One of Milwaukee’s enduring Mexican restaurants, Tres Hermanos is family owned and operated, providing catering and entertainment services in addition to maintaining its Lincoln Avenue location. Modestly sized and brightly decorated, a mural-covered wall separates the comfortable dinning area from the slightly nosier full bar. The swordfish replicas suspended from the center of the ceiling are a seemingly unintentional representation of the great role of seafood on Tres Hermanos’ traditional menu.
Described as Tres Hermanos’ original seafood cocktail, the coctel campechana ($15.99) is a mammoth concoction of shrimp, octopus, oysters, crabmeat, chopped onions, cilantro, avocado and tomatoes, bathed in a “homemade sweet sauce” and large enough for two to share. Considering the fact that oysters and octopus in particular are an acquired taste, it is recommended that diners who have never sampled the dish order the coctel de camarones (shrimp cocktail) or the ceviche tostada instead. And for those who prefer their seafood warm, there is caldo de pescado, a traditional fish and vegetable soup, featuring a savory stock and beautiful, roughly chopped vegetables.
Tres Hermanos’ fried options are also plentiful. Whether it’s the filete de pescado (deep-fried red snapper with homemade hot sauce), camarones jumbo (breaded shrimp served with a special sauce) or the pescado empanizado (deep-fried cod), there is a dinner to please most tastes. But despite declaring itself “the best seafood restaurant in town,” Tres Hermanos’ culinary repertoire doesn’t begin and end with coctel de camarones and caldo de pescado.
As a whole, the menu is large and eclectic, with appetizers, lunch specials, drink options and dinner plates filling its colorful pages.
Dinners include carne asada ($12.99); mole de pollo (tender pieces of chicken bathed in a light mole sauce); the Super Burrito ($7.99); and the Chef Special ($8.99), a combination of one cheese-covered tamale, one small burrito and one enchilada, prepared with either steak, chicken, pork or ground beef. Smaller versions of the combination dinner plates are available as weekday lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Served with rice, beans and an undressed salad, the lunch specials are speedily prepared and conveniently priced at $6.75.
Tres Hermanos also lays claim to “the best margarita pitcher in town.” They are strong and extravagantly decorated. Tres Hermanos offers 60 different kinds of agave tequila, and stocks a reasonable selection of imported and domestic beers that can be enjoyed from the can or in a glass.
Tres Hermanos Restaurant
1332 W. Lincoln Ave.
414-384-9050
$-$$
Handicapped access: Yes
