Great dishes with mostly locally sourced food. Restaurant is small and cozy and parties sometimes share larger tables. Wait staff is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive to allergies. Definitely recommend braise. Don't forget to make an reservation! read more

Truly outstanding. One of my best experience in a US restaurant coast to coast with Terzo on Pacific Heights and La Chine in NYC. Very delicate dishes and original flavor. Incredible products sourced from an impressive network of nearby Wisconsin farms. Not too greasy or sweet as it is often the case in the US. Very intelligent selection of wine. I had a 2014 Taurasi and a 2010 Saint Estephe. read more

Love the vibe in here and the bar and honestly we ordered to our hearts desire and the bill was shockingly low. Although the vibe could be a bit pretentious and would be kinda intimidating for most people. Everything we ate was great and the meat board was amazing. Don't pass up desert either! They also made our anniversary really special and gave us a sweet card at the end of our meal ;) read more

I'd have to say this has got to be one of MKE's finest... I've been getting my groceries delivered for a few years through Dave's Braise service so I'm already framiliar with his concept of working small local farms. Was excited to see him with this cool ex-bowling alley space he transformed into this beautiful restaurant. Small plates and desserts are our favorites so we can try a variety. I'm not going to lie, I could seriously sit down with a few of those buckets of bread and butter blend! Menu changes often so it's always an adventure. Some of my favorites were raviolo and kolarobi curry. Desserts are always amazing... generally the fruit based ones tend to be my favorite. The Rishi Masala chai is so good I wish I had an espresso machine to heat mine up with! And wine selection is good, I love the wine despensers that look like a beer keg! This place gets busy on weekends so be sure to have a reservation or get there early or late w/out reservation and ask to sit at the food bar to see the action and chat with Dave! http://tryintothrowyourarms.weebly.com/5/post/2012/06/braise-milwaukees-finest.html read more

Braise - View from the food bar - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Came here on a Friday night with a large group of work friends. Seating was not a problem as they have long tables in the back that can accommodate about 15-16 people. The food menu had a unique organization (which I liked) with some light apps, main plates, and then a section of dishes that can be shared between two people. There is a good variety of dishes and everything I tried was scrumptious. For starters my gf and I ordered the pork buns followed by the chili braised chicken. The pork buns were very savory with a unique twist on the flavor. The chili braised chicken was amazing! The portion size is more than enough for two people. Some other dishes I tried from my friends included the whey polenta, oiled potatoes, and the cheese board which I thoroughly enjoyed. The drink menu has a good mix of options. A very extensive wine list and good choices of cocktails. I went with the Bees knees cocktail which was quite refreshing. Definitely a must try, and I think I will be back. read more

We were visiting Milwaukee for the weekend and wanted to try Braise, as chef David Swanson is a James Beard Best Chef Midwest semi-finalist (maybe a winner? awards are a few weeks away!) The building itself is super charming, as is so much of the city. The location used to be a bowling alley, and one of the first things we noticed was that the tables were made of the old bowling lane wood. The exposed brick, chalkboard list of local purveyors, and overall refurbished feel gave it a rustic elegance that lent itself perfectly to the upscale local food vibe they've got going on. Their menu is sectioned into Braise Bites, Butcher Board, Small Plates, and Large Plates. We ordered the Steamed Pork Buns from the Butcher Board section, and they were to DIE for. The buns were perfectly doughy and sticky, filled with braised sweet pork, scallions and peanuts. They were served on a bed of shredded cabbage, which we stuffed inside the buns as well. The flavor combination was spectacular and the cabbage provided a welcome crunch. This dish was actually the star of the night; don't miss it. We also shared the Puree of Celery Root Soup with mushrooms and parsley oil. This dish took a relatively boring and overlooked ingredient (celery) and elevated it, bringing out a level of elegance, and highlighting the delicate subtly of the flavor. The parsley oil was delicious and beautiful, floating on top of the soup and adding a lovely kick. For our main dishes, I ordered the Seared Trout and he ordered the Flank Steak. My trout was absolutely delicious. Flaky and tender, but maintaining the crispy skin, it was served atop a bed of roasted radish tabbouleh and these caramelized, thinly sliced sweet potatoes that melted in your mouth with sweet, rich flavor. Every component of this dish complimented the others and the textures all worked very well together. He ordered the flank steak, served with mascarpone, on a bed of spaetzle with a cardamom scented glaze. My opinion of his dish is skewed as I don't like cardamom, but he liked the unique usage of the ingredient with beef, as we usually find it in desserts. I thought the flank steak was a little chewy and the spaetzle, while providing a needed starch, had little else to offer and wasn't flavorful. We finished our meal with cappuccinos that were elegantly served with pretty little designs on the top. They were elegant and low-key; a perfect end to our dinner and evening out in Milwaukee. Chef Swanson has proven himself Beard Worthy. read more

