These Milwaukee restaurants and bars made 'best of' lists in 2025

The Milwaukee restaurant scene is a varied one, and that has been recognized by national review aggregators.

Every year, sites like Yelp gather up reviews and scores to determine the best places to eat and drink around the country and shine a light on spots that deserve some attention, from overall top 100 lists to more specific cuisine lists, like places with the best seafood.

Milwaukee has held its own and shown off some true gems, including two places that opened as recently as 2024.

Between cocktails and seafood, here are six restaurants that have received national attention and rankings in 2025.

Odd Duck is one of Yelp's Top 100 restaurants in 2025

Odd Duck's globetrotting menu includes dishes like Chinese allium pancakes with mala cauliflower and wood ear mushroom salad and Szechuan tahini.

Yelp's 2025 Top 100 restaurants list included just one Wisconsin restaurant on the list, Odd Duck at No. 61. Odd Duck's menu is focused on small plates and ever changing. It includes charcuterie boards and scallops, but also vegetarian and vegan friendly meals like small salads and pasta, though that's just scratching the surface.

Variety is the spice of life, and the "globally-inspired" menu means there's always new cuisine to try. The same menu that once featured Chinese Szechuan egg noodles also included Beef short rib a la Gascogne, a French dish. If you're looking to add a new favorite cuisine to your palate, Odd Duck is the place to try.

St. Paul Fish Co. in Wisconsin's best seafood restaurant, according to Yelp

A meaty walleye fillet is one of the options for the daily fish fry at St. Paul Fish Co., with locations in Mequon and Milwaukee. On Fridays, the walleye is a discounted special.

Located inside the ever-busy Milwaukee Public Market, St. Paul Fish Co. has reached a Yelp list as the top seafood restaurant in the state. The tasty yet simple, and surprisingly affordable, menu features a rotating selection of oysters, six separate Milwaukee fish frys, varieties of Po' boys and Baja fish tacos, and even some New England-style lobster and crab boils. Sandwiches are varied too, with everything from Blackened Salmon to Peri Peri Mahi Mahi and Jamaican Jerk Swordfish. It's the perfect place to transport you to the coast.

Wolski's is among the best dive bars in the US, USA Today readers say

A variety of flags from around the world hang from the ceiling of Wolski's, 1836 N. Pulaski St. Many are gifts from patrons.

This 4th generation family-owned Milwaukee dive has been thriving for 117 years, so its spot on USA Today's top American dive bars list is well earned. It's got bar fixtures that make it worth staying until 2 a.m. — pool tables and dart boards, free popcorn and of course, the internationally famous "I Closed Wolski’s" sticker earnable only for those who hang around through last call. The 16 beers on draft make that a doable feat.

Despite a century of service, Wolski's does not have that about-to-collapse feel that some dingy dives give off. The flags pinned to the celling, stained glass windows that let in some moody lighting, simple decor and the brass rail on the long wooden bar present a homey pub atmosphere. It's no surprise that Wolski's is beloved the world over.

Hybrid cocktail bar Agency was a 2025 James Beard finalist

A look inside Agency, a new hybrid cocktail bar inside the Dubbel Dutch Hotel, 817 N. Marshall St., Milwaukee, pictured on Oct. 25, 2024.

Despite opening in early 2024, it has taken no time at all for Agency to be recognized as one of the top cocktail bars in the nation. USA TODAY named Agency one of the 29 USA TODAY Bars of the Year in 2025, and the bar was also named a James Beard Award finalist, some highly coveted recognition.

Agency is one of the friendliest bars around for those choosing sobriety — every single drink is served with or without alcohol, identified by the color coaster a customer picks. While the cocktail menu rotates every six weeks, making return trips always worthwhile, the most popular order by far remains Dealer's Choice, where customers fill out a card detailing their drink preferences from gin to tequila, or refreshing to tart, which bartenders use to create a unique cocktail. Tastings are also held regularly, and include some charcuterie board bites.

Room Service named as the top place to eat in Milwaukee, by Yelp

Another recent addition to Milwaukee's restaurant scene that's quickly gained massive attention, Room Service has been recognized by Yelp as the top place to eat in the city. Room Service serves up both traditional and contemporary takes on Thai and Japanese cuisine with an incredible standard of presentation that leaves no room for error, from the artfully designed temaki rolls to the cocktails and bao buns.

Trying everything on the menu would be a massive undertaking, so suffice to say, there is a wealth of delicious options. For sashimi alone, the Tsukiji Showcase comes with a 12-piece sampling set including tuna, whitefish, salmon, yellowtail and head-on shrimp. It's all just the tip of the Room Service iceberg.

Blue Star Cafe is among the top 20 halal restaurants in the country, according to Yelp

The tender goat platter at Blue Star Cafe on Milwaukee's east side comes with bone-on goat meat, rice, potatoes, red peppers, raisins, lemon and spicy green sauce.

The Lower East Side's Blue Star Cafe reached number 10 on Yelp's list for the top Halal eats in the U.S. Open since 2012, Yelp highlights the Somali-style steak sandwich, though Somalian cuisine is varied — there are goat and chicken platters as well as crepes with a choice of meat and veggie filling. Don't forget to grab a classic side of hummas on pita. The best part is the low price — a sandwich runs for just $7.50.