Your 2025 Best of Milwaukee Readers’ Choice Winners

Each year, we ask our readers to choose their Best of Milwaukee. These are the results of the 2025 survey, which was voted on in May and early June. Let the debate begin!

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FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES

Food & Drink

 

MKEeeeEats 

Tennessee native and devout foodie Judy Hannon says she doesn’t use her Instagram page (@mkeeeeeats) for income or for the followers – though hers have grown to over 92,000 since she first started posting photos in 2018. “I just really like food and supporting local businesses,” she says.

The turning point for her page came when she started posting short videos: “It took off from there.” Those Reels take viewers inside new food and beverage spots and highlight “bucket list” eats at popular events like Summerfest and the State Fair. For her, the page is a “hobby” she shares with the public. “I hope that it helps people to discover new places and showcases Milwaukee,” says Hannon. “It really is a great place to live.” — Ann Christenson

3rd St. Market Hall

Dining out with kids can be such a harrowing experience that I’ve concluded there’s an age range where the convenience of not having to cook isn’t worth the stress. Enter 3rd St. Market Hall: meals for every taste and an atmosphere that encourages play – shuffleboard, bag toss, a literal wall of video games and a toddler play area.

When I asked my two older sons and their cousins, all aged 11-14, their favorite parts of the sprawling food hall, they surprised me by raving about the food first: sushi (Kawa), pizza (Pizza Shuttle Slice Stop), and most of all the now closed Dairyland and its sister Mid-Way Bakery (RIP) for chicken and a cream puff. They’re all growing into more adventurous tastes and are excited to try the Caribbean-Latin American offerings from Criollo. They agreed that getting lost in the maze of food stalls is part of the fun. For me, it’s not doing dishes. — Chelsea Mamerow

Ray & Dot’s Tap

The space, co-located with an American Legion hall, is unremarkable: a big U-shaped formica bar under a white drop ceiling, neons and gaming machines along the walls. It’s the friendly staff and chatty locals that have made it a metro-area standout since 1957. 6351 W. Grange Ave., Greendale 

At Random

The drinks – ice cream is a primary mixer – are excellent, of course. But the vibes are immaculate: Naugahyde booths, a mirrored back bar, oil paintings on wood-paneled walls. Pendant lights swaddle the midcentury scene in the same sensuous red as the tea lights at a not-too-fancy supper club. 2501 S. Delaware Ave. 

Ray’s Wine & Spirits

Know what you want? Ray’s has it or can get it. Don’t know what you want? That’s where this Tosa fixture really shines, with knowledgeable staff to guide your selection, be it craft beer, wine or spirits. Bonus: The curated tap list and booze slushies upstairs at Ray’s Bar. 8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa

Arts & Entertainment

De La Buena

There’s a reason De La Buena has achieved a longevity that few bands ever reach. Formed in 2003 by a cohort of like-minded musicians interested in melding cultures, this Latin jazz outfit fuses intoxicating Afro-Cuban grooves, rollicking licks and jazz improvisation with a barreling momentum that’s never really stopped, even with the passing of beloved co-founder and percussionist Cecilio Negrón Jr. in 2023. As a result, they continue to fill the lineups of Milwaukee festivals and events – and remain a must-see act. 

Wave Chapelle

It’s easy to root for Milwaukee rapper Wave Chapelle. He works hard, he’s fun as hell, and he commands a stage with high energy and remarkable ease (in no small part because of his tight backing band). He’s been cranking out projects since 2013 that show him constantly sharpening his skills and tweaking his sound. Whether his songs are upbeat and braggadocious or slowed down and reflective, he’s confidently creating his own lane. 

Essential Tracks → “Who Is That,”2025, “Built Different,” feat. Wiley From Atlanta, 2023, “Come Up,” 2020

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Shopping & Services 

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