Carson’s Ribs

During Downtown Dining week my companion and I decided to try Carson’s for the first time. Sub-​par service began at the hostess station, where a server was loudly complaining about a table to the hostess, who never looked at us, even when assigning a table.
The restaurant was about 60% full, but it took an unreasonably long time for our server to appear. I stopped a passing server, who apologized, and took our drink order. Soon after, our assigned waitress (who was sitting at a nearby table the entire time with an unaccompanied, handsome gentleman) approached and nearly admonished us for ordering through someone else. Not a good way to start a dining experience.
Our $ 32 bottle of wine was presented — with a screw top. It was awful and refused. Our salads were very good, but our entrees took an unreasonable amount of time. We noticed our waitress spending most of her time speaking to the same gentleman as before, and perhaps that accounted for the cold vegetables we received. A manager asked us about the meal, and he immediately rectified the cold food. No apologies from our waitress.
The entrees were good, as was the dessert. Service, however, was terrible. We will not return, which is a shame — I work in the area and dine out regularly.

I went to Carson’s during downtown dining week because the prices were unbeatable. We made a reservation for 10pm and sat down and enjoyed a meal. The atmosphere was cozy and the waiter was so incredibly nice even though you could tell he was exhausted from a busy night. Everything we ate was perfect (steak, potatoes, cornbread, etc.). I love this place and can not wait to go back!

I tried quite a plethora of items, and everything was fabulous! From the beef brisket, to the potatoes, sautéed spinach, the burger, and the pie! Everything was perfect! I can’t wait to go here again!

Went for lunch with a couple of co-​workers for downtown dining lunch. Good portions and good service. They were busy and I still felt like we received plenty of attention. $ 3.25 for ice tea or soda, that is where they get you. They said they would bring wet wipes and never did. That is the only negative.

Second Day of downtown dining week decided to come to Carsons for lunch. Make sure you make a reservation just in case. The hostess was very informative. Great wait staff also. Ok right to it the DT Dining lunch menu included the fabulous homemade cornbread, BBQ brisket sandwich, and the Au Gratin Potatoes .
The Cornbread was fabulous. Came in a slab cut like a brownie with a side butter. Crunchy exterior with a soft, sweet and savory inside; perfect balance of crunchy, soft, sweet and savory. The brisket sandwich was hearty, savory, and tender with the perfect amount of sauce not to overpower the natural flavors of the meat. The portion sizes were so nice I ended making two open face sandwiches out of the meat with my bun. You could see the Au Gratin Potatoes were going to be good based off the presentation of them when they brought it to our table. Gooey, hot, cheesy, etc. Need I say more lol. These were the perfect compliment to everything else. Loved these potatoes compared to traditional Mac n cheese sometimes.
Tips– call ahead to make a reservation even if it’s for lunch and definitely dinner
Remember it’s downtown so Parkin can be a headache; so bring some loose change or download the MKE parking app on your phone
If you are GF call ahead and ask about food menu items. The hostess is very helpful and informative. I wish they had a half star button because I honestly give them 4.5 stars based off my experience. Will definitely be back again

I eat here frequently and always have a great meal.
The good: The ribs are really great and slow roasted. They are not fall off the bone if that’s the kind of ribs you are into. I’m also a lover of the pulled pork sandwich. For the leaner options, any of the salads will not disappoint and the portions are huge!!!
The ambiance is sophisticated, feels like it would be a higher price, but all of the food prices are extremely reasonable, especially for the service, atmosphere, ambiance, and quality of the restaurant. It’s really sleek and modern feeling.
Service is pretty unmatched. I would say it’s almost as great as Mo’s Steakhouse (the platinum of restaurant service in my mind). If you are a regular here, expect to build a good relationship and rapport with the servers there. They are a well-​trained staff who are serious about their jobs and not a flavor of the week.
Even though the food is great, it’s also a convenient place to check out for happy hour. The bar stools are anything but uncomfortable and are more like raised plush seats with backs and arm rests.
The bad: Drink prices are a little steep, but there are specials depending on the day of the week. They also have an extensive wine list for those who are interested in a higher quality wine experience.

