I have been here several times and can honestly say I have never had a bad meal. I love the creativity of the dishes and the wait staff couldn't be friendlier. It is a small restaurant but that just makes it very intimate. The food is wonderful and service is prompt. We just gave our daughter and her husband a gift certificate for their combined romantic birthday dinner. Can't wait to hear about his foodgasms. read more

Wednesday night and temperature ... 1 degree Fahrenheit. We almost cancelled our invitation to join friends for dinner at Tess. So glad we weathered the cold. Absolutely wonderful evening. Our waitress was friendly and efficient. Sorry, can't recall her name. I do remember she was from Poland. Great local/craft beer selection and the bartender made a perfect old fashioned. From the soup of the day, to the duck breast dinner and the special entree of the eve (blackened red fish) we enjoyed every bite. Nice portion sizes, fresh and interesting ingredients. DELICIOUS. Hats off to the staff at Tess. Thank you for making our trek out into the cold worthwhile! Looking forward to enjoying the charming outdoor patio in the warmer weather! read more

I give it 4/5 only because I didn't give myself the full experience. Excellent range of micro brews on tap.. The menu is creative and seasonal. One page. Not overwhelming. With only like 10 tables it is a very intimate setting. The grilled salmon was good but not exceptional. I will be going back for something a little more adventurous. A real Milwaukee gem! read more

Drinks were very good. Bartender very friendly. Food was good. I think I ordered the wrong thing, but everyone else's was good. The one thing I can't help noticing is there is a bit of a 'basement' smell when you first go in. You get used to it, but strong upon entry. read more

All the years that I lived in Milwaukee and I didn't hear of this place until I moved away. We were here recently, and it was such a great surprising visit. I didn't really expect anything because I had never heard of this place. We were wowed. The intimate setting made for a great experience. The food was divine. I will definitely be coming back! (the pear tart is to die for!) read more

My wife and I had a very nice meal with great service from a unique menu. The atmosphere is homey with jazz in the background. We will be back again. read more

My husband and I went here for our Valentine's Day dinner. It was perfect. No complaints here. I had the signature crab cake for the appetizer - delicious! We both followed it up with the Tess Salad and Pork Tenderloin for the main entree. The pork was tender and cooked just right. We followed it up with the Butterscotch Bodino. Delicious dessert - sweet and salty. I loved the ambiance: small, quiet, dim lighting somewhat romantic. Great intimate setting for a romantic evening. Also played classic Frank Sinatra music. Great selection of wines and great customer service. Our waitress was very friendly and very accommodating. Highly recommend this restaurant. A true gem! read more

I noticed I only write reviews for restaurants I hate so I thought it was time to balance things. Maybe I'm afraid I'll jinx things. I love Tess. This is my favorite hidden gem in Milwaukee. Great staff, great atmosphere and a seasonal menu keeps things interesting on every visit. The backyard patio is great in the summer. read more

We visited because of Yelp reviews. We had early dinner reservations on a recent warm Saturday night, which may explain the range of attire that included tweed jackets, sweater vests, dresses, and nice jeans. The kitchen has two entrances - the one closer to the bar sounded like a paper bag popping. I actually thought the bar was opening a lot of Champagne. We were seated near the other kitchen entrance. If you can avoid sitting near either kitchen entrance, then do. We enjoyed samosas, a seasonal rocket salad, cioppino, ravioli, creme brulee, and butterscotch budino (pudding). The menu has a smattering of different and delicious international fares. The ravioli was some of the best I've ever had. The pasta was light and thin. The filling was neither heavy nor overstuffed. The sauce was not tangy or heavy. We overheard guests at other tables asking about and ordering gluten-free options. The restaurant is tucked in a neighborhood, but we had no troubles finding street parking. read more

Delicious! Best meal we've had in awhile. The pork tenderloin dish is perfect. We'll be back soon.

We celebrated a wonderful evening with a visit to Tess and what a treat it was! The place is cute and charming. The food was delightful and the presentation was gorgeous. My husband had the trout and loved it. It had a nice sauce that complimented but didn't overwhelm the dish. I had the chopino and it was terrific with just the right amount of kick. read more

From the service, the outdoor patio, the appetizers, the entrees and wine was all 5 stars. Crab cakes melted in your mouth, the lamb chops were cook to a medium perfection and the flourless chocolate cake was better they _ex. Sorry honey. JK We'll be back!!!!! read more

The service was excellent. The food was amazing and the atmosphere is so cozy. We ate on the outside patio and it was so comfortable. The surf and turf was cooked perfectly. Will be back very soon! read more

A great dinner date. Eat outside if you can - the patio is adorable.

