Olive Garden who?! Had an amazing dinner with Angel as our server he was very thoughtful and kind. Had some solid recommendations and throughout the meal, continued to check in on us. Sat on the patio and it was nice aside from the occasional cigarette smoke from the apartment complex next-door. For food, we had the Gorgonzola fettuccine and it was light and rich all at the same time and absolutely delicious! Also had the ribeye which would've loved to have a harder sear and less oil on the plate but all in all it was a delicious meal. Excited to come back and try new dishes! read more

Pasta Tree has a reputation that precedes it and I've often been curious about it, but have never gone. I have a favorite high-end Italian place and I generally want to give them my money and attention. But a recent gift certificate special on the Shepherd Express website and a move to this side of town made me decide it was finally time to try Pasta Tree. Parking in the area sucks and pretty much always had, but there is a parking discount detailed on their website For a lot across the street. We got lucky and found a street spot after two laps. We had a 5pm reservation and were seated in the bar area, which is cozy and classic looking, but I can't speak to the rest of the ambiance. We were directly across from the Toilette, which was not awesome. I'll also caution you not to look up at the ceiling. They need to get a dust mop up there ASAP. Our server was friendly and kind, but she was not a full-time employee, so I'll leave her out of this. Our bread came out quickly, delivered by a nice food runner. It was just on the right side of warm, but it was not exceptional and I only had one slice. BF ordered the salmon Alfredo dish and I had the artichoke cream sans scallops. The food came out very quickly, again delivered by the runner. For a cream sauce, we agreed that the Alfredo base was flavorful and bright, not muddy or overly thick. Good use of lemon and fresh herbs. The pasta was fine, but not remarkable. We liked it, but we both agree we've had better in Milwaukee. His smoked salmon was good, as were my artichokes. These were good dishes, solid, just not distinctive. Weirdly, the bar started getting customers who seemed independent of the dining room. This is not a space where I'd expect that. The sound level was still acceptable, since there were only two other people seated at a table nearby. BF added a tiramisu for dessert. I was saddened that they had no Bailey's for a coffee. They actually were out of several things, which isn't cool for only 5 on a Saturday night. His dessert was fine, not great. It was generously large. Overall, I enjoyed my night but it was buoyed by our mood and not our dining experience. I didn't feel like the price points were equal to the food and that's with a discounted gift certificate. I'm glad I tried it, but I'm not compelled to go back. A place can't survive on reputation alone forever, not as Milwaukee is evolving into a real foodie city. read more

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This restaurant used to be awesome and very romantic in the early 2000s. It has gone downhill massively. The last time my husband and I were there to celebrate an anniversary, it was a terrible experience. The table next to us had a cell phone ring every five minutes and the guy would take the call and he would be really loud and obnoxious, then he'd hang up and then he get another call. It was very disturbing and distracting to our meal. No one in the restaurant asked him to step out or turn the ringer off. Definitely not romantic at all. Now the food is subpar. I feel like I can buy a box of pasta, cook it at home and have the same effect with less noise and distraction. read more

Oh god. Go somewhere else. The pasta was awful, cocktails tasted like nothing, and service was so bad we got our food before our drinks. Find a different Italian spot, you'll thank me later read more

This is such a cute restaurant. You can tell it's been around for awhile, it has such a charm to it! We came here for dinner. Our service was great! The food was good, especially the meatballs and tiramisu. We might try different entrees next time! My husband got the beef Bolognese, which was different because it had cinnamon in it. I got pasta with scallops - I don't normally love pasta and seafood, so I would definitely get a dish with chicken or beef next time! read more

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So...we took the Hop over to the East side on our way to another restaurant when the wife said "Hey, pasta sounds good" as we were walking by the Pasta Tree. We stopped in and asked if they had availability for a walk in and were graciously accommodated. We ordered a bottle of Italian vino to start off the evening. Wine quality and price point was good. We tried the calamari as a primi piatti and it was solid. The fried olives added saltiness to the dish. My wife had the Francese sauce with fettuccini and I had the carbonara. Both dishes were good and the pasta was homemade. I was a bit disappointed that an Italian restaurant did not have grappa as an aperitif, so we passed on dessert. It was a good meal and Journey provided attentive service. read more

