1. MOTOR Bar & Restaurant
400 W. CANAL ST.
Located on the Harley-Davidson Museum campus, this eatery actually rolled out five Mardi Gras specials on Jan. 2 and will keep them on the menu through Feb. 13. Available à la carte, and during lunch and dinner, there are two appetizers (feisty crawdad dip blends spicy Cajun crawfish with andouille sausage while chicken wings are smoked then tossed in a blackening rub), plus a muffuletta salad and Cajun Shrimp Po’Boy sandwich, wrapping up with beignets dusted with powdered sugar and served with a warm chocolate sauce.
Book a table on OpenTable.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
2. Maxie’s
6732 W. FAIRVIEW AVE.
This Southern-foods-focused restaurant’s Mardi Gras menu is available Feb. 9-10 and Feb. 12-14. Want some tunes with your food? Extra Crispy Brass Band has been tapped to provide live music on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13. In celebration of Mardi Gras, the restaurant opens earlier than normal (3 p.m.) on Mardi Gras. On the special menu will be Crawfish Étouffée, Duck Gumbo, Crispy Boudin Balls and Maxie’s Muffuletta, plus sweet endings like beignets and mini King Cakes.
Book a table on OpenTable.
3. Crawdaddy’s on Greenfield
9427 W. GREENFIELD AVE., WEST ALLIS
Crawdaddy’s on Greenfield always serves up Louisiana-style food (such as fried frog legs, chicken and sausage gumbo, beignets, broiled oysters, po’ boys, fried alligator bites, fried green tomatoes, Creole shrimp and grits, jambalaya, and more). For Mardi Gras Weekend, which kicks off on Feb. 10 and lasts until Feb. 13 (Fat Tuesday), Hot & Dirty Brass Band will offer live-music performances (Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.).
Book a table here.
4. Hot House Tavern
N88Q16631 APPLETON AVE., MENOMONEE FALLS
On a special Mardi Gras menu available for just this season are decadent Louisiana-inspired dishes like gumbo, boudin balls, po’ boy, jambalaya and beignets, covering a bunch of sweet and savory angles.
5. Potawatomi Casino Hotel
1721 W. CANAL ST.
Between Feb. 9-18, Hurricanes – a concoction featuring rum, lemon juice, passionfruit juice, orange juice and grenadine – are just $6 at three of the bars inside the casino. Those bars are Bar 360, ElevenHundred Bar & Lounge and Curve Bar, and the drink is also available on the casino floor.
6. O&H Danish Bakery
5910 WASHINGTON AVE., RACINE
This family-owned bakery’s specialty Kringles (oval-shaped pastries with a filling and topped with glaze) tap into all holidays through their flavors—including Mardi Gras. Their King Cake Kringle ($28.99) comes with three strands of beads and a plastic baby, naturally, as a nod to the King Cake tradition. Folding in cream cheese, the glaze on this Kringle is in perfect pitch with Mardi Gras colors: purple, green and yellow.
Order online here. Can be shipped through Feb. 20.
