Sala is a wonderful neighborhood Italian restaurant across the street from UW Milwaukee. The walls of the restaurant are covered with interesting artwork and there's a nice seating area outside. Love their homemade Sugo sauce, which is their basil parmesan tomato sauce. It's fresh and bright. I had it over short rib raviolis with cheese, onions, and garlic. Fantastic! Entrees come with soup or side salad. The salads are freshly handmade, not from a bag, and salad dressings are homemade. Very good selection of cocktails and wine as well. Friendly and helpful wait staff. Always a go-to restaurant for us and we're willing to drive across town for one of their great meals. read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Short rib ravioli - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We stopped here on a Tuesday night. We had made a reservation so we were seated right away. It was very busy so we were glad we did. It was very loud inside the restaurant, so much were could barely hear each other talk. Sitting outside might be a better idea in the future. We ordered a Caesar salad and a house salad with garlic dressing. Both were good but I especially enjoyed the garlic dressing. For our mains, I ordered the gnocchi and my boyfriend ordered the Parmesan with pork tenderloin cutlets. Both were very tasty! The Gorgonzola sauce on the gnocchi was amazing! We both couldn't get enough of it. The Parmesan was also very good as it had great flavor and large portions. read more

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Visit number two today for Mother's Day , Isabella was excellent as our waitress, recommendations were on point, service was great! I tried the verde today with the shrimp, 10/10 delicious! The potato leak soup was outstanding too! Zero complaints always a great time here at Sala read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Verde - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My dad and I went to Sala last night for dinner, and as always, it was excellent. It's so nice to see a local, non-chain restaurant thriving! We started with the fried eggplant appetizer, which came out piping hot. The cheese-to-sauce ratio on each piece was spot on, making every bite delicious. For my main course, I had the spaghetti and meatballs with a side of minestrone soup. My only complaint is that the soup portion was too small--it's that good! The dinner serving was generous, with plenty left over for the next day. The service was also top-notch. The waitresses are attentive and always present, so it's easy to get a refill or order another glass of wine without waiting. One tip: definitely make a reservation if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night--it gets busy! read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Spaghetti and Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I can't believe I've never reviewed this restaurant! I've dined here at least half a dozen times over the years, and I've always had a great experience! Some favorites include their Bolognese, risotto specials and a pepperoni and Boursin cheese pizza which has since had the Bourin replaced with goat cheese. This past weekend I went in for dinner before a show, and we ordered the Breaded Eggplant appetizer, Gnocchi with Gorgonzola cream sauce, and the Verde pasta dish with penne pasta, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, and spicy olive oil, with options to add chicken or Italian sausage crumbles, and I added the sausage. All three dishes were excellent. The Verde is a nice lighter option, even with the sausage added, and the gnocchi is a much richer dish, if you're looking for more of a comforting hug for dinner. Sala is one of the best places in town for Italian food, and it should be on your radar. read more

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I've been to dinner at Sala multiple times and the food has always been amazing! Keep reading to find out why I only gave two stars for the overall experience... My favorite appetizer on the menu is the garlic bread with cheese and marinara- it's absolutely amazing! Cheesy, garlicky, soft, flavorful, and I love dipping it into their marinara sauce. I think their sauce has a great balance between sweet and savory! My favorite entree is the Sugo. It tastes very traditional, it's full of flavor, I enjoy the angel hair pasta, and this dish never makes me feel overly stuffed after I clear my plate. To end the evening, I order the Tiramisu. It's moist and has a strong espresso flavor, which I enjoy. The reason I gave two stars on this review is because while the food is always amazing, the service is usually terrible. Last night, it felt like our waitress ignored us most of the evening and at one point we wondered if she had gone home because she disappeared for quite awhile. It was some of the worst service I've ever experienced at a restaurant. Also, to note: I highly suggest having a reservation and to give yourself time to find parking. It's street parking near UWM and it can be tough to find a parking spot nearby, so you may be walking a couple of blocks to the restaurant. read more

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My BF brought me to Sala for a celebratory dinner recently. We sat outside because it was quite loud inside, so I can't speak to the environment. The service we had was good. Our waitress was attentive even though we were her only table outside. We started with the breaded eggplant. The sauce was good and clearly fresh and house made, but the eggplant was under cooked and quite firm. BF had the minestrone and quite enjoyed it. I had the mushroom soup and it was excellent - full of umami. We also shared a lovely bottle of wine - a second choice after the first choice was sold out. I had the Verde pasta, which was full of flavor, with a little spicy kick. BF had the Arrabbiata and fully enjoyed it. Although we were quite full and happy, we had to split some tiramisu. Their version is light and lovely, but I could live without the caramel drizzle. This is certainly a place a to visit more than once, as Sicilian style Italian isn't extremely common and everything was solid. read more