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Writing a review for a less-than-great experience is always hard. It is definitely more fun to rave about a great experience! However, I think it is important, and I hope this review can serve as a helpful critique. I visited on a Saturday night with a reservation at 7:45 PM with two out of town guests. We sat in the wine bar which has a beautiful interior. We were informed they were short servers and the host would be our server. Since she was underage, she let us know she couldn't take alcohol orders and asked if we could stick to non-alcoholic drinks. While understandable, we had been looking forward to red wine and espresso martinis. Fortunately, the manager was able to place the order for us. However, when the espresso martinis arrived, they were missing the espresso liqueur and had to be reshaken. After, we had to ask for butter or oil for our bread three times and finally got butter with no knife. We ended up dipping our bread in the butter. As for the main meal, it didn't quite rank among my top pasta experiences, but maybe I ordered the wrong dish. The lasagna I had was warm (but not hot), the pasta was soft (not al-dente), and there was a little more mozzarella than I tend to enjoy on the top of the pasta (a touch parm would have done the trick). However, the shrimp appetizer that my family-friend ordered as a meal was wonderful. It was the perfect balance of garlic and butter, plus the shrimp were large! I'm so glad I got a taste. The manager was really kind and tried to make it up to us. He showed us around the restaurant and spent a lot of time at the end chatting which was an appreciated gesture! I could see them benefiting from putting more emphasis on apps and drinks. Additionally, cutting down their menu to focus on a few standout mains. With a more refined approach--less heavy on cheese and more focused on letting fresh ingredients shine--this spot really has some 5-star potential. Hopefully this is review is helpful and inspires people to visit for their drinks and apps because it is such a cozy, dimly lit restaurant with a lot of charm and passionate staff. read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Not my favorite Italian in Milwaukee, but our waitress was very nice! The feel of the restaurant is not appetizing and the fire alarm kept beeping every 5 minutes! David liked his carbonara but my Artichoke cream had no flavor. There is no salt or pepper on the table which was annoying because I think adding pepper to mine would have made it more appetizing. Overall I would not go back because of the price tag and quality of food. read more

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I went with 2 friends last month. The food was excellent. We shared a Caesar Salad among the 3 of us. It was very crisp, favorable and one of the best we, all agreed, ever had. We had 3 different entrees; the risotto special of the day with crab, asparagus & more, the Pesto Linguini with shrimp (6 big shrimp) and the Fresh Basil Pesto Cream with chicken. All were excellent and the servings large so we all took home leftovers. Warm, flavored bread, we thought rosemary, and sundried tomato butter was served when we sat down. No complaints or issues with food! Service was a somewhat of a disappointment. The restaurant was not busy; there was 1 other table with us in the back room and a few tables up front had customers. Our server, Angel, could use some polishing for working in an upscale restaurant like the Pasta Tree. He spoke so fast we had to ask him to slow down twice and to repeat what he had said a number of times. We felt a bit rushed to order (Angel has a fast manner :-) ) but we did ask him to come back in a few minutes. What bothered me most was his inattentiveness when talking to us. All the while talking he was looking over my shoulder to the bar area. He knew his stuff as he could rattle it all off while looking away. He also failed to let us know that there is a $5 charge for extra bread, when we ordered that. It just showed up on the bill. Since the restaurant was not busy and the bill was over $240.00 with the tip, (which is a significant expense for us) service could have been sharper. I shared this with the restaurant already, hoping when you go this has been addressed. Overall excellent food & atmosphere, just polish up the service. read more

I have not been to this restaurant in 30 years and will not return for another 30. We had a 5:45 reservation. There were only a few people in the restaurant already. Our waiter told us the specials and took our drink order. 2 of us ordered the special, Nona, pasta with eggplant, red sauce and ricotta. One personally had the squash tortellini with brown butter sauce. The last to order took the pasta with artichoke hearts. He asked to go easy on the garlic. The waiter said it was not a problem because everything was made to order. The drinks were pleasant. The bread serves was laughable. Thinly slice bread that was bland, the size of cracker, and only 4 slices. The meal came unbelievably fast. No joke not even five minutes. No way was it custom made. The tortellini, I was told was good. The artichoke meal was ok. The 2 Nona's came without the ricotta. We asked the waiter--where is the ricotta? We were told that they were out of it- was it a problem for us? Yes, it was. The dish was very spicy. We were not informed that it would be, and the ricotta was an important part of the dish and would hopefully cool it down. Me and my friend were extremely confused since this meal was the daily special and there were only a few tables with customers. After we discussed this with the waiter and asked for some parmigiana cheese. He took our plates and came back with the ricotta on them. We were told that they just got some in. He could not remember who's plate was who's and just gave each of us a plate not know who it belonged to originally. Really? Five minutes later you suddenly got the main ingredient in your daily special ? When we were asked how we liked our food, I stated that it was very spicy. He just walked away. $180 for 4 pasta dishes and 3 drinks. Now for the parking. On the web site, it tells you to park in the Renaissance parking lot across the street. They send you a link to put your car license in to register your car. The app gives you a number. I showed the hostess the app and asked her if we did it correctly, she replied yes, show your waiter. Our waiter didn't know what to do and said that they use to take care of it and apply it to the bill but not anymore. We also didn't know what to do. Why send us the link? Does anyone know what's going on in this restaurant? read more

