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Came for dinner to use my Chase Sapphire dining benefit at Dan Dan in the Historic Third Ward. Here's my honest take. The vibe: It was packed at 7:15 PM on a Sunday, and they held firmly to our reservation time--which is understandable given the crowd. We took a nice stroll while waiting, so no harm done. Once seated, the service was excellent--attentive, prompt, and professional. The food: This is clearly high-end Americanized Chinese food, not authentic regional cuisine. If you go in expecting that, you'll have a better experience. The menu reads like a "greatest hits" collection--familiar dishes done with nicer ingredients and presentation. What worked well: Smashed Cucumber - A strong start. The cilantro and bean sprouts were exceptionally fresh, and the peanut finish added nice depth, though the sauce leaned a bit salty for my taste. Service and atmosphere - polished and efficient. What fell short for me: Wonton Soup - The wrappers were thicker than I prefer; I like a more delicate, translucent skin. The leek-based broth was pleasant, though. Salt & Pepper Cod - The seasoning was good, but the cod pieces were too thick, so the center remained bland. Halving the thickness would improve the texture. Mongolian Beef - Tender meat, but I wanted thicker cuts and larger onion pieces for more bite. It leaned a bit soggy for my preference. Rice Cake with Pork Belly - Pork belly was well-executed, but too many rice cakes overwhelmed the dish. The flavor leaned Korean (almost kimchi-like), which felt like a departure from the rest of the menu. Beef Chow Fun - Felt repetitive, using the same thin-sliced beef and bean sprouts as other dishes. I'd prefer charred broad rice noodlesthat are thin. These rice sticks were wide and thick,so like the cod, the center of the rice sticks were bland. I also preferred more eggs in this dish for variety. The overall pattern: Many dishes share similar ingredients and sauce profiles, which makes sense for a busy kitchen but does reduce variety across the meal. Bottom line: If you're looking for authentic, nuanced Chinese cooking, this probably isn't your spot. But if you want a polished, upscale version of familiar Chinese-American favorites in a great location, with reliable service, Dan Dan delivers that well. I personally wouldn't return, but I can see why it's popular--especially for the crowd that wants comfort food in a nicer setting.
We reserved a table for two people on OpenTable right at opening 5pm and we were seated when they opened. The inside is nicely decorated and has a few tables outside near the entrance. We were seated inside in an area towards the back near the kitchen. We appreciated the fast service and large portions. We got the crispy brussel sprouts which were delicious, the Schmaltz fried rice and Orange chicken which are also great. The portions were so large that we had a lot of food to pack. For the bill, they automatically added a 20% tip and 5% for employee benefits. The total for the food and one drink and including the 25% was around $88.
I stopped in to DanDan the other night for dinner and absolutely loved it. I sat at the bar and the two bartenders working that night were incredible at efficiently making drinks for the restaurant while also making the guests at the bar feel taken care of. I had the Singapore noodles for my main, which was outside of what I normally would have tried, but I loved the curry flavor with the char sui pork. I had the Ric's Got Flair to drink, which is their version of a whiskey sour, which was delightful. If I lived in Milwaukee, I would come regularly!
WOW! That food was the best I've had in a really long time. We ordered the pork sichuan dumplings - so flavorful! Then the smashed cucumbers that were light and tasty. They came with peanuts which I had never had before but LOVED the combo. Then we had the Dan Dan noodles which were meaty, and the peppers were spicy! I really liked the flavor, it had more curry in it than I expected. Finally we ended with the beef chow fun. It had these thick, delicious rice noodles YUM in still thinking about it. I think the dumplings and the beef chow fun were easily the best. This place has peanuts in most dishes I would stay away from here if you have an allergy. ALSO, portions are big here - the staff recommends sharing everything and I totally agree. The ambiance is very nice, it's lower lighting and is great for a dinner with your girlfriends or significant other. I loved the decorations! Our server was super nice and the food runners were super helpful! I will definitely be back again.
The vibes inside are incredible & some of the food is great, some is average. We loved the flavors of the Mongolian beef but the pad Thai left something to be desired.
