By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor Published Aug 06, 2025 at 11:02 AM

52 Restaurants is sponsored by Educators Credit Union. April marks 21 years of Financial Literacy Month in the U.S.! Check out their exciting new initiative that will grow your financial empowerment.

It’s as important as ever to support the amazing local restaurants we have in our beautiful city. And there’s no better way to do so than committing to patronize them throughout the year. I’ve composed a list of 52 amazing restaurants to guide you on your journey. Try just one of these every week and you’ll have visited them all by the end of 2025.

Birch
459 E. Pleasant St., (414) 323-7372
birchonpleasant.com
New American
$$
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Simplicity and quality are foundations of this Downtown restaurant, which serves up an ever-changing feast of edible art that pays the utmost respect to locally sourced meats and vegetables. 

Dishes run the gamut from fresh and bright (take that summer crudo made with Steelhead trout, for instance) to sexy and caramelized (like wood-fired shishito peppers with house focaccia and ricotta). Meat dishes are satisfying, but never overly heavy; and their housemade filled pastas are simultaneously exciting and comforting. You can also rely on standards like Chef Kyle Knall’s homage to Contramar’s delectable fish dish, prepared with an ever-changing slate of accompaniments. Most importantly, if you love vegetables, you'll find them in spades. They're respected, treated well and allowed to shine... right there in the center of the plate. 

Recommended: Crudo; Contramar-inspired fish, Birch Burger (bar only)

New collab dinner series

If you'd like to get even more from Birch, check out their new guest chef series which is bringing some of the country’s most exciting culinary talent to the region.

Through this series, Chef Kyle Knall and the Birch team aim to expand the restaurant’s mission as an incubator for emerging culinary voices. Each dinner will spotlight the visiting chef’s unique perspective while celebrating the local ingredients and community relationships that define Birch’s approach.

Also forthcoming: Dinners with Chef Adam Pawlak of Egg & Flour Pasta Bar; Chef Joe Papach of The Harvey House in Madison; and Chef Tracy Malechek Ezekiel & Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie’s in Austin.  

James Beard Award-winning Chef Matt Vawter of Rootstalk and Radicato will be joining Chef Kyle Knall in the kitchen on Wednesday, Oct. 29th.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor

As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.