Milwaukee boasts many ethnic traditions and culture, including bakeries that are still holding on to their roots.
Jorge Lopez, owner of Lopez bakery (1100 W. Historic Mitchell St.), brought his family recipes to Milwaukee and makes everything from scratch daily. He is known for his bolillo (hard roll) and campechanas (cheese pastry), but also sells a variety of concha (“shell” pastry). Todo Postres (1567 W. Oklahoma Ave.) and Panaderia El Sol De Mexico (960 W. Oklahoma Ave.) also prepare their own variations of Mexican pastries and specialize in cakes.
Milwaukee has a lot of Italian bakeries, each having specialties that comes from their region of the boot. Peter Sciortino’s Bakery (1101 E. Brady St.) has passed on the family tradition through generations and is known for their famous rolls and bread. They sell pizza dough and have an array of cookies, cannoli and tiramisu. The owner of Scordato Italian Bakery & Deli (5011 W. Howard Ave.), Giovanni Scordato, came to America in 1966 and brought his traditional cookie recipes, made from scratch using high-quality ingredients. He doesn’t take any shortcuts and it shows in his famous rainbow cookie. Canfora Bakery (1100 E. Oklahoma Ave.), in the heart of Bay View, has been around for more than 30 years and offers traditional Italian cookies, cakes and bread. For a great espresso and Italian sweet treat, head to the family-owned Roma Italian Bakery & Deli (3600 S. Chase Ave.) for cannoli, sesame cookies and, new to the menu, an “espresso boat” that is worth the trip.
National Bakery & Deli (3200 S. 16th St.) is a great stop for a bit of Polish and German culture. They make a German cookie called pfeffernüsse and a Polish paczki. Papas Bakery (6055 S. Howell Ave.) near Mitchell Airport is both a wholesale and retail bakery known for chrusciki (fried dough with powdered sugar) and a Czech favorite, kolache. Call a day in advance for special fillings.
If French pastries are what you are after, look no further than Le Rêve Patisserie & Café in Wauwatosa (7610 Harwood Ave.), serving the best French macaron and Paris-Brest in the city. Fantastique! You can also be transported to Paris from the smell on the sidewalk at North Shore Boulangerie (4401 N. Oakland Ave.). Try one of their flaky croissants, but don’t leave without bread made with wonderful natural yeast for a really unique flavor and texture.
If you want to immerse yourself in Indian tradition and exceptional sweet treats, head to Bombay Sweets (3401 13th St.). There are about 20 varieties to choose from, including some made with alternatives to wheat flour.
Lucky Bakery & BBQ (11078 W. National Ave.) introduces Chinese delights such as egg custard tart and coconut buns, but also offers both the more familiar steamed and baked char siu bao (pork buns) and sells half or whole traditional Chinese roast duck.
Whatever the ethnicity, one thing all the bakeries have in common is the pride of preparing those traditional recipes brought here and kept alive by generations of hard work. So if you can’t make it to any of the ethnic festivals to start your cultural immersion, stop at any of our city’s ethnic bakeries and talk with the owners about the traditions that make what you’re tasting so special and let out your belt buckle one more notch. And as far as traditions go, don’t forget the hot ham and rolls on Sunday in just about any bakery in the city. It’s a Milwaukee tradition.