My favorite fine dining place in Milwaukee. Food is incredible. I have tried just about everything on the menu and have yet to find anything that doesn't exceed my expectations. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. Most excellent for a cold winter night; or a visit to the patio/beer garden type area in the summer is quite enjoyable. Tucked away in the Riverside Park neighborhood, this place is truly a hidden gem, and while I selfishly hate to promote this best-kept-secret, it'd be a shame if locals and visitors miss out on this amazing dining experience! read more

We took a short drive up from Chicago for an overnight stay, so I purchased a deal from Travelzoo for Tess. And I'm SOOOOO glad that I did. Every bite was deeeelish and they had a very good wine selection. The sweet and smokey flat bread was yummy and absolutely my favorite dish. The calamari was surprisingly good. And the scallops were also very good. I also appreciate the waitstaff being very knowledgeable about their wine and menu. Next time we visit, I'll certainly be stopping by! read more

This is a charming little place and I've never had a bad experience here. They also turned me onto my new favorite wine! I absolutely recommend the Sole if they have it, but you really can't go wrong and the menu is very creative. Very quaint very quiet very friendly I highly recommend this place. read more

Located in a residential neighbourhood a few blocks from main streets. This is a gem, a surprise find. We got there late, 8:30PM. Even though they closes at 9:00PM they still served us well. We sat in the outside dining area which is actually a garden to the side of the restaurant building. It was simple yet very comfortably decorated. The night was a bit chilly, they turned on heater and our tables were very warm. Surrounding the paved garden are flower and vegetable beds. They actually use ingredients from the vegetable garden. The waitresses were very friendly and accommodating. we brought 2 groupons with us for a party of 9. Restaurant policy is that we need to be on two separate tables to use two groupons. Our waitress rearranged the tables to be adacent so the kids sat in one table and the parents sat in another. They did this without a fuss. They were very patient with our orders. Took time to explain the menu and the special of the day. It was late and we were very hungry. They brought generous servings of fresh baked break to keep us alive until the food arrives. Their food was excellent. ITRUS SHRIMP & CALAMARI CEVICHE tastes great with generous amount of shrimp and calamari. The special of the day was a steak with potatos and bison. The steak was just right. The bison was just the right portion to not to steal the show but was sauteed to perfect flavor and heat. I ordered the house ravioli. it was hand made to order. it tasted delicious. the cheese and saussage filling was a great match up. Some websites label Tess as American. It is not traditional American. I would say it is American with hints of international flavors. Unless you are a stickler for traditional American cuisine, I think you will like TESS very much. read more

I recently visited Tess using a Groupon and it was a great experience! The covered porch area was neat and had a lot of charm. There is an amazing Northern Catalpa tree visible from this area that adds to the character. I simply had water and the beef tenderloin (med- rare). The beef was cooked perfectly and had great flavor. It was coupled with beans, potatoes, and mushroom. I don't have much to say other than it was a simple dish that delivered. The service was quick and courteous - what else can you ask for? I didn't give Tess a five this time, but I think it was close and the next visit might push it over the edge. read more

Had dinner on January 24 th. Our meal was spot on.We started with the bone marrow appetizer. We ordered two different salads Frisee and Cherry Walnut. For entrees we chose Cioppino and Red sorghum paella. We were served bread and olive oil too.Every thing was 1stclass.The service was impeccable. Our waitress gave great wine suggestions. We chose a lovely pino and a fantastic Sauvingnon Blanc. We shared a butterscothch budino and coffee for dessert.The waitress served it with a birthday candle.We had mentioned it was my birthday. Be sure to make areservation it is a quaint and cozy place. We will be revisiting as soon as we are in the Milwaukee area again. Don't miss this one. read more

The service here was great, but I was a little disappointed in the food and the portion sizes-I eat like a bird and I'm not usually one to complain about something like that, but for what they charge I was expecting a little to take home. I ordered a goat cheese salad; the dressing they used was very good, but the salad itself was just a little scoop of iceburg lettuce with about a teaspoon of goat cheese crumbled on top. Then came the ravioli, which was more like a bowl of sauce with a couple of raviolis to fish out. It was tasty, they used plenty of garlic (yum) but the sauce was a little too acidic and kind of left a vomity aftertaste. My friends ordered the fish fry, which looked delicious, but as another reviewer said, it's just a few tiny pieces of perch. Overall it was a good meal, and maybe it's because I'm no foodie, but for the price I'd go somewhere else. read more

