One of the best restaurants in Milwaukee. The food selection is so eclectic and fun. It's always hard to decide what to eat so it's great that its a small plate place. Typically when it's just my boyfriend and I we order 3-4 dishes and ALWAYS get a cheese plate and cocktails. Their cocktail menu is as eclectic as their food choices. My favorite dish that I've had over the years was their fried green tomato with hollandaise. I could eat that at every meal. In addition to the amazing food, the atmosphere in Odd Duck is great. The place has such a charm to it and the servers are wonderful. read more

Always a great date night idea. We order a cheese board to start every time because they do it right! We've had so many amazing dishes here over the years and the menu is always changing so there's something new to try every visit. The cocktails are great too! read more

Odd Duck is an oasis of food creativity and quality. It is the most creative restaurant in all of southeastern Wisconsin. We've eaten at Odd Duck at least 6 or so times and have not once had a boring experience. Try ordering an assortment of vegetable and non-vegetable plates; the menu changes seasonally so don't get too attached to a particular dish. Three dishes x the amount of folks you're dining with is a perfect ratio. The staff is professional and clearly engaged by the establishment's food culture, the environment is casual, and the food is perfection. The most memorable dish I've had at Odd Duck was their Taiwanese fried mushrooms, which were beautifully crispy with an intoxicating (yet not overpowering!) smell of star anise and five spice. Other notable mentions include their rainbow fish plate, ANY curry they have on their menu, and their Greek pita. Do NOT forget to order dessert, as the creme brulee will blow you away. Cannot recommend a restaurant more highly for food-lovers. read more

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By far my favorite restaurant! We always sit at the bar. The bartenders make a delicious drink and have wonderful suggestions for us. The small plates give you the option of trying as many or as few as you'd like. The octopus and duck liver mousse is always a favorite. Endless options and they always do it right! read more

Every plate was a delight! Great service! The menu changes daily with new exciting dishes. read more

Odd Duck - Great place to try many new food pairings! - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Brought my wife here last night for her birthday dinner. Odd Duck has been on our list of MKE places to check out for some time. My sister has been there a few times and told us how much she loved it. We were very much looking forward to it especially since we haven't been out in a while. It was pretty busy, but just being the two us we were able to get a table pretty easily. We sat in the back near the kitchen which is pretty damn small, but cheers to them. They have a handful of beers on tap and an extensive bottle selection which is great. After scanning the menu and getting our drinks we ordered. We were advised two order four plates for two people, but had a plan for three and stuck with it. We tried the potato and goat cheese pierogies, seared scallops and a new item, the short rib goulash. The pierogies came first. Three pierogies with a quick pickled veggie on the side for $9. If the plates were intended to share then why is there three? I'd think that they'd come in an even set of numbers. Had we been with friends then it would have been tricky dividing up the three. The pierogies were average sized a little bland. A nice crisp on the outside, but the quick pickled veggies were the best part of the plate. The beet pureé was pretty bland. We got the seared scallops next ($16). Again, three scallops with farro cakes and some chopped bacon. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the sauce was a nice addition. The farro cakes may have been cooked in the bacon grease because they had a smoky taste. They were a bit overcooked and crunchy. Last to come was the Short Rib Goulash. This was the most disappointing dish of the night. The short ribs were delicious, tender and seasoned well. The issue with this dish was the "goulash." It was more comparable to watered down ketchup than a paprika seasoned dish. The potato gnochi with is didn't make any sense and were very bland. This was the only plate that was a good shareable size. Each plate came at different times. We'd finish one and another would come. I'm not sure if that was the intent or not. Despite the harsh criticism I'd still try this place again. Like I've said, I've heard good things and maybe it was just an off night or we picked the wrong dishes. The bill came out to $53 before tip which was expensive considering the amount of food we got. The service was great, the hostesses were very pleasant and helpful. read more

I could rant about this restaurant all day! What great service and dining experience. My husband and I walked in on a steady night, the host nicely ask two ladies at the bar if they would make room for us but moving over one seat, which they did (so accommodating)! Then our bartenders Paul and billy took great care of us, recommending food and drinks (since we are from out of town) and just blew or minds! The food was amazing! Will definitely return and highly recommend! read more

