Water Buffalo

–Fantastic quick service
–Tuna was cooked perfectly
–Great quiet atmosphere

Four of us had a solid, but not stellar experience dining here on a Saturday night. The food is good, but not surprising. Two of us tried the lasagna. The sauce was very good, but the noodles were really thick. Very good service. Very noisy.

When Water Buffalo first opened, I was a fan of the food in general, especially their chicken tortilla soup. I thought the champagne battered fish fry was good, too. Since then there has been a slide.
I went back for a Unilocal UYE for brunch, which Water Buffalo recently stared serving a month ago. The menu looked pretty good, and some restaurants seem to be able to do a better brunch than dinner.
I tasted bites of the plates from my Unilocal friends, and some were good, others were ok. I ordered the Corned Beef Hash ($ 11.99), which has become my go-​to when I see it on brunch menus. It’s served with breakfast potatoes (diced and pan fried), thin-​sliced corned beef brisket over the potatoes, and two poached eggs over the corned beef. It is also drizzled with an «Alabama white BBQ sauce.» I ordered my sauce on the side, so I could taste the corned beef and potatoes as is.
The potatoes were cooked well, but needed seasoning. The corned beef had a good flavor, but I wish it was thicker and diced or chopped, then mixed with the potatoes to give it the «hash» appearance. My poached eggs were over cooked, so there wasn’t much yolk to them. I think poached eggs should look like mini water balloons with a thin layer of egg struggling to hold in the delicious yolk that is waiting to burst out and coat the potatoes lying beneath.
I also ordered a side of Cheddar biscuit ($ 2.50). It was a good size, with a crisp crust. The center was a bit too dense, but the overall flavor was good.
I think the best thing I tasted was Jennifer R’s Elvis French Toast, with bruleed bananas, chocolate ganache and peanut butter butter (not a typo).
There were a lot of benedict dishes. The Crab Cake Benedict looked good, but it sounded like there was a bit more filler than crab. I also heard the meatloaf benedict was very good.
Our server and the manager on duty were both very friendly and welcoming. They were also very patient when we asked them to take photos of our group. They were excellent! Kudos to them!
Brunch is new and kinks with cooking techniques and seasoning can be worked out. For now I’ll give three stars and hope they can get on track to add another good brunch option downtown.

THE WATER BUFFALO IS SERVING BRUNCH! In honor of the occasion 6 foodies and I gathered to sample and savor some delicious dishes. We were delighted by the venue’s ability to deliver early on in the launch of its new concept. Here’s a few highlights:
–Cheddar Biscuits. Our server said someone comes in every morning to make them from scratch at 6 am. They were incredible. Crunchy outside, fluffy texture, and savory — cheesy. They were the base for a few southern-​inspired dishes my friends enjoyed including Meatloaf Benedict (I’m going back to try) and Southern Fried Chicken. Holy yum, batman!
–Banana pancakes. One friend ordered a side of them and we enjoyed the flavor and texture. We’re talking a plate of them for $ 4.
–White Macaroni and Cheese. I ordered a side to share. I got a side alright — enough to feed a family of 4! All of us loved it’s creaminess, al dente pasta, and subtle spices. It might need just a hint of pepper to perk it up. Add a side of the thick Nueske’s bacon and you could make this a meal.
–Fat Elvis French Toast. I struggled to choose a main dish and this was my selection. What an indulgent treat. Two thick slices of substantial bread were the anchor for this french toast treat. Sandwiched in the middle was thick chocolate ganache. It was topped by sliced bananas that were perfectly caramelized and a sinful peanut butter compote that was to die for.
–Bottomless mimosas. This was offered for a prix fixe price with any entrée and a few of my friends took advantage. Made with locally-​supplied fresh-​squeezed orange juice, the drinks were a hit. We joked about making an afternoon of it, overlooking the waterfront and enjoying the day in the restaurant’s great atmosphere.
–Other. My friends enjoyed the brisket hash, the shrimp and grits, the bloody mary, and other dishes and we didn’t put a dent in the good-​looking menu. We will be back to enjoy again!

Let me start out by saying that I am never one to order Italian food at a non Italian restaurant. I asked the server what her favorite dish on the menu was and was told to order the lasagna. It was the best lasagna I have ever been served at a restaurant. The meat sauce was amazing and the top of the lasagna was crispy and absolutely delicious. I went with a group of eight people and not one of us was disappointed with our meal. This is a great place to visit in Milwaukee!

A nice place for dinner to get a big serving of yummy, well cooked, beautifully presented food. You won’t be disappointed and the ambience and interiors are unique and stylish.

