Photo via Rochester Deli
Tuna Melt
Tuna salad is commonly found on many café, diner and sandwich shop menus, but everyone has their own preference of how tuna salad is made. Ingredients that are often up for debate include mayonnaise, relish, egg, mustard, capers, dill, lemon, salt, pepper, and what type of tuna is being used in the salad. Really, you can make it however you want, but there is an art form to making the perfect tuna melt which is why I’ve narrowed down my favorite six tuna melts in and around the Milwaukee area.
One disclaimer: I always add lettuce, tomato, and onion to my tuna melts to add a little crunch to an otherwise greasy order. Some places add it before melting, some add it after, and some give it on the side for me to add. Since that is a personal preference, we are sticking to the tuna melts as they are presented on the menu at each restaurant.
As a health food store, you’re not going to get the buttery outside of a tuna melt like you would at more of a diner. But Beans & Barley makes exceptionally great tuna salad and adds sunflower seeds on top of the salad before added the cheese to melt. It may sound weird, but it a true delight.
Benji’s Deli & Restaurant (Shorewood, Fox Point)
A kosher-style deli can always be trusted to have good tuna, and that’s exactly what Benji’s is offering. A heaping mound of tuna salad between your choice of bread and cheese is melted on the grill with buttery goodness. This melt is not for the faint of heart and will not leave you with room for dessert.
St. Paul Fish Company (Third Ward, Mequon)
While they might be known for their oysters and lobster roll, their tuna melt needs more credit than it gets. Being that it’s a seafood restaurant, you would assume the tuna fish is good, and it is! They make the tuna salad is light and fresh with a perfect amount between two slices of crispy white bread. A great order for anyone who loves tuna or might not want to go too deep into the sea when ordering.
Rochester Deli is cleverly named after one of the great sandwich cities of New York state. A family-owned and operated establishment means a lot of love went into creating their tuna salad and ultimately their incredible tuna melt. While the menu is vast and you eye may wander to other things, remember that the tuna melt is worthy of this list.
Café 1505 in Mequon has a lot of regular customers who know both the restaurant and to-go menus well. With a long list of “salads” to order from, the tuna is one to write home about. Not too much mayo and not too much seasoning, it’s one that will please any tuna melt lover.
West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe (West Allis, Third Ward)
You can’t go wrong at the West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe café menu at either location. Luckily, their tuna melt is on the everyday menu, so you don’t have to wait a week to order it again. This one has more of an all-American feel with cheddar cheese and wheat bread as opposed to the traditional Swiss and rye combination.
If you know of another great tuna melt in town, please leave the name of the establishment in the comments below! I will travel for a good tuna melt.
