First thing I have to say is that the view from this restaurant is beautiful. If you want to come here for a drink before a Bucks game or as a stop on a date night, go for it. It does feel a bit like a hotel restaurant, but I think that was the most obvious in the bar space (I'm probably a bit of a snob about that bc I've stayed at so many Marriotts). But I didn't think the food was anything worthwhile (most important!) and found the service to be underwhelming as well. I came here on a Thursday night for snacks at the bar and everything was meh. The pile of pepperoni on the fried olives was odd and overwhelming. The fried cheese was in a sweet jam almost that detracted from the flavor of the cheese itself. The sourdough was stale. The pork belly was missing a spice/seasoning element - it's so sweet with all the fruit. I won't be coming back here anytime soon beyond that 'drink before a game' scenario. read more

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Located on the top floor of The Trade hotel, Il Cervo sits in the heart of a great part of downtown Milwaukee. There's lots to do and see around the Fiserv Forum, and that makes Il Cervo a very convenient place to stop by for a great meal! The restaurant itself is stunning. The views alone really make this a great dining spot. The space is clean, spacious, with a variety of seating options for all seasons. Overall, it feels very modern and great for both more casual and for special occasions. Il Cervo has a GREAT drink selection. Tons of wines to choose from, but also a nice list of cocktails, including their takes on classics, such as their aperol spritz made with Campari (very good!). The food at Il Cervo is mostly very tasty! I'm a big fan of their appetizers, especially the mozzarella. They serve bread from RocketBaby bakery (iykyk), and have some excellent pasta dishes. I recommend the Squid Ink gnocchi or the shrimp allá vodka. Both VERY good. I will say, this place is VERY pricey. You are going to be paying a fair amount of money for your meal here, and I'm not sure that the prices are always justified, especially for the pasta dishes which are almost all over $30 per plate. I'm also not the biggest fan of some of their side dishes, notably the shishito peppers and fingerling potatoes, both of which were very disappointing to me. Overall, Il Cervo is a solid bet for a good meal with great service, tasty Italian-inspired food, and beautiful ambiance. Just expect to pay a pretty penny! read more

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I REALLY wanted to like this place, especially because the Instagram reel makes it look sooo good. The view is great and I think that's what you're paying for. To me this place was just very overpriced mediocre Italian food. My husband and I came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Our waiter whose name I can't even remember was so awkward. I ordered the beef tartare and it was so overpowered with lemon flavor it took away from the whole dish. My husband ordered the squid ink gnocchi and it was just ok. I ordered the CONCHIGLIE ALLA VODKA which had good flavor but was so spicy I couldn't finish it and I don't mind spice. The weird thing is my husband said when he booked the reservation it was in time blocks and you could tell the waited was in no hurry to kick us out of there. Maybe they think the longer you sit the more you will spend but I was over it. I really only see this place lasting maybe 3 more years because it's in a hotel with a lot of out of towners that may not know any better but I don't foresee this being a locals favorite. read more

I had a really lovely experience at Il Cervo. All of the staff working at the restaurant were incredibly kind and attentive (from the hostesses to the bartender to our sweet server Elle). We opted to sit on the patio and the view of the city really was stunning. The patio is also equipped with heaters, which were great once the sun set and it got a bit chilly. We started with the arancini and sourdough (love that they use local bakery Rocket Baby) - both great but the winner is the arancini if I had to choose. For mains, we had the Pepperoni and prosciutto pizzas. No complaints - everything was good & portions were sizable, but I do feel like there is a slight up charge on prices due to location/vibe. read more

Il Cervo - Prosciutto and Charred Ezzo's Spicy Pepperoni Pizza - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Can't go wrong with any restaurant inside the trade. The food is top of the line. So delicious! We shared a lot of appetizers although everything on the menu looked amazing. The inside of the restaurant was immaculate. The seating (indoor and outdoor) was spacious and elegant. The service was top of the line, too. Our server was very knowledgeable and had great suggestions the entire night. A must go place! read more

Il Cervo - Nice set up - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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The restaurant of course is located at Trade Hotel. Ambiance is chic and modern. Love the open space and the open concept. They have a small fire pit on the balcony. And outside dining. It's advisable to make a reservation. Service was good Walnita. She informed us which were made in house, but wish gave few recommendations. She came around to see multiple time despite how busy her area was. Food was good the only thing that disappointed me was the mozzarella was a little to firm. Mafaldi or creamy bolognese threw me off it was good but it was cheesier than i was expecting Definitely will be back for their cocktail and try their pizza. read more