Overall, a wonderful experience. The atmosphere was very relaxing and comfortable. Started off with the Hemingway cocktail which was very good and not too strong. My fiancée and I ordered the filet and meatloaf, both exceeded expectations. Finished with the passion fruit crème brûlée which is now one of my top 5 favorite deserts. Went on a cooler night so we weren’t able to enjoy the patio seating which I’m sure is beautiful.

Its been a few years since I have been here. I remember them having a bit more of a casual dinner menu (sandwiches and such). However the food I ordered was fantastic! I ordered the Iowa Chops and a side of fries (aioli steals my heart all the time!).
The chops were delicious and the fries were FANTASTIC! I don’t care what you order, get a side of the fries! They are great! I absolutely love this venue as it sits right on the river and it is easy to get a great view of the river.
Water Buffalo seems to be a hidden gem that is often forgotten about. When talking about where to go to dinner, people will name off a lot of different places and forget this place. However when you bring up Water Buffalo everyone will always say that it is fantastic!

The general manager Mo was a great host and full of energy. They have some great beers on draft and love that xplorador Malbec. The veggie burger always hits home and looking forward to trying the meat loaf next time.

Water Buffalo continues to be an average 2.5 to 3 stars. I’ve had dinner a couple times here now, neither visits have been my choice. My best experience was still lunch for downtown dining week (that one was my choice). Yes, it’s on the river (for the handful of nice days we get to enjoy in Milwaukee) and has a cool looking style inside.
For dinner last night we tried several apps: ahi (meh, standard), some puff pastry thing stuffed w veggies & chicken (delicious but uninventive, probably just heated up), crab cakes (terrible!!! so sad when places can manage to ruin something simple & delicious — too much seasoning & bread crumbs I am guessing, tasted like dirt honestly), bruschetta (didn’t taste but they were very tiny and again basic & uninspired).
For my meal I opted for the tenderloin salad. The meat was cooked properly to medium-​rare so that’s good. The plating was disjointed. Diagonally across from each other on the square plate sat two piles of walnuts, alone and looking bewildered. Another corner, the meat. The last corner I can’t even remember. The egg that came with the salad was soft boiled and slightly underdone, it really was weird to have it cold with cold salad. I think soft boiled or poached eggs are best warm. If cold, hard boiled would make more sense along with the temperature and other components of this salad. The lettuce underneath was a serious hot mess. It was so overdressed that every piece of lettuce was thoroughly wet. Strangely, it didn’t taste as overdressed as it looked so the dressing itself must’ve been very mild to not be overpowering. $ 13 – 14 was a bad price for the salad but it was just ok and likely that I wouldn’t order it again.
They have some interesting specials on week nights, but if I am not impressed with the regularly priced meals, I just don’t have that confidence that the cheap deals will be of good quality or impressive.

Great atmosphere; OK FOOD; POOR SERVICE: While this is a great place by water (don’t worry there are several others next to it that have better service) it lacks service.
We had to wait almost 45 min for a table even though it was 5:00 pm and almost 11 tables were open (I counted) and staff just standing around. The reason they gave is that they are in the middle of switching shifts. First it looked like they were just standing around, second who switched shifts right at dinner time? We tried to go to bar for a drink while waiting again 4 bartenders behind counter who apparently don’t want to serve you happy hour. And 6 customers sitting at bar. I couldn’t get someone to serve me for 10 min. And I live in Milwaukee ! I had to have our visitors endure this

I ordered the steak kebabs… this was very good! The food came out hot. It was flavored well and cooked to perfection (medium well). The drinks we ordered were refreshing… I ordered a grapefruit mojito (AMAZING!), and my aunt ordered a regular mojito. My aunt ordered the blackened salmon Caesar salad and she really liked that. Fresh fish and filling.
It was a perfect Saturday afternoon early dinner… the weather was perfect and the boats were out on the river. It was perfect. We sat on the river walk and watched the boats and relaxed.
Our waiter was decent… he was waiting on a lot of tables at once and could have been more attentive and friendly but I totally understand may people pulling at you.
I would recommend taking someone from out of town to see Milwaukee and this restaurant. Such a beautiful view, and the food is pretty good!

I had the lasagna — the best I’ve ever had. It was made without the tomato sauce cooked into it. It was layered w artichoke, cheese (I’m not sure what kind), sausage and ground meat. It was laid on top of the tomato sauce. I wish my review could do the dish justice but I’m not at all poetic.
My colleague got the tex-​mex salad. She loved it! Passion fruit crème brule was amazing, too!
Great atmosphere! Server was great.