Braise - Seared Trout with Roasted Black Radish Tabbouleh. Delicious! - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Love the food and the place. the chef surprises me every time with a great dish!! Miss Milwaukee and miss the best restaurant in the entire city. I hope more people try to support their local restaurant in this hard time. read more

Great waitstaff. Fish was excellent. A little disappointed they were out of our first 2 choices. But a wonderful experience anyway. read more

Wow what can I say...just fantastic. I can't believe I took so long to stop over. This was a huge loss/mistake on my part so hopefully you give Braise a try. This review is from November. Atmosphere: cozy, warm, inviting. Service: friendly, knowledgeable. Great date spot! We started with Soup o' fennel squash puree excellent. The pumpkin seeds used instead of the menu description were a perfect seasonal choice. Next: Steamed pork buns..are you kidding me? What a wonderful moist doughy sensation! The waiter assumed we knew what grilled hen of the woods were--no idea. Well, these tasty mushroom are just amazing. I could eat these everyday. The Smoked Trout and Salmon entrees were outstanding. I loved the drinks-Sorry I do not remember the name but I did post a picture. I only wish it was twice the size...or really lets be honest 10x the size;) Desert was also exceptional. Sorry this review is so short. Should have written immediately after. I highly recommend this establishment. We used our City Tin for this stop but will absolutely frequent again. read more

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Food was great. Good happy specials. TrieD to sit at the bar first butt bartenders were very inattentive. There was three of them and we were the only two at the bar. They were more interested in talking to each other then serving us. read more

I have been to Braise several times for dinner and have always had great experiences so decided to hold our reception here. They have a beautiful space upstairs with a deck, private bathroom and bar. Rebecca was super easy to work with and Molly their pastry chef makes fabulous desserts. Everything went without a hitch and several months later everyone is still talking about the food and drinks! read more

Best food I have had since moving to Milwaukee! Outside dining is wonderful, Michael our waiter was knowledgeable and truly cares about his guests and the quality of food. Very relaxing evening. And two of us 3 courses and drinks $70!!!!! Fried green tomatoes , goat sausage and spatzel, were wonderful, but the polenta stole the show almost finished like cake in your mouth. We will be back. Thank you for a great night and a well needed dinner Pet friendly , they even have dog dishes. read more

My husband and I came here because I have been wanting to come here for a while and there was a City Tin for Braise (in 2015). The first thing we ordered was the steam pork buns with scallion vinaigrette and crushed spicy peanuts. I liked it but my only complaint is that, in my opinion, the bun was too soggy for me. My husband ordered the grilled marinated beef heart with the carrot curry broth. He stated that he really liked it. I didn't try the heart because I don't like heart but I did try the rice that came with it and it was good. The third thing we ordered was the tea seasoned chicken and herb crumpet. I really like the chicken, it was beautifully seasoned was moist. I didn't like the crumpet and in my taste, it was too sweet. My husband likes the whole dish. I don't know - for some reason, Braise didn't like up to my expectations. Or maybe it was just I ordered that didn't satisfy my tastebuds. Maybe I'll have to come back and try something different. read more

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I feel I will need to visit this place again to determine if they deserve the 5th star... Right now, my finger is itching to just hand it over, but there's hesitation. And hesitation doesn't get a five. (but it's close) The food was excellent. The atmosphere was divine. The cocktails were interesting yet delicious. The prices were what you'd expect from an upscale restaurant, though if you wanted to eat more on the cheap side, you can opt for going the tapas route and have a few of the small plates. You won't leave with a too-full-food-baby sticking out of your gut, but is that a bad thing? My 'Merican heritage says "yes", but my healthy sensibility says "no". I understand that the menu changes fairly often - I'll let you know next time if I see anything familiar - and that ensures seasonal tasty offerings. read more

Braise - Lemon curd tart with blueberry compote and frozen yogurt ice cream - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This place was amazing!! Haven't had such a nice dinner at home all of covid and this was a perfect take home dinner as if I were actually in the restauraunt! The pork buns, butternut squash risotto, and honey garlic chicken were super delicious! Thanks for this amazing take home covid dinner! Can't wait to go in person soon!!! read more