I have always liked the Pasta Tree in the past. Service great. Food great. I had dinner there on 5-13-26 . It has been a while since I ate there. THE FOOD WAS TERRIBLE! My salad was a wilted and soggy "Cesar" salad which was uneatable. My chicken fettuccini Alfredo tasted like fettuccine with diluted cream of mushroom soup as the sauce. It was 1/2 price wine night and they had no Pinot Grigio. I came for meat lasagna but they did not have the meat lasagna. I was so disappointed and sadden of what happened to a restaurant I used to love. I will not return there for a meal. read more

Some of the best pasta in Milwaukee. Everything tastes so fresh. A little pricey but worth it. The ambiance has that authentic Italian feel. Great place! read more

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time, so I made reservations. The waiter was less than impressive. I couldn't understand the specials that he was reading off and I didn't even bother to ask him to repeat them as he already seemed annoyed just to take our order. The drinks and food were mediocre at best. I have many other Italian restaurants in the area that I would prefer to visit. read more

We found this place as a great location near Shank Hall and it was a great find. I'm not sure why the rating are so low. Great staff that seated us right away and gave us great attention. The view from our table into the Milwaukee Street was very quaint and colorful. The recommended Chianti was excellent. My wife had the Carbonara while I had one of the Scallop dishes. Both were excellent and I look forward to coming back and exploring more of the menu. read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - View to the street. - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I paid $26 for the shrimp and $18 for the caprese. Sad face. Not ok. Manicotti is very good, though.

The food was great the service couldn't be better and the ambiance is the best! Amazing drink selection!

We had a milestone birthday celebration at Pasta Tree for a party of 7 on a Friday night. I had heard and read mixed reviews of the food and service, however, want to share that our experience was excellent! The staff was attentive and friendly. The hostess asked if we wanted indoor or outdoor and we replied the latter. They seated us a large table on the patio and it was delightful. Our server Journey took great care of us. We order the Shishito Pepper appetizer and it was delightful. Enough to share for a large group. We all had different entrees, the lasagna was a fan favorite. I had one of their chefs specials, an arugula beet salad and it had so much flavor. They also had a chefs special spicy rigatoni which should be a regular on the menu. They make their pasta fresh, daily and you could tell. Based on my experience, I would go back and recommend the Pasta Tree for a fun night on the East Side of Milwaukee. read more

I wrote a review three years ago noting how bad the restaurant was. I decided to do a reset and I am glad I gave the restaurant another chance! Ordered my usual Caesar's salad beef carpaccio and scallops in fresh pasta. The food was out standing and our server Sarah took very good care of us It turned out to be a lovely evening with the ambiance complete with good food and forget service. I'll be back soon read more

I got doordash from this restaurant and they were the worst restaurant I ever got any delivery from in my life. I ordered pasta Primavera and it had penne pasta. I got spaghetti noodles. It had tomato sauce, I got an agoio e olio version. They said it had sweet Italian sausage. I got regular sausage crumbles My daughter also ordered a sprite, we didn't get it. My wife and daughter ordered chucken pesto and my wife varely got pesto and there was so much oil that it spilled out and leaked everywhere including through the bag and everything in the bag was covered in oil. Please do yourself a favor and ban this restaurant from your list. My wife said tip 20%. I wanted to tip 10% i wish i would've given nothing. If you like to waste your money, be insulted, have almost spiceless italian food. Worst place i ever ordered from.​ read more