Very disappointed! I ordered blackened mahi mahi and was not impressed. The fish was okay, but the fried green tomatoes were tasteless. A vinaegrette sauce outlined the plate and was very sour. The sauce was so bad that I had to send it back to have the mahi mahi re plated. My husband ordered the shrimp which was sadly overcooked. The service was excellent, but unable to make up for the poor food. Use a different coaster in your city tins!! read more

2.5 stars. I like the approach they take to their cooking (growing a lot of ingredients and daily menus) however my food was overcooked and dry. I've heard good things about this place so maybe I just had an off experience. I'll probably give them another try this summer, once gardens are in full bloom and ingredients are fresh. read more

Visiting from out of town, we were looking for a great place to eat within walking distance of our cozy Airbnb. This place was incredible! We were here on a Tuesday night and it was kind of chilly out, but the staff accommodated us in sitting on the patio with a heater. Thank you! We had Ramps to start (seasonal dish) and they were incredibly delicious. So much so that we were mopping up the remaining juices with their delicious bread. Second was the watercress/kale salad which was a hit as well. Our main was the house ravioli which was a touch on the salty side, but the flavor was so good that we didn't even care. I forgot to mention we started with a bourbon old fashioned that was superb. We shared the lemon tart for dessert and I have to say our mouth is still watering thinking about it. If I had one thing to add, it would be to have espresso to accompany dessert. I give this place 6 stars out of 5. read more

I was absolutely dumbfounded when I received a snarky response from Tess regarding a groupon review I gave them. Basically what it said was that the staff was a bit snotty, the decor was subpar and the food was not bad, but not the best I have ever had. Rather than leaving it alone, or writing a response that they were sorry for our experience and hoped we'd come back to try them again, I received a very rude reply, basically telling me to eff off, I am wrong, and they don't care what I think because they know they're great. Can anyone tell me whatever happened to customer service?? Had I not gotten a reply, or had gotten an apologetic one, I may have given this place another chance sometime. Now? No way. And I will be sure to tell everyone I know exactly why. RUDE and no idea of what customer service is all about. read more

The service, food and decor of the place is perfect. The servers are well mannered and helpful. But the management is rather stupid and boorish in the way they deal with what they do. I had gone there with a Groupon coupon. I am - as an intelligent adult - well aware that tips are paid on the whole amount and not on the reduced bill amount. But for the first time, I found a restaurant so crude and crass that they lack the basic finesse you expect from them. Tess management adds a sticker on the bill that "informs customers" that they should be tipping on the entire amount. It is an asinine move, for it not only suggests that the customer is not informed and intelligent but also also because it reeks of a lack of a certain sophistication and poise that we expect from restaurants of the order Tess aspires to. Does the Tess management know that even cheap restaurants participating in the groupon sales do not add such a boorish sticker? Every restaurant customer knows that restaurants pay their employees far less that they should. Everyone know how important tips are for servers. We also know, when we are using a coupon, that the bill will not reflect the cost of the entire meal. Duh! Consider being so crude and asinine and begin to respect humans as intelligent beings!!! read more

Really good food and I love that they sell half bottles of wine. I had the grilled salmon and my husband had the beef tenderloin - they were both pretty good. Beautiful patio, and the server did a great job. We will definitely come back. read more

Fish was delicious... The string found in my cole slaw was a surprise. The wait staff was unresponsive to the foreign ingredient. Cute patio. read more

