Excellent flavorful, fresh and unique tapas and entrees. Hip rustic atmosphere with superb service.
Ronald N.
Another hidden gem! Cute place on the edge of a neighborhood near shops and industry. Very friendly service, a bit pricey, but well worth it for creative and tasty gourmet food and cocktails. The house old fashioned's were excellent as were the other cocktails. Four of us ordered 2 entrees and numerous small plates to share, and deserts. Please the photos and descriptions. Did forget to photograph the Five spiced smoked chicken which was lightly smoked and delicious. Also had the bok choy salad. Highly recommend all we had. Great mix of flavors,
Megan F.
I love coming to Braise and eating in the bar area. Their booths and candle lights give a cozy atmosphere and can make a perfect date night. Sit at the bar to enjoy fun conversations and witness Flan and Evan crafting up the amazing cocktails behind the bar. Even if you don't see a drink on the menu that catches your eyes, they can make anything you are feeling or give them the freedom to surprise you with a "dealers choice" cocktail. I love that the food menu changes every few weeks, one of the many reasons I keep coming back!
Aminah K.
I appreciate the approach to slow cooking, but I've found the braised meats come out to the table on the drier side, and something is amiss in terms of the overall taste quality. It's not for me but I know many who enjoy the place.
Angela Serbest
Really nice treat for any occasion, or none. Creative dishes that never disappoint! Do wish there was more than one vegetarian entree though. Mushroom risotto again and again means you won't come as often no matter how well done it is. The meat entree seems to change up, why not the veg one?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph A
Starting with the positives:The atmosphere was cute, cozy and I liked seeing the kitchen.The service was good. The focaccia.was delicious.The drinks were super delicious.The negative: the food was terrible. Our friends ordered the cream of spinach soup, it was absolutely terrible. It tasted like spinach broth.The salad for the prefixed menu had no flavor.I ordered the risotto, it was flavorless, undercooked, missing seasoning, and salt, I would never order this again.My friends ordered the chicken, it had a strange texture, the root vegetables were undercooked.We ordered the Honey cake and they were out after we ordered.The panna cotta, and the Gillette were underwhelming, the theme of the night was everything was undercooked.We would never come back again
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Taylor C.
Our first experience with Braise was a takeout order during the pandemic, and We finally dined at the restaurant for the first time this week. We were a bit surprised that the restaurant was filled up quickly that evening even though it was in the middle of the week. There was only one server for the customers upstairs, but she seemed very professional and able to attend to the needs of every table quickly. Both of her two recommendations turned out to be very good. We ordered 4 appetizers plus a main dish to share, and the total quantity of food was significantly more than we could finish, with leftovers (two steamed dumplings and half of the main course) almost enough for another meal. The dishes that we liked most were the Steamed Pork Buns and the Almond Crusted Trout. The toasted pork cubes with scallion vinaigrette in the Pork Buns was very tasty. Almost every restaurant in the city has a dish with trout, but the Almond Crusted Trout at Braise stands out for its tasty and unusual flavor combinations. The prices of the dishes were also reasonable. So, we consider Braise to have a high quality-to-price ratio.
R L
Always a wonderful experience! Get The Buns!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John S
Nice Atmosphere and friendly staff. Beef Brisket dinner. Brisket appears to have been rushed in cooking; not fork tender. Beans were al dente. The corn muffin was not done; very mushy and unfit to eat. Opera Cake was not what we expected. More like a cookie and not cake. Not pleased with the food. Will not be returning…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steamed Pork Buns
Maria B.
Excellent food, service and cozy ambiance. Surprised we were able to get a same reservation, it was all really great and thoughtful.
I absolutely cannot express how AMAZING Braise Restaurant & Culinary School was for our reception. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this venue. We reserved the upstairs room, including the outdoor space that provided a beautiful view of the city.Becky Ayala, the restaurant manager, was a dream to work with. She was responsive to my emails and detail-oriented, which was so helpful during the reception planning process.The beautifully decorated room dazzled guests the moment they arrived at Braise and established the vibe for the rest of the room’s design. We also loved having the outdoor space, which was perfectly decorated, with floral arrangements placed everywhere. We opted for a family-style dinner. Locally sourced seasonal food inspired the menu of Mixed Green Salad, Lemon Risotto, Montreal Chicken and Soy Braised Beef. The food was delicious and the two wedding cocktails, Crazy Dave’s Old Fashioned and Rhubarb Lemonade were wonderful and flavorful. Our waiter, Kira and David, our bartender, were exceptional and on top of everything. The timing of the dishes was efficiently paced to allow sufficient time in between dishes.Everything was superb, and our guests raved about the venue and the food. I cannot recommend Becky and her team highly enough. You will not regret booking your venue in Braise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily T.
