Best of Milwaukee 2022: Locally Owned Food - Retail

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Artisinal Cheese

West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe

This popular café and cheese shop, with its impressive variety of artisan cheese and meats, again wins the nod for Best Cheese Selection. The café menu features more than a dozen signature sandwiches (several, of course, with cheese!) and creative daily specials. The build-your-own sandwich option lets customers choose from a variety of breads, cheeses, meats and toppings.  (Sheila Julson)

Finalists:

  • Alpinage Cheese
  • Clock Shadow Creamery
  • Glorioso's Italian Market
  • The Village Cheese Shop

Bacon

Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meat

Nueske’s Applewood Bacon is a tasty delight. It appears on restaurant menus all around town, paired with breakfasts, burgers, bloody marys, and even as a topping on doughnuts. Nueske’s really stands out because they use a lean cut that is slowly smoked over applewood, resulting in an incredibly flavorful, meaty bacon that crisps up to perfection when cooked. Next time you’re looking to elevate your bacon experience, seek out the Nueske’s! (Susan Harpt Grimes)

Finalists:

  • Becher Meats
  • Bunzel's Meat Market
  • Held's Meat and Cheese Market
  • Karl's Country Market (World Famous Sausage)
  • Kettle Range Meat Company
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Bakery / Hot Ham And Rolls

Grebe's Bakery

Grebe’s has spent years providing Milwaukee’s bakery lovers mouth-watering donuts, ham, and rolls, as well as many other deli and coffee options. A trip to Grebe’s is sure to be full of comforting nostalgia and unparalleled pastries, and this Milwaukee essential is a perfect stop on any holiday, gathering, or regular Sunday. A Grebe’s chocolate iced custard-filled donut tastes of nothing less than home. (Elizabeth Lintonen)

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Finalists: Bakery

  • Jen's Sweet Treats
  • Peter Sciortino Bakery
  • Rocket Baby Bakery

Finalists: Hot Ham and Rolls

  • Jen's Sweet Treats
  • Layton Fruit Market
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Beer Selection / Liquor Store

Discount Liquor

Chances are if you can’t find it here, it can’t be found. Discount Liquor stocks some 1,500 import, craft and domestic beers and more than 8,000 wines from many countries. More than 3,500 varieties of spirits from national and local distillers line the shelves. The folks at Discount Liquor know their product. (David Luhrssen)

Finalists: Beer Selection

  • National Liquor & Wine
  • Ray's Wine & Spirits

Finalists: Liquor Store

  • Avenue Wine & Liquor Inc
  • Otto's Wine & Spirits on Oakland
  • Ray's Wine & Spirits

Bratwurst / Sausage / Sausage Shop

Usinger's Famous Sausage

Let's be frank (sorry)—it’s hard not to find a good sausage, especially bratwurst, in Milwaukee. In a city of wurst, where we are blessed by sausage makers from large companies to small independents, one stands above the rest: the revered Usinger’s Famous Sausage, a true taste of old Milwaukee since 1880. Find their brats for your grill, and other fine varieties to sample, at their shop downtown or in stores throughout southeast Wisconsin. (Barry Houlehen)

Finalists: Bratwurst

  • Bunzel's Meat Market
  • Foltz Family Market
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Finalists: Sausage

  • G. Groppi Food Market
  • Karl's Country Market (World Famous Sausage)
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Finalists: Sausage Shop

  • Bunzel's Meat Market
  • C & R Market
  • Foltz Family Market
  • Karl's Country Market (World Famous Sausage)
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Butcher Shop / Meat Selection

Bunzel's Meat Market

For generations, Milwaukee cooks who want the highest quality meats and choicest cuts of beef, pork, chicken and more, have known they’ll find what they are looking for at Bunzel’s. Beautifully displayed in a well-stocked case, there’s always something that looks tempting.  And, if you need a special cut of meat, the helpful butchers on-hand will prep it however you request. (Susan Harpt Grimes)

Finalists: Butcher’s Shop

  • Becher Meats
  • Kettle Range Meat Company
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Finalists: Meat Selection

Kettle Range Meat Company

  • Ray's Butcher Shoppe
  • South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats

Cheese Curds

Clock Shadow Creamery

Clock Shadow Creamery’s signature product, Squeaks, are cheddar cheese curds with a fresh cheddar flavor and a unique squeak sound heard while chewing the curds. The curds are made through a time-honored technique in which cheese makers stack and restack cheddar cheese slabs and let the whey drain. The curds are cut and salted by hand and delivered fresh soon after production. (Sheila Julson)