Most of the restaurants we dine at are usually the result of someone else's recommendation, so we typically have high expectations. I don't often give a 2-star rating to these restaurants, so I was sad that our experience here was so disappointing. We had 5:15 reservations on a Wednesday evening. There were not too many people there when we arrived, and we got seated right away. The last time we were at this location, it was the "Tulip" restaurant, which served excellent Mediterranean cuisine. Food: To start, we ordered a couple of specialty cocktails: the Island Magic #815 for me and Murphy's Law for her. Both of these were delicious. For food, we decided on the Dill Dumplings, Pad Thai, and Rice Cakes & Pork Belly. They serve everything tapas-style, so each dish should be at optimum temperature when it comes out. The Dill Dumplings arrived first. They were flavorful, with an excellent mix of flavors. I'm not sure if this is intended, but they are heavily seared on only one side. They need to be eaten whole; otherwise, the halves deconstruct and you end up having to chase the escaped meat around the plate. Is this a serious issue? Only if you want to keep all the flavors together for the most satisfying bite. The Rice Cakes & Pork Belly came next. On the first bite, you are overwhelmed by how salty this dish is. The flavors are excellent with the exception of the salt. The textures are good too, other than how rubbery the rice cakes were. The server noted this when we ordered, but instead of "rubbery," she said "chewy." I like chewy. This was definitely rubbery. This dish was painful to eat because it could have been just so much better. The last dish to arrive was the Pad Thai. It was good, but not remarkable. After our meal, we wanted to end on a high note with dessert. We love crème brûlée, and they had a mango version. Great combination! When it arrived, it was a BIG bowl with a nicely caramelized top. It had a satisfying snap when you pushed your spoon through it. But underneath, there was no firm custard. It was literally a bowl of mango soup. This is not an exaggeration. It was so loose that you couldn't keep it on the small spoons. So disappointing. Service: Everyone we interacted with during the meal was kind and pleasant. We enjoyed the service at our table. The server and the food runners did a nice job with our orders, drinks, and food. They were eager to answer our questions and make suggestions. When we mentioned the issues we had with our food, I wasn't sure they were enthusiastic about relaying our concerns to the kitchen. Both the Rice Cakes & Pork Belly and the crème brûlée were a bit of an embarrassment. Without us asking, they did offer to take the dessert off the bill. We are not in the business of negotiating the price of a bad meal, so the entire situation was uncomfortable. Atmosphere: The interior of the place is really well done. It definitely gives you the vibe of Asian food, but with a twist. I have not been to Asia, but I could imagine this restaurant fitting in. There are plenty of interesting things to look at, with hanging pictures, ceramics, and quirky tchotchkes. We were surprised by how bad our experience was. With the owners (Dan & Dan) being mentioned in many local food articles, I expected much better. With that in mind, we are not planning to go back.
Visited on a Monday night at 6pm and the room was packed. The sichuan pork dumplings ($15) and short rib potstickers ($16) were flavorful, but small in serving. The dough of the potstickers were dry and chewy like they hadn't been cooked enough, but were accompanied by an incredibly tasty sauce. The CUMIN BEEF SLAP NOODLES ($23) were 10/10 - changed my life. The beef was tender, not chewy, and rich in flavor which complimented the soft biang biang noodle. Happy chicken ($22) was spicy, as expected, with a sweet sauce, but not the most captivating dish on the menu. The mango crème brûlée ($13) flavor was too intense for me. It tasted like fake mango flavoring. Would recommend the island magic cocktail ($15) and lucky Buddha beer ($7). They were out of Sapporo which was disappointing for an Asian based restaurant. Our server, Nicholas, was fantastic - attentive and friendly! The ambiance is pleasant and cozy.
