This long, narrow Spanish and Portuguese restaurant that’s behind a bright-red door is usually packed, which is great if you want to cosplay as a sardine or have an excuse to bump elbows with your date. (If you’d rather avoid that, try to sit up front by the door where there’s a little more room.) The a la carte menu has things like braised rabbit with manzanilla sherry and flank steak with piquillo peppers, most of which are easy to share with a group. Naturally, the wines skew Spanish, and there are affordable gems, like a red blend from Murcia named after pine trees.

There are some German or German-heavy places (Maders, Karl Ratzsch, Kegel Inn, Wegners St Martins Inn, etc.), at least one Polish restaurant (Polonez), a few Polish/East European grocieries, at least one true Greek restaurant (Ouzo), a few French or French-style places, a couple of Spanish/Iberian restaurants (Movida, Amilinda), lots of Italian and Italian-American places (Zarletti downtown focuses on Northern Italy). Glorioso's is an excellent Italian market/deli, and there are several Italian bakeries scattered around town. Lots of pizza, of course, including some places that do Neapolitan wood-fired pizza.

Beyond Jacobs and Van Rite, Milwaukee chefs participating are Gregory Leon of Amilinda, Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta Restaurant Group, Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie, Kyle Knall of Birch, Joe Muench of Black Shoe Hospitality, Kurt Fogle of Dairyland, Dane Baldwin of The Diplomat, Paul Zerkel and Lisa Kirkpatrick of Goodkind, Adam Siegel of Lupi and Iris, Sam Ek and Ross Bachhuber of Odd Duck, Justin Aprahamian of Sanford, Kyle Toner of Sorella, Mitch Ciohon of Taco Moto and Dooby Dogs, and Kristen Schwab of The Wolf on Broadway.

Amilinda combines a restaurant with a dedication to local ingredients with the best the Iberian peninsula has to offer, including the cuisine of Spain, Portugal, and the Basque region. With a small, narrow restaurant downtown, Amilinda features a cozy dining room along with seating at the bar and chef’s counter. They also offer a happy hour from 4 pm to 6 pm Tuesdays through Fridays for drink discounts and half-off wine at the bar and chef counter.

If you’re looking for an intimate restaurant with a bit of eclectic flair, and two years in a row of James Beard nominations, Amilinda (315 E. Wisconsin Ave.) is the place to go. Outstanding Spanish and Portuguese inspired cuisine is the star here, coupled with exceptional quality and beautiful food presentation. You can practically feel the sensual warm breeze of a coastal Spanish playa as you immerse yourself in the Amalinda experience.

As restaurants got creative with the hope of attracting customers with new food offerings, various venues hosted pop-ups. During Amilinda's Italian pop-up, they served a few excellent pasta dishes including raviolo filled with housemade ricotta cheese, garlic, onion and chives and served with a spicy tomato sauce. At that moment in time, the delicate cheesy pasta was comfort food at its finest.

Tucked into a long, narrow storefront on East Wisconsin Avenue, chef-owner Gregory Leon cooks a love letter to Spain and Portugal at Amilinda, using many locally sourced ingredients. Try the starter of dumplings in caper and tomato sauce followed by an entree of lamb meatballs or striped bass for an eclectic, delicious meal. Wines skew Spanish, and there is a nightly vegetarian entree.

Amilinda‘s Chef Gregory León was a semifinalist in the 2023 James Beard Awards for Best Chef. The restaurant draws inspiration from Spanish and Portuguese recipes to craft a menu well worth a trip to downtown Milwaukee. Using locally-sourced ingredients, starter items for Amilinda include roasted eggplant, a cucumber and carrot salad, and a pear and quinoa salad.

Offering a switch from beer and breweries, Amilinda has an exquisite wine list to match the savory Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. The menu is more upscale, with local ingredients incorporated in every dish. Choose Amilinda for a date night or small celebratory dinner with friends, and save room for dessert.

Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie was a finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2022, while Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of EsterEv and Gregory León of Amilinda were semifinalists that same year. Jacobs and Van Rite of EsterEv advanced to become finalists for Best Chef Midwest in 2024.

Discover the delightful fusion of cuisines that have resulted in the curious sushi burrito, flavors of Spain and Brazil in the pork alentejana at Amilinda, and culinary creations by the 2022 James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Midwest, Dane Baldwin of The Diplomat.

Gregory León, a chef with roots in Venezuela and family ties to Portugal, runs Amilinda as a deeply personal expression of Iberian cooking. His bacalao is a love letter to Lisbon, and the seasonal vegetable dishes are restrained in a way that feels almost radical.

315 E Wisconsin AveMilwaukee, WI 53202(414) 369-3683 Visit Website See Menu Open in Google Maps. Owned and operated by acclaimed Chef Gregory León, this eatery is a popular gastronomic spot for its amazing Spanish and Portuguese plates paired with wine and beer.

Milwaukee’s first-ever Halal Restaurant Week, July 10-17, will feature popular Milwaukee spots like DanDan, Five O’Clock Steakhouse and Amilinda. Participating restaurants will offer a special halal menu during the week.

- Rating: 4.3/5 (254 reviews)- Price level: $$- Address: 315 East Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Categories: Portuguese, Spanish- Read more on Yelp. You may also like: Movies and TV shows casting in Milwaukee

❤️ Share on Facebook - Tweet - RedditRated: 4.5 Stars $$.Address:315 E Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI 53202. Phone:(414) 369-3683Specialties: Portuguese ⏩ Spanish ⏩. ⭐ Reviews - ⭐ Write A Review

315 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202Phone: 414-369-3683 Visit Website. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Amilinda (@amilindamke)

He cares so much, and you can always tell by his restaurant and the outreach programs he works with that he is a real part of our community.

He previously spent 18 years cooking in San Francisco restaurants like Poesia, Mirtille and Horatius, as well as a few in Madrid, Spain.