Love Handle

Very sad that this place closed; the food was creative and inventive. Wish the owners best of luck in future endeavors.

Today I order a T. Morre-​smoked ribeye cap, celeriac remoulade sandwhich off of «the last day menu». Sadly it is their last day open and I consider that a major loss to the city. Somehow we as a city let this little jem of a restaurant go by unoticed and now theyre gone. Well atleast they went out with a bang!

I’ve read a bit about Love Handle on Unilocal and I have to say it wasn’t what I expected. That’s not a bad thing. I just thought the venue would have more muchness considering they tout so much pork belly and nutritional yeast topped popcorn. Well, you know what they say about assumptions… It’s located in a little hole in the wall venue in a very clever spot, by the Columbia St. Mary’s and Whole Foods, et al.
The sandwich was good. I don’t know if I think the prices are quite right though. I mean, $ 2 for a big handful of popcorn? Fool me once, Love Handle.
In summation: I’d go back. I’d definitely enjoy the charcuterie. I just wouldn’t buy the hipster popcorn.

This store has some good made-​to-​order sandwiches! I have been meaning to go here for a very long time. Now that they are closing by the end of the month, I forced myself to make a special trip from work. I am glad that I did!
I got the pork belly Sammie! The pork was tender and full with flavor. It came with a seaweed aioli. I was worried at first, but it gave a nice saltiness to the sandwich. It had Asian-​like flavors with the pickled onions. I wasn’t a big fan of the popcorn though.
I want to come back again to try another creation

Went here last night and the sandwiches were great. Had the cured salmon and the pork belly sandwiches. Both really good but i think the pork belly one tops the salmon one. You can take the actually flavor of the salmon and it was too fishy. The pork belly is great, tender and packed with flavor.
The one thing that wasn’t good was the popcorn it came with the sandwiches, much rather have chips or some picked veggies.
The other thing that we had was the head cheese mountain, which is this gluten ball of stuff with a poached egg inside. it was simply delicious. Never had anything like it. it came with some picked veggies and toasted bruschetta like bread.
Then had the honey and salt ice cream, it was okay, a little bit more salty than another else. i actually had to drink some water afterwards.
Overall, great experience. Gonna have to go back a couple of more times before they shut down.

I can’t believe I’ve never been here before! What a shame. We met some friends for lunch at Love Handle and had a great time. They serve mostly sandwiches, which are accompanied by the most delicious popcorn I have ever tasted: it’s dusted with nutritional yeast and pork fat, which may sound weird, but trust me — it’s unbelievably delicious and flavorful.
I ordered the #1, which is a pork belly sandwich with spinach mayo and pickled onions. I actually got my sandwich without the bread, so I ended up with a really cool small plate that was actually a pretty decent portion. The spinach mayo was great — best part of the dish (aside from the popcorn, of course, which was my fave!).
The husb got a #3, a grilled salame sandwich with a poached egg on top. He really enjoyed his sandwich too, although he felt like he would have liked a bit more meat.
The guys working at Love Handle are exceptionally nice people. They did a really good job accommodating my no-​bread sandwich and still presenting me with a delicious meal. And they’re so friendly! Glad we went for sure (already craving the popcorn…).

Man oh man. I’ve been looking forward to trying this cute little restaurant for so, so long. I’ve heard only good things, so when my roomie and I both had a free afternoon I thought Love Handle would be a perfect mid-​winter treat.
Well, my experience unfortunately fell short of expectations. The space is cute, there is a little deli area and a small dining room. There is also a back room and kind of warehouse-​looking space that kind of takes you out of the dining element.
I ordered the beef tongue sandwich with butterkase cheese, rutabaga confit and beer mustard. The meat was so incredibly tender, really well seasoned and was definitely the star of the show. The other elements of the sandwich were well balanced, but surprisingly, combined to a really singular-​note taste. There wasn’t any sort of textural variety, and within a few bites I was underwhelmed.
The sandwich was served with a flavored popcorn, and I struggled to figure out the taste while also figuring out if I liked it or not. Final verdict: did not like. I felt like I was eating popcorn dipped in powdered lard. I’m all for creativity (which this place does magically) but this idea just ended up being kind of heavy and sickly for my palate.
All that being said, I will give Love Handle another try. The server-​cook-​cashier-​possible owner was really sweet, and took a lot of pride in his product. I want to believe that there is some menu item that will blow me away. When I return I’ll try a new sandwich, hold the lard popcorn.