My friends from Madison and I have been dying to grab dinner here so it was a big deal when our many texts about "dinner at Dan Dan" left the group chat and became a Saturday night reality. I'll start with what we liked - the ambiance, the location in the historic Third Ward (although finding street parking close by can be tricky on a weekend), the service. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu which is always appreciated and makes for a better dining experience. When we arrived we had a reservation so it was nice to have zero wait time. We were led back to our table and ordered drinks. The non-alcoholic menu was slim on options but the options were creative. We were told dishes are made to be shared so we ordered a few bigger dishes and the kimchi pancakes. When the kimchi pancakes came out it was nice that they were deconstructed so you could build your own as you like. Kimchi can be an acquired taste so I personally liked being able to control how much I had in each bite. The other dishes were large. These are not shareable dishes- they are legt. main courses. The Mongolian beef was ok. It had a lot of vegetables and color which was nice. The Mapo Tofu dish was a let down. It kills me to say that but it tasted funky. It was a strange flavor and not a good one. On the menu, this dish has three chili peppers next to it which the server told us indicated that it is one of the spiciest dishes on the menu. It had zero heat and zero spice. I asked for some chili crunch to add on top which I also thought fell flat on flavors. The flavors all around just weren't jiving for me. And there was fresh cilantro (maybe?) on top which did not help the situation. In hindsight the Top Chef coverage of Dan Dan and hype in the local media made us think every dish here was going to be amazing and unfortunately we didn't think so. I don't need to return any time soon.
When you first walk into DanDan, you're welcomed with an abundance of plants where the host brings you to your table. We made reservations, so we were sitted pretty quick. Upon being sitted we were greeted and helped by our server, Peyton, who was beyond helpful. Gave us suggestions of the best sellers, as well as, his personal favorites. He was friendly and quick to clear our table or help us with anything we needed. My friend and I started dinner with the Sichuan Pork Dumplings and two mocktails; Company Refresher and Puttin' on the Spritz. The Sichuan Pork Dumplings were so good. Can't go wrong with Dumplings and chili oil. The sauce was so good, we ended up saving it to pair with our rice dish. The two mocktails were amazing as well. Of the two, the Company Refresher was my favorite as it, tasted like strawberry soda. For the main course, we got the Happy Chicken, Glass Noodle Stir Fry, and the Beef Chow Fun. All of the dishes were amazing! The Happy Chicken was not too spicy and was nice and crispy, it also came with a side of rice. My favorite was the Glass Noodle Stir Fry. The noodles were chunky and chewy. I loved the mixed of vegetables within the dish. The Beef Chow Fun was also an amazing dish. I felt like we had more beef than noodles mixed in it. Overall, everydish did not disappoint! Definitely will come back to try the other dishes and maybe some of their drinks!
I LOVE DanDan. The restaurant is such a cool concept and the food is amazing. I have been here many of times and have never tried a menu item I disliked. They have the best crab ragoons in the Milwaukee and I love the walnut shrimp. The service is always fast and the drink menu has alcohol options, NA options, and THC options. I also enjoy their Friday lunch buffet for those that want to try many of their food options.
It's my mistake for not doing my homework on a restaurant. In the past it's been mentioned that DanDan was a very good restaurant to patronize. But in my opinion $30 for a Friday lunch buffet is very very expensive and it's my fault for checking the prices before hand. No wonder it was not very busy plus the impression that I got was that you needed a reservation on the OpenTable App upon arrival Service was excellent for this timeframe It's all street parking but a parking lot is available after 5 PM for the dinner service Would I come back to try the dinner menu is probably not unless someone else invites and or treats me to dinner here plus 5% service charge is added to help pay for employees benefits but can be removed if requested Since there is no Asian restaurant close by they can charge the prices they want most likely
The 90 mile trip to Milwaukee for their Peking Duck medley was SO worth it! Maybe the best I've ever had. Just do it and don't look back. Hint: be sure to call a day or two ahead and reserve your duck as they often sell out! Thanks to Maggie for her help and mixology and to Annabelle for outstanding service and a great after-dinner reco!