Came back in the spring and not at all disappointed. Every aspect of those restaurant is excellent, and the prices are extremely reasonable. Nettle tart, black bean cake with carrot and goat cheese spread, ramp soup, asparagus, morels, home made bread, great craft cocktails, excellent and affordable wine list. We could go on and on. Service is outstanding. Awesome rooftop area. Hope they get a James Beard Award soon. Totally earned!!!!!! Could be the best restaurant for flavors and quality in all of Wisconsin, and that is really saying something... Update: wish Yelp had SIX stars. Braise allows pups at their sidewalk table. You are so cool Braise !!!!!!!! read more

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Amazing food and service. Atmosphere is great and our waitress was super helpful with suggestions and explaining the menu. We had a cheese board and 3 small plates and left happy and satisfied. Can't wait to go back and try some more of their unique dishes! read more

Braise is a great restaurant for many reasons, but I noticed people that wrote reviews are talking only about the food served in the restaurant, which we all know is amazing, but there are other reasons why I think this restaurant is outstanding. Braise also has a culinary school, which I think that taking 3 semesters here has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. In the first semester we covered a lot of different topics, from basic skills like how to use the knives and what each is made for, to complicated dishes from all around the world. Each week we were just anxiously waiting for class, since it was a lot of fun and you get to learn and eat something delicious with the satisfaction that you made it. So, different from other restaurants I noticed that Braise has a culture of encouraging the community to cook more and be better at it, not only because of the classes, but also because they organize events like Garlic fest, farm dinners, etc. I mean, I remember that one option for desert in the menu is to take 2 scones to go ready to be baked at home if you feel too full, which I thought was a great idea! If you look at their website you can find services like "Braise on The Go" were you can order fresh produce, prepared meals, etc. but everything LOCAL, which is important to me, great quality, great taste and supporting local economy. When I mentioned Braise to a couple of friends they asked me if it was expensive, I said not at all, in fact, in my experience I think that Braise is one of the less expensive restaurants with high quality food. If you go to any other restaurant in the area in the same rank I bet you will end up paying a lot more. read more

I am always so happy when I go to Braise. Coming here is the difference between eating to live and eating for pure pleasure. Every bite was so flavorful and a perfect blend of flavors. The pork buns will always be my favorite but the beet braised beef was also incredible. Our server Fernando seemed to read our minds and recommended a bottle of wine that we already had our eyes on. He was so friendly and made us laugh the whole time. We don't make it out to Braise often but when we do it's a top notch meal and night. read more

Braise - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My Boss and I wanted something healthy, locally sourced and flavorful, we found it at Braise. We started with the pork steamed buns, incredible. For our nect course we had the Walleye served on a bed of wild rice with steamed leeks thatt were grilled before steaming, the fish was done just right and topped with a very tasty pepper jam giving the fish a sweet and lightly spicy flavor. We asked if they could make us some Brussel sprouts, which was not on the menu but they were able to put it together for us. The dessert was a chocolate pot aux creme, also great. With the nice wine list and great service, we enjoyed our dinner on a cold Wisconsin night. read more

Braise - Walleye small plate at Braise - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This was a fantastic find by a friend... it was her pick. It was a pretty slow night based on some unfortunate Wisconsin weather. That being said, unlike how often service can be in attentive when it's slow, our server was great! Our first plate was the pork buns. Next time we go I will simply order "all the pork buns"! They made you grin ear to ear after every bite. Vest bite of the meal! The only disappointment were the potatoes. Everything else we tried (6 total) was exceptional. I will go again for sure! read more

Always been impressed with Braise's menu and service. We had a little hiccup as our reservation made via Yelp wasn't recognized and they were already at capacity for roof seating... however they apologized profusely and more than compensated with a glass of sparkling wine and great attentive service... I love Braise for their fresh menu and great atmosphere and even amongst this CoVid pandemic they continued to exceed our expectation read more

Braise - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My sister and her husband had their rehearsal dinner here the night before the wedding. The food was unreal delicious. Specifically, they brought out a short rib dish that I still think about months later... so delicious I wanted to come back and tell the world. Go to this place, and savor the perfectly cooked and seasoned goodness. If you're lucky enough to taste the short rib, mushroom, balsamic concoction served over polenta, bless you. read more

One of our favorite restaurants. Great craft cocktails. Pork buns are absolutely incredible. My wife ordered the turnip arugula and pistachio salad. Who knew that combo could be so good? Also had the bar bites, which were fantastic! Servers don't exactly set any speed records, but, then again, it's not fast food! read more

Very unique cool restaurant. Tasty and unique all natural or locally sustainable foods. Desserts were fabulous! Used Verizon up menu! Staff super friendly and informative. Highly recommend trying this place. Tasted new food combos that were great together! read more

I don't say raise, I say braise. Someday when I braise my children, I will braise my voice if they don't want to come to Braise. It's got some okay food. read more

