Address: 360 E. Erie St., Milwaukee
Website: dandanmke.com
Cuisine: American-Chinese
Chefs: Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite
Mood: Upscale casual
Pricing: $10-32 for entrees
With diverse culinary experience spanning both coasts, Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite wanted to bring a new style of restaurant to Milwaukee.
While they had seen plenty of “chef-driven, sustainable, seasonal types of restaurants” in the city, they saw an opportunity to carve out a different niche: American-Chinese with Midwest flair. In 2016, the Dan duo opened DanDan in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.
“The basis behind our restaurants … is to make food that makes us happy and, in theory, will make other people happy,” Jacobs said.
DanDan has both indoor and outdoor dining options, along with bar seating. The outdoor seating is embedded in a garden, with a red patio covering and string lights.
- Jacobs considers DanDan’s Chicken Wings to be one of the most underrated dishes on the menu. The dish is made with charred pepper sauce, five spice and chili oil. “I would put those chicken wings against anybody’s chicken wings,” he said.
- The interior of DanDan.