney, which occupies a lovely 19th-century Queen Anne-style building next door.

Maybe Lately’s, Viroqua

Right around the corner from the Driftless Café is Maybe Lately’s. The welcoming diner serves breakfast and sandwiches, but Jacobs' main reason to go is the pizza pop-up on Monday evenings. “They do a Detroit-style pizza that is out of control. It may be the best version of Detroit pizza I’ve ever had,” he says. “Get the pepperoni, but also get whatever special they have.” It might be seasonal, like a maitake mushroom pie that Jacobs singled out, or it might be something like a hot dog pizza to celebrate Independence Day.

Dan’s Tip: Start your morning at Wonderstate, pairing its exceptional coffee with a savory Danish filled with chives, shallot, and goat cheese.

Kewpee, Racine

Kewpee keeps things simple: a few seats around two U-shaped counters, blue and white tile, and all-American favorites for cheap. “They do cheeseburgers, hamburgers, french fries … I don’t think there’s a whole lot else on the menu,” says Jacobs. “But it’s packed at lunchtime. Just packed.” Jacobs is part of the crowd every time he’s in Racine, a lakeside city south of Milwaukee. His advice is to get a burger with everything on it. “‘Everything’ I think only includes ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onion. I don’t think it needs anything else. It’s really just a perfect burger.”

Dan’s Tip: When in Racine, “Go to the Hobnob for dinner. Talk about a quintessential Wisconsin supper club.”

Trattoria Stefano and Il Ritrovo, Sheboygan

Owned by chef Stefano Viglietti, Trattoria Stefano and Il Ritrovo stand on opposite corners in downtown Sheboygan, and together they form an Italian food center of gravity for Jacobs. “Stefano’s is just kind of your perfect Italian restaurant,” he says, noting that their salads and seafood are particular standouts. As for Il Ritrovo, Jacobs confesses that “Everybody asks me what the best pizza in Milwaukee is, and I tell them it’s Il Ritrovo in Sheboygan.” He usually gets two: the Pugliese, a pizza bianca with Italian sausage and rapini, and a Calabrese, with Calabrian chili paste and salami.

Dan’s Tip: Order the clams if they’re on the menu at Trattoria Stefano, and also try the pasta special of the day at Il Ritrovo.

Kroll’s West, Green Bay

Despite having lived in Wisconsin for over a decade, Jacobs maintains some questionable allegiances. He remains a Bears fan, for instance. More often than not, this is a source of pain for the native Chicagoan, but at least when the Bears lose to the Packers, he has Kroll’s West for consolation. “Every time we go to Lambeau Field, we go to Kroll’s. It’s the way for me to drown my sadness when we lose another game,” he says. Right across the street from the stadium, Kroll’s is something of a time capsule, a repository of high-backed banquettes, great burgers and fish sandwiches good enough to make Jacobs forget the score.

Dan’s Tip: In Green Bay’s Titletown complex, Hinterland Brewery is another good option for great beer and food.

Ishnala Supper Club, Lake Delton

“You may notice a theme here: I enjoy a supper club,” Jacobs jokes. Among the ones he enjoys most is Ishnala. Open since 1953, the Wisconsin classic sits perched above Mirror Lake with dining rooms and bars that offer views of the surrounding bluffs. “I don’t think any trip to the [Wisconsin] Dells is complete without going to Ishnala. It’s insanely beautiful.” For Jacobs, an Ishnala brandy Old-Fashioned is nonnegotiable. He’s also partial to the chicken cordon bleu, “a gut punch” that uses Wisconsin rice and smoked ham from Nueske’s, the renowned Central Wisconsin meat supplier.

Dan’s Tip: “Get there early.” Ishnala doesn’t take reservations, and there can be a long wait, which is when those Old-Fashioneds come in handy.

Toad in the Hole, Eagle River

Toad in the Hole is doing things Jacobs says you wouldn’t expect to find at a diner in Wisconsin’s Northwoods—though maybe you should, considering its pedigree. Toad in the Hole’s creativity comes courtesy of co-owner Ashlee Millin, who once worked with Jacobs as a line cook at DanDan. Jacobs singles out Millin’s purple ube pancakes as “really, really cool” and also gives a nod to her unique take on a croque madame: a Gruyère grilled cheese on sourdough with turkey and cranberry apple jam.

Dan’s Tip: If you’re in town in summer, “Go to the dirt track races” at the Eagle River Speedway. “I had so much fun there.”