The Capital Grille — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Amazing food No, really. I mean it when I say "Amazing." Great ambiance Friendly and professional staff Gave me a story to tell (Read if you're curious.)

Coming from out of town, I was wandering around, looking for a quite bite, and mistook the Grille for a simple place by mistake. I thought it was "Just a grill." When I entered, there was soft music, tasteful lighting, and a cozy feel against the less cozy winter outside. There was just me, and I figured that I would be turned away when they asked if I had a reservation. Instead, they found a spot at the bar, and offered to serve me there, if it pleased me. I was hungry and cold, so I couldn't very well refuse that. They led me over and I took a, surprisingly comfortable, seat at the bar. The bartender immediately got me a water, a menu, a smile, and a few recommendations. Now, I wasn't thrilled at the prices - I wasn't intending to spend much when I set out to find a place nearby - So I ordered a drink, a soup, and a salad. Many places with high prices I had been to disappointed me, and I wrongly assumed that I was paying just for the atmosphere.

I was wrong.

The Whiskey Sidecar was strong, tasty, yet went down easy. The Bleu Cheese Salad, I was offered to try it un-chopped. I decided to give that a go and got a crisp head of lettuce the size of a literal head sliced for a solid base for chopping, coated in an delicious dressing, surrounded by bacon and tomatoes. It could have been a meal on its own. The Caramelized French Onion soup was offered in a cup, or a pot. I am very glad curiosity got the better of me and I chose the pot. It came out, a layer of melted cheese and herbs on top of this beautiful cauldron of soup. The Grille made this soup look so good that another customer came over and asked what I got, and where I could find it on the menu.

I was there for an hour and a half, eating, enjoying, joking with the bartenders, watching the games on the mounted TV. I left the most satiated I had been in a year. I was smiling the rest of the night. I spent three times more than I had hoped to when I walked in, and I don't regret it all all. I wish I spent more and tried everything they had to offer. If the soup was good enough for other customers to come up and ask where to find it, I can only imagine what the main courses would have been like.

Capital Grille immediately became my favorite place in Milwaukee the moment I tasted that soup. Next time I'm in the city, I'm going to try the rest...

I went for me and my boyfriends one year and we really wanted to do a steakhouse. I was looking for one with great reviews and that was open since we went on a Monday and some steakhouses are closed then. This place exceeded all expectations. The atmosphere was relaxing, welcoming and romantic with dim lighting. Every single person who was working was attentive and friendly. It felt like everyone knew it was our anniversary and we had multiple staff congratulate us. When we got to the table we were greeted with little flower confetti and a note that was hand written wishing us a good anniversary. There was someone there basically as soon as we sat down offering us water / if we wanted any other drinks. As soon as he left another gentleman was over to offer us complimentary bread basket (with lots of options). The night continues where we order French onion soup bowl and it looked AMAZING. our waiter gave us plenty of time to eat both the bread and the soup before bringing out our main entrees and sides (bone in ribeye eye and chefs special filet mignon with truffle fries) which were all spectacular. As the night went on, we were given enough privacy to enjoy our evening romantically and alone but also had all our wants and needs met. It was a perfect amount of attention and detail from the staff. Our drinks were never below half empty, the gentleman noticed we needed more bread and got some. And our waiter would make sure everything was good. We also got greeted by a professional lady whom I think was the manager. In the end when we were close to finishing our food we asked for a dessert menu (I saw on here alot of people said the creme brulee was yummy) and the waiter said he would bring it out after he cleared our plates (which was sly) because after he cleared our plates he brought out a beautiful happy anniversary on the plate with creme brulee which was an awesome surprise and felt so personal and he offered right away to take a photo of us. The restaurants attention to detail and effort to personalized their guests visit is unforgettable. The food itself was very delish and in good quantities. I have...

Out of respect for my fellow dinners as this was a special occasion, I didn't take any food photos. While the restaurant acknowledged it with a nice table setting as we were seated and later a desert sampler that was easily the best effort they put forward. While we were expecting an elevated dining experience, we were surrounded with loud patrons from a convention running up their company tabs and trouncing all over the dress policy that was proudly posted in front of the dining room. They should have been seated in the bar area with the party across from us in who were rocking t-shirts and shorts. It doesn't excuse the half-hearted effort of the kitchen that was clear from the jump. The breadbasket delivered with no hot rolls and a pedestrian assortment. The bar was on point with solid drinks and big call out a on proper sidecar. Our server while very personable he was clearly rushed and admitted to being called to help out earlier in the day. Our salads (Caesar and Beet) came out fairly quickly and were the highlight of the meal. Then there was about a 50-minute pause until our entrees arrived. Steaks were prepared properly, and I had a nice piece of sea bass prepared properly but light on flavor. The sides were average and relied on butter and garlic to generate any taste. What was truly surprising was the absence of management, as we were never checked in on and didn't appear to be on the floor. We had previously had a wonderful experience at this same location, but no shot will be returning any time soon. The only thing memorable was the check which was three digits a diner. No problem paying for a great meal this just wasn't the case here. It had the feeling of a chain restaurant in decline, nothing unique or no differentiators- even the specials seemed like nothing special. There are 3 other high end steak places within walking distance that will deliver an exception meal and experience worth the price...