The food was terrific! My fiancé and I loved our time. The chef/​cashier/​owner (?) was very fun and the food was hot and delicious. He served popcorn with an awesome topping, when we asked, he said it was made with nutritional yeast! It was a fun and different meal.
There was a great variety in the menu, including different fish and meat options, with berries and Gouda cheese. Yummy!

I went for the small plates as I wasn’t overly hungry. I opted for the olives to share, which had good flavor and can’t really be done wrong. Secondly, I ordered the «buffalo pork belly noodles» which I figured was worth a $ 4 experiment, but the guy did a horrible job of selling it when I asked him about it. He said it’s usually tough, so they marinate it overnight and they soften. He even used the words «people find them inedible». I gave it a try and it was exactly that. Chewy, slimy worm-​like strips of pure fat, slathered in some indescribable buffalo sauce and topped with more blue cheese than noodles. And I’m pretty positive that is what caused my food poisoning that day…
My friend ordered the pork belly sandwich and said it was great, only qualm was the soggy popcorn side.
I’d say the sandwiches are your safest bet, but it seems like Love Handle is good or bad depending on the day. Today, they clearly only had pork belly on hand because EVERY menu item featured it.
I’ve been to Love Handle before and enjoyed my sandwich and that’s why I brought someone new to experience the great concept, but this time was anything but pleasing.

I hope you’ve been to Love Handle. If not, we need to talk about our friendship. I don’t think we’re going to make it.
My love for Love Handle is still incredibly strong. I’d say I try to treat myself to a sandwich here about once a week or every other week. It’s a great option for dinner to go, but their dining area is so lovely, too. If there isn’t a vegetarian option on their ever changing menu, I ask for a special creation and it’s always amazing. The last sandwich I had was, incidentally, called The Love Handle: grilled radiccio, butterkase cheese, lemon crème, sour radish, and cranberry pom jam. COME ON!!! Every sandwich comes with really tasty popcorn or chips and some pickled onions.

Love Handle has been on my bucket list forever. It is a place often spoken of by my trusted friends with an affectionate «awww…I ADORE Love Handle»
Finally made it in about a week ago and had a great sandwich. Pork belly piled high with all sorts of flavorful goodies, and popcorn that I believe was coated in some kind of pork… bacony…oil…stuff. I don’t know. It was good and tasted like bacon.
The pork belly skewed on the slightly fatty side for me, and I am looking forward to returning and trying a non-​belly option. Ellie B’s vegetarian concoction looked fantastic, though.
Kudos for a fun selection of non-​alcoholic beverages — I wasn’t ready to start knockin ‘em back — and the blonde root beer made me happy.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t really impressed. I had a pork belly special and it was decent but nothing stood out to me flavor-​wise. The pork belly was flavorful but the vegetables on the sandwich were overcooked. It was served with some sort of seasoned popcorn that tasted old. I was disappointed.

Beef heart pâté. The only time throughout the year that I eat pâté is chicken liver pâté during the holidays. It’s my dad’s recipe, and it’s delicious. The beef heart pâté sandwich with zucchini kimchee and red wine mustard brought me home. And considering I can’t make it home every year, that’s quite the compliment. It’s my new favorite sandwich.
I’ve been to Love Handle a Handleful? of times. Hickory syrup caramelized leeks. Beef cheeks with grilled asparagus and pea shoot aioli. Black truffle bologna with Butterkase and pickled apple. And I love meat. But the grilled kale, hazelnut butter, and taleggio sandwich could do me a favor and show up on the menu again.
Once you’ve enjoyed the sandwich with a side of pickled onions and potato chips – or more recently a herb, cheese popcorn (slightly salty) – you should not exit to North Avenue quite yet. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and have the ice cream. In this case it was mint chocolate chip with bits of mint leaves and crunchy, frozen chocolate chips. Or if the churros with spicy chocolate are on the menu, get them. Just grab a few extra napkins.

