Casa Noble is a welcome addition to Milwaukee’s roster of Mexican restaurants. Featuring affordable takes on classic Mexican dishes and a welcoming atmosphere, it’s definitely worth a visit.
Your meal will begin with chips and fresh salsa—three kinds, actually: roja, verde and a smoky chipotle salsa. I was impressed with the spiciness of the verde, my favorite of the three, with the roja having a more mild tomato flavor.
Photo by Maggie Vaughn
One highlight of the night was the appetizer—a cup of tortilla soup. This is not a slight to the meal itself so much as a compliment to the tastiness of the soup. Made with a guajillo chile broth instead of chicken broth, the soup is spicy, savory and perfect for the colder months (or a cold itself). Topped with a dollop of sour cream and a bit of avocado, it’s an excellent way to begin a meal and is an absolute must-try.
Although they serve breakfast all day, I was too tempted by a combination dinner featuring an enchilada, taco, tostada, rice, beans and guacamole. The taco was served American style (with cheese and lettuce) on a corn tortilla. I had the lengua (beef tongue); it was perfectly cooked with a slight crunch on the outside leading into a tender softness. The tostada was huge: a pile of beans, meat, lettuce, queso fresco and tomatoes. I opted for their pork, which had a very mild flavor that blended well with all the other assorted toppings. The best part of the combination plate, though, was the cheese enchilada, served with a roasty roja sauce and loads of gooey cheese.
On a second visit—after another cup of soup—I tried their chilaquiles. Served with steak and eggs cooked to preference, their take on the classic dish was up to par. The sauce was a bit less roasty than the enchilada sauce, and perhaps a touch sweeter, but it blended excellently with the fried tortilla strips, eggs, steak, rice and beans.
Photo by Maggie Vaughn
Casa Noble does not currently have beer on draft, but they have a fairly wide sampling of your given domestics, microbrews and Mexican beers, alongside basic wine options and various mixed drinks, including margaritas—pretty standard stuff for a Mexican restaurant.
Lastly, and intriguingly, Casa Noble turns into a bar for its last couple of hours every evening. Once food stops being served at 10 p.m., they frequently offer DJs and clear space for a dance floor. (On one of my visits, early in the morning, a manager was replacing the main room’s lights from sparkly multicolored disco balls back to the standard halogen bulbs.)
Overall, Casa Noble is an exciting and interesting new restaurant that’s worthy of a visit. With breakfast served all day and menudo (beef tripe) served on weekends, it’s a great spot for brunch, dinner or after-dinner revelry.
Casa Noble Mexican Restaurant & Bar
3710 W. Lincoln Ave.
414-383-4666
$
Handicapped access: Yes
