25 Best Milwaukee Breakfast & Weekend Brunch Spots

Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a wealth of fantastic spots to tuck into multi-course breakfasts and laidback brunches or casual coffee and flaky croissants every day of the week. From greasy spoons to gourmet bistros, elegant hotel-based restaurants to corner cafés, Milwaukee has a spot for everyone. Build your own breakfast at the unique BBs, tuck into famous lemon poppyseed pancakes with blueberry, ginger, and lemon juice at the Café at the Plaza, or dine on freshly caught seafood for brunch at the sophisticated Westin Hotel’s Stella Van Buren Restaurant. No matter what your breakfast or brunch fancy, here are some of the top places to break the fast in Milwaukee. Photo: istetiana/Fotolia

Ma Fischer’s is a classic homestyle diner that serves a variety of traditional all-American dishes for breakfast and lunch in a relaxed and welcoming setting. A statue of the buxom Ma Fischer herself outside welcomes guests into the family-friendly diner that serves a breakfast of three-egg omelets with various fillings, fluffy pancakes and stacks of chicken and waffles, corned beef hash and golden hash browns, and breakfast burritos and sandwiches stuffed with delicious fillings. Located on Farwell Avenue, Ma Fischer’s has been serving the community for more than 70 years and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 7 days a week. Next read: cheap weekend getaways

2214, 1117, N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-271-7424 Photo: Volodymyr Shevchuk/Fotolia

Beans & Barley is a health-conscious café, deli, and organic market that sells a variety of natural, vegetarian, and vegan fare in a casual, laidback setting. The friendly neighborhood restaurant seats 80 people and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 7 days a week, with menus of delicious, healthy, and hearty food and drinks prepared from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. The deli and the market sell a range of homemade deli fare to take away, such as soups, salads, gourmet sandwiches, vegetarian dishes, and delectable desserts as well as health products such as vitamins, supplements, food products, and bath and body-care items.

1901 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-278-7878 Photo: Beans & Barley

One of Milwaukee's most beloved restaurants, Blue's Egg is an award-winning eatery on 76th Street that serves globally inspired American fare for breakfast and lunch along with takeaway coffee and freshly baked pastries. Situated in trendy art deco-style digs, Blue's Egg draws crowds to tuck into their monkey bread, omelets filled with cherrywood bacon, creamy polenta, buttermilk pancakes, and stuffed hash browns. Brunch is a favorite with locals, who queue to get a table while sipping Bloody Marys or mimosas to help pass the time. Blue’s Egg hosts evening events every night of the week, from rehearsal dinners and weddings to corporate functions.

317 N 76th St, Milwaukee, WI 53213, Phone: 414-299-3180 Photo: Blue's Egg

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Located on Plankinton Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, Brunch is a modern café and eatery serving classic and creative menus for breakfast, brunch, and lunch in a bright and cheery setting. The breakfast and brunch menu features favorites with a twist, such as biscuits and gravy Benedicts, Southern poutine, spinach and artichoke crepes, lemonberry pancakes, and breakfast eggrolls, as well as quinoa power bowls, brioche French toast, and avocado toast. Brunch offers daily and weekly specials and a catering service for special occasions and is open 7 days a week.

800 N Plankinton Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203, Phone: 414-210-5381 Photo: Brunch

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Located in the Pfister Hotel on Wisconsin Avenue, the Café at the Pfister is a casual eatery that serves home comfort favorites and suppertime classics. The café is open for breakfast and lunch and features a stylish barista counter that offers freshly roasted Starbucks coffee in a variety of styles and a patisserie counter filled with freshly baked in-house pastries, gourmet desserts, and other sweet treats. Café at the Pfister serves power breakfasts and lunches with a variety of traditional breakfast items including homemade soups, seasonal salads, gourmet sandwiches, and a range of gluten-free options.

