Tess

Milwaukee, WI · New American restaurant

Rating
4.6/5
★★★★★ 4.6
Reviews
20
Rank in Milwaukee
#125
of 1182 restaurants
City Percentile
72%
rating percentile
Address
Tess, 2499 N Bartlett Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211
Phone
(414) 964-8377
Website
tess2499.com
Status
Closed · Opens 5 PM

Tess is a restaurant located in Milwaukee, WI. It is one of 1,182 restaurants listed in Milwaukee. Its 4.6-star rating is above the Milwaukee city average of 4.2 stars. There are 10 photos associated with this location.

About Tess

Consistently popular since opening in September of 2002, our East Side restaurant provides the highest quality seasonal dishes using local meats & produce with a first-class wine and beer selection. The dining ambiance is pleasantly casual and... More

Hours

Saturday5 PM–9 PM
SundayClosed
MondayClosed
Tuesday5 PM–9 PM
Wednesday5 PM–9 PM
Thursday5 PM–9 PM
Friday5 PM–9 PM

Customer Reviews

★★★★★ 5.0 Ch Smith · Feb 2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly Recommend Tess – Exceptional Experience! Tess may not be a very large restaurant during the winter since the patio isn’t open, but that didn’t stop them from delivering an absolutely wonderful experience. I called just four days in advance, and they were able to accommodate 14 of us for a surprise 75th birthday party—which was impressive on its own. From start to finish, everything was amazing. The food was outstanding, the party setup was perfect, and the attention to detail did not go unnoticed. The owners and our server truly went above and beyond. They worked incredibly hard, were extremely professional, and stayed on top of everything all night long. We never had to wait for a thing. Thank you so much to the entire Tess team for making this celebration so special.

★★★☆☆ 3.0 Trisha B · Jan 2026

Food was great but maybe slightly pricey for the portions. Service was terrible. There were 5 of us & we always use please & thank you. We ordered from the menu, no special requests or anything. The table next to us arrived after us & finished their meal before we got our food. We politely checked on our food with the bar. Shortly after, the server started to come out with our food which was cold & had been clearly sitting in the kitchen. Not only that, but she practically threw the plates down in front of us. It ruined the experience & in that moment I decided to skip dessert, coffee, etc. because I refused to spend another penny. Good thing because when we got the bill we were informed it already had 20% gratuity. Lucky for the server because she wouldn't have received that size of tip f

★★★★★ 5.0 Stephanie Kennedy · Feb 2026

No photos because we were too excited to wait & take a picture! We have dined at Tess two times now - once indoors & once outdoors. The outdoor patio is beautiful on a warm summer night. The interior is definitely cozy, but quiet enough to have a conversation. Our favorites have been the ravioli & the Peruvian chicken! There seems to be a dish on the menu for just about every palette. The cocktails are excellent & the wine list is extensive. My only recommendation is to have some low-level music playing - at least when we dined there was no music, but maybe that’s to allow for conversation among guests. We’ll be back!

★★★★★ 5.0 Logan Rumbaugh · Feb 2026

We had a really beautiful Valentine's meal here. Not sure how a regular night is, but we're glad we made reservations. Everything was delicious that we tried, and the restaurant really exceeded my expectations. From the outside (and frankly to some extent the inside) this place gives corner bar energy, but the food and service was upscale. We mostly had specials, but off the regular menu I would highly recommend the Rocket salad. I appreciated that although we ordered all parts of our meal at once, they did a great job making sure things came out in the appropriate order so that we had time to enjoy the courses. My only real complaint here would be the chairs, they are on the smaller and harder side, and for anyone larger (by weight or by build) they are a bit uncomfortable for the long ha

★★★★★ 5.0 Pete Kellen · Nov 2025

Kinda forgot this place even existed. We won't be making that mistake again. The lamb empanada and rocket salad were both excellent and the entrees were equally good. We ate at the bar which was cozy and fun. The server was attentive and super knowledgeable, but never overbearing. We loved it here!

Accessibility & Amenities

✓ Outdoor Seating ✓ Curbside Pickup ✓ Takeout ✓ Dine In ✓ Delivery ✓ Great Beer Selection ✓ Great Cocktails ✓ Great Dessert ✓ Great Wine List ✓ Serves Local Specialty ✓ Dinner ✓ Solo Dining ✓ Wheelchair Accessible Entrance ✓ Wheelchair Accessible Restroom ✓ Wheelchair Accessible Seating ✓ Alcohol

Services

New American restaurantBarEclectic restaurantRestaurantSeafood restaurant

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This listing is informational. Contact the business directly to verify credentials, services, and availability.