The City Market

Really good breakfast and lunch. I recommend the morning egg wrap and the lime cilantro chicken sandwich… sooooooo good

Had the sunrise egg sandwich and the breakfast panini. Overall the food was pretty good and the restaurant offers a cozy café atmosphere. The service was a little slow, but the staff were very attentive to clearing empty plates from the tables. The vanilla latte I ordered originally came sans espresso shots, but they offered to make a new one right away.
On to the main event, the sandwiches. Up first, the sunrise egg sandwich. An adequate amount of food served with a side of delectable fresh fruit. The sandwich served on a cranberry bread with a fried egg had caramelized onions, sausage and pepper jelly. Overall pleasant surprise while the pepper jelly was a tab overkill on the sweet salty mix. Had they used a little less, this would be one to put in the cookbook.
Last but not least, but certainly not most, the breakfast panini was a little bland when eating all pieces together. Separate you got more of the flavors and could avoid lacerations on the roof of your mouth from the bread (exaggerated but possible). Filling and overall satisfying, but was not a winner for me. The potatoes were awesome though, especially when dipped in some of the aioli that accompanied the dish. Dare I say the potatoes alone counted for one full star in my book. Without them, this place would be a 3.

Good food, terrible service. Thinking about not going there anymore. Miss the North Avenue location.

I’m not usually one to rave about a salad, but the Santa Fe Salad is delicious! The romaine lettuce comes topped with huge chunks of avocado, tomato, red bell pepper, red onion, brown rice, sweet potato, black beans, and tortilla strips. The sweet jalapeño vinaigrette is perfect on top as well, although I’d recommend getting it on the side if you can since it was heavily dressed. The salad was very large, so while the it was $ 8.50 you can easily get two meals out of it.
The ordering was quick and easy. I’ve heard this place can be busy around the lunch hour since it’s near the WAC and Froedtert Hospital, but arriving around 11:45am seemed to help me avoid the rush. The dining area is nothing special, but there are about 8 – 10 outdoor tables you can snag to enjoy the nice summer weather now. I sat outside for a meeting and the noise level was perfect for good conversation.
Overall a good place for your classics — soup, salads, sandwiches and bakery. I will definitely be back for the salad again!

I like this Watertown location, since I live close and since the North Ave. location just closed. The egg scrambler eggs look like they use real eggs and they also now offer avocados, which is a big plus. Sometimes I wish I had the options to substitute something else like fruit instead of having to get a roll. It is good quality food in my opinion and I usually receive quick service I have found lately.

Save yourself the headache.
I’m usually a huge fan of City Market — in love with their iced cookies and breakfast pizza (flatbread) but the service is usually always bad. Regardless, that doesn’t stop me from coming there, but after today I may no longer.
I sometimes order the breakfast flatbread in the mornings to go and pick it up on the way to work, and it’s usually never an issue. This morning I decided to order the Breakfast Panini — with no onions and green peppers.
When I placed the order the lady asked when I would pick it up, and I said as soon as it’s ready — and when she warned me that it can be ready in 5 – 10 minutes I told her my location (about 5 minutes away).
I then unfortunately ran into Froedoerht traffic so it was about 10 minutes before I arrived, not 5 — I thought my food may be sitting out a bit which is fine by me. When I arrived there was 3 people in front of me in line and only 1 person working besides the cook. She must be the world’s slowest coffee maker as me and the other 2 people in line patiently stared at what seemed like her make a coffee in slow motion.
After about 15 minutes waiting in line it was finally my turn to grab my carryout. I was mildly concerned because I didn’t see a brown bag behind the counter, but I did see a white bag — but that’s usually for Cookies/​Muffins only. When I told her I was here to pick up my order she then went to the cook and said «Hey the guy is here for the Paninin can you make it?» This girl warned me on the phone how quickly it would be made, and I told her I was 5 mins away and then didn’t make it there for 15 mins and they still didn’t decide to make my panini yet? The cook was literally sitting there doing nothing the whole time I was standing in line — all the orders were for coffee and muffins, but yet they decided to wait until I was at the register to start making my panini.
And then right after she told the cook to start my panini she came over and said the paninis are premade so you can’t get it without green onions or peppers. Why on earth she couldn’t tell me this on the phone? I decided to leave, and chalk this up as a huge waste of time. I don’t expect much from this place, but I’m still disappointed. I’ll take my business elsewhere.

Disappoints me every year or so when I think «That place looks so cute, surely it can’t be that bad?» and try it again. When we moved to Tosa 6 years ago, this was one of the first places I spotted and was so psyched. It disappointed me then, it disappoints me now. Food is overpriced and underwhelming. Service is sloooooooow. No thanks.
Must. Remember. This. Year.
Note from my husband: Like what Panera would taste like if it was made in a microwave.

Great place for lunch or baked goods. Lots of fun healthy options. I have never had a bad meal there.

Bland. Boring. Unimaginative sandwiches. Your best best is the sandwich of the day… maybe. Slow service. Overpriced. Stay away.