This was my first time visiting and I am very happy that I tried something new.
I asked to be surprised and was not disappointed with the sandwich brought out to me. They mixed flavors (strawberry coriander jam, sunflower shoots, various cheeses, etc) in a great way.
Atmosphere was relaxed and had a modern rustic feel to it. If you’re looking for a casual place to grab a sandwich and a beer, I highly recommend you stop in here.

Descriptive phrase: unique artisanal sandwiches.
Add Love Handle to the list of restaurants that make Milwaukee’s scene interesting. The place itself is nothing special, if anything feeling like a deli-​meets-​picnic. You’ll find items to order here that would be difficult to find in any city, let alone our humble Smallwaukee.
Four of us split an order of Head Cheese. Be prepared for an uncommon taste from this gelatinous blob. I then ordered the eponymous Love Handle sandwich. Again, I found the ingredients and flavors to be fresh but a bit strange.
To be honest I wasn’t much a fan of anything I tried (except the hoagie bread), but not because of the quality of ingredients. On the contrary, all the food was prepared well and was worth the price. But my taste buds just weren’t ready for the onslaught of foreign flavors, and I was disappointed in Love Handle’s staffing of only 1 person (greeter, server, cook, busboy) on a Saturday during Summer Soulstice Festival.
I found Love Handle to be a great stop if you’re set on being adventurous, but for a quick bite I’m going to pass on the extreme uniqueness.

Finally made it and it was worth the wait. Had the place to ourselves later on a Wednesday night.
Love my Love Handle sandwich — asked for the Rutabaga Kraut on the side and that proved a good choice. The sandwich didn’t need it and I wasn’t a fan. The house-​pickled red onions, however, added a great touch of sweetness. The sandwich is big and generous and my pork belly was all I could want.
Shared a charcuterie plate and all of it was good — the lardo especially. In the end, I’d likely not do so again if I was planning on getting a sandwich, because it was too much food. Maybe split the plate and a sandwich? Still, the two and my soda was $ 20 and more than worth it.
Cute little location, friendly help, cozy with delicious food. Not sure what else to want. A great addition to the food scene on this side of town. Glad I trekked back to my old hood, sad LH wasn’t there when I lived closer. Will definitely be back for more.

Not the most eye catching of storefronts or locations, but I was actually happy for that. It’s a great way to separate yourself from the North Ave set.
Really friendly guys in the kitchen. There was an immediate hello when I walked in the door and an immediate offer to explain the menu if needed. Bonus for the item explanation by a guy who actually makes the food and talks in real terms rather than abstracts.
I started with a small plate of spicy beef tendon ($ 8) It was moderately thinly sliced, seasoned and cooked, and then served chilled. The flavor on it was great, but the portion size was big for just one person (not a complaint). There’s only so much that I would want to eat in one sitting when I’ve also got a sandwich coming. My fault for going on my own.
I then had the Bacall & Bogart, a poached lobster and spinach sammich with a remoulade. The flavor was great, although I tend to prefer a bit more of an amount of filling. But I’m also a glutton, and this wasn’t a failing on their part either. It didn’t overfill me, even with the beef tendon. This is a happy medium that I need to aspire to anyway. Hence, no dessert for me, although they had a fllourless banana chocolate cake that sounded interesting.
It’s not the cheapest lunch option, and that’s okay. For the $ 20 I spent, it was a complete meal. And all quality. You absolutely get what you’ve paid for there. I will definitely come back. The friendliness of the staff was as much a selling point as the food.
And yes, best sammich bread in the city. I would buy this bread for home. I’m pretty sure the word is that it comes from Wild Flour.

I’ve been here at least ten times and can’t believe that I haven’t written a review yet. This is my favorite sandwich spot in Milwaukee. We’ve all had so many Italian subs, roast beef sandwiches, tuna melts. Even slight variations don’t really piqué my interest anymore. At Love Handle, there’s always something on the menu that is distinctive or new to me. Whether it’s beef cheek, black truffle bologna, pork belly with pickled cactus, or beets with peanut better, there’s always something new to try. And it’s consistently good. I visit every Saturday looking forward to the new flavors to experience.
I’ll echo other reviews in stating that the sandwich bread is warm and chewy with a nice crisp to it. Appetizers and desserts are equally intriguing. My motto when it comes to eating: high risk yields high rewards. I love ordering any random app or dessert — to date I have yet to be disappointed.
It seems to get increasingly busier each time I visit, which I’m encouraged by. I hope these guys stick around for a long time. Service is outstanding. Prices, extremely fair.