I had heard a lot of good things about this restaurant, so i decided to try it out for myself but to my surprise I was very disappointed. Our waiter was not attentive at all, he said he would bring us wet napkins to go with our ribs and he never did. The ribs were subpar and were lacking in flavor. The «famous» au gratin potatoes were extremely bland. I ordered my steak medium and it was cooked medium rare. The only good thing we had was the Cesar salad as an appetizer.
Very disappointed. I will not be returning to this restaurant again.

Great service. Really good BBQ. Their brisket is amazing. I wish they sold it by the pound.

The family and I went to Carson’s on a Sunday afternoon and it was fairly busy. We had to wait for a table to be set as we had a large table of 8. It feels very upscale in Carson’s but not so exclusive that you had to be a celeb to eat here.
We had the best waitress every she was very pleasant and took her time to explain the menu. We had a groupon and they took it with no issues and gave us the guidelines. Are you ready for our orders? ok… the Greek chicken, 3 cheeseburger, 3 orders of fries, 2 baked potatoes, 1 ribs and pork chop and 2 full slabs for ribs with 2 orders of cornbread.
Whew typing that is just as much as it was on our table… ok maybe not but you get where im going. Everything was on point. Nothing was sent back or changed what so ever. The corn bread was sweet and warm. The chicken was cooked perfectly. As for the ribs and pork chop I dont know because they scarfed it down before I could ask about it. Im assuming thats a good sign.
Midway through our food… they dropped off some warm towelettes for our BBQ sauced fingers and faces! Before that they dropped off the special edition Carson bibs yo! Yes the bibs! If you dont have yourself a Carson’s bib you weren’t eating right!
The adults finished the meal off with some cake which we got to go and eaten later, it was good. It was a Vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. We also had a couple of adult beverages. Im not a big drinker and I usually dont get a sidecar as my go to. Casablanca has a good sidecar… Carson’s has a better sidecar.
I like Carson’s and its not as expensive as one might think. But its ok to treat yourself every once in a while. I would for sure go back. The parking is a bit of a pain due to the construction but its so worth it.

For my first official night as a resident of Milwaukee we went to Carson’s, and I have to say they set the bar high for other restaurants!
I loved the ambience of the restaurant, chic yet intimate. We were seated in the back and our server greeted us quickly with drinks.
I was told I had to try the cornbread, and they were right! I loved the sweetness, consistency, and had to fight the teenager for the last bite (I won).
I had the Greek Chicken, I have to be honest it was so good, I ordered it again for lunch yesterday (to go). It was cooked to perfection very moist and full of this buttery lemon goodness, delicious!
Hubby had the pulled pork and fries and the teenager had the half a rack of ribs and fries! Teenager did not look at his phone for 20 minutes straight (this is how I judge the taste of the food) so i know he loved it. He declared the ribs the best he has had (he has seen his fair share) and that he was fan. Hubby fell in love with the slaw and sauce on the pulled pork.
Friendly service, great atmosphere, and delicious food… we will be back… often!

Loved this place — excellent Brisket sandwich and sauce, and great coleslaw (right, I said coleslaw). Reasons prices. Traveling on business and decided to give it a try — not disappointed at all. Impressed by the friendly atmosphere, everyone knew and greeted everyone. Like a modern day Cheers. Can’t say enough about the service — Apeksha was THE BEST. Anticipated my every need, friendly, and happy to go above and beyond. Only recommendation would be to include a polish sausage dish. Great place, worth your time and $$$.