Service was very slow! Bread basket had 4 very small pieces literally 3" slices with basil pesto butter which was very salty! 12 mins after getting our water our waitress came to our table took our basic drink order one beer one glass of wine but that took forever The salad we ordered arrived without the goat cheese. After a few mins we realized there wasn't any cheese so we asked the waiter who brought the salad for the goat cheese he did not take the salad back but we saw and hear him go to the kitchen and tell them Hey that salad didn't have the goat cheese on it. But when the waiter came out of the kitchen he walked right past our table like it was a non issue. Then our waitress stopped back to our table we told her of this issue of the salad and she took the salad back to the kitchen immediately brought it back and said she wouldn't charge us for the salad. The table we were sat at was next to the back door but it was so cold and drafty I had to place my jacket on top of my lap and wrap my legs to keep warm Just a mixture of slow staff, staff that didn't seem to know how to offer quality hospitality and service. The waiter seemed awkward when he was carrying plates to and from tables. To get to the ladies restroom you have to go through the kitchen and when you open the bathroom door you have to step up into the bathroom Then finally the table next to us ordered a basic martini and when brought to him he immediately asked what that was because it was not the martini so back to the bar and a new drink was made for him and he told them forget about the damn martini because it was so cloudy and not made properly At $18 for a martini he was not going to accept the drink when it was clearly made wrong twice! I will not be recommending this place nor will I return it's not worth it read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - Cold back door very drafty place to seat people! - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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If I could leave negative stars I would. The things I witnessed are simply too much to even type out, the owner knows her wrongs. It's one thing to be short staffed, it's another to completely over look the safety and wellbeing of their staff. This place is really capitalizing on being "historic" and cut corners on their own staff. So disappointing when there's so much potential. Bartender "Justice" is aggressive and unwell. If you are a guest and see a young lady on staff being harassed, I encourage you to say something. Clearly owners / management do not know when they have crossed a line. read more

Staff were very attentive, pleasant and friendly. Our salads were excellent! Entrees were OK. We were put off by the strong smell of weed coming from the kitchen on and off throughout our meal (may have been why the staff was so nice but not appropriate and we find the odor offensive). It would not have been OK to drink on the job--not OK to get high. read more

We again had a stellar evening at the Pasta Tree! We have never been disappointed with the fabulous food or genuine terrific service! Suzette has built a truly wonderful dining experience! Celebrated my birthday and Samantha, our beautiful waitress made the evening a really memorable night. Thank you again for a glorious evening!! read more

Love love love this wine bar! Great selection!! Was a welcoming environment and in a great location! Would come back

The best option to choose for my one year anniversary, the highest service & in the best way possible we had no time to request anything, justice took my call a night before and made sure i got a window table the next day, the best pasta in the Brady St. area, Stop by and make sure to check in with justice at the bar read more

Pleasant wait staff, amazing food. Stopped in here on a whim and we're not disappointed. The quality of the food was exceptional. I had the lamb bolognese which had amazing depth of flavor. My husband had the pesto crèam which was also delicious. Very intimate space and quiet space. We are really glad we walked by and decided to stop. read more

I love the food they serve at Pasta Tree and the wait staff is always very nice however I always seem to remember it as being more fancy than it actually is. read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - Homemade Manicotti - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Pasta Tree is a cute place! Felt very homey, and Italian-esquié. However, the food was a little disappointing - it felt either under seasoned or overcooked. Our waitress was amazing! And I'm not one to complain, but I had higher expectations. read more

Food was good but the worst service ever. Not going to make a return visit. Maybe it was an off night. read more

This is the covid era review I hate to write. Pasta Tree is really not ready to have customers, or they weren't ready when I visited in late February. A few highlights to start: the food is really good and it comes out quickly once you get a chance to order. Now for the bad: -There's no social distancing at all. Every single table was full when we went. -The staff is way too overworked. There was one waiter for the all 12 usable tables. He was good but had to do way too much. -You can't trust the website. I saw another reviewer comment on this too. The menu you get when you sit down has prices $3-4 higher per item than what's on the website. I don't think that's fair to people coming in & it doesn't seem accidental (they'd updated the website for Valentine's deals but not to update prices) so I posted the latest menu in the photos here. -covid charge: they warn ahead of time about a 6% covid fee added onto the bill. But if there's very limited staff and no distancing and few visible covid precautions, how is that covid add on really being used? Isn't it in the same category as presenting customers with suddenly higher prices when they walk in the door? -Finally the food was mostly good but there were some big misses. They served me a bottled beer that had expired 8 months ago, then said they'd take care of it, then gave me my bill and kept the beer on it. Also both mussels they served us weren't open/were inedible, and the seafood dish had a grand total of one shrimp and one scallop, among some other stuff. Overall I really wanted to like this place and I truly feel for the bad hand the staff is being dealt, but this place shouldn't be visited in my opinion until we're way closer to covid being behind us. read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - Updated menu as of 2/20/21 - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Worst service we've ever had. Stuck us in a back room with boxes laying around. Manager was our server and didn't wait on us for 25 minutes, forgot our drinks multiple times. We were done with our food when he asked us if we wanted fresh parm lol . At the end of the night when we were leave we saw him sitting at a table on his phone. Food was very good but overall terrible experience. read more

