Birch, Milwaukee’s haven for Wisconsin-grown fare with fine-dining flair, has been one of the city’s most celebrated dining spots since opening in 2021. It’s loved locally, but it’s gained national acclaim, too: The New York Times named it one of the best restaurants of 2023. And this week, another big name in news gave it a nod, too.
According to USA Today’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year list, Birch is one of the top places to eat in America.
Food writers across the country nominated restaurants that excited them, restaurants they would recommend to friends and family, and restaurants they’d return to again and again. And Birch’s chic take on Midwestern cuisine helped it secure its spot on the list of 39 restaurants across the country.
“Great food and hospitality are the core of what we do. These are our guiding principles, and having that recognized means the world to our hard-working team,” chef-owner Kyle Knall said. “We are so proud to represent Wisconsin on this list, as celebrating Midwestern ingredients and cuisine is similarly central to our mission as a restaurant.”
What makes Birch stand out
Knall may have made waves in kitchens he ran in New York City and New Orleans, but when he opened Birch in Milwaukee in 2021, he embraced Midwest living — including the local farmers whose produce stars in his fancified farm-to-table menu.
House pastas are made with local grains. Beef and chicken were raised just down the road. And peak-season produce comes from small farms and growers that Knall knows personally.
He coaxes flavor from the Wisconsin-grown goodness with the help of a flaming hearth (spy the terms “wood-fired,” “ember-roasted” and “smoked” throughout the menu), and uses techniques like pickling, fermenting and marinating to make seasonal produce shine.
Dining there is a choose-your-own-adventure experience (and each one of them has its thrills). Book a seat at the chef’s table for a front-row seat of the kitchen action while you bask in the glow of its wood-fired hearth. Head to the contemporary-chic open dining room to build an à la carte fantasy dinner, or go all out with the ever-changing seven-course tasting menu (a real treat in any season). Not feeling fancy? Birch’s barroom is a lovely, laid-back hang and the spot to be if you’re hungry for one of the best burgers in the city.
What to order at Birch
Contramar-inspired fish. An ode to the signature two-toned fish dish at Mexico City restaurant Contramar, Birch’s version uses local trout that’s butterflied, grilled and slathered on one side with a tomato sauce and the other with a green pepper paste. Take forkfuls of the fish, tuck it into house-made tortillas and top with pickled jalapeño aioli and salsas like smoked carrot or ramp and cucumber for an elevated take on the build-your-own fish taco.
Ricotta-filled pasta. These delicate stuffed pasta pillows are a staple at Birch, but the flavors swap with the seasons based on what produce is freshest. In early spring, that could mean pickled jalapeño and fresh mint. By late fall, it’s filled with frost squash with brown butter and hazelnut.
The Birch burger. Birch may be best known for its fine-dining touches and farm-to-table fare, but one of its biggest draws isn’t on its dinner menu. For that, head to the bar — the only place you can order this double-patty brisket burger topped with smoked onion aioli, Wisconsin cheese and homemade dill pickles. You want fries with that? Sorry, not here. But try one bite of the tangy dill potato salad served on the side and you won’t miss ’em.
See Birch’s full menu.
Details: Birch, 459 E. Pleasant St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin; (414) 323-7372, birchonpleasant.com
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee farm-to-table restaurant named one of best in U.S.
Reporting by Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