Soooooooo glad I found this little gem on Unilocal.The food was on-​point, went for lunch and can’t wait to go back for dinner! Wow.
Started with the «Garbage Salad» get the small, it’s enough to share for 2, loved the dressings made in house. Really, an amazing start. My entrée was the New York Strip Sandwich and it was PERFECTION. I love mushrooms, onions and balsamic and it was one of the best sandwiches (if you can call it that) in a long time. Had to try the Famous Potatoes O’gratin. OMG, ridiculous. It’s like cheese with a splash of perfectly cooked potatoes. Amazing.
Can’t wait to go back for ribs. And dessert. And these grilled prawns I saw being delivered. And a beet salad. And more…

First, our waitress, Grace. She is as good as it gets. Professional but warm. Gracious & friendly without any awkward over-​sharing. During the course of our stay, she introduced us to the menu & style of food, made several excellent recommendations, touched our table multiple times to check in (but not too many), offered us a complimentary sauce because the Greek potatoes are a «natural compliment to the creamy feta» (and they were) and when she saw we were sharing, offered to bring us an extra plate to make that easier. Loved her. Wish I could dine with her at every restaurant I go. At one point, she had offered my husband a refill shortly after the table behind us had been sat. This customer was fairly rude, stopped her & asked her why they hadn’t received a water yet. She was perfect: she apologized, offered an polite explanation, handed our refill off to another server who promptly brought our drink, and immediately gave that table all the attention in the world (they complained continuously, though, despite her attempts to make them happy). I own a restaurant, and I would be over the moon if I had a server like her.
Now for the food: just lovely.
We had the half-​rack rib appetizer & cornbread (the half rack is $ 12 as an app, $ 14 as an entrée. The entrees come with a small coleslaw. Not worth the extra $ 2 in my opinion). The whipped salted butter & cornbread – simple & good. The ribs – well, we finished them quickly. They also brought out a complimentary starter (liver pâté, a spreadable cheese, and some rough cut raw onions with rye bread – my husband loves bread, so Grace offered us more bread when our main course came out).
Our entrees: ½ BBQ Chicken, Greek Potatoes & the Garbage Salad with Italian Vinaigrette.
The chicken was even better than the ribs, if that’s possible. Grace brought out some extra BBQ sauce for us to pour on, if we needed it. For me, it’s always a delight when you order a salad, and it’s crafted & not just an afterthought. The salad dressing is made in-​house & we were delighted by the lovely combination of flavors in the salad. Again, simple, fresh and well done.
We left full, and with a to-​go bag (Grace packed up some extra creamy feta for us), and on our way out we were greeted by the Executive Chef Ramirez who was just as lovely as our server. Really, this is a high end restaurant, but to meet so many kind, warm people – it’s just delightful. He talked with my husband for almost 10 minutes & described at one point how everything is made fresh, in-​house & never frozen. You can taste that care in their food. I wish I lived closer. I’d like to go back tomorrow.

The best steaks in town. A great place for a night out or a quick stop before an event at the Bradley Center.

I don’t remember his name but my boyfriend and I are fond of his Long Island iced teas because this bartender makes the strongest we’ve ever had lol he’s blonde, Caucasian and super nice and upbeat. The food here is great too. Awesome atmosphere.

You simply HAVE to try the Key Lime Pie too, it’s awesome, and we have stopped there several times just to get a carry out of pie.

I should note we left before we could try any food this review is based in service and experience. After working late my girlfriend and I decide to grab dinner close to our hotel at 10:00pm. As we walk into the restaurant a man at the bar screaming derogatory comments to women walking by the the restaurant. Clearly he was wasted. We get seated. And I make a comment to the host that the man was very drunk and disruptive. This isn’t a frat bar. And the host said «well he is a regular and yes he is drunk, but this happens during football season.»
He made an excuse for his poor behavior and we excused ourselves from the establishment. There was no apology or action to ask this man to be quiet or respectful.
This wouldn’t be tolerated at any steakhouse in Chicago. If you want to provide an upscale atmosphere it should match in experience.