Suzzette - The Pasta Tree is a cozy Lower Eastside gem! The establishment ambiance is warm and charming. I thoroughly enjoyed the Pesto Linguini with chicken, and my friend loved the Butternut Squash Ravioli. We opted for bar seating, and a thank you to the young bartender (Frank, I believe) whom made pleasant conversation with us throughout. The Primitivo was fine, and the plum cheesecake rocked. We've decided we'll definitely return again soon. read more

A cute little place that has a good variety of pasta. Wish they had more options to add proteins to the dishes. The service was okay. We did go on Valentine's Day so it was very busy. We got to our table right away but lots of other couples were waiting on their reservation. Felt like we were eating at a NYC restaurant. read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - Valentine's Day Celebration - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A friend of mine had recommended the Pasta Tree and convinced me it was most definitely worth visiting after stating in was his favorite place in MKE for pasta. After stopping in for myself, I have some thoughts of my own. First, the aesthetic inside was very cozy and well-lit with quaint lamps and candlelit tabletops. The walls are scattered with vintage artwork and the furniture complimented that energy, as well. My visit took place in October, so they crafted a list of fall-inspired drinks. I tried the Toasted Pecan Woodford Reserve Bourbon and it was very tasty. The food was okay, but overall was lacking in flavor. I ordered the Pesto Linguini and was left wanting more of a punch of the pesto. I ordered a side of Gnocchi and that was much more flavorful. For dessert, I ended my meal with some Strawberry gelato and it was garnished with some frozen berries, and I recommend that if you wan to end your meal on a lighter note. I would definitely try the Pasta Tree again, and next time I'm ordering their Lasagna! read more

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Food was great. Server was just OK. Not as professional as you would expect for the high price of the meal. The portions were disappointingly small. I'm not sure I would go back. It's too bad because I really enjoyed the food. read more

Very romantic restaurant. Great wine selections and full bar. The house made bread and flavored butter was phenomenal. Ordered the fettuccini Alfredo with spinach pasta. Best Alfredo I've had in a really long time! read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - House bread - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Talk about a hidden in plain sight gem! My significant other and I made reservations for last night and had the most amazing experience. The staff was UNMATCHED. From service to food knowledge I was beyond impressed. We were seating as soon as we walked in and were brought waters and bread. Our server, whose name I can't remember, was phenomenal! The menu is going through some revamps, so not all the wines were there but she recommended one super close to what I wanted. We ordered the lobster bisque and clam chowder. The bisque was my favorite (I'm still thinking about it) the chowder was good, but the bisque was more my speed. For entrees, I got the Artichoke cream with spinach noodles and he got the cobenara. We were very impressed and will absolutely be back. read more

The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar - Date night at the pasta tree! - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I ordered the carbonara on March 14. I have only complained about pasta carbonara area once before and it was in California. The reason I gave a one star is because Aide the variety of substitutions and additions a customer can order. I did think the price was a little high, but a fantastic dish should charge for quality and taste. First,the portion was about 25% less than what I expected. Again, I was looking at quality and taste. Second, was too heavily salted and peppered. Third, too much alfredo sauce. Too much alfredo sauce and too much ground pepper did not allow me to taste the other ingredients. For the price I paid, I would aside salad or slices of bread should have been included. Some bread might have absorbed some of the alfredo sauce. If, and that is a big, "if", I ordered this again, I would ask how many ounces of pasta is in the order, get alfredo sauce on the side and ask for very little salt and pepper on the side. read more

Working in Milwaukee this winter. A local tavern owner recommended the Pasta Tree. The décor is old timey and very nicely done. A charming ambiance for any kind of meal, but especially a romantic one. Service was unpretentious and thoughtful. I ordered the Salmon with Alfredo sauce, Gnocchi, Asparagus. They were all excellent. Portions were generous. I took home about a third for lunch tomorrow. I asked the waiter to recommend a glass of complimentary wine. I am no expert, but the red he recommended was delicious and complimented the meal perfectly. Desert was a delicious Cannoli and a cup of coffee. The coffee was wonderful and the cannoli was great. I am not a food expert, but I eat out a lot, and sometimes I am disappointed. I was not disappointed tonight. I had an excellent meal. I paid a little more than average, but the quality, the service and the ambiance added up to a great value. I would recommend The Pasta Tree over most Italian restaurants I have tried in Milwaukee. I can only think of another that is in it's league here. It's a bit more expensive and really a different style altogether. I bet there are others. I'm glad there are options. Still looking for excellent pizza somewhere. I'll keep looking. I am happy to recommend this intimate and understated gem of a restaurant. read more

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I came in yesterday with my boyfriend, my food was delicious, restaurant was super busy the manager Matthew on top of everything, making an effort to great myself and other guests, and getting everyone there food in a timely fashion definitely will be back soon. read more