Called on Monday to make 7:30 reservations for Thursday and was told that they had a big party at 7:00pm so 8:30pm or 5:00pm were my options. Reluctantly took the 8:30. Arrived at 8:15 to a packed house; ordered a drink from bar, was seated by 8:40. Since we had already had 25 minutes to peruse menu we ordered IMMEDIATELY. Our server suggested an appetizer "since the kitchen was behind". No thanks, we just wanted dinner, it was already late. At 9:00 we had been served a loaf of bread (no olive oil on our table) and water. The party of 8 next to us and the party of 6 behind us had not received their food so we knew we were in trouble. At 9:15 I asked if I could have my dessert first since it was clear we wouldn't be eating soon. No problem, had some Elvis cake which was delicious!! At 10:00 I decided enough was enough, our waiter was apologetic but hearing "I'm sorry" 10 times does not correct the problem. Asked to speak with the owner. A brunette, dressed like a waiter, (safe to assume not really the owner) came and said "all she could do was apologize" that the kitchen was overwhelmed because it was the last night of their Groupon offering. REALLY?!?! That was the BEST the person in charge could do? How about being forthcoming when we sat down and saying "hey it's going to be 90 minutes before you see any food...do you still want to order"; that would have been a start. Or how about offering a free drink or appetizer or dessert to make up for the OBSCENE wait for our meal?! Oh, and let's talk about the meal...we were likely one of the last 2 tables to be served and the scallops that we waited 90 MINUTES for (at $25 a plate) amounted to 3, YES, 3 average to small size scallops. In my disbelief, I called the waiter over to say "REALLY? for 25 dollars you serve 3 teeny scallops? Are you KIDDING me? What a debacle. What POOR, POOR service from top to bottom. This place may have been a gem once upon a time, but something is definitely wrong. Save your dollars and go eat somewhere that does not depend upon Groupons to generate business (or in this case their Groupon caused them to lose business). Downtown and East side Milwaukee have many other better choices than Tess. We will never go back and as evidenced by their lack of customer service tonight; they likely do not care. read more

Just ate at Tess last night. In one word AMAZING! The food and service were the best I've had in Milwaukee. The building is old timey with lots of character and kinda had that old building smell to match. That would not stop me from highly recommending this restaurant! read more

Yum! Just came back from a lovely dinner at Tess and my tummy was not disappointed. I made reservations ahead and was seated in the outdoor area with a tent type coverage and heaters. It was cozy and intimate. Apart from the food, something that stood out to me was the service. I need a no nonsense waitress that is welcoming, checks on the guests regularly and makes sure water/ drinks are being attended to. My waitress, name is slipping my mind, was phenomenal. Constantly checking on my table, refilling water without being asked and making sure the food met expectations. The food was drop dead scrumptious. I am in heaven just thinking about it now. My date ordered the fish fry and dubs it the best he has ever had. I sampled it and can concur with this. I ordered the San Francisco Cioppino. It was divine and resembled more of a seafood sampler but dressed with a marinara sauce. Even though I was stuffed from my meal, I couldn't leave Tess without ordering the flourless chocolate cake. Please, if you do anything at Tess, order this dessert. Not for the chocolate cake but for the salted caramel custard that comes a top it. I feel highly confident in my rating of Tess! It deserves well over five stars. read more

Had a great dinner at Tess before heading to a show in Milwaukee on a Sunday evening. Great ambiance, great service, and amazing food! Had a 5:30 reservation and when we arrived it was almost empty, with just one other table seated and a couple guys at the bar. It did begin to fill up a bit as it got later. We started with the Al Pastor Spring Rolls which were delicious. Light and crispy and tasted like a perfect al pastor taco! The charred pineapple was the perfect touch. I had a bowl of soup which was one of the specials - roasted red pepper and blue crab bisque with creme fraiche. It was AMAZING. Just a bomb of flavor. For entrees I got the cocoa rubbed, seared duck breast and my wife had the ravioli. The duck was the best duck I've ever eaten, hands down. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, it absolutely melted in my mouth. Serviced with vanilla infused mashed potatoes (not at all sweet as I feared) and a cherry gastrique. It was amazing. My wife absolutely loved her ravioli, she ate every bite which she rarely does. Despite being stuffed, we got the butterscotch budino for dessert and it was heavenly. Not too sweet, just rich enough. Every part of the meal was outstanding. We'll be back next time we are in Milwaukee for sure! read more

Last minute decision to have dinner at Tess was well rewarded. Did not have reservation, so sat at the bar. Glad to see they were busy and now we know why. The service was friendly and efficient. Great draught beer selection. The soup, salad and red fish special were all outstanding. Fantastic gluten free menu. We will be back and tell our friends! read more

This restaurant kind of flies under the radar, but it is worthy of real praise. Nice menu with multiple gluten free options. Thoughtful options, not just standard sans bread. Small but varied wine list. Solid spirits selection and good staff. Great place to dine at the bar. read more

The food was good, but over-priced for what you get. Had the mussels for appetizer and the cioppino and beef short ribs for entrees. You got a good amount of mussels, so that was good, but the cioppino did not have a lot of seafood for the price and the same holds true for the short ribs (one short rib over small amount of mashed potatos with some slivered carrots on top). The carrot strips were the best part as they were cooked with sesame oil, butter and toasted sesame seeds. Nice that you can get half-bottles of wine. read more

our experience here was fine...nothing special and didn't love the ambiance but the food was decent. not dying to return but wouldn't object to trying again. read more

