People Cross The Border Into Wisconsin Just To Sit Down At Thes Beloved Soul Food Icons
Wisconsin might be famous for cheese curds and bratwurst, but there’s a whole other side to this state’s food story.
Across Milwaukee, Madison, and beyond, soul food kitchens are serving up fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, and catfish so good that people from Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa regularly make the drive just to eat.
These restaurants carry recipes passed down through generations, turning simple ingredients into meals that taste like Sunday dinner at your favorite aunt’s house.
1. Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille – Milwaukee
On Milwaukee’s near North Side, this spot feels like someone’s uncle finally decided to share his legendary fried chicken recipe with the world.
Plates arrive loaded with golden fried or baked chicken, catfish fillets, macaroni that stretches in gooey strands, and collard greens cooked down with just the right amount of smoke.
Regulars treat Daddy’s like a second home, the kind of place they bring out-of-town relatives to prove that Milwaukee really does have authentic soul food.
Counter service keeps things moving, but the staff talks to you like they’ve known you for years, making every visit feel personal and warm.
2. Mr. Perkins’ Family Restaurant – Milwaukee
From the street, Mr. Perkins’ doesn’t try to impress anyone with flashy signs or modern facades.
Inside, though, this 1969-founded institution feels like a neighborhood living room where generations have gathered for catfish, pork chops, and plates of greens with black-eyed peas.
The Perkins family has weathered every challenge thrown their way, trimming hours but never losing heart.
These days, people still detour off the highway just to grab a late breakfast or soul-food lunch before everything sells out.
I stopped by on a Saturday morning last year and barely snagged the last order of smothered pork chops.
3. Jackson’s Soul Food Redefined – Milwaukee
What used to be a rundown car wash on Milwaukee’s North Side now pulses with the aroma of smothered pork chops and fried ribs.
Jackson’s Soul Food Redefined opened its first spot on Center Street in 2023 and quickly built enough love to add a second location on Fond du Lac Avenue.
On Soul Food Sundays, locals line up for plates loaded with catfish, wings, greens, black-eyed peas, and some of the creamiest mac and cheese in town.
Everything tastes like someone took grandma’s recipes and decided to run a kitchen with them, late hours at the Fond du Lac spot, making it perfect for hungry road-trippers.
4. Terri Lynn’s Soul Food Express – Milwaukee
For over 30 years, Terri Lynn has been feeding Milwaukee from her spot on West Hampton, earning the nickname Milwaukee’s Soul Food Queen.
Weekends here feel like a family gathering, with turkey legs nestled against greens and black-eyed peas, catfish fillets fried crisp, and mac and cheese that could be a meal by itself.
The hours are mostly Friday through Sunday, so it feels like a weekly ritual that people plan around.
Fans drive in, grab a tray, and sit down to something that tastes like Sunday at grandma’s, leaving with very satisfied nap-ready energy afterward.
5. Nino’s Southern Sides – Shorewood (Milwaukee Area)
Just north of Milwaukee, Nino’s looks modest from the outside, but inside, it’s all about the sides that make you rethink why entrees even exist.
Regulars rave about their greens, black-eyed peas, yams, and ultra-cheesy mac, often building entire meals out of vegetables and cornbread alone.
Fried chicken, smothered chicken, and catfish round everything out, making this a spot where folks from all over the metro come to fill a takeout bag.
People from over the Illinois border regularly make the trip, loading their trunks with leftovers to take home and enjoy later in the week.
6. 1700 Pull Up – Milwaukee
1700 Pull Up feels like a soul food block party that just happens to be indoors.
Founded to nourish the local community, it’s known for stuffed turkey legs, lamb chops, pot roast, and Soul Food Sundays where the menu reads like a love letter to Southern cooking.
Mac and cheese, yams, greens, fried catfish, and even soul food tacos fill the rotating menu.
Music, big portions, and late-night hours on select days make it the kind of spot where people happily drive in from neighboring states, eat until sleepy, and then take an extra plate to go for the next day.
7. Plate Pleasures Eatery – Wauwatosa (Milwaukee Suburb)
Tucked away in Wauwatosa, Plate Pleasures feels like a secret you’re almost reluctant to share. Owned by chef Mia Redmond, the restaurant grew out of her catering business and family recipes that have been refined over years of cooking for grateful crowds.
Inside, guests linger over smoked turkey legs resting on beds of dressing, fried catfish, po’boys, and plates stacked with baked mac, greens, and sweet candied yams.
It’s the sort of place where one plate can easily feed two, but somehow you still find room for dessert because everything tastes too good to pass up.
8. Marie’s Soul Food – Madison
On Madison’s Monroe Street, Marie’s looks like a cheerful neighborhood cafe painted in purple, but the food is pure deep-South comfort.
Owner Marissa Marie talks about soul food as togetherness, family, and love, and that’s exactly what her plates taste like with slow-braised meats and rich gravies.
Cornbread muffins, mac and cheese, and greens that taste like they’ve been tended all afternoon fill every order. Locals treat it like a tiny outpost of Southern home cooking in the middle of a college town.
People driving in from out of state often find themselves planning the return trip before they’ve even finished their plate.
9. Sista’s Chicken & Fish – Madison
Whether it’s the brick-and-mortar location near Wingra and Park or the food truck popping up around town, Sista’s is all about crispy, soulful fried chicken and fish that keeps people chasing it across Madison.
Wings come sauced in everything from maple sriracha to classic buffalo, with plates often including peach-cobbler pound cake for dessert.
Even with limited open days, fans refresh social media just to see when they can get their next basket.
The find-it-before-it’s-gone energy makes every meal feel like a victory, perfect for a roadside stop on a Madison detour when hunger strikes hard.
10. The Cozzy Corner – Appleton
About 30 miles from Green Bay, The Cozzy Corner is the kind of place people happily drive hours for.
Dubbed the Queen of Soul Food, this Appleton landmark mixes bluesy decor, walls full of memorabilia, and plates so big they crowd the table with ribs, wings, and catfish.
Fried chicken and waffles are the headliners, but locals swear by the Louisiana fries topped with red beans and sausage.
Packers players, Broadway casts, and regular families all end up shoulder to shoulder here, working through platters that taste like someone’s mama is watching the seasoning, making it very much worth a border-crossing road trip.