Finalists:

  • Cedar Valley Cheese Store
  • Karl's Country Market (World Famous Sausage)
  • West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe
  • Widmer's Cheese Cellars

Cheese Selection

West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe

This popular café and cheese shop, with its impressive variety of artisan cheese and meats, again wins the nod for Best Cheese Selection. The café menu features more than a dozen signature sandwiches (several, of course, with cheese!) and creative daily specials. The build-your-own sandwich option lets customers choose from a variety of breads, cheeses, meats and toppings.  (Sheila Julson)

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Finalists:

  • Glorioso's Italian Market
  • Larry's Market
  • Wisconsin Cheese Mart

Chocolatier 

Indulgence

Chocolates and truffles and bars. Oh my! Is this the stairway to chocolate heaven? The vote is in. And the answer is “yes!” There’s cocoa mix and dipped fruit and seasonal chocolate and ... well you know the rest. Simply ... indulge.(Harry Cherkinian)

Finalists:

  • Cocoa Tree Confectionery
  • Freese's Candy Shoppe
  • Jen's Sweet Treats

Craft Beer

Lakefront Brewery

Lakefront’s tours are over the top and their beers are second to none, so they were a cinch to sweep the “tour” categories and get best craft beer. As for the cheese curds? Good luck trying to eat just one. Come for the tour, stay for the food, enjoy some ales fresh from the finishing tank, and have some fun in the beer hall, where there’s always a good time going on. (Barry Houlehen)

Finalists:

  • Black Husky Brewing
  • Eagle Park Brewing Company
  • Third Space Brewing

Cupcakes

Aggie's Bakery & Cake Shop

There are a lot of places in town to get cupcakes, but Aggie’s cupcakes have become a favorite of so many because of their delicious real buttercream frosting and the skill of their expert cake decorators who create beautiful cupcake confections. Be sure to check out Aggie’s incredible cream puff cupcakes which pair all the goodness of a cupcake with the decadence of a State Fair cream puff. (Susan Harpt Grimes)

Finalists:

  • Classy Girl Cupcakes
  • CupKate - Homemade Vegan Cupcakes
  • Jen's Sweet Treats

Distilled Spirits

Great Lakes Distillery &Tasting Room

Fact: Great Lakes Distillery is Wisconsin’s first since Prohibition. Fun: its tours and the big wind-up ... it’s Tasting Room. GLD has been been making distilled spirits in small batches including its  award winning Rehorst Vodka, Gin, Citrus Honey Vodka, Roaring Dan's Rum, Kinnickinnic Whiskey, Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte & Absinthe Rouge, plus a host of seasonal spirits. Not sure what to try first? You can always come back for another tour, another tasting. (Harry Cherkinian)

Finalists:

  • Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen & Craft Distillery
  • Eagle Park Brewing & Distilling
  • Twisted Path Distillery

Farmers Market

West Allis Farmers Market

  • 6501 W. National Ave., West Allis

Since 1919, the West Allis Farmers Market (6501 W. National Ave.) has been a foundation of the community, serving as a lively, festive marketplace connecting urban residents with rural farmers selling vegetables, fruit, flowers, honey, maple syrup and artisan foods. (Sheila Julson)

Finalists:

  • Greenfield Farmers Market
  • South Shore Farmers Market
  • Tosa Farmers Market

Frozen Pizza

Palermo’s Pizza

A staple in the frozen pizza aisle at most supermarkets in Milwaukee and beyond, Palermo’s line of frozen pizza brands includes Urban Pie, Connie’s, Screamin’ Sicilian and Surfer Boy. Each features different styles for different tastes. Founded by the Fallucca family, Palermo’s began as an Italian bakery and restaurant on Milwaukee’s East Side before pivoting to pizza manufacturing in 1979. (Sheila Julson)

Finalists:

  • Cedar Teeth
  • Lotza Motzza
  • Screamin' Sicilian

Gourmet Popcorn

Pop's Kettle Corn

Pop’s Kettle Corn is known for both traditional and unconventional flavored popcorn, as well as its own unique charm. The Muskego location is well worth the trip for its kettle corn, popcorn tins, assortments of pretzels, personalized gifts, bloody mary mix, and even unicorn flavored popcorn. The only way to fully experience this range of flavor and hometown quality is to taste it for yourself. (Elizabeth Lintonen)