Braise was on my list for awhile when I moved to Milwaukee, and I'm thrilled I finally got to test it out! I went alone for a solo dinner - and it's the perfect spot to post up by the bar and enjoy (especially since you get access to a "Secret Password" small bites menu). I enjoyed a gin martini (bartender was great about asking preferences) and a few small items - Smoked Trout Chowder, Garlic Bread, and Roasted Olives. Incredibly flavorful - and I couldn't believe the cost. I felt like I got such a deal for high quality, highly local food. I'm already planning my next cozy visit back.
Chrissi Quinn
We had our wedding dinner here and the catering was phenomenal. We booked out the first floor and the split between cocktails in the bar area and dinner in the dining room was a nice little change of setting. The braised beef, pork buns, and chocolate mouse were hits, guests even took leftovers home. The lemon curd wedding cake made by the pastry chefs was great and beautifully but tastefully decorated. I hope we can come back for all our anniversaries.Wheelchair accessibility: My significant other's mom is in an electric wheelchair and it was easy for her to get in and navigate around the first floor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lill
The "Ants on a Log" was wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bridget Norris
I was really excited to take a friend here from out of town and left feeling embarrassed. The focaccia, bao buns, salad, and cocktails were really good, but the second half of our meal was not enjoyable. The pasta dishes were bad. The texture of the gnocchi was lumpy and the other pasta was hard and dry? The taste of other dishes we ordered wasn’t great either. Service-wise we had empty water and cocktails glasses for a while. When we asked for new plates after several courses, it felt like it was weird that we asked for clean ones. A table sat down next to us, and they had very attentive service. It was so notable that any time the table next to us got water, we would have empty glasses and not get water. We left with the feeling that we really overpaid for our experience, and I would not recommend this restaurant to friends or family.
Excellent flavorful, fresh and unique tapas and entrees. Hip rustic atmosphere with superb service.
Another hidden gem! Cute place on the edge of a neighborhood near shops and industry. Very friendly service, a bit pricey, but well worth it for creative and tasty gourmet food and cocktails. The house old fashioned's were excellent as were the other cocktails. Four of us ordered 2 entrees and numerous small plates to share, and deserts. Please the photos and descriptions. Did forget to photograph the Five spiced smoked chicken which was lightly smoked and delicious. Also had the bok choy salad. Highly recommend all we had. Great mix of flavors,
I love coming to Braise and eating in the bar area. Their booths and candle lights give a cozy atmosphere and can make a perfect date night. Sit at the bar to enjoy fun conversations and witness Flan and Evan crafting up the amazing cocktails behind the bar. Even if you don't see a drink on the menu that catches your eyes, they can make anything you are feeling or give them the freedom to surprise you with a "dealers choice" cocktail. I love that the food menu changes every few weeks, one of the many reasons I keep coming back!
I appreciate the approach to slow cooking, but I've found the braised meats come out to the table on the drier side, and something is amiss in terms of the overall taste quality. It's not for me but I know many who enjoy the place.
