We’ve had people ask “How on earth do you rate the best cheese curd?” Well, there are factors that come into play. Does the curd offer a creamy cheese pull, or is it more on the dense side? Is the breading seasoned well, and does it have the right amount of air and crisp? And maybe most importantly, what is the sauce that comes with your curds? Heavy debates have been had on whether curds pair better with a ranch or a marinara, but we are especially fans of when they mix it up even beyond the standard. 10/15/23
For us, the home to Milwaukee’s best curds belongs to Camino, which serves their curds with a tangy Russian dressing that compliments the curd in a surprisingly great way. But even if you are partial to your ranch, Camino offers a delicious herb ranch that also pairs well with these perfectly fried masterpieces.
1872 N Commerce St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
We might send any tourist looking for a great (and maybe their first) cheese curd to Lakefront Brewery. Lakefront offers an airy and delightful Lakefront Lager battered fried cheese curd with a garlic ranch, and you can always stay for a joke-filled brewery tour while you’re there. We’ve also come to find that when they offer their specialty curds, we have to be there for it. We first discovered this with their Cinnamon Roll and Bacon Cheese Curds that were offered at this year’s State Fair. These curds are dipped in a sweet beer batter, dredged in flour, cinnamon and powdered sugar and topped with a rich cream cheese. Eric immediately claimed these as the best cheese curds he’s had in his life, and was very excited to find that they offered a similar version, the Churro Cheese Curds with a caramel dipping sauce, for National Cheese Curd day. Lakefront offers a rotation of their specialty curds on Thursdays (or as they call it, Curdsday). Flavor of the day can be best found on their website or social media day of. Special flavors include curds that can range anywhere from oreo to taco. They also recently introduced the “CurdWagon”, a curd-slinging food truck that sits on Lakefront’s patio during warmer months.
2378 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Maybe part of the thrill is the hunt, the hunt to find where this uber popular Milwaukee food truck is parked for the day. But no, really Heirloom MKE just offers some truly amazing curds. Heirloom’s goal is to offer the Milwaukee community from-scratch eats while supporting local farms and purveyors, and it doesn’t get more local than the cheese curd. Heirloom’s curds are a golden brown color, beer battered and coated in parmesan, and have a great pull factor. But they also have a strong sauce game, offering both a roasted jalapeno ranch and a yummy roasted tomato jam with every order. Edit: The hunt is over! They now have a brick and mortar restaurant in Bay View if you’re looking for a sit down offering instead.
2245 E St Francis Ave, St Francis, WI 53235 (in Redbar)
Dairyland has had several homes since opening, first in Oak Creek, followed by Central Waters Brewing, Zocalo Food Park, then 3rd Street Market Hall. Most recently, they’ve hunkered down inside Redbar, located in the St. Francis neighborhood. But don’t let all of those location moves sway you - Dairyland honors the dairy land well with their Miller High Life beer battered cheese curds, which are airy with a light crisp, fresh, and not too greasy. The curds are served with a buttermilk ranch that has become so popular that they plan on selling their own Farmhouse Ranch seasoning dressing and dip mix soon.
909 E Michigan St #201, Milwaukee, WI 53202
The Vig’s menu aims to please with refined bar food that does not lack on the dipping sauces, and there is no exception when it comes to the cheese curds. The Vig batters their Clock Shadow Creamery curds and serves them with a duo of sauces, a buttermilk ranch and a chipotle aioli. The curds are served fresh with a nice cheese pull, and the beer batter breading is light and airy. There is no lack of frying oil on these bad boys, and you pay a good amount for what you get, but these are a nice addition to our cheese-loving city.
216 S 2nd St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
We went back and forth on whether or not to include Black Sheep’s pancake battered curds as they are outside what some may qualify as a cheese curd. But darnit, they are just too good to ignore. The Walker’s Point spot on 2nd St. uses Clock Shadow Creamery white cheddar cheese curds, deep fries them in pancake batter, dusts with powdered sugar and serves with a side of maple syrup- and it just works. Due to their popularity, these are also available on all menus including brunch, lunch and dinner.
Explorium’s curds were notable for us for their warm creamy cheese (both white and yellow cheddar) and addictive light and airy breading. Explorium’s curds come with ranch dipping sauce, and you can also try them dusted with a tajin seasoning.