Downtown Milwaukee’s Rare Steakhouse

Rare Steakhouse aim to get you in the door for more than just chops. It’s an obvious choice for a steak dinner, but there are plenty of appetizer, seafood, salad and dessert options as well.

by

Here’s my typical steakhouse order: a dry vodka martini, shrimp cocktail, and salad to start, a lighter red wine with a rare-to-medium-rare ribeye and assortment of sides as my main, and a bite of whatever the table wants for dessert. I’ve been lucky to enjoy great steaks around the world, and I think Milwaukee is a true top contender against major cities like New York and Buenos Aires. But that should come as no surprise, being America’s Dairyland and all. Rare’s Milwaukee location is one of three – the others in Madison and Washington, D.C.

In recent years, Rare has become top of mind for my family. I’ve been for casual drinks and apps, steak dinners, and even Thanksgiving. And it truly never disappoints! This time, I was just happy to have a seat at the table on a random Wednesday night, doing what I do best—eating good food and writing about it.

Old Fashioned Modern Vibe

My neighbor joined me—she’s one of those cool people who’s always down for a good time. Plus, eating a steak dinner alone is not my ideal situation, but I’m not above it! There are a few different areas to dine: the windowed main room, the book-shelved back room, and the wooden bar. We were seated in the middle of the main room in a leather booth facing the windows and other early birds. The crowd at 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday was mostly finance guys and a few families. Rare has a nice mix of old-fashioned steakhouse appeal mixed with a modern vibe.

Our waiter, Raj, has been with the company since they opened in 2016. He started us off with their smoky mezcal margarita, which came in a glass menagerie, perfect for my friend’s TikTok. Then I got my usual martini, which was a bold choice to mix tequila and vodka, but I survived. We wanted to get a feel for the full menu, so we ordered quite a bit: shrimp cocktail, roasted beef bone marrow, lobster bisque, the special spring gnocchi, gem wedge salad, 10 oz. wet-aged bottleneck steak (the part of the ribeye without the fat), buttered sea bass, and the espresso creme brule.

Honestly, everything was delicious, and you cannot go wrong with this menu. The standout dish for me this time was the lobster bisque, and I’m not normally a soup girl, but I was in a major seafood mood that night. Needless to say, my dog was overwhelmed with joy at his many leftovers from over-ordering.

The next time I go, I want to check out their lunch menu as I’m sure their sandwiches and entree salads are bangers. I’ll be sure to report back when I do! If Rare isn’t your go-to steakhouse in town, I highly suggest making the time to consider it. Plus, they’re planning some menu updates and other exciting changes coming this summer so keep an eye out!