Café At The Plaza — Restaurant in Milwaukee

After having brunch with my daughter, I felt compelled to leave a review.

First of all, the old hotel has great atmosphere, and the courtyard is a great place to dine, although we actually did not get seated in the courtyard because we asked for first available seating. It was pretty crowded at 10:30 on a Sunday. It was 7/2, a holiday weekend?

Anyway, it was only 2 of us, and we were seated in 10 minutes at what I am going to call the "lunch counter". This might not be for everyone, but basically, you are sitting in the kitchen. My daughter said it was like brunch and a show, because it was fascinating watching the operation. And it was quite a show. The head chef had things well in control, and they cranked the meals out with great efficiency. If you are into that sort of thing, I highly recommend it. Plus, there was very little room to operate, and there were at least 5 people in that small area (at times more) and they never seemed to be in each other's way.

As for the food, the portions were large, and the food quality was great. The coffee was good, and the waitress kept us topped off continuously.

The only other thing I would mention is, we really liked the coffee mugs with the name of the establishment on them. We asked if they sell them and of course they do. $18. Which I hoped was for 2 of them, but it us just for one. So i passed, but my daughter did purchase one (now I know what I am getting for Christmas lol). It comes in a nice little gift box with a couple coasters and a bag of coffee from a local coffee place.

Brunch for 2, more than we could possibly finish, coffee, the mug, and a 25% tip since I wanted to reward that staff, came to $70.

Outstanding. I...

A little bit disappointed. Maybe I had high hopes for this place. This place has been on my want-to-visit list for a little bit over a year now. I always wanted to go there but had no time.

The ambience is very attractive and interesting. The building is over from a different era. Small narrow doors, older tile walls, high stairs. Everything about this place screams 1940s? Maybe. It's clean and well maintained and the chairs are very comfortable.

You have the option to sit on a table, or on a bar-like place where you can watch some food being prepared in front of you. We sat on a table.

The server was attentive. She came to us within moments. She introduced herself and was very polite. She was a little bit attentive maybe? She came back to us very shortly and made me feel a little pressured. But she was nice overall and I think she was just trying to be a good server.

We ordered their Avocado Toast. It wasn't very good. A little bit sweet and tastes almost like something else. We also ordered Plaza Chicken Sandwich with the plaza potatoes which is basically fried cubes of potatoes with some veggies. The fried chicken in the sandwich was indeed almost burnt. I didn't like the bread and the chicken tasted bland. The sandwich was open when severed and it wasn't juicy at all.

The bloody Mary is mediocre at best. The bacon in the Mary was overcooked and burnt and it came with cheese instead of a pickle. The Turkey Chili soup was actually good. I liked it even though I am not a big fan of turkey, really.

Sadly I don't think I'll ever come back to this place. Not for food, definitely. It was a nice experience overall but if you want delicious food, look...

Restaurant Review

Food. Solid fare. Had the eggs/pancake combo. If I had read the reviews beforehand, would have tried the hash browns. Watched lots of other orders go by and they all looked great. If I am in the area I will re-attack and try some other items.

Service. Great. Cook even swung by to check on me. That said, it was a very slow Tuesday morning in March and too cold to dine outside. Given the overall footprint inside and out, I can see how service could suffer during a weekend rush.

Environment. Star of the show. Really takes advantage of the site to create a lot of cozy dining experiences. I sat at the curving counter and watched the cook work his magic. The vine covered walls of the courtyard were bleak on a cold winter morning, but give a few more weeks and that would be amazing. The 1920’s architecture has been well maintained and offers a unique experience hard to find these days.

Summary 4 stars. I rarely give 5 stars (2 to date). Food was solid, the service was great. I added some extras to my breakfast which was $20 before tip. Still trying to re-calibrate my sense of value with recent inflation, but overall seems in line with expectations.

For those who do not know me from my other reviews: I am not prone to hyperbole or drama. Eateries are judged by food, service and environment; in that order and in context with expectations. I like picking new places. If it is a place I go to regularly, I...