Finalists:

  • Goody Gourmets
  • Knights Gourmet Popcorn and Candies
  • Lush Popcorn

Grocery—All Purpose

Woodman’s Food Market

Employee-owned and headquartered in Janesville where it began as a produce stand in 1919, with locations in Oak Creek, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha and Kenosha, Woodman’s offers a large selection at competitive prices. Best advice? Map out a game plan or detailed shopping list and get your steps in. As big as this place is, shopping during non-peak hours is a breeze. Besides reasonably priced groceries, Woodman’s stores include liquor departments, gas stations and oil change centers. (Blaine Schultz)

Finalists:

  • G. Groppi Food Market
  • Outpost Natural Foods - Bay View
  • Sendik's Food Market

Grocery - Ethnic/Grocery – Gourmet/Take-Out Deli

Glorioso's Italian Market

When brothers Joe, Eddie and Teddy Glorioso founded Glorioso’s Italian Market on Brady Street in 1946, they might not have realized at the time that they were building the cornerstone for a destination and a Milwaukee institution. Still family-owned, Glorioso’s offers a deli counter with made-to-order sandwiches, pasta, pizza and flatbreads, as well as favorites such as gelato, espresso, cheese, fresh sausage and meats, wine and beer. (Sheila Julson)

Finalists: Ethnic Grocery

Cermak Fresh Market

  • El Rey
  • Parthenon Foods - European Market
  • Wioletta's Polish Market

Finalists: Gourmet Grocery

  • G. Groppi Food Market
  • Sendik's Food Market
  • Whole Foods Market

Finalists: Take-out Deli

  • Bunzel's Meat Market
  • G. Groppi Food Market
  • Jen's Sweet Treats

Grocery - Organic

Outpost Natural Foods - Bay View

Outpost was among the organic food pioneers in Milwaukee and growing numbers of Milwaukeeans have come to trust the coop’s four locations as a primary source for groceries. Like the other Outposts, the Bay View location offers produce, dairy, wine, beer, spirits, meat and supplements along with many gluten-free and vegan products. Outpost also sells sandwiches, sushi and other ready-to-heat-or-eat items. (David Luhrssen)

Finalists

  • Fresh Thyme Market
  • Trader Joe's
  • Whole Foods Market

Hard Cider

Lost Valley Cider Co.

For those who like the sweet or dry tastes of a good hard cider, Lost Valley is the place, with a constantly rotating menu from different cideries. They also serve mead (from honey) and hard kombucha (fermented tea), and even some beer and non-alcoholic offerings. It’s dog-friendly and you can order flights of samples to get a taste of all the different flavors they have available. (Barry Houlehen)

Finalists:

  • AEppelTreow Winery
  • Apple Works Winery
  • Cache Cider

Home Cooking Meal Kits

Freshchef Meal Prep

Even people that love to cook sometimes get too busy to plan, shop and cook a wholesome meal each night (and who wants all that cleanup?). Freshchef Meal Prep delivers clean, nutritious, single-serving prepared meals and family style meal components for busy folks that want to eat healthy but don’t always have the time. (Sheila Julson)

Finalists:

  • Kettle Range Meat Company
  • Miltown Eats
  • The Real Good Life

Soda

Sprecher Brewing Co.

Sprecher Brewing may be known in particular for its craft beer and root beer, but their soda line has expanded to be quite impressive, as well. With dozens of bold flavors, and a name that is a Milwaukee institution dating back to the oldest craft brewery in the city, Sprecher sodas can be found in all of their varieties all over Milwaukee. You don’t get to be the oldest producer of craft sodas in the city without being well liked, and Sprecher is certainly a favorite around town. (Allen Halas)

Finalists:

  • Black Bear
  • Dang That's Good Beverages
  • Two Brothers Cola

Tea

Rishi Tea & Botanicals

Loose leaf, bagged, seasonal, organic, you name it—Rishi has it all—and then some since their teas come from around the world. There are chai teas and concentrates, powers, sachets...this list goes on and on. Choose from teaware, learn the proper temperature to brew tea. There’s even recipes for cocktails. 

Tea-tails anyone? (Harry Cherkinian) 

Finalists:

  • Fava Tea Company
  • Urbal Tea

Wine Selection

Ray's Wine & Spirits

Finalists:

  • Discount Liquor Inc.
  • Ray's Wine & Spirits
  • Thief Wine Shop & Bar