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This place has good authentic Italian food. Our server Anna was very attentive and answered all of our questions. She gave us some history of the restaurant, told us about the food, and packed up our leftovers once we were done. I loved the professionalism, but it didn't feel forced.. this is what fine dining should be. It looks like a hidden gem... the inside is calm and homey but gives subtle hints that you are about to get some fantastic food. A smaller menu is always a green flag for me. Kitchens can only do so much and when the menu is short and concise you just know they are putting effort into the food. I ordered the bolognese and I absolutely loved the bolognese. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying more of the menu. read more

I was very disappointed with the service. I waited over 20 minutes just to receive a single glass of wine, even though the restaurant wasn't particularly busy. I had to keep looking for my server, and no one seemed to notice or care about the delay. A simple glass of wine should not take that long. Unfortunately, the poor service overshadowed the rest of the experience, and I won't be returning. read more

I have enjoyed many meals at Sala over the years. My meal last Thursday night was exceptional. I ordered something off of the specials menu. The meal consisted of chicken breast in a cream sauce over spinach. I recommend this meal be added to the regular menu it was so satisfying. Thanks for keeping up the quality over the years and surprising us with different dishes. read more

3.28.26 Food 3/5 Service 2/5 Ambiance 2.5/5 Causal locals spot. Likely best for take out. Won't go back. Agree with another reviewer about rude inattentive hostesses. Our waitress was nice, but inexperienced. read more

First time at this restaurant and made a reservation. Noted it was our anniversary. We get there and our table is in the middle and the hostess was rude. Both hostesses were rude and didn't even acknowledge our reservation. Mixed drinks inexpensive but mediocre. Wait staff seemed untrained. Atmosphere was okay and paintings were pretty bad. Not Italian ambiance Food was good and hearty. We had to ask for a bag to hold the to go items. Service lacking. No thank you for coming as we left. Hostesses too busy talking. I actually came up to them and told them how unwelcoming and rude they were. No apology at all's Not a great experience for a first visit ! The carrot cake was dense and not good. Disappointing , read more

What a classic find in a neighborhood in Milwaukee! My mom and I went to Sala tonight. We loved the nice, cozy atmosphere and saw several dates in the dining room. All our food was top notch and delicious. We had the eggplant appetizer-yum. Also the caesar salad, the chicken parmesan, and a margarita pizza. We had the chianti wine and even enjoyed a lemon tart. I would order the sam, identical meal again on another visit, because it was all so delicious. And our waitress, Barb, was prompt and knowledgeable in all our inquiries about the restaurant and the food. Love this place. We will be back! read more

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We love the ambiance at this restaurant. The family recipe, red sauce is one of the best. We've overlooked the inconsistency in the size of the drinks. $5 up charge for a child-size side Cesar salad, the amount of time it takes to get acknowledged by wait staff and to get drinks however not after our last visit. We had reservations on a Friday night and were greeted by a friendly host and seated immediately. Thank you! We sat for a long time before a waitress approached us. No friendliness or smile. Ordered drinks and as always it took a very long time to receive them. Our group ordered 4 meatballs and angel hair pasta dishes and two of the dishes had very little angel hair pasta, even for small eaters. Both of the Shrimp linguini dishes had very little shrimp for $32 each. After our food was brought to the table we did not see our waitress fora very long time. There was no check in to see how the food was tasting or if we needed more drinks. We finally were able to order wine to drink with our dinners which were mostly gone. Another long wait for drinks. There was a long wait to get the check and to process the credit card. Sadly all of this equated to a poor dining experience for our group of 7. We won't be back. read more

We had a 10/10 dinner at SALA Modern-Sicilian last night. I love the intimate dining space and the warm vibes. We started off with some cocktails that were wonderful....I ordered two of the cucumber/ginger drinks because they were THAT good and owner was nice enough to give me the recipe when I asked. For food we had: -Sicilian New Years soup (with lentils) -tomato and goat cheese with crostini -side salads with housemade Italian vinaigrette and tableside parmigiano reggiano shaving -rack of lamb (THIS WAS SO FREAKING Amazing....top 3 of my life) served w angel hair pasta and a walnut pesto -linguine w shrimp, tomato, in a white wine butter sauce (generous with the big juicy shrimp) -gorgeous cappuccino made w Valentine coffee beans -lemon tart that was so perfectly flaky and a great balance of sweet and tart -tiramisu Service was and they are still accepting reservations for NYE if anyone is looking! -- at SALA Modern-Sicilian. read more

