stephanie

For non-meat eaters, that is: try the smoked tofu veggie chili! One of my favourite foods in the world.

Omnivores have plenty to choose from, but vegetarians have these particularly yummy choices: a falafel burger, mac & cheese, veggie chili mac, chipotle hummus & pita, curried vegetable stew and a variety of salads.

They just added brunch on weekends, as well—sadly, no hearty herbivorous fare, but lacto-ovo vegetarians can get the usual suspects: pancakes, French toast, omelets, bagels, fruit salad, beignettes (!!).

Staff is always friendly, fast and accurate. Lovely neighbourhood, lovely venue, lovely restaurant.

• Happy hour lasts until 10 p.m., even on weekends
• The drinks are delicious and deliciously strong
• Pitcher of Riverwest Stein = $7 = happy boyfriend
• Everything’s cheap even after happy hour is over
• Insane Kool-Aid flavors on the tiki menu—try the Honolulu Cooler
• You get a tiki-themed cup to take home with some drinks, incl. Milwaukee’s Best Mai Tai™
• Bartenders are super-nice
• They take credit cards
• Music is tolerable at worst, ridiculously awesome at best, generally not too loud to talk over and never ironic hair metal
• Very few glaring hipsters who turn around and scoff at you when you walk in the door for not wearing Diesel jeans
• I’ve never seen anyone get into a fight there
• Usually not invaded by shrieking UWM girls (does UWM have sororities, or do they all just hang out in hyena-like packs?) and their belligerently wasted, mega-confrontational boyfriends until after happy hour is over and I’m biking home
• It’s the best bar in Milwaukee, duh

Disclaimer: I don’t work there, have never worked there, and don’t know anyone who’s ever worked there. There’s just something deeply, uniquely awesome about Foundation that I’d desperately miss if I ever lived anywhere else.

I love this place with all my heart and soul. Not only are the portions generous and the atmosphere clean & friendly, but the pizza is stupendous. Fellow Milwaukee vegans, take heart: no gross fake cheese on these pies. We have, I think, five pizzas to choose from, plus an array of solo toppings. Omnivores & vegetarians have many options as well. A single slice is bigger than my head.

For folks who get lost easily (incl. yours truly)—Classic Slice is on the corner of Montana & California, right behind SNAP Fitness. Classic Slice! They’re open late, they deliver, they rule.

Exactly like Golden Era (literally, same menu & all), except in downtown Oakland.

I love it! Wonderfully friendly staff, incredible selection for such a tiny shop. They even have Sheese (faux cheese—imported from the UK). I stocked up on vitamins and snacks.

my favourite restaurant in the universe. While I’m far from a foodie, I’ve been vegan for almost 3 years, and until I went to Cha Ya, I didn’t know vegan food could taste so good.
I felt healthier when I walked out than I did when I walked in.
Best miso soup ever!

...and it’s open until 3 AM (4 AM on weekends).
If that’s not late enough for you, our beloved George Webb is open 24 hours & conveniently located right across the street. Both places are close enough to the North Ave and Brady St bars for you to drunkenly stumble on down for some late-night munchies in the summertime.

Shuttle used to be kind of a dive (in the most lovable sense), but it’s since been completely refurbished/fancified—all-new decor, a shiny new internet jukebox, free WiFi, plasma TVs.
Lots of punk rockers still work there, though. Ask yr friendly delivery driver what their band has been up to lately and chances are they’ll be able to dig at least one demo tape out of their car for you.

I’ll have to leave commentary on the current menu selections to folks who can actually eat there. :)
Fellow vegans, take note—this is one of those “french fries or salad only, grumble” places for us; lacto-ovo vegetarians will have a much easier time, as there are a good number of veggie options. For the omnis, this is the motherlode: pizzas, calzones, burgers, hot dogs, gyros, chicken, chili, deep-fried EVERYTHING and, of course, custard. Try to visit when Custard of the Day is Death by Chocolate or Candy Explosion; both are heavenly.

There’s also a good selection of beer from local and national breweries, plus boozed-up slushies and a few super-sugary malt beverages (including SPARKS<3).

You just have to go here. I’m not saying it’s the best food in the world, but IMO, no visit to M’waukee is complete without a trip to Pizza Shuttle.

• Good rock music almost that’s never too loud to talk over
• Cute decor—huge alt-rock album covers and indie rock posters
• Nice, easygoing but attentive bartenders
• Fantastic food, cooked by one of the nicest people I’ve ever met (vegetarians & vegans, there is stuff for us to eat here!)
• Great happy hour (1/2 off all rails & taps, 4-8pm)

It’s been my favourite bar for awhile - basically since it opened - although I do mainly restrict my visits to happy hour due to the proliferation of dudebrahs in the area. Thursdays are $5 martini nights, though, and those things are both brutal and brutally tasty.

Check it.

Just make sure you get out of there ASAP after night falls, because hordes of beDocker’d, heavily cologned frat boys tend to flood the place, ISO High Life, tipsy sorority sisters and darts. It is, after all, 2 blocks from North Ave, and directly across from the new UWM pseudo-dorms on Kenilworth & Prospect.

• fell shamelessly for the weirdest, most endearing boy I’ve ever known (or will probably ever know),
• drank more alcohol than I could keep track of, and
• met a German Shepherd puppy named Ollie Redsox
• all within 20 minutes of walking in the door.

Also, The Shins were there. A bizarre and completely awesome night. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back.

Stourbridge was the birthplace of my favourite band of all time - the criminally underheralded Pop Will Eat Itself - so making a pilgrimage there was a top priority, and I got to do it in the winter of 2000. The people were super-friendly (especially when I brought up PWEI, et al) and a few were quite excited that I was so excited to be there. Met a couple of die-hard Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and Wonder Stuff fans as well!
Pleasant, peaceful, quiet small town atmosphere. Very quaint and cosy. I’d like to live there someday.