Amilinda
Spanish restaurant · Downtown
315 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Highlights
Spanish & Portuguese plates paired with cocktails in a cozy-chic setting
Spanish & Portuguese plates paired with cocktails in a cozy-chic setting
"All it took was dinner at Odd Duck. That’s the moment chef Gregory Leon credits as inspiration to leave his San Francisco kitchen post and make Milwaukee home. Since opening Amilinda, Leon has earned multiple James Beard nominations for Best Chef Midwest, and this year he can remove the geographic qualifier, ascending to a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef. In his buzzy downtown den, he offers deep Spanish and Portuguese flavors in a short, ever-changing menu that’s saucy and risky, but still homey. A pork belly salad comes with green radish and honey, braised beef tongue is topped with nora chiles and pepitas, and the spicy piri piri chicken gets ‘Sconnie-ified with “Wischego” cheese. Amilinda might be the only spot in town for salmorejo, an Andalusian puree of tomato and bread, and one of the few to take dessert as seriously as dinner (think chocolate and olive oil mousse). Best for: A big night out downtown, with a pre-dinner drink across the street at Blu, on the top floor of the Pfister Hotel." - Todd Lazarski
"This long, narrow Spanish and Portuguese restaurant that’s behind a bright-red door is usually packed, which is great if you want to cosplay as a sardine or have an excuse to bump elbows with your date. (If you’d rather avoid that, try to sit up front by the door where there’s a little more room.) The a la carte menu has things like braised rabbit with manzanilla sherry and flank steak with piquillo peppers, most of which are easy to share with a group. Naturally, the wines skew Spanish, and there are affordable gems, like a red blend from Murcia named after pine trees. The long bar running the length of the restaurant is an ideal spot to dine solo, but we also like bringing some friends to pick at a salad (the manchego and duck fat endive was a past highlight) before seeing a show at The Riverside Theater or the Bradley Symphony Center." - kristine hansen
"This long, narrow Spanish and Portuguese restaurant that’s behind a bright-red door is usually packed, which is great if you want to cosplay as a sardine or have an excuse to bump elbows with your date. (If you’d rather avoid that, try to sit up front by the door where there’s a little more room.) The a la carte menu has things like braised rabbit with manzanilla sherry and flank steak with piquillo peppers, most of which are easy to share with a group. Naturally, the wines skew Spanish, and there are affordable gems, like a red blend from Murcia named after pine trees. The long bar running the length of the restaurant is an ideal spot to dine solo, but we also like bringing some friends to pick at a salad (the manchego and duck fat endive was a past highlight) before seeing a show at The Riverside Theater or the Bradley Symphony Center." - Kristine Hansen
"Mentioned as one of the restaurants driven by award-recognized chefs, this establishment is associated with the city's growing fine-dining reputation and chef-led innovation." - Eater Staff
"A Milwaukee restaurant owned by Greg León that had planned to use roughly $285,000 in awarded funds to expand hours, enlarge the bar, upgrade ventilation, hire more staff, and give raises. Operating at about 50 percent capacity because of staffing shortages, the owner said the grant was essential to breaking a cycle of limited service and low revenue; an SBA notice on June 22 informed him that, because of court rulings affecting priority applicants, his approved grant would not be distributed absent additional congressional funding, a loss he says will ripple through local suppliers and tax revenues." - Gaby Del Valle