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I really wanted to like this place. The restaurant is on a quiet side street with what appears to be a very pretty patio once it's open. When you walk in, there's a quaint bar and then two adjacent dining rooms. The walls are covered with Pictures which make the restaurant seem like a very old-school Italian vibe. We ordered a glass of wine, a dirty martini and two paper airplanes. The drinks were good not great. I would've preferred that the paper airplane be chilled and not room temperature. The food was where it was really a miss. On the upside the bread which comes out with Oil and butter was delicious. We also ordered an order of cheesy garlic bread, which came with a beautiful tomato marinara for dipping. This was where the positivity stopped. The eggplant started out being very good, but there were two pieces where the eggplant was rubbery and inedible. The Arrabiata pasta with sausage was OK. The the ravioli had a very odd chicken soup tasting sauce with many many chopped carrots. The service was not existent and really disappointing how long our food took with very little attentiveness by our wait staff. All in all I would skip Sala. read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Eggplant appetizer, and Arrabiata sausage pasta - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I met a friend here for dinner one weekday evening recently. This was a charming little dinner spot. It looked like a lovely place to eat outdoors, weather permitting (it was too rainy the day I was there). We had a little table tucked in a corner, and the place really filled up. Nice, cozy ambience. I ordered the Salmon entree with a salad. The salad ingredients were fresh, but the balsamic dressing was too sour for me to finish; I couldn't manage to eat my whole salad. We also bread with olive oil for dipping and butter on the side. The salmon dish was average. I think I had my expectations a little high based on the menu and reading about the handmade sauces seasoned with fresh herbs. But this is a charming little place and I'd love to try it again and order something else off the menu, perhaps the pizza or another entree to truly get a sense of the Italian cooking heritage. read more

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3 out of our 6 dinners were a complete disaster. "I've never had salmon that was as dry and tough as shoe leather" said one. Another's pork cutlets were tough and stringy, and one said his sausages were completely burnt in the pasta. My Chicken parm was very good as was the gnocchi. Waitress took our orders, but NEVER spoke to us again, seemed to disappear, and added a flat service charge for nonexistent service - sadly, we won't be back. The disasters outweighed the two good dishes. So sad since it used to be a halfway decent restaurant, with great family owners:( read more

This restaurant is truly a hidden gem. We came here after we made reservation. You can sit outside or inside but we sat outside on their cute patio. I ordered their bruschetta to start with a glass of Prosecco. Sad they won't had one option for Prosecco even though there were multiple on the menu. They were out of other ones which is why the 4/5 star review. I ordered a caesar salad for a starter. It was huge for a side salad. I ordered chicken Marsala white had huge mushrooms with it and a good portion of chicken. My husband said his gnocchi was 10/10. My friend loved her chicken Alfredo. We didn't get any dessert because we were all full. Total bill for 4 people with everyone who each had two drinks was $233. read more

Although a bit pricey, Sala offers good food and great service. A small bar offers a nice spot to have a drink and wait for your table, and two inside dining areas (as well as an outdoor patio for the warmer months) offer plenty of seating options. The spinach salad was delicious, loaded with fresh strawberries. However, I would have loved a little more goat cheese. My husband ordered the split pea and ham soup, which was a bit thick in consistency yet very good. There was plenty of ham and fresh vegetables, making this hearty side a nice dish on its own. We went on a Thursday night with friends when Sala was also having their trivia night. Although we did not participate, the questions were great, and it sounded like a lot of fun! read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Spinach salad - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Sala is a small restaurant with great ambiance and service. Our lovely waitress did an amazing job. The place was very clean/well kept. FOOD: -Bread App: Unlimited, and very delicious comes with butter and oil. 10/10 -Caesar Salad: comes on a very small plate so your lettuce and toppings are falling off while eating. Overall was okay but expected more from the homemade dressing. 5/10 -Soup: I had the daily special, literally no clue what it's called was broth based and very yummy. 10/10 -2 members of the group got pasta, the special and the gnocchi and didn't care for it. Quite honestly had no flavor. Great for kids I suppose. But for a plate over $24 I expect more. -Spaghetti: was the best dish they have. not much to screw up on it. Overall for the prices I would expect more. There aren't any gluten free or dairy free options. I wouldn't come back due to the prices, taste, accommodations, and also due to their computer system. read more

