Milwaukee’s top restaurants starting today will be dishing out deals on lunch and dinner as Downtown Dining Week returns for its 13th year.
The eight-day event, running from May 31 to June 7, features 39 restaurants that will serve pre-selected three-course meal options for discounted prices– $12.50 for lunch and $25 or $35 for dinner.
Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria, Oak Barrel Public House, and Cantina Milwaukee are among the new eateries making their Downtown Dining Week debut this year. Returning restaurants on the list include Ale Asylum Riverhouse, Third Coast Provisions, Brunch, Kil@wat, and Zarletti. A complete list and menu is available on the event’s web page.
“Offering both lunch and dinner options, downtown residents and out-of-town guests can get a taste of Milwaukee’s flavor at any time of day,” said Beth Weirick, chief executive officer of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21.
The organization in 2006 first launched Downtown Dining Week as an effort to showcase the city’s restaurant scene and nightlife for both locals and visitors. The event has since reached over 600,000 diners, according to Milwaukee Downtown.
In addition, 55 percent of last year’s participants were first-time diners at a participating restaurant, and 49 percent of last year’s participants neither worked nor lived downtown, according to results from a Downtown Dining Week survey.
Downtown Dining Week participants who complete the online survey this year will be entered to win a collection of dining gift certificates collectively valued at $500. Four winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.
Diners throughout the week will also have the option to donate to Key to Change, a Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 fundraising effort that supports the city’s affordable housing programs.
Since its launch in September 2017, the initiative has raised more than $16,000, and participating Dining Week restaurants this year have made an additional $4,000 in donations, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 said.