This evening I ordered "blackened" tilapia and expected to be served a spicy piece of fish. Spicy is not remotely how I would describe the fish. It was nicely cooked, not dry, very plain fish. When I questioned our waitress, who then asked the chef, she informed me that "salt, pepper, and white pepper" were the seasonings on the "blackened" fish. She then handed me the pepper shaker for additional seasoning! She did offer to have something else made for me. I declined and chose to eat my bland fish. The rest of our party was happy with their meals. We have usually been quite happy with our meals at Tess and have eaten there numerous times. I would not recommend ordering anything "blackened" if this is the chef's idea of seasoning for it. read more

Delicious. I had the red sorghum risotto and butterscotch budino for dessert. It was fantastic. The waitress was really friendly and the chef very skilled on gluten free. The gluten free biscuits were the best I've ever had in my life. read more

Calamari appetizer was good. Pork peach entree was lacking real flavor and the Salmon was an atrocity- I really don't like to harshly review a place but the salmon was very poorly cooked- waitress didn't ask for a temp (good salmon should be cooked with temperatures like a steak). Was dry, overcooked and crusty. Rice had poorly constructed flavor and tastes straight out of a bag. This place has potential; not sure if we just had a bad experience. read more

First, I just want to say that I would have preferred to send a discreet email rather than post a public review, but I was unable to find any email address for Tess. I realize this review is a bit belated, but I was really trying to just let it go. Turns out, I could not. I recently visited Tess Restaurant with six of my girlfriends for a bachelorette party on June 10th. As a group of women in our early 30s, one member of our party recommended Tess as the perfect classy, yet low-key place to have dinner, based on her previous experiences dining there. Initially, we were very impressed by the service and food. They were extremely accommodating when I made the reservation and even called at the beginning of the week to verify it. The young woman who waited on us was fantastic, and several of our group members commented how attentive and pleasant she was. Between the meal and service, we were very happy with our experience. We were happy to tip our server more than the automatic 18% gratuity for a party of our size. Unfortunately, we left with an extremely sour taste in our mouth. Since we were a large group, we abided by the request for no separate checks, and everyone came prepared with cash to accommodate this request. My biggest regret was not taking the cash myself and then paying with my credit card. Prior to paying the bill, three different individuals counted the cash to make sure we had everything covered. Another waitress took our payment, and we thought we were set for the evening. However, a few minutes later our waitress came to inform us that we were short on the bill. To say we were confused is an understatement. We of course recounted the money and immediately found that it was missing two twenty dollar bills. When we told the waitress, she said she would come back in a moment. She came back a few moments later and asked if we were all set. We again stated that bill was missing $40. Another party member then requested to speak to the manager on duty and even asked if they could speak in private as to not make a scene. This friend mentioned that a different server had collected that payment, and didn't want to place blame, but that it seemed odd that now two twenty dollar bills were missing. The manager was friendly, but stated that she trusted her staff 100%. Maybe the money fell out or blew away, she suggested. She then offered that we were welcome to pay the remaining $33 of the bill with a credit card. We opted to take the high road since we did not want to detract from our friend's special day, and my friend paid with her card. We left the restaurant feeling very unsettled. We put on a happy face for the sake of the guest of honor, but the rest of us struggled to get past the issue. Maybe the wind blew away $40. Maybe $40 somehow fell out. I stand by the fact that we more than paid our bill initially. Regardless, I was hoping to rave to fellow friends and family about visiting Tess, but I cannot in good conscience do so, as I fear they may have a similar experience. I don't feel that the manager made the right decision that night. She chose that $40 over the return business of 7 people, plus new business from all the acquaintances we would have given recommendations to. I'm sure this would have amounted to exponentially more than $40 over time. This is about more than $40, it's about principle, and I really think we should have been given the benefit of the doubt. Aside from that, I think it might be valuable to reevaluate some of the policies. If your computer system allows you to split checks, do it. I recognize it's an inconvenience, but it would certainly help prevent this type of situation in the future. I think you should also have a strict policy against servers collecting each other's payments. Seemingly, that's where things went wrong in our situation. That would certainly cut down on the margin for error. Overall, I'm just very disappointed in how our experience at Tess turned out. It went from being a highlight of the day, to one of the more negative dining experience I have ever had. I'm hoping that someone at Tess will read this and reach out to me to correct the situation. read more