We have been wanting to try DanDan after seeing Dan on Top Chef Wisconsin this past summer. The service was excellent, and the waitress was a stitch. Kept us smiling and well attended. We started out with potstickers and crab rangoons, the flavors and the sauce were wonderful, we both had a cocktail that were unique and good For dinner, we split a happy chicken, caramelized, spices with signature peppers were delicious. I have to admit I love spice for flavor and the balance of spices were wonderful ....Very flavorful and Not too hot. We opted for a shared dessert of mango crème brûlée ... Yum. Would I go back? Yes, was it overly crowded? No, we were seated quickly. Definitely five out of five.
Full disclosure: I love me some DanDan. My visit last night did not disappoint in several ways: easy to make reservations, confirmation email, reminder, and prompt, courteous greeting at the door. Our server was attentive but not intrusive. Dumplings and two dinner entrees were delicious, the shrimp especially so. The beef was a little harder to judge because there was so little of it in a sea of onion and red peppers. Still, a solid 4-5 star experience. Then there's the restaurant itself. It needs a cleaning. I'll skip the details about the common areas. The men's room, however, cannot be glossed over. I've been in worse in filling stations on state highways, but I've also been in far cleaner. The walls were dirty; sinks, grimy; mirror and air freshener bottles, caked with oily gunk. I'll avoid graphic details of the rest of it. This condition was not at the end of an evening when the place was hopping. This was at 6:30 on a weeknight. read more
A friend wanted to take me somewhere I'd never been before and we ended up at DanDan's. This place did not disappoint. The food was so colorful and bold. The cumin and lamb dish may have been too bold for my taste buds but luckily there was tons of items on the table to choose from. The cauliflower was by far one of my favorite dishes. Followed by the green beans and crab rangoon. The dishes where all large enough to share. I thought the custom wallpaper in the bathroom was very unique. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. A good place for a date. Our waitress was extremely patient with us and did not rush us as we kinda closed the restaurant down. read more
This place is a total vibe!! One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Milwaukee. The ambience, service and a food is a solid 10/10. Came in on a Saturday night and had reservations for 11 people. We got in at 8:45 pm and the place was buzzing. Such a lively atmosphere here. The service was great, our server was extremely helpful and patient with our large group. The service is super fast and the food comes out quick and hot. Loved the presentation of each dish. The taste of each of them was exquisite. We loved the Shrimp Toast, Veg Momos, Kimchee Pancake , General Tso's Cauliflower, Salt and Pepper Fried Rice, Singapore noodles, and Kung Pao chicken. Each dish was bursting with flavors and tasted incredible. If you are visiting Milwaukee do check our Dan Dan for some authentic Chinese cuisine. Highly recommend! read more
2 years ago
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3 years ago
Definitely not coming back after the previous experience. Seems like it just gets worse every time I come. Hosts and servers are terribly rude. It's as if they intentionally ignore you. Food is not what it used to be. The serving sizes seem to shrinking. Our entrees came out 20 min before the appetizer and the justification was "it's up to the chef however he wants to do it (what...?). $1 charges for a tablespoon of sauce, which I've never encountered before. An automatic 20% service charge regardless of how terrible the service was. The server came to check on us maybe twice while we were waiting 15+ minutes for a water refill. It took over 10 minutes just to get our check. Terribly disappointed read more
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So we tried Dan Dan Noodles (takeout) on a whim last week while we were at Broken Bat Brewing company (this brewery doesn't have food but they encourage people to bring their own/order food) and let me be the 1000th person to tell you how awesome their Singapore Street noodles are!!! This is the BEST Singapore Street noodles in Milwaukee, prove me wrong! Definitely reminded me of the street noodles from Wee nam kee on Thompson road or Uncle Chicken Rice in the Bedok Marketplace in Singapore. Their dumplings were kinda chewy and dry but full of flavor. The chilli sauce is a firecracker. Liked the Dan Dan noodles with the peanut Dan Dan sauce but definitely make sure you get a mild/medium spice level if you do not have the built-in tolerance. Still dreaming of the street noodles and can't wait to go back and try more of their menu. read more
1 year ago