Always a great place to eat, especially using the groupon deal
We’ll be back soon, and I can’t wait

After reading the Unilocal reviews, we decided to hit this famous BBQ joint. It has a modern upscale interior, but deceivingly small inside will its L shaped configuration. The small size often results in a long wait for a table during peak dining hours. So, reservations are highly recommended.
I absolutely love sitting at the bar for drinks then a meal. We started off with 4 rounds of drinks each. My friends all went for beer & wine. Since it was Sunday afternoon & I was still hung over, I decided to go with a Bloody Mary. Excellent choice, leaded with extra Vodka to my liking & Zing-​Zang Bloody mix which is my absolute favorite.
We followed drinks with a Cesar salad & entrée. The Cesar was great with a garlicky tang to the dressing. My entrée was the 10 ounce charcrusted filet which was definitely a top quality piece of meat, the preparation & execution while cooking made for a darn tasty steak. For a side I went with the potato’s au gratin & they were decent. Only one dimension on the flavor pallet, all cheese. I also tried the corn bread — outstanding! More like dessert than a side. They mix creamed corn into the batter to make it so decadent. Probably the best corn bread I’ve ever had.
Three of us chose the filet & all loved it. Our forth diner ordered the half rack of ribs & 2 bone in Pork Chop. The portion was mammoth, enough to feed a small family! I tried one of the ribs, superb.
The real story of Carson’s is the staff! Everyone is really competent. You get the feeling that they regard their job as a profession. I’m a big fan of customer service done right & they get it right at Carson’s!
For dessert I had a beer. My hangover had been cured.

Had a great time here. The Au Gratin potatoes are amazing and the Ribs were so tender. Serice was great. The Packers may have lost but at least we had a great meal. I’m not sure if there are any desserts I didn’t see any on the menu but I wouldn’t have had room if there were.

Came for our anniversary. They treated us really well. The French onion soup was really good. The ribs are delicious. The cauliflower is delicious, au gratin potatoes were to die for. Green beans were ok. But the service was easily the best. Our wait staff was Nate. Super knowledgable, funny, punctual with out hovering. The bartender was Jack was really great. Funny, smart, great at drinks. We would comeback just to have Jack at the bar. Well worth the price!

A couple friends to Carsons tonight with us. When I first walked in I was greeted by a super nice, energetic bartender, Nate. I told him I would like a glass of wine while waiting for the rest and he bent over backwards to make me feel comfortable in my wine selection as well as kept me company until my friends and husband arrived. I tried the Malbec wine, very nice. The next wine I tried was a Zinfandel; it was dark red with cherry overtones and hint of chocolate. Semi dry and delish!
We found out there was a Milwaukee Dining special going on. $ 35 included a house drink, salad, entrée and potato. Three of us had the 10 oz filet, charcrusted, but all had a different potato. (All potato dishes were awesome; Greek style, au gratin, and twice baked.) I have tell you about the ribs and chop special, though. The ribs are advertised as not fall of the bone. But they were so tender and flavorful! The waiter said boiling ribs may make them tender but zaps the flavor. These were awesome! They had a nice carmelization and the sauce was tangy and smoky and sweet. The trifecta of BBQ sauces.
I almost ignored the salad. I had the Cesar and I must say it was garlicky but I would go back for the dressing alone.
All in all it was a fantastic time! The service was fantastic and the food was even better! All four of us will definitely be back.

I try to be as objective as possible when I try a new restaurant. I am not one to just spout out when I have a less than stellar meal but I had to share my experience.
Myself and some coworkers went in recently after the lunch rush. We were greeted and sat down with prompt service. I ordered ribs and my coworkers had either a sandwich or a salad. I soon regretted my decision when I saw how undercooked the ribs were. They did not come off the bone easily and were just difficult to eat. I think the cut of the meat seemed fine but they were darn near impossible to eat and were not the least bit warm when they came to our table. I would have expressed my displeasure to the waiter and politely ask for another entrée but we were never asked how things were. My coworkers, however, did enjoy their meals.
Overall, for a place that has «famous ribs» in their name, I expected better. I will, however, try Carson’s again with some other food choice and see how it goes.

