Milwaukee has no shortage of great places to eat. The same can be said of its lesser-known western suburb of Wauwatosa, where you can find tasty German, Benelux, Italian and French fare at a quartet of restaurants less than a block from one another.
You’ll have time to linger over your pasta, plate of macarons or pot of steamed mussels if you’re headed to Miller Park or the famed Milwaukee County Zoo: Both are less than 10 minutes from your table. Downtown Sudsville and its Milwaukee Art Museum — currently hosting a new German cinema exhibit — are a mere 8 miles away from the heart of “Tosa,” as it’s called.
Downtown Tosa is about a century removed from strip malls and food courts. This area, known as the Village, began in the mid-1800s, when westbound roads and rails from Milwaukee had to cross the narrow Menomonee River valley. Wauwatosa flourished as a well-heeled residential community, and it remains an affluent suburb.
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Tracks still cross the river in downtown Tosa, where State Street and Harwood, Harmonee and Wauwatosa avenues merge in a commercial area hasn’t changed much since the 1920s.
That said, the Village’s streets have been torn up for much of this year, with a massive road resurfacing and streetscape project aimed at making its eight-or-so blocks more pedestrian-friendly and more attractive to diners and shoppers. According to city officials, the project should be substantially wrapped up by Thanksgiving.
A midsummer visit to Tosa found the disruption limited to orange-coned thoroughfares. It was easy to park a block or two away and then stroll among the Euro-centric eateries.
Where to go
Cafe Bavaria sits on a stub overlooking the river, allowing for prime outdoor seating in good weather. The high-ceilinged, dark-wood-and-plaster interior plays off a rathskeller riff, as does the menu.
Teutonic-inspired eats include Schweinshaxe, a bone-in pork roast, and roasted wild boar on a pretzel-hoagie sandwich with sweet-and-sour black pepper sauce with a side of red cabbage apple bacon slaw.
The beer list has close to 40 offerings, with nearly half on tap. They range from lager and pilsner to bock, doppelbock, seasonal and specialty beers; 7700 Harwood Ave., www.cafebavaria.com.
Cafe Bavaria’s older sibling, Cafe Hollander, is across the street at 7677 W. State St. Both establishments are part of Lowlands Group, a company that started with themed bars in Milwaukee and moved into “grand cafes” — like these two ethnic gastropubs — in metro Milwaukee and Madison. Like Bavaria, Hollander sports high ceilings, large windows and riverside seating.
The prevailing theme is Benelux, a blend of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Although 1800s immigrants from this part of Europe had more of an influence on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula (especially with “booyah” stew), Dutch, Flemish and Walloon touches here include Belgian mussels and frites (a take on French fries) and bitterballen croquettes filled with spiced sausage, leeks and other veggies. The rest is an eclectic mix of great burgers and the like.
A four-sample flight is an ideal way to taste some of the 280-or-so beers available, including 23 on tap; www.cafehollander.com.
Cross the street to try Ristorante Bartolotta for traditional Italian fare. Here for 23 years — long before Tosa Village became a foodie destination — this member of the Bartolotta restaurant group is more of an elegant sit-down spot, open for dinner only.
The regular menu is short but classy: four appetizers, three salads, five pasta entrees and five main dishes without noodles. The most popular entree is the pappardelle al ragu d’anatra, a hand-cut Tuscan ribbon pasta tossed with slow-braised duck ragu; 7616 W. State St., www.bartolottaristorante.com.
French cuisine awaits just around the corner at Le Reve Patisserie & Cafe. Breakfast, served 8-11 a.m. weekdays, can be orchestrated around a variety of crepes and croissants. The most popular offerings include a roasted mushroom crepe and the French favorite croque-monsieur, a toasted ham and cheese sandwich that can be topped with an egg (croque-madame).
Lunch, served daily, ranges from French onion soup to an organic chicken breast stuffed with Toulouse sausage. Brunch can be had 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Entrees on the seasonally changing dinner menu are all priced under $30. Try the steak au poivre or pheasant (faisan et champignons). A French tapas menu is available 3-5 p.m. weekdays. The restaurant is closed Sunday.
A major draw for walk-ins with limited time is the long pastry counter upfront, featuring handmade delicacies that fit nicely into a to-go box. The fruit tarts are fantastic (try the apricot); also noteworthy are the colorful French macarons; 7610 Harwood Ave., www.lerevecafe.com.
More options
For casual Italian in Tosa Village, Pizzeria Piccola is a good pick. It specializes in more rustic Italian food, like tasty pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven. It’s part of the same group that owns Ristorante Bartolotta a few doors down, but this place lets its hair down; 7606 W. State St., www.pizzeriapiccola.com.
Other locals swear by thin-crust pies at Balistreri’s. From downtown Tosa, drive east on State Street, make a right on 68th Street and cross the river; it’s at 812 N. 68th St. Don’t skip the deep-fried eggplant strips; www.balistreris.com.
For a hearty breakfast, head to Blue’s Egg at 317 N. 76th St. This strip mall operation serves lunch and dinner, too, but early in the day is when the place is packed. Reservations aren’t taken for parties smaller than eight, but the service is swift, and the wait is worth it. Some faves have emerged over the years, like monkey bread (sticky cinnamon buns) and seven versions of hash browns; www.bluesegg.com.
A final Tosa suggestion: Grab a chicken lettuce wrap or cocktail at Firefly, near the Village at 7754 Harwood Ave.
In pre-settler days, this area was called Fire Fly, which in the Potawatomi language is the vowel-heavy www.firefly-grill.com.
John Bordsen is a freelance writer.
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