Really nice treat for any occasion, or none. Creative dishes that never disappoint! Do wish there was more than one vegetarian entree though. Mushroom risotto again and again means you won't come as often no matter how well done it is. The meat entree seems to change up, why not the veg one?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Starting with the positives:The atmosphere was cute, cozy and I liked seeing the kitchen.The service was good. The focaccia.was delicious.The drinks were super delicious.The negative: the food was terrible. Our friends ordered the cream of spinach soup, it was absolutely terrible. It tasted like spinach broth.The salad for the prefixed menu had no flavor.I ordered the risotto, it was flavorless, undercooked, missing seasoning, and salt, I would never order this again.My friends ordered the chicken, it had a strange texture, the root vegetables were undercooked.We ordered the Honey cake and they were out after we ordered.The panna cotta, and the Gillette were underwhelming, the theme of the night was everything was undercooked.We would never come back again
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Our first experience with Braise was a takeout order during the pandemic, and We finally dined at the restaurant for the first time this week. We were a bit surprised that the restaurant was filled up quickly that evening even though it was in the middle of the week. There was only one server for the customers upstairs, but she seemed very professional and able to attend to the needs of every table quickly. Both of her two recommendations turned out to be very good. We ordered 4 appetizers plus a main dish to share, and the total quantity of food was significantly more than we could finish, with leftovers (two steamed dumplings and half of the main course) almost enough for another meal. The dishes that we liked most were the Steamed Pork Buns and the Almond Crusted Trout. The toasted pork cubes with scallion vinaigrette in the Pork Buns was very tasty. Almost every restaurant in the city has a dish with trout, but the Almond Crusted Trout at Braise stands out for its tasty and unusual flavor combinations. The prices of the dishes were also reasonable. So, we consider Braise to have a high quality-to-price ratio.
Always a wonderful experience! Get The Buns!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice Atmosphere and friendly staff. Beef Brisket dinner. Brisket appears to have been rushed in cooking; not fork tender. Beans were al dente. The corn muffin was not done; very mushy and unfit to eat. Opera Cake was not what we expected. More like a cookie and not cake. Not pleased with the food. Will not be returning…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steamed Pork Buns
Excellent food, service and cozy ambiance. Surprised we were able to get a same reservation, it was all really great and thoughtful.
Restaurantji Recommends
I absolutely cannot express how AMAZING Braise Restaurant & Culinary School was for our reception. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this venue. We reserved the upstairs room, including the outdoor space that provided a beautiful view of the city.Becky Ayala, the restaurant manager, was a dream to work with. She was responsive to my emails and detail-oriented, which was so helpful during the reception planning process.The beautifully decorated room dazzled guests the moment they arrived at Braise and established the vibe for the rest of the room’s design. We also loved having the outdoor space, which was perfectly decorated, with floral arrangements placed everywhere. We opted for a family-style dinner. Locally sourced seasonal food inspired the menu of Mixed Green Salad, Lemon Risotto, Montreal Chicken and Soy Braised Beef. The food was delicious and the two wedding cocktails, Crazy Dave’s Old Fashioned and Rhubarb Lemonade were wonderful and flavorful. Our waiter, Kira and David, our bartender, were exceptional and on top of everything. The timing of the dishes was efficiently paced to allow sufficient time in between dishes.Everything was superb, and our guests raved about the venue and the food. I cannot recommend Becky and her team highly enough. You will not regret booking your venue in Braise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Braise was on my list for awhile when I moved to Milwaukee, and I'm thrilled I finally got to test it out! I went alone for a solo dinner - and it's the perfect spot to post up by the bar and enjoy (especially since you get access to a "Secret Password" small bites menu). I enjoyed a gin martini (bartender was great about asking preferences) and a few small items - Smoked Trout Chowder, Garlic Bread, and Roasted Olives. Incredibly flavorful - and I couldn't believe the cost. I felt like I got such a deal for high quality, highly local food. I'm already planning my next cozy visit back.
We had our wedding dinner here and the catering was phenomenal. We booked out the first floor and the split between cocktails in the bar area and dinner in the dining room was a nice little change of setting. The braised beef, pork buns, and chocolate mouse were hits, guests even took leftovers home. The lemon curd wedding cake made by the pastry chefs was great and beautifully but tastefully decorated. I hope we can come back for all our anniversaries.Wheelchair accessibility: My significant other's mom is in an electric wheelchair and it was easy for her to get in and navigate around the first floor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The "Ants on a Log" was wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was really excited to take a friend here from out of town and left feeling embarrassed. The focaccia, bao buns, salad, and cocktails were really good, but the second half of our meal was not enjoyable. The pasta dishes were bad. The texture of the gnocchi was lumpy and the other pasta was hard and dry? The taste of other dishes we ordered wasn’t great either. Service-wise we had empty water and cocktails glasses for a while. When we asked for new plates after several courses, it felt like it was weird that we asked for clean ones. A table sat down next to us, and they had very attentive service. It was so notable that any time the table next to us got water, we would have empty glasses and not get water. We left with the feeling that we really overpaid for our experience, and I would not recommend this restaurant to friends or family.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2