Lupi & Iris

"Open for: Brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinnerPrice range: $$$$Fifteen years after claiming James Beard’s Best Chef Midwest award for his work at Lake Park Bistro, Adam Siegel, along with co-owner Michael DeMichele, earned a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2023 with Lupi & Iris. But the duo don’t rest on their laurels at their high-style downtown digs. The restaurant plays host to an ever-expanding roster of special events — wine classes, black truffle dinners, high tea, “demo and dine” nights when chefs reveal their secrets — but dinner menus inspired by the French and Italian Riviera remain the kitchen’s focus. The goat cheese tart with smoked trout, wood-grilled octopus salad with Romesco, cavatelli, wood oven-roasted veal chop with anchovy-garlic and olive oil potatoes, and orange olive oil cake are some players that might give Lupi & Iris a run as perhaps the new leader of Milwaukee fine dining. Know before you go: Outstanding happy hour and lunch prix-fixe specials make the restaurant more accessible than it seems." - Todd Lazarski

"The best way to experience Lupi & Iris, a fancy Mediterranean place downtown, is the Menu d’Affaire for weekday lunch, a two- or three-course meal where the pulpo a la parilla and whatever fish they’re serving really shine. The restaurant opened in 2022 on the ground floor of a glossy apartment building and everything about this place screams glitzy: there are huge walls of windows and more ornate light fixtures than we can count. Save this spot for when you want to impress out-of-towners or need a big-deal meal to celebrate something, and ask for a table on the perimeter of the restaurant so you can take the whole thing in." - kristine hansen

"The best way to experience Lupi & Iris, a fancy Mediterranean place downtown, is the Menu d’Affaire for weekday lunch, a two- or three-course meal where the pulpo a la parilla and whatever fish they’re serving really shine. The restaurant opened in 2022 on the ground floor of a glossy apartment building and everything about this place screams glitzy: there are huge walls of windows and more ornate light fixtures than we can count. Save this spot for when you want to impress out-of-towners or need a big-deal meal to celebrate something, and ask for a table on the perimeter of the restaurant so you can take the whole thing in." - Kristine Hansen

"This could be the impetus behind an apparent emphasis on Midwestern chefs outside Chicago, including a rare best new restaurant nomination for Milwaukee’s Lupi & Iris from chef Adam Siegel." - Naomi Waxman

"A new fine dining experience by James Beard Award-winning Chef Adam Siegel & Michael DeMichele. Inspired by the French and Italian Riviera."