Trifecta Yes! Wow, what a great Wednesday take away.....had Pork Buns, Pot Stickers, and Chorizo Ragout and we are amazed! Unique tastes, served hot to take away and each with amazing sacks to make this a wonderful gourmet Wednesday dinner. Special! Very happy. read more

Made reservations for my boyfriends birthday dinner! Loved the family style tables had an amazing time! The atmosphere was lively but not overwhelming and provided the perfect ambiance for the evening! read more

There's a restaurant in milwaukee that sparkles like a jewel. Everything about it is fresh and refreshing. Outstanding well thought out and insanely delicious. The server told us with charming enthusiasm about the restaurant and gave great suggestions about the food. We loved every bite. If you are looking for a burger and fries this might not be your place, but oh if you want to truly experience SOMETHING SPECIAL be prepared to be amazed! read more

Amazing food, great service, awesome location, easy parking. Get the pork rolls it's a must. read more

One of the main reasons why we dine at braise is not just because everybody is so nice and friendly and the food is outstanding but it's a farm to table restaurant. That's really important to us that everything they get and serve is local. They care about what they put on the plate in front of you and we really appreciate that. And did I mention that the food is outstanding! read more

A really great experience. Atmosphere is pretty casual and welcoming. Staff is friendly but keep to the background and let the food be the star. Enjoyed everything I had. It was their winter menu so that is probably one reason why the sauces were very bold and liberally applied. Great selection of beer to go with the meal. This is a must try in Milwaukee. read more

I stopped here with 40 (yes, forty) colleagues for lunch on May 19th, 2017. We had the mixed greens salad, mushroom risotto, chicken confit, grilled asparagus, poeled radish and lemon scones for dessert. Everything was delicious. The lemon scones were the best I've ever had - with not just the usual coffee bar scone, which can be dry and rather "amorphous". These had moisture, texture, and distinctive flavors. Overall, I ate too much And don't regret a single bit of it. read more

Love this place. Menu changes often enough that it is unique every time we go here. Thankfully the Sticky Pork Buns are a staple on the menu. They are by far the best I have ever had. Small place, so I recommend getting a reservation. read more

Brais is a fantastic Milwaukee culinary gem! I've been fortunate to attend a couple private fundraiser dinners there and I was so impressed by the ambiance, the staff and of course the food! read more

Goat stuffed with goat and wrapped in bacon! I repeat: goat... stuffed with goat... wrapped in bacon!! When I saw the menu offered goat loin stuffed with goat sausage wrapped in pancetta, I just had to have it. I'm pleased to report the dish lived up to my expectations. I also got to try the mushroom tart and the pork buns. The tart was noteworthy too but the buns were just okay, nothing spectacular. When I asked the bartender for a pre-dinner drink recommendation, he suggested the apple cocktail stating that the Peach Reach was more like a dessert drink. Having tried both, I definitely prefer the peach cocktail. Though initially hesitant about ordering dessert (because I'm trying to eat healthy... says the man who polished off goat stuffed with goat wrapped in bacon), I have no regrets about getting the very decadent pot de crème. It was worth every single calorie. Michael, our waiter, did a great job with service. At the end of our meal, he even offered to split the checks for all fourteen of us... and he got everything correct. Braise is a nice addition to the Milwaukee dining scene, one that I'm hoping to frequent. Random fact: the tables at Braise are made of recycled bowling lanes, but you're not allowed to bowl on them. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. Upon reading all the other reviews, it's almost like we weren't at the same place! What is going on?? The restaurant is small. We had a table of six along the wall, and they way they divided the bar and tables did not allow any room for the servers to move. They have a 2-foot piece of wood that juts out right where my friend was sitting and only allows about two inches to move. He had to keep squeezing in for the server to move. Our server approached our table to take our drink orders, only to stop us midway (seriously, she stopped my friend mid sentence to run to the hostess station to seat two people who just came in. Huh??) and answer the phone! And they had a hostess there! Our server then disappeared for long periods of time and other people around us seemed to be having a good time - maybe our server was having an off night.Our server was not attentive. She brought our drinks out at different times (we ordered them all at the same time) and kept complaining that our bread kept getting "stolen" by other servers, so we'll have to wait for more bread. And wait we did. And wait...and wait. My friend ended up ordering his drinks at the bar. Our crispy pig was ice cold in the middle. We informed the server is was cold and she took it back to the kitchen. It was still cold when she brought it back! My pork loin was cold and not seasoned and the black-eyed peas were crunchy and cold. My friends veal stew, "right out of the piping hot oven" as our server warned, was cold. We were baffled how all of our food was cold. I hate to knock a new place, but cold food? Our server ended up taking the crispy pig off our bill. That was nice of her to do that. The Chef came by and my friend indicated the flavors were good, but the temperature was not right. He said, "Okay, sorry about that..." Then stood there. "Um, okay..." and walked away. We had a stack of our dirty dishes from the appetizers. My friend (who was quickly not becoming a fan of Braise) bused our table! Okay, reader, you're probably thinking, "Wow, these people sound picky and rude and all that..." but when you're sitting in front of an entire table of half-eaten food (we didn't want to eat the cold food we sent back) and your server is no where to be found for long periods of time, we had to do something. We were hoping to have a great experience, but everything about our evening was very disappointing. First impressions are lasting impressions as another reviewer wrote. UPDATE: Braise called me to ask specific questions and to apologize - very solid of them and it was really nice of them to follow up! read more