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II Cervo is a new spot in downtown Milwaukee. It's at the Trade Hotel. Getting up to the 9th level was confusing - only 1 elevator worked to get up to the 9th level. The inside is beautiful esp with the views of MKE. We ordered the yellow fin, garlic bread, and steak tartare as starters. Our entrees were branzino, veal, and mafaldi. The garlic bread was so delicious - it had this creamy alfredo like sauce. Yellow fin was fresh and the steak tartare was alright. The mafaldi pasta was delicious but the branzino had a more fishy taste than I'm used to. Veal was pretty good but lacked a bit of flavor. My server was amazing. She was fast and knew the menu really well. We got drinks and they were also mediocre - it was a bit too strong. Overall, would recommend this place to other people. read more

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Everything that we had at Il Cervo was very good. We enjoyed the focaccia app (based on other Yelp reviews - thank you!) it was so delicious, we also had a salad, the squid ink gnocchi and the spicy pepperoni pizza. My friends enjoyed a tequila cocktail while I opted for wine. The only reason I'm knocking a star off is I felt like it was a bit over priced. read more

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Service could have been better but the food was virtuosic. the restaurant was very nice inside and the outdoor area had great views of downtown milwaukee. read more

Me and a friend went to dinner at Il Cervo last night. We were seated in the bar area which was very loud and not quite the vibe we expected going into dinner. It felt like the bar tables should just be for people grabbing drinks and apps and not for dining. We ordered the artichoke appetizer, which we both really enjoyed. The lemony dipping sauce was great! For entrees, I got the mafaldi and my friend got the cavatelli. We both really liked our pastas as well. The portions were the perfect size. Finished with the tiramisu and an espresso martini. Also both good. The service was great. The prices were a little high but nothing unexpected for the area. Beautiful new hotel. I just think the ambiance kinda ruined the experience for us. I probably wouldn't return for some time, maybe go on a week night. read more

Il Cervo - Tiramisu - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Il Cervo is at the top of the new Trade Hotel across from the Fiserv Forum. There is street parking in the neighborhood and a parking garage in a pinch. You enter through the lobby of the Trade Hotel and take the elevator up to the 9th floor. What greets you is a bright & modern restaurant that gives you great views of the city. You can find indoors or outside along the terrace and enjoy beverages and locally sourced food. I went with some friends for happy hour so we had drinks and ordered some appetizers to stare. There's a great wine list and a cocktail menu to boot. We all had Aperol Spritzes which were great. Our server was attentive and had lots of knowledge of the menu. She strongly recommended the garlic focaccia which we ordered and REALLY ENJOYED. It comes with a three cheese sauce on the bottom and was truly excellent! We also tried the fried olives and stuffed dates both of which were yummy! I will definitely be back soon as I want to try more of the incredible food options and enjoy the view more! read more

Outstanding Italian dinner! Excellent service! Beautiful rooftop view- all windows, gorgeous sunset tonight! High end dining experience. Knowledgeable waiter. Relaxed atmosphere. Nice background music The menu is spectacular! The wine choices hand picked, versatile. Fresh pasta homemade, romaine hearts, Caesar salad dressing with dill, Agnolotti pasta with kale and Parmesan cream, sunchoke brown butter, carrot cake with homemade vanilla gelato..... Gorgeous fireplaces, outdoor views and patios with sunlamps if cold, if you want to take pictures or enjoy another cocktail.... This is a must experience, a notch above the highest end Chicago restaurants. Loved read more

Il Cervo - Dining room - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Loved the recommended chicken parm. Ambience was cool. Sat at the bar. It was a dinner I enjoyed after a long day of work.

Stopped by the new restaurant on top of the trade hotel and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere and design of the place was awesome. The restaurant felt like other new age restaurants I've been to in bigger cities (like Boston and Chicago). It was also a nice mix of people dressed up and also people in causal clothes. We ended up getting a round of drinks, pasta, a salad and a pizza, that we shared as a table. Overall, the food was very good and unique. Drinks were pretty good and I really enjoyed the mezcal Negroni. Definitely will stop back for drinks and/or food in the future! read more

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I really like this restaurant as it has a cosmopolitan vibe. Great views as well. It is located in The Trade Hotel. We were with a group of 4 during some rainy times. It was still a nice open concept feel in one of the sections (that connects to the outside). Ordered a shrimp dish and the pasta Bolognese was also great. One person in our party had the spring chicken and would not recommend it. Desserts were delicious also - we liked all of them. Espresso martini was strong and tasty. Service great also even on a busy night. They also handled the nut and shellfish allergy at our table well. Eat with confidence. There is a parking structure to the hotel or street parking. For me the parking structure worked better. read more