Really enjoyed the atmosphere, however the food and service were a bit lacking. Our server was friendly, but not attentive. It's a very small place and when we needed her, we couldn't find her. The food was hit or miss. First, it took super long - we had a large group, so maybe not the best place for large groups? Some meals were great - the salmon w/ risotto and chicken masala. Others were mediocre to bad. We had pizzas that were totally burned on the bottom - to their credit they remade them and removed them from the bill. I really appreciated that. I would give this place another try as a couple, rather than a large group. read more

I'm so bummed I couldn't capture pictures of the food here- but take my word for it that Sala is a top Italian spot in Milwaukee! We had the eggplant Parmesan and carfoci to start and both were to die for! The carfoci was so tender and the artichokes were crispy on the outside with the best lemon sauce- almost like a piccata. Best menu item and a must when you try it! Our server told us their red sauce is a family receptive made with kalmata and black olives so I had to try their arribiatta pasta. It had the perfect kick and the sauce had a tangy bite that was mouth watering. It had spicy Italian sausage too that was perfectly cooked and not over powering the Al dente pasta. Can't wait to go back to this spot and our server Elizabeth was so sweet and very attentive! read more

Always a great meal, incredible atmosphere. Casual, great staff, nice bar. Teresa does a great job.

The service was absolutely phenomenal. The Baked Goat Cheese appetizer was good but I felt it was heavy handed with the sauce and light on the cheese. As for entrees I had the Penne Bolognese, the sauce was incredibly sweet. My wife had the meatballs and also found the fish to be in the sweet side. Overall the atmosphere and service were wonderful but the food was all too sweet. read more

Really nothing to write home about. Pretty non-memorable dinner. The pastas were just ok, the vibe was a little old school, the prices were a bit higher than I'd like for what I got. The plates of pasta were certainly edible, it's just that no one at our table was really enjoying their food enough to make an impact or want to come back. I wish I could give more specific feedback, but the sauces were not flavorful enough neither the pasta Al dente enough. The staff, however, is very nice. They gave my boyfriend a birthday card because we were celebrating his birthday. That is something from that night that I do remember! read more

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This casual, yet cozy restaurant is perfect for a great Italian meal. We had the eggplant Parmesan appetizers and the goat cheese. Both were tasty! The chicken Parmesan and the Verde pasta (this one had good flavor and just a bit of a kick that was enjoyable) were both delicious as well. The service was great and the volume was at a comfortable level for our group too. read more

Darling restaurant on the East side. Food & service was excellent. Small & intimate. Only drawback is lack of parking.

Amazing food and service! We loved Barb and the owner Teresa. Sugo and Chicken Parmi is delicious. Manga Manga!

I really enjoyed this cozy Italian restaurant, tucked away on the East side. The ambiance was great, laid back and nice lighting for a conversation for a date. I fact, because of that, I forgot to take photos. The cocktails were delicious. They have some unique ingredients as well that you can taste, so it's not just hype. The eggplant appetizer was delicious. It was seasoned just right and not oily. I have had some bland eggplant appetizers in some restaurants but that was not the case here. I ordered the pasta bolognese and it was not only tasty, but the meat was ground just right and blended well. I had a great time but due to the great conversation and ambiance I slacked on taking photos, except the main course. read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Delicious bolognese - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sala is exactly what I love about Milwaukee. I've been here over 5 years and I am still pleasantly surprised by the new gems I find hidden around this town. Sala is exactly that, an artsy quiet littler dinner establishment that resides in an Eastside neighborhood by the college. Meet a restaurant that specializes and slangs out pizza pie, which I have yet to try, but also has a talented hand in crafting specialty Italian cuisine with a touch second to none. They also promote and have a ton of art, which I assume revolves in the place. Upon entry, I was just taken back by the quaint ambiance yet classy style this place has. What we ordered were two dishes and a bottle of wine, which were perfect. I had the fish special (Can't remember the fish to save my life) on a bed of rich creamy polenta. My wife had the Sugo, which is a house specialty. She added the artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives and it was outstanding! I did think mine was a bit pricey, but this is a one of a kind unique restaurant and you have to give it to them. Getting produce and fish that fresh, it's not the easiest task and when doing so it had better be the truth. Well it was! All the textures layers and flavors were there. We will be back to try this joint again as I've been told the pie is solid and I need another pizza spot in my life especially one that is authentic! read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Sugo! Oh so good w/Artichokes and Kalamata Olives! - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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The food was amazing especially the bolognese. The ambiance is nice because the mostly Italian artwork sets off the red walls.

