When people talk about classic Milwaukee burger joints, the usual suspects—Solly’s, Kopp’s, Nite Owl—always come up. They’ve all got a similar nostalgic, old-fashioned appeal and are still going strong. But there's another local institution that belongs on that list, one that more people seem to be unaware of compared to the others: Mazos.
The original Mazos location was opened on 14th Street and Lincoln Avenue in 1934 by John Mazos (note that Mazos is the family’s last name, so there’s no apostrophe in the restaurant’s name). According to the helpful history lesson on the menu, burgers were 5 cents each back then. In 1948, Mazos built and moved into a new location where it still is today, on 27th Street near Oklahoma Avenue. At that point, Leon’s Frozen Custard had already been operating across the street for six years. Perhaps Mazos recognized what a great pair they made back then, but I doubt he'd have guessed that they'd make that corner one of the best for classic Wisconsin fare decades later.
There have been some changes over the years to things like business hours, prices and the plates burgers are served on now instead of baskets, but the most important things have stayed the same since the beginning. The beef for their burgers is ground fresh every day right on site. They use a mold to shape the patties, and some people find that uniform shape to be unsettling, but grinding fresh meat makes up for it. These aren’t messy, sloppy diner burgers; these are perfectly coiffed, photogenic little packages that result when a restaurant has been cooking something the same way every day for three generations.
It's almost a shame that Mazos cooks the beef patties well done by default, though you can request otherwise. Thankfully, with beef this fresh, it's still full of rich flavor and juice no matter how it's cooked. A hamburger ($6.60) is for beef purists, but the cheeseburger ($6.95) is the real standout. There are only two cheese selections, American and Swiss, but you don't need anything else. Go with the American, which is gooey but still firm and lacks that slipperiness that cheap individually wrapped slices have. There will be two slices on your burger, and they’ll be at the optimal melting point, melding the bun to the beef.
The pillow-like buns stand tall and shiny and are the exact same diameter as the beef patties, helping that photogenic quality along nicely. The bottom bun is thicker than most and holds up well to whatever condiments you want to throw on it. Both sides are toasted with a bit of butter, though the browning sometimes doesn't venture any further inward than the edge of the bun.
Bacon is a nice addition on the cheeseburger ($8.20) and comes in two thick, moderately crunchy slices that need a little rearranging in order to fit on the burger. Each burger also gets either a slice of fresh white onion, or chopped, fried onions with nice caramelization. If you enjoy a garden on your burger, then order the burger supreme ($8.55) that comes with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and thousand island dressing. There’s also a mushroom burger ($7.20) and mushroom cheeseburger ($7.65), patty melt ($7.35) on grilled rye, as well as double versions of the hamburger ($9.25) and cheeseburger ($9.95).
Each of these burgers comes with two sides. Fries are standard frozen crinkle cut, but it’s difficult not to order them by default anyway. American fries are the thinly sliced, breakfast potato variety topped with a pat of butter. (You can get them during breakfast service, but really, breakfast is not what you're here for.) Other sides include sweet baked beans, little cups of coleslaw, cottage cheese or applesauce, or a cup of homemade soup or chili. Chicken noodle and beef barley soup are always tasty.
Shakes and malts ($3.75) are large and served with the extra in the tin they're mixed in on the side. Sipping one in between bites of cheeseburger while pondering the old celebrity portraits, vintage advertisements and local newspaper clippings on the walls is a Milwaukee pastime worth indulging in. In a city full of exceptional burgers, Mazos continues to be a quiet, steady powerhouse.