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Pretty rough experience here not going to lie. The dinner took over 3 hours from start to finish for a group of 8. The first drinks took 45 minutes, than we ordered a bottle of wine which came over an hour later during the middle of dinner. This was a birthday dinner and the service was terrible. Extremely slow. The bar service had 4 bartenders that were unbelievably slow and there was probably 75 people around the bar waiting for drinks. They need many more bartenders to handle a massive restaurant and a massive bar. The wine blew our mind because we sat next to the wine cellar and the waitress was not allowed to get the bottle it had to be a manager. She could have walked in to the cellar and handed it to us in 5 minutes but it took an hour. Some people enjoyed their food, some did not. I had the Chicken Parm and it looked like they butterflied an entire chicken, fried it then tossed it on top of rice. Was very tough to finish. The broccoli was the worst I have had. They literally cut off the top of the broccoli and just served boiled stems with a wad of butter. Truly the worst side I have had in many years. This place has an incredible location and vibe but a poorly run restaurant that needs many fixes to get it right. Prices are high for such poor service. read more

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I really love the outdoor patio here, definitely recommend asking for that when you make a Reservation. My husband and I also agreed we probably had the best meatballs we've ever had for a starter, and you can't go wrong with the pasta options! I wish the waitress would have visited and checked in on us more, but other than that it was a really nice experience. read more

Food was delicious. Started with the salmon rilletes and then the bass piccata and artichoke ravioli with crispy pork belly. Loved them both but the wait staff.......especially Sage may have been the star of the show! read more

Il Cervo - Artichoke ravioli with crispy pork belly - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I brought our 9 year old son who appreciates a fine dining experience. He specifically asked if we could leave a review because this was his favorite dinner ever. Alejandro was our server and was a delight. We were seated at one of the best tables , right next to the window. Our meal was fantastic! They also made us custom mocktails based on our flavor preference. Our son said the ambiance was his favorite part. Excellent Italian food, excellent experience read more

Il Cervo - Roloto and Chicken Parm - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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A trendy top floor restaurant-cocktail bar with great views of Milwaukee located next to the basketball arena. Made reservations for the weekend brunch. We parked on the street next to the hotel, no need to feed the parking meters on Sunday. The hostess was very welcoming, we were seated quickly and our server arrived to take drink orders. I ordered the Mortadella Benedict with breakfast potatoes. The food was very good, mortadella well seasoned with just the right amount of creamy goodness from the eggs and hollandaise to soak into the sourdough muffin and potatoes. It is a little pricey $$$ but sometimes you need to splurge, loved the atmosphere. read more

Il Cervo is a VIBE! The restaurant is on the 9th floor of a hotel. When you dine either inside or outside, you have a gorgeous view of Downtown Milwaukee. I ordered the following: Grilled Octopus Panzanella Cappelletti The food is expensive but the dining experience is worth it. Very tranquil. Well lit. A great place for a dinner date, anniversary, etc. Server: Zach. Zach was such a sweetie! Great service and a stellar attitude. He came and asked me how I liked each dish. If you have Zach as your waiter, make sure to tip him well! The grilled octopus was a 10/10. Tender, light, and refreshing. The tomatoes burst in your mouth. The Panzanella was a 10/10 too. Very fresh! You probably get a day and a half's worth of iron in the salad. Lots of greens! The Cappelletti was 8/10. I wish I had more room in my stomach to give it a full review. I liked the mushrooms and Lima beans. So, if you abhor mushrooms, I don't recommend this dish. Very mushroomy. read more

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Went on a saturday night and the food was great. Limited options for gluten-free but was yummy! Service wasn't great for the price point. Our dirty dishes sat on our table until we left. We went to celebrate our engagement and put that in the reservation but it wasn't asked about or acknowledged. Our server didn't seem to know much about the drink menu and wasn't very friendly. Although the host that sat us was lovely. read more

Nice place with an awesome view in a great location. A larger selection of craft cocktails offers something for everyone. Our group had a variety of different dishes and all were very satisfied. read more

Food- AMAZING, went for the gluten free options and they have amazing, allergen conscious menu. The shrimp a La vodka was amazing and the pizza was good. Their mozzarella and octopus are also great Likely the best ambiance and vibe in the city. Service was also great, unlike previous reviews. Great addition to Milwaukee read more

Il Cervo - Mozzarella spicy Calabrian - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