Excellent service. Amazing drinks. Unbelievable food.
The chat crusted steaks are to die for! And I got the best margarita of my life.

Apparently, according to the wait-​staff, the owner feels that Unilocal users are horrible people.
So, if you’re reading this, disregard the great food. The owner thinks you are «two steps above a retard.»
Crazy that such a classy joint has such clueless staff. Even if that is what the owner actually thinks, why would you say that proudly in front of an entire bar full of patrons?!

So far I have had the Cesar salad and it is beyond food. I am not much for ribs and steak, so this is a great option. The corn bread is perhaps the best thing ever… like the location and atmosphere. Nice down town spot!

I’m a meat guy– LOVE beef and pork. This place was recommended by a local bar tender at a different place. I was worried the prices would be crazy– not the case at all for the quality of the drinks/​salad/​meal.
The steaks looked phenomenon but I thought for a change I’d order pork. Damn am I glad I I did! Had the half rack of ribs and pork chop. I smoke a lot of pork at home and think I’m pretty good at it. The ribs were good– baby back with a BBQ finish.
The pork chop was out of this world– I’ve never had a more tender or tasty chop. It was two inches thick with a Mediterranean finish. Didn’t know what that was but the bar tender suggested it and man was he right!
Happy I stopped here and can’t say anything negative about it– hope to stop back soon!

For being as famous as Carson’s ribs are, I expected much more out of this dining experience. The food over-​all was good. Not great or excellent, but not bad, and I’d still eat here again… to try other things and hope that our server is not working.
First off, for an 8pm reservation on a Saturday night in summer… we walked in to a nearly empty restaurant. It did fill up some before we left, but a reservation still wasn’t needed. Where was everyone?!
Our server, the not-​so-​cherry, Diane, probably wished she was wherever everyone else was that night and not at work. My lakefront lemonade was almost warm? I’m guessing the glass had just come out of the dishwasher, but still… not the cool drink I was hoping for… She finally came back after some delay (couldn’t have been busy with other tables…) and asked if we were interested in the rye bread and pâté, we said yes and she was almost shocked and certainly wasn’t expecting that answer. We put in an order for the crab cake appetizer then too… and she recited two prime rib specials for the night.
A short while later, a couple was seated next to us, and their server was great… We learned more about the restaurant, drinks, and various other specials of the night… including a filet and salmon combo that was not on the menu. Upon her return, we also placed a half– slab rib appetizer. I asked about the filet/​salmon combo, she had no clue. We then both placed our order for the twin Oscar filets… Sautéed mushrooms and roasted Greek potatoes since we were told the entrée ‘comes with about 3 – 4 bites of coleslaw’ only.
She then returned and had something to say about the special I had wanted, but she didn’t know about… and the other server did, but he he made it up, but they could do it if I wanted, but it was $ 10 more than what the other server had told the table next to us. Um, thanks, no… haven’t you put our orders in yet? It’s been maybe 10-​minutes!
For a $ 15 single crab cake, not worth it. There are much better crab cakes out there, for much less. We were also lead to believe the crab cake would be larger than its actual palm-​size.
The half-​slab of ribs finally came out of the microwave and made their way to the table. Decent BBQ sauce, but these ribs looked almost hot lunch style and were no where near fall-​off-​the-​bone tender as I expected for a place famous for ribs. A few minutes after we exhausted our napkins and licked off our fingers some warm towels were brought… oh, gee, thanks… Would have been helpful about a minute after the ribs were delivered, I guess they had to wait on the microwave for these too?
As for our entrees… The twin Oscar filets were really good. The filet was delicious, and that may have been what saved my opinion of this place. I like mine with a little moo left in it, and they were perfectly rare, and hot at the same time. Sautéed mushrooms, amazing. Great seasoning and tasted great! The hashtag of roasted potatoes… meh, skip ‘um. Ours were considerably over cooked and almost charred/​burnt.
So…maybe just go for some filets and mushrooms… definitely the best parts.