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We had been wanting to try Odd Duck for over a year and I was excited to finally go. Unfortunately the food left me unsatisfied. I arrived just after 5pm on a Friday with a friend, and no reservation. They were not able to seat us, but there was still plenty of room at the bar. We ordered the following: Bacon wrapped dates: they were good, but I question if there was any Gouda. Lamb Kofta: the lamb was good, but the hummus ruined it. I thought it was on par with Sabra, which is terrible! Beef short-rib carnitas: They were good, but not great enough to get me back. Peruvian potato causa: my dining partner said it best "it's like a deconstructed potato salad". She was right, but a potato salad has flavor. This was beyond bland. The best thing was green sauce (tasted like a cilantro sauce). Unfortunately there was a minuscule amount of it. The service was good, but the food was a great disappointment. read more

Something for everyone, everytime satisfied. Order the #11 drink special- gin gimlet with arugula. It is not to be missed. read more

One of the most amazing culinary experiences of my life. Plan on about 2 plates per person to leave satisfied. Therefore this is about a $45 per person (including tip) plus drinks. The menu changes, but the pork belly is a constant must. read more

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This is one of my milwaukee top 5 now. I was here years ago and had a few gripes about noise and awkward seating... those have been corrected. The food is beyond outstanding and worth making a special trip for. Make reservations, for sure. read more

One of the best rated restaurants in Milwaukee for a reason. I came with my spouse without a reservation on a Tuesday evening. They were booked! So rule #1 -- make a reservation. But if you don't have one, the wait wasn't too bad. They anticipated 45 min, but it was closer to 20 min. Once seated, there was a slight snafu with which waiter had our table. We barely noticed, but this was a concern for the restaurant. They took care of an item on our bill. This is a tapas place so everything is meant to be shared. We ordered a cheese plate, a sausage, the seafood curry, and another fish dish. Everything was delicious and filled us both. We had room for dessert and glad of it! Highly recommend. read more

Brought my mom here as I heard so much about it. She's handicapped but was able to use the one step to get inside. The bathrooms were easy for her to use too. These details are a big deal when it's not easy to get around. The food is served on small plates. It was recommenced we each have two plates per person than share. Our waiter was patient and offered several recommendations. My mom is use to a more traditional restaurant setting but loved the ambiance. I wanted to expand her horizons and did well I was told. Thank you Odd Duck! read more

High quality food and drinks! This time we had an amazing meat and cheese board and the bartender made the best Mocktail I've ever had. Waiting on baited breath for the charred octopus. read more

Odd Duck - Dinner with my beautiful wife! - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

An outstanding meal with a wide array of choices for the herbivore and the omnivore! The service was great, the pace was casual, and the food was amazing. One of my most memorable meals. My adult son discovered Odd Duck for a trip we were making to Milwaukee. Wow! What a find. read more

I am easily a fan of this place. It has all the delicious things. It's set up like a tapas bar, lots of small plate options that are designed to be shared around the table. Staff was very attentive and ready to take your next order. Keep those tapas coming! I came with a group of 4, which seemed to be the ideal number for sharing the small plates. Any more and you might need to get 2 of each selection if everyone wants a try. What I tried Cheese and Charcuterie Plate: Marieke Burning Melange- a herbed gouda Sweet Grass Green Hill- a surfaced ripened camembert like cheese Country Pork Pâté- Ahle Worscht- like a delicious cured salami Small plates: Seared Sea Scallops Grilled Bavette Steak Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates- stuffed with cheese, yass! Stuffed with cheese! Fresh Burrata Cheese Tomato & Artichoke Risotto Thai Fried Oyster Mushrooms Sichuan Cauliflower Japanese Cheesecake I left very full and happy. On a 10 scale, I would rate all of the dishes somewhere between 8-10. So all were varying levels of delicious. read more

Love this place! Been here a number of times and it always delivers the goods! I prefer to sit at the bar (more fun that way) and people watch while I dine. If you're adventurous or vegetarian inclined, this place shines! Small plates mean sharing is easy to do and you can try more dishes. Seriously, just go. read more

