Hi Heather! I wish I was still in Milwaukee to meet you! I lived in Milwaukee as a vegan for about 10 years and while most marketed vegan options tend to be greasy american hipster bars, like Comet Cafe and Palomino, it is nice to have the option for both carnivores and herbivores alike. I am sure a search of the area will bring up anyplace I could mention here- however my favorite eats in Milwaukee that I miss a lot and are not as popular or too meaty for this site are as follows:
E-Esane Thai Resturant on Farwell Ave. The Red Curry with Tofu is my favorite meal in the world. Lots of basil and the scale gets really hot- even if you like hot food I would not go farther than a 6/7 on your first meal- then set your gauges. The Vegetable Spring Rolls are also excellent or at least the peanut sauce is addictive! reasonable prices, sometimes I switch out the tofu for cashews (addtl $1)
East Garden Chinese Resturant on Oakland Ave just inside Shorewood (north of Capitol Drive in MKE)
So the food here is not remarkable, a little greasy and sometimes questionable- however you must at some point have the Sesame BeanCurd. It will knock your socks off!
Shaharazad also on Oakland Ave (but in MKE) has the best Spinach Pie, light flakey phyllo and a mix of pine nuts and almonds in the pie make it the best I have ever had. the lentil soup is also good. I would avoid Abu's, managment keeps shifting as does the quality. Casablanca has a decent veg lunch buffet M-F also reasonably priced, not spectacular, but a good meal if you like middle eastern food- they put pickles in the falafel sandwiches (not common in MKE)
Of course, Classic Slice on Kinnickinic has vegan pizza. A lesser known, and far truer milwaukee experience is a place called Mama De Marini's 2457 S Wentworth Ave MKE(just around the corner from the Palomino) This place is an old man haven!, It used to be a smokey senior citizen filled dimly lit bar-that for some unexplicable reason offers vegan pasta dishes and pizza?! Sitting on an odd collection of kitchen chairs beside the original wood laminate covered walls and overhearing the grumbles of today not being what yesteryear was- no hipsters in site and actually relaxed and not stick out as a "vegan" is an experience I miss supremely. Of course we may have very different tastes, but I hope you check out some of my suggestions and meet plenty of new veg friendly friends to share in the delights that milwaukee does have to offer.
Mary
PS
The Riverwest Co-op (733 E. Clarke St MKE) is a small hippie grocery that has by and far the best selection of vegan substitutes, not found elsewhere in the area- they also have a cafe which is american themed deli and sandwiches but very well priced for their dedication to local and organic products- no sysco truck has ever been seen here.
