Waking Daisy — Restaurant in Town of Brookfield

The Best Brunch I’ve Had in Years (and Worth a 2-Hour Drive)

My partner took me to Waking Daisy for brunch to celebrate my birthday on August 10th, 2025. It was a surprise, and we drove two hours from Wisconsin Dells to Brookfield, WI. Brunch is my favorite, and if it’s done right, I could happily eat it for the rest of my life 😊 so I’m always up for an adventure if it involves breakfast food.

We’d talked about checking out Chef Michael Solovey’s new gig, but the experience we had there exceeded every expectation. This was our first visit since the restaurant opened in late July, and from the moment we walked in, I felt a nostalgic warmth that took me back to my Eastern European upbringing, smell of baked goods, bread, cheese, and fresh eggs paired with a bright, calming atmosphere of sunny yellows and whimsical contour drawings on the walls.

The friendly, attentive service made the experience feel personal, even on a busy day.

Chef Michael Solovey sat down with us for a few minutes, and you could truly see how much this place means to him and how much work he’s put into it. I remembered a past conversation where he told us about the best pancake he’d ever tasted a Japanese-style, buttery-soft one so I asked him jokingly if it was on the menu. Not a minute later, he surprised us with their signature “Daisy Cakes”a fluffy Japanese-style pancake with a light, pillowy texture and a velvety maple butter sauce I’d gladly buy a full jar of. 🤤🥞

I got the Korean breakfast bowl with gochujang-glazed pork belly, white kimchi, fried egg, and golden fried rice. I know pork well and this meal was packed with bold and balanced flavors.

My partner’s biscuits and gravy, featuring hickory-smoked sausage from Kentucky, were equally as impressive.

I had to try this cocktail called “Paloma or the Egg.” there is such a cool idea behind it. It was made with Tres Agaves Tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda, plus a “citrus melon egg” filled with lemon-lime coconut sorbet and a melon yolk. As it melted my drink transformed from bright and citrusy to floral and lavender, like one an unforgettable tasty surprise. It's like having two completely different drinks.

The menu blends comfort classics with innovative twists, but the execution is what sets them apart with their attention to detail.

Thank you "Waking Daisy" and chef Solovey for making our two-hour drive more than worth it and for making me feel incredibly special on my...

I have a couple of girlfriends who love to go for brunch. Finding a new place that is as good as Waking Daisy is such a treat!

I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and got to chat with Michael, who turned out to be the General Manager. He was a delight! So excited about the restaurant the menu! I found out that he is a chef and helped inspire the menu, and contributed recipes for several of the dishes. He also told me that Waking Daisy tries to source their ingredients locally, including their meats. The restaurant was bright and cheery and had comfortable tables and booths. They also have outdoor seating.

Michael suggested that we try the Table Pancake, which is their Daisy Cake with Honey Maple Butter Sauce - oh my word! So delicious! We didn't finish it because we all wanted to enjoy our meals.

I ordered the biscuits and gravy (because Michael suggested it and because I love biscuits and gravy). It was also delicious! And I would order it again! The eggs were cooked perfectly over easy and served atop nice, tender biscuits, then covered in gravy with pieces of locally sourced sausage. It was served with a salad that was lightly dressed with a citrusy dressing and great potatoes!

One of my friends had the grilled cheese - and she's still talking about how great it was! It has homemade tomato jam, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and fontina grilled on sourdough bread. She chose the salad as her side and enjoyed it as well.

Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. She made sure that we didn't feel rushed to leave after we were done. I also got to meet the bar manager (I wish I could remember his name), he was also excited to be a part of this new restaurant. He told me that the owners also own the Fresh Fin restaurant, which is located right next door to Waking Daisy, and it's also outstanding!

We all agreed that we should come back and bring our hubbies.

Great job, Michael...

We checked out Waking Daisy in Brookfield this morning, an all-day brunch café tucked into The Corners. It is an adorable spot with a menu full of creative ideas. They serve puffy yeast pancakes that reminded me of the flavor of Liège waffles (minus the pearl sugar), dense, savory, and novel! On concept alone, I would give the menu a 9/10. Execution felt more like a 6/10. Our dishes were almost great but did not quite land.

The standout bite of the meal for me was actually the crispy fried herb potatoes on the side. Perfectly salted, crunchy on the outside, and soft inside, they were the thing I kept going back to.

I ordered the Birria Benedict, which came on an English muffin soaked in oily, bland consommé. It turned the base soggy and chewy, and the beef was stringy. The whole dish needed some acid or heat to wake it up. I ended up moving the toppings, including the nicely poached eggs, onto my potatoes and abandoned the muffins entirely. Maybe a corn cake would be more successful here?

My husband had the chicken and pancake. The chicken was well-brined with a nice crunch, but the spice in the batter did not really come through. The menu mentioned apricot gochujang sauce, but it arrived as more of a thick jam, and there was not enough to balance the saltiness of the chicken. The fluffy, savory pancake was fun to try but did not offset the one-note flavor.

The food is beautifully plated and the space itself is charming, but for us, the flavor payoff did not match the creativity and pricing. Probably a...