424 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-390-3878 Photo: Cafe at the Pfister

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The Café at the Plaza is a stylish 1920s-inspired café with a lush garden patio and a laidback ambiance that serves organic, locally sourced fare and a range of artisan brews. The charming bistro boasts etched glass doors, traditional tile work, and original floors and serves weekday breakfast and lunch with a small brunch menu as well as weekend brunch. An ivy-covered courtyard is nestled in the center of the red brick building and offers a French-inspired setting for open-air dining and drinks or seasonal al fresco breakfasts. Menus feature classic and new additions such as lemon poppyseed pancakes with blueberry, ginger, and lemon juice, corned beef hash, and chicken and bacon-chive waffles along with an exceptional selection of handcrafted cocktails and artisan brews.

1007 N Cass St, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-276-2101 Photo: robert lerich/Fotolia

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Located in the heart of the vibrant Third Ward, Café Benelux is a Belgian-inspired café that celebrates the unique culture of the Northern European Lowlands with a delicious Euro-centric from-scratch menu, an impressive selection of award-winning Belgian beers, and a beautiful rooftop patio with spectacular views. Echoing the grand cafés of the Benelux region of Europe (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Café Benelux was designed as a place for the community to gather and enjoy good food and drinks in a friendly setting, and it doesn’t fail to disappoint. The café serves a full scratch-cooked menu from breakfast through midnight, every day of the week, with regional favorites like mussels and frites leaving their mark on hungry diners, along with an award-winning brunch every weekend.

346 N Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-501-2500 Photo: Cafe Benelux

Located on the corner of KK and Lincoln, Café Centraal is a charming European-style café with one of the city’s longest bars and the largest “Bier Book”. The family-friendly bistro serves lunch and dinner during the week and classic breakfast and brunch over the weekends with a vast menu of traditional fare accompanied by an impressive selection of Belgian and Dutch beers. Guests can dine and drink indoors in the cozy pub-style interior or enjoy alfresco dining in the inviting courtyard. Café Centraal offers a special menu for children, including a kids brunch, as well as hosts special events such as the Bier Banquets.

2306 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207, Phone: 414-755-0378 Photo: Cafe Centraal

The Comet Café is a cozy cafe and bar that specializes in made-from-scratch comfort food and delicious vegan and vegetarian fare, all of which is served with a wide variety of craft beers and signature cocktails. Open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch as well as weekend brunch, the Comet Café offers a menu of classic fare such as Benedicts, burritos, omelets and egg platters, cinnamon rolls, sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, and French toast along with freshly brewed coffee, fruit juices, and sodas. Comet Café also hosts food and beer-related events throughout the year.

1947 N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-273-7677 Photo: Comet Cafe

Engine Company No. 3 is a chic and elegant restaurant located in a converted firehouse that serves fresh, sustainable, locally sourced food and beverages in a casual, relaxed setting. Specializing in delicious farm-to-table cuisine, only the freshest, regionally sourced, and sustainable ingredients are used to create dishes such as honey maple French toast on Troubadour brioche served with seasonal fruit coulis; salmon madame with a fried egg, petite bistro salad, and Mornay sauce; and porchetta and polenta served with poached eggs, pickled shallots, and salsa verde. Engine Company No. 3 is open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, Tuesday through Sunday.

217 W National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204, Phone: 414-226-5695 Photo: Engine Company No. 3

Set on the shores of Lake Michigan, Harbor House is an upscale seafood restaurant with spectacular skyline views that serves lunch, dinner, and a classic seafood weekend brunch in an elegant setting. The spacious New England-style seafood restaurant offers a premier lakefront dining experience with an open kitchen, a three-sided bar, a raw bar that specializes in oysters, and a private dining room available for special events and parties. A seasonal outdoor patio boasts breathtaking views of the lake and offers an unparalleled alfresco dining experience of the freshest seafood flown in daily from both coasts, including lobster and oysters, prime steaks, homemade pasta, and gourmet burgers. A weekday happy hour offers specials on signature cocktails and other libations.

550 N Harbor Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-395-4900 Photo: Harbor House

Honeypie is a retro-style eatery with a lovely outdoor patio that serves hearty homecooked comfort fare and delectable desserts in a warm and welcoming setting. Open for brunch, lunch, and dinner during the week, and breakfast, brunch, lunch and early dinner on the weekends, Honeypie serves a belly-warming weekend brunch menu complete with handmade buttermilk biscuits, fluffy pancakes, stacks of waffles, and house-infused Bloody Marys. The café’s specialty is its critically acclaimed pies, which are produced from scratch and are packed with sweet or savory fillings and can be made by visitors during fun pie-baking lessons held throughout the year.

