Milwaukee is unmistakably known for brats, beer, and cheese curds, but beyond those staples there is a wealth of flavor territory out there for your tastebuds to explore!
While we hold our brats, cheese, and beer dear to our hearts, we jumped at the recent opportunity to team up with a local company that was interested in entertaining clients while exploring new trends in the culinary world. We were given the task to develop a custom food tour focusing on such popular trends as veganism, trans-cultural cooking and the use of non-traditional flavors in traditional baking.
So where did our signature green bus adventure to on this one-of-a-kind tour of Milwaukee? Let’s find out!
Load up! Door-to-door service! We picked up our excited guests at their Milwaukee area office at the end of their work day and we were off and running!
First stop! Who said you can’t have dessert before dinner? We love to start with something sweet! Greige Patisserie was a great spot to grab a beverage and a handcrafted dessert and beverage to start the tour with a bang. Greige Patisserie’s owner, Jessica Reinhardtsen spoke to the group about her background in bakery and her system for developing delicious and unique flavor profiles! Everyone enjoyed their coconut and mango pastry paired with a spicy tropical mocktail!
Off we go on to stop number 2! The second stop took our guests north for a drive along Brady Street en route to Milwaukee’s Lower East Side Brady Street neighborhood for a visit to Celesta, Milwaukee’s globally-minded vegan restaurant. Celesta’s owner, Melanie Manuel, welcomed us warmly and made our mouths water talking about the delicious, innovative plant-based cuisine that she serves. Our guests couldn’t wait to devour their serving of Bang Bang Broccoli, a popular favorite of regular clientele and newcomers alike. Make no mistake: this restaurant is not simply for those sticking to a strict vegan diet and absolutely does not make any sacrifices of flavor, texture, or experience. This menu has something for everyone, and we challenge even the meatiest of carnivores to give it a try; you won’t regret it!
We could have stayed and chatted with Melanie for hours (and continued eating her food) but it was time to get back on the bus and head to the next spot. Chef Tony Ho was waiting for us with open arms when we walked in the door at Momo Mee! Chef Ho was born in Hong Kong, a city richly influenced by many different cultures and cuisines. He grew up appreciating the diversified cuisines of China, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Living in Japan opened his eyes to the exciting trans-cultural use of ingredients in cooking and how fusing multiple traditions in one dish is a celebration of culture and flavor. We couldn’t wait to dig into the wide variety of dumplings he had prepared for us! The team at Momo Mee did a beautiful job explaining the differences between the dumplings, how they were made and the appropriate way to eat them. Our guests enjoyed soup dumplings, Xiao Long Bao, steamed chicken dumplings, and spicy pork wontons! And we didn’t stop there; next up was noodles! Chef Ho explained some of the different types of noodles that he uses in his dishes as we sampled some of his favorites!
After Momo Mee, our culinary adventure was still in full force though our hearts and tummies were nearing full. Onward to our last stop, C-viche, an Ibero-American small plates restaurant with a Peruvian influence. We were so glad to see our friend and owner of C-Viche, Karlos Soriano, at the door when we pulled up and we couldn’t wait to see and eat what he cooked up for us! Everyone relished their lavish shrimp ceviche, tender Argentinean steak, and crispy plantain chips and guacamole while Karlos spoke about C-Viche’s creative menu and inspiration. What a perfect way to cap off our day!
With bellies full of delicacies and heads filled with new ideas, our guests loaded back on to our green bus for a ride back to their office. The air was full of chatter about the wide variety of flavors our guests had experienced over the course of the evening and the restaurants they wanted to excitedly show off to their families and friends!
This one-of-a-kind tour experience that we crafted for our guests included comfortable round-trip transportation with driver, a fully-narrated adventure provided by one of our fabulous tour guides, and delicious food made with love at four unique Milwaukee restaurants. In addition, our staff personally crafted this itinerary, making reservations and researching and providing talking points for our tour guide.
When guests choose to create a custom itinerary with Milwaukee Food & City Tours, they have the opportunity to work with one of our extraordinary, experienced coordinators to create the perfect tour for their groups. Whether they’re interested in a specific neighborhood, genre of food, or a curated trip down memory lane, we are here to help!
Quick Facts:
- Head Count: 17
- Mode of Transit: Bus
- Length of Tour: 4.5 hours
- Locations: Greige Patisserie, Celesta, Momo Mee, C-Viche
- Total Costs: $150 per person + 25% gratuity / booking fee
Milwaukee Food & City Tours is proud to offer a variety of tours perfect for groups of all kinds and sizes. Looking for a fun way to get the night started on your Bachelor/Bachelorette party? Need a new way to engage your corporate group in team bonding? Do you have a scout group aspiring to gain new badges? Looking for a fun and educational way to teach your students about the cultural origins of Milwaukee? Our private tours offer all that and more.
We are flexible, we provide a multitude of tours, and most of all, we make it fun and easy for you. Private tours can be arranged on any of our tour options and can be customized just for your party. Generous food/drink portions are included in the per person price. We require 8 or more for a private walking tour, or 15 or more for a private bus tour – but the sky is the limit as we’ve hosted groups of 300+ on custom tour experiences.
You pick the tour route, date and time that works best for your group, and email us at events@milwaukeefoodtours.com with your interest. From there, we’ll handle the rest. Five days prior to the tour date we’ll need a final head count, list of any vegetarians, and payment via credit card or check. Literally, it is that easy!