I like you, Odd Duck. I tend to be skeptical of the small plate fad because it's always way overpriced and sooo trendy. However, we got two drinks, 7 plates and one dessert for about $100, and thought it was a good value. The plates change constantly so it's really not worth it to go into exactly which ones we liked best, but things like mushroom risotto, pork carnitas and carrot fritters were tasty. The one plate that really, really missed the mark for us was the bavette steak. On this night, it was served with a green bean salad, cornbread and horseradish sauce. The steak itself was fine, if not a bit chewy. But the green bean salad was just raw, whole beans and some arugula. What? I don't want cold, raw green beans with my warm steak on top. The cornbread was good but didn't really go with anything, and the sauce was more like thousand island with barely a hint of horseradish. It was so disconnected and weird that we were super sad it was the last plate to come out. On the other hand, my #24 cocktail with gin, cardamom, coconut and egg white was superrrb. I'll be back, but I'll stay away from green beans here. read more

The place looks very fancy and well decorated with lights and fixtures. Even the food just looks amazingly awesome. But It's the taste!! As you walk in, you feel great till the moment you try the food. Maybe if you are vegetarian you might like it. Because I only tried 'animal' section of the menu. read more

Odd Duck - New American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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We've struggled to find and make reservations work for this restaurant for a long time. It's so well reviewed that it was a shock to find that after over a year of waiting for a table that worked for us, we were rewarded with a very mediocre experience. While the dishes were all beautiful to look at, they all had flaws. The duck confit and ricotta ravioli, for example, looked simple and thoughtful--very farm to table--but the textures were not pleasant. The ravioli was too thick and was cooked to a point where it didn't mesh well with the filling, and the bread crumbs they fried on top were way overdone to the point where every couple of bites you'd experience a sensation similar to biting into a nut shell. The beet salad was uncomfortably hot as was the fried Panisse. The short ribs were excellent though. Finally the cocktails were mediocre, each being a little too forward with one flavor or another. It's sad to say there's only one dish we'd come back for, and the rest are ones we'd avoid. read more

Busy but got lucky last Friday with seats at the bar. From the initial greeting to wishing us goodnight, service was friendly and outstanding. Drinks were interesting and perfect. Their blending of sweet and sour and herbs is magic. Food was perfect. Yakatori and liver mousse were standouts but all were amazing. Highly recommend. read more

Everything was over the top drinks, appetizers, and main entrees . Don't miss this place$$$ read more

Hand down one best restaurant in Milwaukee. Why may your ask? The Consistency of the plate are alway quality. I had one issue on one plate only red snapper note last piece before they sold out. The fish was inconsistent in size, one over cook the other side was perfect. However, even then half Fish was best red snapper I ever had? I was the last one in restaurant in no harm no foul. Never had a problem again! read more

An epicurean delight. Do not miss out on this opportunity! 5 small plates give you a great pace and leave you full. read more

Always worth it each and every time. The staff is friendly, the food is incredible, and the adult beverage list is great. Never turn down the opportunity to go here! A Milwaukee favorite. read more

Love love love Odd Duck! From their excellent service, to their amazing food. You can't go wrong. I came with a group that is both vegan and gluten free and we had a great experience with finding options. Thank you Odd Duck! read more

Amazing. Literally. Food, service - a triumph. New digs are great. Try the carrots and lentils appetizer!

This is a gem in the city of MKE. Highly recommend making a reservation but if you are like me and didn't is worth the wait to sit at the bar. If you are like me and like to start the night with a BAM! Then get the scallops. Well cooked and seared to perfection. Another memorable dish was the Portuguese Feijoada but the king of the night was the short rib curry. Overall great food and awesome ambiance. read more

I am a fan. Took my lady here last night for V-day and it was a great all around experience. Very nicely lit place, although it all the table were booked for reservation, we sat at the bar and it was pleasant. The waitress Courtney was great! We ordered a Banana Alexander and it was amazing! So good, we ended up order two more! For our entree, we ordered the seafood stew, Lamb, Balvotte Steak and Fried Chicken. They were all good, although my Fried chicken was under cooked by the bone, I didn't want to make it a hassle as we were enjoying our night. Food was great overall, just wished the chicken was fully cooked!! I would go back and hopefully order a cooked fried chicken! Great place though. read more