A friend recommended this place. Glad he did, we had an excellent meal here. I had ahi tuna, it was coated with something that may have been Panko, whatever, it was delicious and grill medium rare which was perfect. Had a good tap beer, don’t recall the name, but do remember it was from Brekenridge, CO. Wife had beef medallions, crab cakes, and wine she prounounced as tasty. Good service.

Came today for lunch and dinner during downtown dining. Service at lunch was good, dinner was excellent. Food was excellent both times. Crab cakes are top tier, SW salad was good. Fried chicken sandwich, excellent. Salmon and tenderloin kabob entrees were excellent, perfectly prepared. Dinner service was flawless and Jason was attentive, friendly and helpful. Will definitely park the boat there again!

I’ve been here twice and both times were pretty good, though not fantastic. The restaurant has a beautiful location right on the river and the atmosphere is warm and artsy. I do feel like it’s a bit pricey for the value. I came here with my dad a few years ago and I remember my meal (salmon salad?) being really fresh and bright so I was happy, but when my dad’s lobster ravioli was brought out I just remember his eyes kind of bulging out when he realized there were about 5 raviolis on the plate. And they weren’t extra large or anything. The man eats a lot. He knew that wouldn’t be enough. And of course lobster is hella expensive in the Midwest so those were some expensive raviolis. Thus, we had to go over to Leon’s afterward. Hah.
The second time I came with some friends a few months ago and I ordered the spaghetti squash and quinoa meatballs and some chili. The chili was decent but I really didn’t care for the entrée. There was nothing wrong with the quality of the dish, I just didn’t like the flavors. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

I have been here a couple of times. On previous experiences, i would never recommend their food. It was lackluster and didn’t have any distinguishing qualities. But, since their menu was updated, I will say it much better food-​wise, with many more options.
But, this place get a 1-​star based on the horrible bar tending. Tonight the bar tender didnt know what a manhattan what or how to pour a gin an tonic. Since I was hosting clients, I choose the easier option of not complaining, but I will not bring any business back. He was lucky that I wasn’t paying the bill.

It had been quite some time — almost five years — since I last set foot into Water Buffalo. I can guarantee after the most recent visit this will be in my updated «go-​to» list.
I enjoyed the truffled mac and cheese with grilled chicken, a side order of the soup du jour, which was a lovely seafood chowder. My tablemates had the grass-​fed burger, pulled pork, and the Cuban. Nothing but great comments! Service was solid and our food arrived quickly.
The hardest part for me upon return will be picking a menu item — the sesame encrusted ahi tuna is calling my name as are several other options. Looking forward to a return trip!

In October 2013 Mr. R and I stopped by Water Buffalo for the first time and had drinks and ended up ordering an appetizer at the bar, and it was an enjoyable experience.
Our bartender, I believe his name was Mike, was personable and very helpful with suggestions, from wine to appetizers. We went with the lobster rangoon for our appetizer, and it was quite rich and nicely sweet, yet mildly spicy with the addition of the sweet chili glaze.
They had several wines by the glass to choose from, which I appreciate, and the view of the river and riverwalk was nice on a late afternoon.
I went back for lunch in February 2014 and that visit was just OK. Our waitress on that visit seemed pretty disinterested and our work lunch trip ended up taking more than an hour between waiting to order, waiting for food, waiting for the bill, and so on. I ordered the seared ahi tuna bites on that visit, and I wish I remembered more about the food itself, but sorry to say I don’t.
I do recall that my coworker loved her turkey brie sandwich, which was one of the reasons we ended up going there for lunch.
Becky S. sums up my feelings pretty well: I would have no problem coming back to Water Buffalo if someone suggested it (and wouldn’t mind dining on the patio sometime), but I obviously haven’t rushed back since I’m writing this review nine months after my last visit.

Yum-​arrific! My cousin’s wife and I had a really lovely meal here. We stopped in for lunch and I had a Pear Cosmo, creamy chicken tortilla soup, and a grilled chicken salad. My cousin’s wife had a brandy old fashioned, the chicken tortilla soup, and the Brie turkey sandwich. The tortilla soup had a nice slow burn to the taste and big chunks of chicken. My salad was awesome: spinach, walnuts, blue cheese, yellow raisins, chicken, and a yummy sweet and sour dressing. It didn’t look very big, but I was unable to finish it. My cousin’s wife enjoyed the soup and sandwich, although she said the brandy old fashioned wasn’t great. She also took half her food home. Service was good and we were surprised to find it quiet on a Monday at noon. And don’t forget the pretty view!