2643 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207, Phone: 414-489-7437 Photo: Honeypie

Johnny V's Classic Café is an old-school eatery on 84th Street that serves an extensive menu of classic American take-away family meals. Conveniently located just south of Wisconsin State Fair Park, the family-owned and operated Johnny V's Classic Café offers a vast selection of breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu items, ranging from omelets and egg plates to chicken and waffles, pancakes, French toast, breakfast burritos, and more. Johnny V's Classic Café also offers catering services for private parties, banquet facilities, and carry-out dinners and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 7 days a week.

1650 S 84th St, Milwaukee, WI 53214, Phone: 414-771-9660 Photo: Johnny V's Classic Cafe

Set within the InterContinental Hotel on Kilbourn Avenue, Kil@Wat is a chic restaurant serving New American fare against a backdrop of stunning downtown views. The stylish eatery serves a menu of contemporary American cuisine in an elegant yet comfortable setting, with brunch dishes such as brioche French toast, guacamole corned beef hash, chorizo burritos, tonkatsu ramen, and hanger steak and eggs, while classic breakfast items include pancakes, French toast, omelets, waffles, steel-cut oats, and fruit platters. Kil@Wat also offers private dining for special occasions.

139 E Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-291-4793 Photo: KiloWat

Mad Rooster Café is an eclectic yet friendly farm-to-table eatery that serves globally inspired gourmet bites for breakfast and lunch in a farm-style setting. Using only the freshest, locally sourced ingredients that are organic where possible, Mad Rooster Café’s culinary team prepares delicious from-scratch plates of fluffy omelets with bacon and cheese, smoothies made with family-recipe Greek yogurt, stacks of sweet or savory pancakes and waffles, hearty huevos rancheros with fried eggs, and homemade salsa ranchera on corn tortillas. Mad Rooster Café is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Sunday.

4401 W Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53214 website, Phone: 414-231-9120 Photo: Mad Rooster Café

Located just west of downtown Milwaukee, Miss Katie’s Diner is a traditional 1950s-themed diner that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with drinks from a full-service bar, 7 days a week. Established in 1942, the classic restaurant features an eclectic 1950s theme with comfortable booth and table seating and photograph-adorned walls and serves a menu of authentic American diner-style fare. Breakfast favorites include corned beef hash and Italian sausage, three-cheese omelets, and a signature ribs-and-rib-sandwich that has been served there for over 64 years. The full-service bar hosts weekly cocktail hours and has a 1950s-style 18-foot table shuffleboard table for after-work relaxation.

1900 W Clybourn St, Milwaukee, WI 53233, Phone: 414-344-0044 Photo: Mariusz Blach/Fotolia

Helmed by Chef Frankie Sanchez, Sabrosa Cafe & Gallery is a casual café that offers delicious food in a comfortable setting along with stimulating gallery exhibitions and live classical music. Open for breakfast and lunch, Tuesday through Sunday, Sabrosa Cafe & Gallery features signature breakfast dishes that promise to delight. Diners can tuck into baked French toast pudding with crème anglaise, bananas, and toasted almonds; shrimp and grits Scramble with creamy cheddar grits and cheddar biscuits; avocado smash-ups on toasted Tuscan bread with fresh poached eggs and sunflower sprouts; and jalapeno cornbread and country sausage gravy with scrambled farm-fresh eggs and campesino hash.

3216 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207, Phone: 312-834-1929 Photo: Sabrosa Café & Gallery

The Simple Café in Milwaukee is a vibrant, contemporary eatery with bright decor and a friendly, welcoming ambiance that serves creative, locally sourced and prepared plates for breakfast and lunch. Focusing on using only the freshest regional ingredients from local farmers and producers, the café’s onsite bakery produces a rotating selection of gourmet bread, pastries, cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats, which can be taken away or enjoyed in the café. The Simple Café in Milwaukee is open for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, 7 days a week.