The food was very good. We have a mix of 5 different appetizers, it seems the menu changes every time I go which is both exciting and disappointing because I could not order the food I loved last time. This current menu is very focused on spicy foods so it was difficult for our party to find things to share. We had the qual which was cooked perfectly, duck fat confit, mushroom galette (personal favorite), scallops, and spare ribs. All were fantastic! Our service was also very timely read more

Excellent food served in small plate style. We ordered 4 or 5 with a few cocktails and beers and we were stuffed. Odd Duck is delicious, community-focused and supports local sources. They're phenomenal. read more

We had a very enjoyable evening at our first visit to the Odd Duck! I did feel the one triangle of brie cheese plate was scant for the price, but we were very pleased with the spiced nuts, scallops, vietnamese tofu crepes, beer bread with duck eggs & rum cocktails we ordered. We did not have reservations on a Sunday evening at 630p, but judging by the bustling crowd will def make reservations next time. Service was prompt, friendly & well executed. With the lack of quality Sunday evening choices in the area, this has hit the top of the list for us. Five tapas plates, bottle of mid range Willamette Valley red, 2 cocktails for $140. Vibe was super pleasing- noise level & music spot on, small establishment with local character. Looking forward to our next visit already. read more

Odd Duck is my favorite restaurant in Milwaukee. It is a fantastic place for a date, a business meeting or dinner with friends or family. It does get extremely busy, though, so I recommend that you make a reservation at least a week ahead of time. But if you don't, you should be able to relatively quickly find a spot at the bar. Odd Duck has a wide variety of food and drink options. They cater to carnivores, vegetarians and vegans, and every single dish is excellent. If anything, I wish their dishes were bigger just because of how good all of them are. The best thing about Odd Duck is that they keep it fresh by updating their menu regularly. I have been several times, and they have yet to serve me a dish that was a disappointment. And if they have oyster mushrooms on the menu, which they usually do, I strongly recommend that you order that. While I am not a big drinker, I have tried a few of their cocktails. They are very inventive and refreshing. And if you aren't a cocktail drinker, their beer and wine selection is also very good. Finally, the service is spot on. The servers are very relaxed and casual, but they know their menu items very well and they pay attention to you very well. I take every single visitor to Odd Duck, and the Odd Duck experience always ends up being one of the highlights of their visit. read more

OH MY GOD! I have never eaten something so delicious! Most delicious food ever, it is a bit pricey but a good place for a date night!

Wonderful restaurant! I love the variety of small plates my husband and I could share. We are GF and they were very helpful with showing us which plates we could eat, which were plenty. Their desserts are amazing. Glad we had a reservation, it was very crowded when we went. But the tables turned quickly and it was an over all pleasant atmosphere. read more

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Absolutely delicious. I had the braised pork ribs. They looked so appetizing and my mouth began to water before I could even take a first bite. The second I bit into them they slowly tore away and I felt the juices flow towards my taste buds as an immaculate aroma filled the air. They were absolutely delicious. Good service too. read more

Odd Duck is fantastic. The inside is adorable and the service is very friendly. You need a reservation (especially if planning on going on the weekend). The bar though is first come, first serve. My three favorite things we ordered were the scallops, the octopus and the cauliflower. Each had it's own unique flavor but still delicious. The drinks (both wine and cocktails) are reasonable and the restaurant in located in a cute area of Bay View. I feel it is extremely affordable for the quality of food. I have already been twice and plan on heading back again soon :)! read more

