Aria Cafe and Bar

We had a reservation for 5:30 and were sat immediately by the enthusiastic host. We ordered the salmon potato pancake which was amazing and gone within 2 minutes as well as the scallops and the sea bass entrees. They were both amazing and we were extremely pleased with the quality and portions. The service was great, attentive but not overbearing and the atmosphere was relaxing. My only note is the mock gin and tonic tasted like bitter lemonade but it was still good and I finished it. The aperol mocktail would be a good choice for anyone wanting a drink that tastes closer to the original.

Great place for a date night! My husband and I really enjoyed our food and drinks. Very relaxed atmosphere and got a table by the window. Alex was our server and he was excellent, even making wine suggestions, Moscato was super delicious. The Sunday chicken dinner was yummy, it came with the perfect amount of sides and chicken skin was very crispy.

Top tier service at a great price. The place was almost packed and I still got great service. Staff was very professional and hardworking. These guys run a tight ship. Chicken and Waffles was scrumptious. I had the eggs scrabled and had no complaints. Ruben at the Bar was such a warm host and service provider. He took care of me and everyone who came to the bar swiftly. Hanna was a delightful host and very helpful to me. Oh and the view. Wow. Its one of those things u have to really come back again to really appreciate. I got the opportunity to Dj and eat here for brunch and I love it. Ill be back Great job

A friend and I met at Giggly for some after work drinks and to catch up. The bar was relatively easy to find and we were there shortly after they opened so it wasn't very busy. There is a bar area Giggly and a dining area Aria, and we ended up being seated in the dining area, which for just drinks I think was a little confusing, but I didn't see a bartender at the bar. Our waitress was at our table shortly after we sat down and got us some bread and butter and our drinks. We enjoyed our drinks and got a cheese and charcuterie platter, which was good, but a little pricey. I would like our server to have explained what each meat and cheese was when dropping it off at the table, but still enjoyed the platter. The bread and butter was all delicious, the honey butter was my favorite. The bar and restaurant has great views of the nearby streets and parks and is a great place for a date night or drinks with friends. I would like to try sitting in the bar area next time and try some other drinks and food!

Our server was Adrienne. Service was fine and she knew the menu really well and helped us pick out what we wanted. The took care of us mostly, but our food was brought out by the kitchen staff. Up to here, I wasn't necessarily wowed, but everything merited 5 stars. I'm sorry that I had to dock off one star for the food. There are expectations you have from almost $40 entrees. We felt like they weren't met. My cocktail, The Kilbourn, was good and strong and put me in a good mood. Hubby's hazy IPA was also good, but in a dollar tree cup... Our water cups, on the other hand, were beautiful! The complementary bread, biscuits and spreads were great. One spread was cheese, and the other was... I don't remember. Adrienne told us what it was, but it was a long name and I forgot lol. But it was good. Great way to get our appetites going. The flatiron was cooked perfectly medium as we had asked, but meat had a weird aftertaste that I can't pinpoint. All the sides around it, the garlic, the asparagus, and potato was superb. Our roasted garlic was also very well cooked, soft and wrinkly like I like. I've noticed that pictures from fellow yelpers show a more firm garlic, which I'm glad I didn't get. They seem to be from Friday night and we went on Thursday night, so maybe we had different cooks. The Sea Bass was a bit dry, and too salty. All the sides around it, the pea, sun choke, purple potato, hazelnut butter, were also superb. Maybe the different people cooked the mains and the sides. Here too, I also noticed that another yelper got 2 pieces of fish rather than 1 like mine. The 2 pieces were thinner, which is probably easier to cook. Thicker pieces like mine are easy to overcook, and I think that's what happened to mine. Overall, it was a lovely evening and a nice dining experience, thought just a tad under wowed with the food for the price. I hope this is a constructive review, because we intend to come back on our downtown date nights for performances or games!

30 minutes from sit down to first drink. Sat down and waited for a server for 15 minutes before being greeted. The steaks were really not good at all. Ordered the filet and NY Strip both medium rare. One came out rare as can be and other came out well. And the cuts were not good for a $65 steak. I will not come back snd eat here. The chicken dumpling soup was fire, that’s the best I can do.

Service, location, atmosphere and drinks were excellent. However, the entrees were disappointing. It's surprising that our table of four could all be disappointed in the entrees while liking everything else...even the appetizers were great, so why not the entrees? The price is definitely inflated by the location. If you're not going to an event in the same building the pabst theater, you could find a better choice elsewhere.

Your next date night in Milwaukee @saintkatearts Downtown Milwaukee Had the best staycation in the beautiful Saint Kate Arts Hotel in Milwaukee right across the Milwaukee Ballet! Link In bio for booking deets Their amazing restaurant ARIA gives you the best date night vibes, even a great celebration or Friday night dinner spot. Because #treatyourself . There's live music every day and 6 galleries open till 12am for you to roam around. Expect an art-filled delicious evening Started with the: Honey butter + cranberry cheese & housemade bread Chicken dumpling soup Burrata Mains: Pan seared duck breast Long bone Short rib pastrami Bone marrow They have daily specials as well, that day it was a Friday Fish Fry which they are famous for. Also a sweet potato gnocchi

Our waitress, Ashley, is amazing! She was very attentive, patient, kind and fun! The host and all of the staff we encountered were also great with positive and upbeat demeanor. The ambiance was lovely. There was even a guitarist.

World Traveler Downtown Dinner Date With virtually no restaurants, other than pubs, within walking distance of the Performing Arts Center we chose Aria. Reservations are a must as the room filled immediately after opening at 5:00 p.m. We had a moment before being seated to savor our before dinner cocktails in the adjoining bar, Giggly. Both were large and well poured, served by a friendly waitress. The hostess showed us to our table soon afterwards. Our waiter, Alex, described in detail all the new additions to the menu and introduced his assistant, Bridgett. A popover with onion butter was delivered as we took our time perusing the menu choices. We both decided on the Trademark Chicken as our entrees. Alex's description was spot-on as this was thee best we've ever tasted! With the accompaning sides we were satisfied and had just a little room left for dessert. We both opted for a chocolate mousse dome creation that I felt was unusually presented and lacking in flavor. And they were fourteen bucks each! We both are experienced in fine dining and know what to expect in a first-class establishment and were not disappointed here for sure. Our waitstaff was friendly and efficient without being overbearing. Two managers also stopped by to insure all was well as we dined. All the signs of a top shelf restaurant. The prices here are on the high end and could be compared to New York or Las Vegas dining rooms. Milwaukee restaurants are generally more moderately priced than other more sophisticated parts of the country with a few exceptions downtown. But this is an upscale hotel and probably caters to a well-heeled client. But we enjoyed our evening with Aria and will return in the future.