It was easy to book a reservation so that was a huge plus and I made it the day of. The ambiance was good. It's a nice restaurant above the hotel. I was hoping to see a nice view of the city skyline but that wasn't the case. The lighting was decent; it wasn't too dark nor too light. They played nice instrumental music. Food: I would give a 4.5/5 I ordered the creste de Gallo which was a mushroom pasta! Very delicious! The pasta tasted super fresh! My husband ordered the bolognese and he enjoyed his meal as well. We also ordered starters; my husband had the beef meatballs and he said they were okay but the sauce was delicious. We also ordered the focaccia bread (similar to a cheesy garlic bread) that was good very cheesy. Drinks: 5/5 My husband had the Wisconsin old fashion with bourbon-sweet and that was good and I had a glass of red wine which was good as well. All in all. Definitely recommend checking this place out! read more

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The food, service, and atmosphere was really good. The vodka and boar meat pasta was tasty. The issue is the drinks were terrible. The wine was skunked and the mixed drink wasn't very good. Not sure what happened. read more

Il Cervo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The food - not good, flavorless, and rather expensive for what you're getting. The stars are only for the drinks, which are good and the view is great. The service - really really hit and miss. Went during the day once, and the service was good. Went for a late dinner, sat at the bar, and waited a good 30 minutes before the bartender came over to talk to me. read more

Every year my girlfriends and I do a girls dinner for the holidays. This year we decided on I'll Cervo and did not disappoint.The ambiance was cozy and comfortable. The service was phenomenal. Everyone was very attentive and friendly. The steak tartare was refreshing. The Scottish salmon with beet risotto was to die for!! read more

Il Cervo - Scottish salmon with beet risotto - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Loved the view. Service was fantastic. Food was great. I wish they served rootbeer like the restaurant downstairs, but the servers went above and beyond to make a coke with vanilla. Thanks team. read more

Great service and environment. Amazing food! Recommend Italian Wedding Cake it was great came for my birthday. read more

Il Cervo - Vodka Pasta, Chicken Parm, Bolognese! Very yummy - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Unfortunately we were not overly impressed with the food. For appetizers we ordered the arancini and the octopus. It's hard to mess up arancini. The octopus was grilled but it was over-charred and tasted more burnt than grilled. For dinner we ordered the striped bass, short rib pasta with broccolini, and the carrots. The striped bass entree was a huge portion overwhelmed by fingerling potatoes and a salad. The fingerling potatoes downscaled the whole thing. It was like eating French fries. The pasta was a small portion and tasted pretty good. The carrots were probably the best thing. Because we were so unimpressed we skipped the dessert. The drinks were good though. Our service was okay, nothing above and beyond since she barely checked on us. The ambiance was, however, the best thing about the whole night, especially the music! read more

Food was amazing. Views were great. Had the focaccia and the meatballs appetizers and both were to die for!!! Both pasta dishes we had as entrees were also amazing and i had enough to take home as leftovers! Service was a little slow, however this was only their 2nd week open so it was understandable as they were super busy! read more

Il Cervo - Appetizers - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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IL CERVO Way more wins than losses but the losses, while correctable and mainly minor, they are worth mentioning. This is the new dining experience across from the Buck's arena...this is a needed addition to the cityscape and is poised to be a hot spot to eat and be seen. Awesome views...have them seat you on the eastside. Greeters are pleasant and engaged. Spacious and well designed. Our waiter Gil was thoroughly familiar with the menu and it's many nuances...but it seemed scripted, not necessarily from tested or his personal opinions yet. He recommended a "sweet" nonalcoholic drink that was heavy in bitters to the point I had to question if it was indeed nonalcoholic...he did offer to remake it or replace it. To his credit they only had two NA options and this one was the sweeter of the two. The entrees were up to par. The shrimp pasta was amazing, the shrimp was fresh with a lobster taste. Paired with a tomato cream sauce. The other entree was the highly anticipated mushroom pasta with asparagus, with a savory cream sauce. Big kudos to neither dish needing additional seasoning like a pepper mill or grated parm and not even salt, they came out perfect and both were scrumptious! But the surprise hits were the appetizers. A flash fried heart of artichoke with an excellent dipping cream and a toasted focaccia wedge that was extra crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, it was served with a garlicky fondant that was hella creative and decadent if that is acceptable to say. This is sure to be a signature staple that all must try. Now for the losses. First they need to figure out how to get patrons past the gatekeeping front desk person who on this evening was assessing if you indeed were in the right place, instead of graciously welcoming you in...probably just me. He walked you all the way to the elevator only to say, "yep it looks like that elevator will take you up..." not as a kind gesture, more of a filter. The water was always empty even though they had adequate staff and a dedicated water person. The waiter made a comment that this isn't how it normally is and he blamed it on the excessive traffic. This little detail was probably the most annoying as I drink copious amounts of water. But the biggest fail was a dessert was ordered via phone but never delivered to our table as a surprise for me. The staff person on the phone made it seem like it would be an easy and awesome task that they could managed...alas, it never happened. But let's be clear, the other numerous wins made the overall experiencing satisfying and pleasantly memorable. The prices were expectantly pricey, and with consistent attention to detail will be worth it...not so much if the attention to detail lacks. IL CERVO is definitely worth trying as they work out these few kinks and yes we will be back, for the garlicky focaccia and the view if nothing else. read more