Ok......been here over a half-dozen times already, so it's about time for a review. All I can say that this is probably my favorite restaurant in Milwaukee. Their menu is sort of like the United Nations.........they take an eclectic approach and come up with these "small dishes" that taste awfully good. That being said, it is their ability to execute with different flavors from around the world. Their menu is ever changing, but some of the notable mainstays that seem to have found a permanent home on the menu that I never get sick of are the Korean pancakes and the gouda stuffed dates with bacon. Anyway, one of the things I really miss about not being in LA are the vast Korean restaurants and those damn scallion pancakes! The Odd Duck does a fantastic job with these. They come stuffed with clams and pork bellies and topped off with a sweet Asian ginger sauce. Overall, it's a super tasty dish with a nice variety of flavors and textures. Not quite the same as what I used to nosh on in K-town, but pretty damn good! As for the dates, how can you not love a mix of sweet, creamy and salty/fat? Oh, I also need to add how awesome their stews are. On two occasions, I've had seafood ones, and both were excellent. I seriously have not had anything less than good here The Odd Duck offers a great selection of Wisconsin cheeses from the usual suspects such as Upland, Hook's, Carr Valley, and others. As well, you can get a generous charcuterie plate. Can never go wrong with cured meats from Underground in Madison. I know that some others have griped about service at times; however, I've had nothing but exceptional service from the staff here. Their quick at refilling your water, and are always spot on with their suggestions. Prices are a good value, considering the portion sizes and quality. it can definitely be a pain in the ass to get in here, so make sure you have a reservation. Or, you can opt to eat at the bar, which tends to work well if you have a party of two and no reservations. read more

This restaurant puts out some very nice food with unique flavors and fresh ingredients. We tried the smoked duck breast, west african peanut stew, jerk sausage, moroccan spiced lamb, and japanese cheesecake. All dishes were very solid, except maybe the japanese cheesecake which was a bit lighter than I prefer my cheesecake. My favorites were the west african peanut stew and the jerk sausage, both of which were incredibly delicious and unique. The meat is cooked VERY RARE for American standards (though if you are accustomed to eating French cuisine you will feel right at home here). Not sure you can order the meat more well done, but I'm guessing not. The back patio is super cute and a pleasant environment to dine in. There was no wait for a party of 3 on a Monday night. I would definitely come back for a meal here if/when back in Milwaukee. read more

FINALLY was able to get a reservation at Odd Duck, and wasn't surprised to see how small it was. I actually thought the layout was very well done, with walkways being clear and tables being well organizes, so it was intimate without ever feeling invaded. Also I love the open concept kitchens that are oh so big right now. Our server was prompt and very friendly. I wish I remembered his name to give him a shout out, as he dealt with my humor and bantered back and forth with me nicely, making it a fun experience. I got their Manhattan, which was incredible. It was seriously the most wonderful balance of booze without making my face fall off. I also had a glass of the Pinot Noir, which was good, but overshadowed by the fabulousness of the Manhattan. We ordered four plates and one cheese/meat: 1. Blue Cheese and Gin and Juice Lamb - it was awesome. The meat was borderline indescribable. There were whole juniper berries in it, making it seriously taste like gin and lamb. Perfection. They had mustard, apricots, fruit and crostini served with it as well. A nice little starter for two. 2. Potato Salad - it was okay. There was frisee, pomegranate seeds, pear slices and a blend of purple and red cubed potatoes. In the middle was a blue cheese "whip" which I did not care for. I would take a smudge of it, and eat all elements in one bite, but the thick whip was just off-putting. I liked that this was served cold, as a traditional potato salad would be. 3. Korean Pancake - This was extremely unique. It was thin like a crepe and had a sort of thick hoisin sauce, with diced cucumbers and very thin almost "tortilla" crisps on top, as well as sliced fresh jalapenos. I really liked the flavor profile, but it was very strong and I could never eat an entire one. Enjoyable for a bite though. 4. Soy Braised Pork Belly - This came out with a rice cake (more like a potato cake, not hard and dried out like rice cakes typically are), some fresh peanut sauce, bok choi and scallions. The pork belly was cooked perfectly, cut into three pieces and each piece had a nice mixture of the fat and the meat, making each bite taste like asian bacon. yum. 5. Roasted Duck Breast - Unfortunately this was my least favorite dish of all, which was disappointing considering it is their namesake! There were sauteed onions/bacon, and not much else going on. It was plated beautifully (they all were), but there was SO MUCH FAT on the duck that it was impossible to separate. I know that duck is a fattier meat so I expected it, but I physically spit out a large bite of this unable to stomach it. 6. Whiskey Brownie - I am not a desert eater typically, but boy am I glad this is what I made an exception for. Moist and light, with a fantastic caramel drizzled over the top. The plating was beautiful, the atmosphere was intimate. I loved my visit, and save for the few food issues, I would say that this was a solid experience. read more