Some of the best food in Milwaukee! Highly recommend the Tao's Cauliflower, Walnut Shrimp, and the dumplings. I could eat the cauliflower everyday and never get sick of it. I'm still dreaming of it. I do have to say while the food is amazing, it's overpriced. And that's separate from a 20% service charge on top of your bill. The dumplings and other small plates have 5 pieces per plate for $17? It's so good but there are other dumplings in the city that are just as good for a better price. The service was average and didn't warrant such a high automatic fee added. I do love the outdoor seating! It's nice to be able to enjoy this food on the patio with some drinks. I'll be back but hopefully the service and prices are reevaluated! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
The food was absolutely delish! I would definitely go back. The scallion pancakes were good but not my favorites. HOWEVER all the entrees I had were very good. I loved the smashed cucumber and the chicken wings were incredible. The service was great, nice waitress. The ambiance wasn't what I was expected but was nice. read more
4 years ago
2 years ago
Excellent spot! Cucumbers were excellent, dumplings were killer. And the mains felt very nostalgic and tasted stellar. Great service, cute inside, excited to go back! read more
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Solid Chinese food in a hip, upscale location, serving plates of dim sum, noodles and stir-fry in a warm and inviting space. We sampled a few different apps and main courses. We started with the Sichuan Pork Dumplings. The chili oil gave it a nice spice that wasn't overwhelming and made for a very flavorful dish. We also shared one of the house specialties - General Tso's Cauliflower and boy was that a great choice! Great taste and made for a great app to share before our main dishes. The DanDan noodles was a filling dish full of spaghetti style noodles in a peanut flavored sauce. Was a solid choice. Our favorite dish was the Beef Chow Fun. Flat noodles with chunks of flavorful beef and a medley of other spices that was delicious. They are doing a great job during the pandemic of being safe - all the waitstaff wear masks and they have partitions between tables. Worth a visit but there are other more authentic options that I would try before returning here. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
The service and staff here is truly amazing. I came in without a reservation as my other dinner plans fell through. Here they were able to seat me right away in the bar area which was already off to a good start. I was served by Matt (who was seriously the greatest) and I will have to be returning because of how awesome he took care of us. The drinks we had were fabulous and the food was pretty good as well. The crab rangoons were a fan favorite of course! The dandan noodles and happy chicken were also very good. It was a good variety of food to enjoy. I wish I had gotten more to try but the food is a bit pricey for it being shared dishes. We wanted to grab more to share but limited it due to pricing. Overall, you have to try this place. It is unique and I haven't had anything quite like this in the Mke area! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Worth it every time, always is delicious. Love the happy chicken. Food came out fast. Street parking is the only bad thing read more
They close at 9 and we were there right around 8.40ish. The staff was friendly and seated us right away. Our waitress informed us that they serve family style and the food will come out at no particular order. She warned us that appetizer might come after entrees. We started with the pork dumplings which has the right sauce but the dumpling itself was over cooked. I felt the dough was rather tough. Then we got our Dan dan noodles. For my taste- the noodles were too Al dente but the sauce was great. I loved our last dish the most. The salt and pepper fried rice was well made. It had the right balance of spice and the rice was perfectly cooked with the sausage. The atmosphere was really nice and so was the staff. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Our first time here! Food came fast and it was all delicious I can't wait to go back and try different dishes. read more
1 year ago
The egg rolls were phenomenal and the best thing I tried. My friends and I also tried the Dandan noodles which were a little too salty and lacking in flavor in my opinion. We also ordered the short rib and foie gras dumplings but I couldn't taste either in the dumplings. Other than the egg rolls and the service (which was good), I thought everything was just average. read more
More info about DanDan
360 E Erie St
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Historic Third Ward
Directions
(414) 488-8036
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https://dandanmke.com
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Ask the Community - DanDan
Does DanDan add MSG to their dishes?
I don't know if they do or not but I didn't have the usual msg feeling if there was.
Will you bring the hot and sour soup back soon? It's by far one of our favorites and all my boyfriend wanted after getting surgery :(
No we wont.
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