As far as sandwich shops go, this place is hard to beat. The menu changes fairly often as does the fillings of the sandwich bearing the name of the restaurant, the Love Handle.
On my visit, the Love Handle was filled with beer-​braised short ribs, fried onions, and D’Affinois cheese ($ 9.95) served with chips and a pickle spear.
The bread was toasted and cut in half diagonally at an angle, which gave it an extra 3D type of appearance.
The flavors were rich and delicious although I thought the cheese overshadowed the short ribs a bit.
I also ordered the Pickles ($ 4) with cactus, carrots and rhubarb each pickled with different ingredients including vanilla. This was great!
My friends order the pork and salmon sandwiches, which also featured «quick-​pickled» veggies and unique mustard, strawberry for one and cherry for the other.
The menu also includes a few small plates. Foie Gras Cheesecake was available on my visit for $ 12 but we had no room.
What impresses me most about Love Handle is the attention to detail. They really think about how to provide mind-​blowing flavors using unique ingredients or basic ingredients in a unique way, such as the watermelon rind salad with feta.
Craft beers and craft sodas can be found in their refrigerated case, and those options are also very solid.
I love Love Handle and can’t wait to go back.

Today I’m here to help you get a handle on Love Handle; a spot on which there’s been palpable buzz already, and rightfully so.
Love Handle:
–was opened by a young couple that moved here from Indianapolis
–occupies that strange space where «Blue Tomato Café» used to be… it’s right next door to the horror that is Jalisco’s (… sorry, just keepin’ it real like you know I do)
–is pretty casual in ambiance and vibe
–is getting a handle on their handle, meaning no liquor license as of yet (beer + wine coming soon!)
–does thoughtful, food-nerd/“foodie” fodder in the form of sandwiches, small plates, soups, and desserts
–is pretty rad and I’m looking forward to returning!
Okay, more in the way of specifics, then:
–the Derek sandwich: Cured salmon (cured in honey, lemon, etc.) with avocado, pickled cabbage/​onions, a delightful, spicy homemade spread of which I forget the origin, and hot damn, it’s just as good as it sounds. I’m going to struggle to order anything else at Love Handle, but in the spirit of adventure I promise I will…
–the Love Handle: L ordered this one, and it’s all house-​made tomato jam and porchetta with pickled jalapenos. Here comes the bombshell, and chastise me if you must, dear Unilocalers: I am very picky about pork and I don’t love it when it’s on the fatty side. Pork belly done right? Awesome. Pork belly gone wrong? I can’t eat it. Carnitas? Lay ‘em on me. Slab’a ham? Vile. So, enough with my pork-​tastic diatribe: there is absolutely nothing negative to say about this sandwich, it’s just not for me. The flavor, however, is delightful and all the sandwich’s parts come together in perfect balance.
–cheese/​pickle plates: solid offerings, delightful starters, all pickled items done in-​house (at least I think she said that?) The pickled rhubarb was interesting and unique, and lord knows I always love me some pickled green beans…
–homemade churros w/​spicy chocolate dipping sauce: Can I eat this for breakfast every day please? Just kidding because that wouldn’t be good for me, but holy Hannibal Lector these are worth the meager cost and the empty calories without a doubt. Don’t think, just order them.
Of note:
–Love Handle’s offerings skew heavy carnivore; in fact, there was not a single non-​carnivorous sandwich offering the evening we stopped in. That said, the folks that run this joint threw together an amazing fried feta/​avocado/​veggie concoction for fellow Unilocaler and veg-​head Ellie B. Bonus points for going above and beyond!
–Love Handle’s offerings change quite frequently, so make sure to go in with an open mind, and don’t get your pretty little heart set on anything super-​specific since they’re all about keeping it fresh and inventive.
–Some folks may find LH pricey, but as Elizabeth F noted, it’s all about eschewing the processed for the fresh and the thoughtful for the ‘slapped-​together.’ Three bucks mo’ ain’t no thing if you value fresh ingredients, unique offerings, and local business.
Verdict:
I can’t wait to come back for that Taleggio ice cream and even more thoughtful, well-​composed sandwich-​y goodness!