Amazing value, staff and great atmosphere. By the way, the food is incredible! Go! You won’t be sorry.
The Greek chicken is a favorite.

Thanks to Taste & Toast, which had only a mini-​chicken addition compared to normal menu, I learned Carson’s has a pretty darn good happy hour. For upscale joints, #2 behind Bosleys. They should advertise this at least in local mailers as something, as I live nearby and had no idea.
Brisket and steak items were succulent. Pork flavorful, chicken OK. The special drinks tasty and moderately affordable.
I do have a preYelp memory of being underwhelmed by a normal meal. Will give them another shot at some point, starting during happy hour.

First off all, Jack is the best bartender in Milwaukee! He displays top-​notch customer service and makes great drinks.
I had martinis and appetizers (well, sautéed mushrooms and broccoli) here during happy hour, and I will definitely be back.
The ambiance is classy but casual, staff is friendly and accommodating, drinks are good, and I’ll have to do a rain-​check on the BBQ, but I’m sure that’s amazing too.

We ate here for my grad school graduation dinner. There was an issue with our reservation at a different establishment so we went to Carson’s and they were able to seat the four of us right away. Service was A+ the whole time. Really, we couldn’t have asked for better service, which is why I’m giving it three stars.
We sat in a big comfy booth and were attended to ASAP. They brought us some bread and water immediately and were extremely friendly from the start. To begin, we ordered some corn bread. It was really delicious, cake like, and plenty for the four of us.
Then, we ordered meals. Everything was a MASSIVE size, so we wish we had ordered less food. We all ordered ribs, one person added chicken, and one person ordered a steak. They were just okay. For the price, we expected bigger and better. It wasn’t BAD it just wasn’t as good as if we had went to Smoke Shack or Maxie’s (for ribs). The flavor was decent, however, the tenderness and texture just wasn’t what we were hoping for. The ribs were a little tougher, not fall off the bone like we like them; the chicken was chicken; and the steak was not prepared the way we’d ordered it.
The best part of the meal was the desserts. The four of us split a strawberry cake and tiramisu. They were really tasty and the strawberry cake had the perfect cake flavor and frosting combination.
If you’re looking for meat, I think you can do better, but it isn’t awful. It’s just over priced for what you get.

We came here for some quick food prior to seeing the Lion King. We were short on time and asked the waiter if we could just order appetizers and salads so we could make the show in 45 minutes. The staff was very attentive to our needs and extremely friendly.
We ordered the 12 short rib tips, margarita grilled shrimp, corn bread and finished with tiramisu. Did I say we were short on time? Yeah, forget about it! The food came out speedily and was so good we forgot about the time constraint we were on! Thankfully, the wait staff reminded us and quickly got us out. Wish we could have made it a full dinner!
The ribs were sweet and tender, not fall-​off-​the-​bone but very good. The grilled jumbo shrimp were excellent and perfectly grilled without losing their tenderness. The cornbread was also amazing, not to dry and crumbly and not to sweet. Even the drinks were spectacular as the amaretto sour I ordered was made from scratch and my date’s whiskey on the rocks was to his liking.
We finished our meal with a slightly mediocre tiramisu but edible, nonetheless, and we’re given the famous warm towels for a great clean up. It was a wonderful although sadly, too short, dinner at Carson’s!
I WILL be returning here regularly!

Went here for dinner tonight our server was very funny and nice. I had the blackened salmon Cesar salad it was so delicious and good.
One of my dinner guest had the appetizer crab cake which looked delicious.
The steak was delicious and very good, will definitely go back to try the BBQ