Location isn’t great in terms of parking, but that is the biggest flaw IMO. I have always loved their creamy French onion soup. I’m also a big fan of their tuna salad. The staff at this location has always been friendly and speedy, in my experience. Their breads are wonderful and their cookies are delicious — especially the peanut butter!
I do prefer to do takeout, so I can park in the short-​term parking. :)

Ugh — I remain convinced that the name is actually pronounced «Shitty Market». I’ve been to this location a few times and not had anything resembling a delicious meal or above average service. Today I stopped with my sister after the gym since its in the same building as the WAC and she said their breakfast stuff wasn’t bad.
So, a two egg scramble is $ 6.15 but add an extra $ 2 for egg whites. And no, you can’t have turkey sausage as one of your ingredients even though they have it. You can’t sub fruit for toast. Even though there are 5 people in here and just as many staffers standing around ass-​scratching, it will still take 20 minutes. When your food arrives, your eggs will be overcooked. Don’t even think about picking out a table — you’ll be assigned one.
Availability of lean protein aside, you can definitely do better.

Stopped in for lunch with a friend and it’s a great change of pace from your regular fast food lunch places. The parking lot is and has always been RIDICULOUS because of the number of other businesses the building houses including a WAC. The system here is a wee bit different than most places… you stand in line to place your order and then they ASSIGN you a table. You aren’t allowed to just pick a table that suits you. It was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. The food came out at a window-​shopping pace, though.
I had the cilantro lime chicken sandwich and a smoothie. My friend had a BBQ chicken flatbread pizza. My sandwich was fine. Good even. Just not special. It came with boring chips and probably jarred salsa. The smoothie was terrific. My friend thought the BBQ chicken pizza was pretty good.
Here’s the thing, it has the makings of something that could be really really good, but nothing quite lives up. It’s not bad at all, and nowhere near needing a Robert Irvine intervention, but I can’t rave.
I will say that having had my turns at spending too much time in a hospital and venturing out for sustenance, this is definitely better than your average closest-​to-​the-​hospital fare.

The only reason I am giving this 2 stars instead of 1 is my husband’s French Onion soup, which he loved. The Caesar salad was atrocious: vinegar-​y and basically inedible. The beet salad was described as «not terrible, just no good.» The key lime mousse pie was atrocious. Really, this is subsistence-​level food.

I work across the street so I eat here quite a bit and it’s really good. Their bread is amazing and so are many of their sandwiches. I really enjoy the veggie stack, great cheese and sauce. Their cookies and soups are also top notch. Oh and their cakes! The cupcakes and pies are really delicious.
I’ve always had very polite and prompt service though it can get busy.
I can’ recommend this place enough for a casual breakfast or lunch!

Solid place to grab a quick breakfast, lunch or snack if you’re at the WAC or Froedtert/​MCW. I cannot comment on the sandwiches or salads, but if the quality of the bread is any indication, I’m going to assume the sandwiches are pretty damn good. For the bread, I’m a huge fan of the french (has a nice crust that makes a great sandwich bread or just plain toast in the AM) and walnut raisin loaves. Off the menu, my items of choice are the soups. I usually stick to the French Onion and sometimes get the chicken tortilla. They have a regular lineup of soups, as well as daily specials. Bakery wise, the fruit pies are solid (usually offer apple, Door County cherry, and apple-​berry). I prefer the crust to be a little more flaky, but I won’t complain for $ 3.25−3.95/ slice. There are very few places that can produce a pie that will put me on cloud 9.
My favorite thing about the CM has to be the coffee. I was excited to see that they serve roasts from Anodyne, and happy to taste that they actually know how to brew a respectable cup of coffee. For you Valentine and Stone Creek fans, they also always have one of their offerings brewing as well. All in all, don’t expect to be blown away by anything at CM, but expect a good meal at a reasonable price.

I’ve come to The City Market quite a few times over the past few years (I used to work in the medical complex across the street), and the place is pretty consistent.
To be honest, there is nothing overwhelmingly spectacular about the place, but if you want a fresh salad or a quick snack, this place is great.

Good food — Hate the wait!

City Market is a great lunch for those working on the Milwaukee Medical Complex Campus. I’ve never had anything except lunch here, so I can’t comment on breakfast foods.
Make your life easier and look at their menu online and call ahead. They have 10 minute parking for situations like these and you don’t have to fight with the Sports Med/​Physical Therapy (not that I don’t love those folks!) people or the busy WAC.
Try to make your own sandwich. They have lots of great options and their Market sauce is tasty! Their French Onion soup is also excellent! It’s nothing super special, but a step up from the likes of Panera. They also deliver for meetings which is great for me being an administrative assistant!

City Market is pretty good. Not great… but good.
I’ve dined here on several occasions, and had the tuscan bread salad, the burger, the bruschetta, and all of the pastas. Everything is good… but as other reviewers have said, nothing is special. I know that if I dine here, I will have good food that is prepared fresh, and leave feeling satisfied. But there is really nothing outstanding to recommend.
The baked goods are a bit better. The clafoutis is delicious, a rich combination of black cherries and buttery pastry baked to crispy, doughy, fruity deliciousness. But some of the chocolate desserts are just too rich, too sweet, or just too one-​note. City Market is good if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t make a special trip.

My review is based solely on grabbing some coffee and the occasional muffin or breakfast snack. This particular location is in the same building as the Tosa WAC, so its nice to stop and get a cup of coffee after a great early morning workout. I haven’t had a lunch at The City Market in some time, so can’t comment about those offerings.
They brew Stone Creek Coffee. Which, you know by now, is my favorite Milwaukee coffee. They usually ave about 3 – 4 different varieties, and always brewed fresh and hot.
I’m hooked on the cranberry muffin or the nature muffin.
My staff loves it when i pick up a loaf of their cinnamon raisin bread.