Il Cervo - Fried artichokes and garlicky focaccia. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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The food, AMAZING! The view and atmosphere , AMAZING! The staff were great too! Attentive and helpful! We went here for an anniversary dinner and excited to go back! read more

PSA for all of my Milwaukee people! New & Hot spot located at the beautiful and newly built Trade Hotel.This hotel is located in the heart of the Deer District and will have swept you off your feet once you're done visiting!!! We came for date night to check out the new restaurant Il Cervo located on the rooftop of the hotel. We started out with the tomato basil mozzarella appetizer with the rosemary sea salt focaccia bread. To drink my husband got a classic WI Old Fashion that did not disappoint and I got the Nonino Aperitivo which was fabulous a hint of lemon and elderflower that was absolutely delish. We then shared the Panzanella Salad this salad is kale based and my husband who doesn't typically like kale LOVED IT. A light and crunchy salad that is a must!! For our mains, my husband got the Spaghetti that came with meatballs + sausage and I got the Creste De Gallo which was full of rich & creamy flavors of mushrooms, pecorino cream sauce, asparagus, and truffle shavings. I also added their homemade ricotta cheese on top! Do not skip this!!! Their ricotta is freshly homemade along with their pasta. I kid you not, this is one of the best pastas I've ever had. We could not come without trying a dessert to end the evening. We finished with olive oil carrot cake topped with gelato and a side of their homemade lemoncello We then headed over for one last drink over the night sky to end honestly one of my favorite evenings here in Milwaukee with my favorite person. The 360 view of Milwaukee here is everything and can't ask for much better. We are so obsessed with The Trade Hotel and excited to come back for many more visits to come!! The service was wonderful and I can easily say this is one my top favorite restaurants in Milwaukee read more

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Atmosphere was terrible for the price of drinks and food. Music was so loud it was hard to talk. Food was overpriced , I had the Mafaldi which was comparable to a hamburger helper and very disappointing for the $31 price. Drinks were pretty basic and overpriced. Service was slightly slow. This establishment wants to be more upscale than it is. Will not be going back again. read more

Went here last night for date night. The ambiance was exceptional with a beautiful view of the city. Food was delicious! Unique flavors and prompt food to table time. Only complaint was in regards to our waitress. She provided excellent descriptions of all the menu items. However she was not attentive or personable. She never refilled our waters and we had to flag her down to order more alcoholic drinks. My espresso martini was extremely watery, it almost looked like watery tea. We politely expressed dissatisfaction over the beverage and our waitress didn't even offer an apology or a replacement beverage. Also disappointed because she took our leftover pizza away to box it up, but she never gave it back to us. Experience as a whole could have been 5 stars with a better waitress. read more

Food was ok but for the price there was more to be desired, drinks were better. The service was rough, as we constantly waited long periods of time for our waitress. Ambience is unique and was probably the highlight of the dinner read more

Il Cervo markets and positions themselves as a restaurant with high level of service and food. But they fall short in both areas. We started with the roasted garlic focaccia. It was basically toast in butter garlic sauce. It was okay. My husband ordered the whole branzino and I ordered the veal chop Milanese. When the young lady brought our entrees to our table, she didn't know which one was the fish and which one was the veal. The branzino was a whole fish with head & tail and she couldn't tell the difference? That's a sign of bad training. My veal looked way overcooked. They threw it on top of some pesto and then tons of arugula. I took two bites of it and stopped. The veal was pounded thin and then covered in 1/2" of breading. I thought veal Milanese should be pan fried but this appeared to have been deep fried. I called our waitress over and asked if it was supposed to be this dark. She agreed it was too dark and offered to remake the dish. The two bites I had were so bad I didn't want it. I opted for manaldi pasta dish was was just okay. The GM came over and said "I heard you didn't like our veal dish". I replied "No. It was bad". She took it off the bill so that was nice but she didn't seem too concerned that they served a crap dish. My husband also commented that his branzino was also burnt towards the head & tail. After the bad food and lackluster service, we just wanted to leave. read more

Il Cervo - How could they let this leave the kitchen? - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Easily my new summer favorite. Patio season will never be the same. Milwaukee welcomes you, Il Cervo! read more

Il Cervo - Rooftop Patio - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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