This is why I eat local: so many local restaurants are incredibly personable and accommodating. I sent a Facebook message asking thiem if they could cater to my (very large) list of allergens and they said, Absolutely! In addition to this, my friend who is on leave from a deployment called and asked if they could make the night extra special, and they sure did. We got to sit on their beautiful rooftop that included lighting and a garden. They also gave us complimentary champaign! They gave me more than enough options to cater to my allergies and everything was fresh and delicious. I can't believe it took me so long to try this place out! Will be back again, thanks Braise. read more

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So, we finally went to Braise. Frankly, we hadn't been hearing rave reviews on the place, so we thought we'd give it some time. Okay, this is a rave review. First off, I love the place - we used to go here when it was Jacques and I have always liked the atmosphere. Cozy, quaint, great woodwork, awesome back bar and super comfy atmosphere, but also feels pretty hip and trendy with the lighting, decor, service and clientele. Does that even make sense? I know what I mean...you will too. Good beer, wine and cocktail selection. Started with a Furthermore Knotstock - ended with a "Before & After" - beer, prosecco and homemade black pepper bitters Love the little bucket of homemade breads and crackers with butter. Then we checked out the menu. You can choose from three categories - Braise Bites which are basically appetizers, small plates or full on entrees. We ended up with a mix of bites and small plates and had plenty of food with a great variety of flavors. That is what Braise does best - provides flavor. Loved the seared gnocchi with pickled carrots, coulis, toasted hazelnuts and pea shoots as well as the honey roasted beet salad and totally dug the smoked trout on the johnny cake with the tomato jam. One thing that they could do better is provide more description on the menu. As a person with allergies, I made sure to let our server - who was awesome - know the allergies I had. He actually had to let us know when he brought one of the bites to us that it had black beans...although the menu description did not say so. I am glad he caught it, because I probably would have not noticed until it was too late. So kudos to him for being on top of things and caring about his customer! I liked the opportunity to continue to order items based on how we felt and things came out of the kitchen pretty quickly. We shared a total of five plates and we didn't get overly full and, surprisingly, the check wasn't that big either. I look forward to going back...what took us so long to check this place out??? read more

Finally. Despite working mere footsteps from Braise, I've waited nearly two years to dine here. The reason is two-fold: 1) after a hard day's work, I head home and, once there, I don't usually feel like going back to the area where I just spent my entire day, and 2) I heard a review from trusted associate that wasn't entirely satisfied with his early Braise experience. So I thought I'd give 'em a while. Boy, either that was the smartest thing I did or the dumbest. Smart, because if they DID have any kinks to work out, they definitely did, because my Braise experience was most excellent. Dumb, because, darn, I could have been dining here the whole time! Braise's story is compelling: they are Milwaukee's first community supported restaurant. They work with local growers and producers to create the finest, freshest flavors I've had in the Mil. Local. Sustainable. Fresh. Need I say more? Yes. I need. Another great thing about Braise is that it won't break the bank. My wife and I dined on five Braise Bites and each had two drinks and our bill barely topped seventy bucks. These "Bites" are a little more than just tapas-sized morsels; they're significant portions. After our shared five entrees, I had nary room for another taste, despite my mouth telling my stomach to shut up. In fact, complaining about Braise is like complaining about sex because you hit your head on the headboard, but I only have a small one: some of the descriptions on the menu are confusing. One dish in particular left us scratching our heads. "Pork? We ordered pork?? Which dish was that?! "I think it's the Humba," was the exchange between me and my wife. No problem for me--I'll eat, and probably like, anything, but if one suffered from food allergies (my wife) or had a religious or political disposition preventing them from eating certain foods, a little more description would certainly help. Braise. So good they locally sustained another customer ... me! read more