2124 N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-271-2124 Photo: Simple Cafe Milwaukee

Located in the elegant Westin Hotel on Van Buren Street in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Stella Van Buren is the hotel’s upmarket and sophisticated steakhouse restaurant that serves award-winning steaks and fresh seafood and an array of signature cocktails and fine wines. The restaurant boasts a light, airy atmosphere with comfortable seating and stellar city views through floor-to-ceiling windows, which bathe the interiors in natural light. The 180-seat restaurant features both traditional tables and comfortable circular booths, which can comfortably fit up to eight people, and while the eatery is best known for its dinner set, it now also serves a delectable weekend brunch in a relaxed and laidback setting.

550 N Van Buren St, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-847-5622 Photo: Stella Van Buren

Story Hill BKC (the initials standing for Bottle, Kitchen, Cup) is a casual and friendly restaurant in the center of the Story Hill neighborhood that serves classic American fare for lunch and dinner during the week and a weekend brunch. The cozy urban nook is a favorite for mid-week and weekend brunches with delicious dishes on the menu like shakshouka with eggs baked in cumin-spiced tomato sauce; back bacon and eggs with roasted potatoes, and rustic toast; and the crêp-burrito, which has two scrambled eggs, Alpine cheese, and jalapeno mayonnaise. Story Hill BKC hosts a happy hour menu Tuesday through Saturday with a variety of craft brews on tap and signature cocktails.

5100 W Bluemound Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53208, Phone: 414-539-4424 Photo: Story Hill BKC

Located in the heart of the Walker's Point neighborhood, the National Café is a hip daytime café adorned with rock posters, photographs, and memorabilia, serving made-from-scratch fare and a range of drinks in a casual, laidback setting. Blending perfectly into the rich history and unique tapestry of Walker's Point, the National Café offers a menu of delicious cuisine prepared using the best fresh, locally sourced, and organic ingredients whenever possible. Breakfast favorites include baked s’mores French toast with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham cracker crumbles; polenta pancakes with sunny-side eggs, seasonal veggies, and arugula; and smoked salmon toast with white miso tahini spread, pickled cucumber, and sesame seeds.

839 W National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204, Phone: 414-431-6551 Photo: The National Cafe

Located on the corner of Broadway and St Paul in Milwaukee’s downtown Historic Third Ward neighborhood, the Wicked Hop is an inviting tavern that serves lunch, dinner, desserts, and drinks, 7 days a week, along with weekend brunches. Hailed as having the best Bloody Mary in town, the Wicked Hop also serves delicious food, with brunch plates ranging from Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, chicken strips, and calamari and fries to burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and decadent desserts. The Wicked Hop offers daily specials such as Taqueria Thursdays and Prime Rib Saturdays and can be rented out for special events and functions with full catering services.

345 N Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Phone: 414-223-0345 Photo: The Wicked Hop

Nestled into a cozy pocket on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Urban Beets Café & Juicery is a health-conscience eatery that serves fresh, organic, vegetarian, and vegan fare and freshly squeezed and homemade juices and smoothies. The bright, minimalist café is decorated with five two-top tables and four stools arranged along the easterly window and is ideal for a quick coffee klatch or a light lunch of raw Thai wraps, cranberry walnut chickpea sandwiches, or their Amazing Raw Tacos filled with nuts, sunflower seeds, carrots, and roasted tomatoes. Choose from an arsenal of seven smoothies and shakes with offerings like a strawberry shake and a combination of banana, orange, and mango called the Super C.

1401 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212, Phone: 414-800-6265 Photo: Urban Beets Café & Juicery

BBs - Build-a-Breakfast/Build-a-Burger takes breakfast and burgers to a new level where customers can build their own plates of breakfast or burgers with a variety of delicious options. Located on 6th and Wisconsin Avenue, the family-friendly breakfast and burger joint serves a menu of classic all-American fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared from fresh, locally sourced ingredients and made to order. From omelets and pancakes to chicken and waffles and juicy burgers, the eatery serves an endless array of delicious fare and drinks, hosts weekly happy hours, offers daily specials, and caters for special occasions and private parties.

633 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203, Phone: 414-270-1070 Photo: dusk/Fotolia