Sala has the perfect cozy ambience with terrific food to spend time with friends and family! Never had a bad meal or a bad time.

7/10 pizza review. The service was very good. I asked for a tequila drink and got this tequila with cucumber and jalapeño tied up with tonic! Muah! Espresso martini was on another level. My wife got the bolognese and it came out cold. Still delicious but we expected it to be a lot warmer. Definitely an east side crowd there, very diverse. We'll be back that's fo sho read more

Went for dinner with friends. We had great red wine and very delicious pasta with olives and artichokes. I intended to eat half, take the other half home, instead ate the whole serving, it was so good!!! read more

Found Sala to be a very good Italian restaurant with a big focus on pasta. Italian food is more than pasta, but many Americanized Italian places make pasta the star. With that being said, I had an outstanding pork chop special that came with mushrooms and potatoes and an incredible creamy sauce - so Sala can definitely do more than pasta. Still in the realm of pasta, though, Amy had the beef ravioli special. That was just as good as my pork. It came with the same sauce used on their breaded eggplant appetizer - which we also had. In both cases, the sauce was really the star of the show - really fresh and delicious. I think just about anything would be good with that sauce on it, but the eggplant still managed to hold its own. It would be hard to go back to Sala without ordering that fantastic eggplant dish again! Service and drinks were outstanding as well. Salads were fresh and tasty. The only less than stellar item we had was dessert. We had the tiramisu and, while it was just fine, the cake was oversoaked so that it became just a little mushy. In all, we'll be back to Sala I'm sure. read more

I wanted to be impressed with Sala, but they just fell short in some areas. The service was exceedingly slow, which I account to the dining room being understaffed (Not to the apathy of the wait staff). It took 15-20 minutes to get our order taken. The appetizer took another 15 min to arrive and came only minutes before the entree. So the back house pacing was off. The bread was cold, and the butter was rock hard. The side salads with the entrees were completely undressed and there was no vinegar or oil on the tables to do it ourselves. The artichoke dip was perfect and delicious (5 star). But the caprese panini and meatball spaghetti were just good (4 star). Maybe they just had a bad day. I'll give them another try and update my review if things are different. read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Dining room - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

After spending a frigid day on our bikes covering the city, we were all craving some carbs. Sala could accommodate our party and had options satisfying the vegetarian, pescatarian, and meat eaters. We were ravenous and started out with the artichoke dip and breaded eggplant. Our server kindly provided extra bread for the dip. Both dishes were good, I preferred the dip over the two. Personally, I thought our extra bread (plain Italian bread) paired better than the crostini. For mains we got: meatballs, lasagna, sugo with olives & artichokes, and asparagus penne. Entrees came with a choice of soup or salad. I ordered the salad with the asparagus penne. The salad came with house made Italian vinaigrette. The portions were very generous and everyone seemed happy with their meals. The only knock I had about my meal was that it was supposed to be made with a soft olive oil and there really wasn't much heat to the dish. Overall, it's a solid restaurant tucked into a residential area. It's a great little find and suitable for family dinners. read more

Amazing food & service, will definitely be bringing friends & family here :) Parmesan chicken was crispy & juicy, paired super well with the marinara sauce & Angel hair pasta All the vegetables were fresh & delicious read more

Sala Modern Sicilian Dining - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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We came here to celebrate our son's graduation from college and it did not disappoint. We were a party of six and after a short wait at the bar we were seated at a lovely table at the side of the restaurant. I had been concerned that we would feel cramped since Sala is not a very large restaurant but we had plenty of room. We started with bruschetta, the baked goat cheese, and a couple salads. The goat cheese in particular was a big hit with the table. From there we all ordered various pasta dishes. The only disappointment were the seafood dishes. Two of our group had the Di Mare pasta and both received just three shrimp and a single scallop. When a dish is sold as a seafood entree, I expect there to be more seafood in it. The seafood was perfectly cooked, there just wasn't much of it. One of our group had the short rib special and raved about it. Overall, it was a great meal with terrific service. We were there longer than the normal turn time and never felt we were being rushed to finish and leave. I can't wait to go back! read more