Home · The National

Announcement

On Sunday, February 19th we lost our dear friend, David Turnpaugh. We will be closing the cafe on Friday, March 10th to hold a memorial service for his friends and family. For those who knew and loved David, please stop by between the hours of 12pm-6pm, to help us celebrate his life.

Book your private party! We can accommodate up to 35 guests for in-house for rehearsal dinners, baby showers, bridal showers and more!

We have partnered with Grubhub to provide you delivery service! Delivery provided between 11am-3:30pm. Click on the "order online" link.

Weekly Soups

Soups
Tues: Potato and ham
Wed: Vegetarian chili
Thurs: Cauliflower leek
Fri: Mushroom and brie
Sat and Sun: Tomato basil (vegan)

Breakfast

SHORT RIB SWEET POTATO HASH // $12 Short ribs, roasted sweet potato, diced veggies, two sunny eggs, and Gorgonzola. Served with a toasted baguette. (v)

CARAMEL APPLE FRENCH TOAST // $10 Apple baked baked French toast. Served with maple salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and candied nuts. (v)

BREAKFAST RICE BOWL // $12 Fried rice, bacon, avocado, sunny-side eggs, pickled cucumbers, sesame spinach, crispy shallots, and Sriracha ketchup

CROQUE MADAME $ // $12 Ham and melted swiss cheese sandwich, with a Dijon brandy bechemel sauce, parmesan cheese and topped with a sunny side egg. Served with fruit.

OMELETTE or TOFU SCRAMBLE // $9/$9.50 Three Yuppie Hill eggs, or seasoned tofu with your choice of three ingredients. Served with toast & fruit. Egg whites also available for $.75 (v)(V)

BREAKFAST BURRITO // eggs $9.50/tofu $10 Whole wheat wrap, black bean spread, avocado, peppers, onions, cheddar, and salsa. Served with rosemary potatoes or fruit. (v)(V)

BREAKFAST SLIDER // $7 Bacon, ham, or spinach, egg, and cheddar cheese on a bagel or croissant. (v)

FRENCH TOAST // $8.75 Thick Texas toast, orange cinnamon batter with fresh fruit, candied nuts and whipped cream. (vegan available) (v)

FULL ENGLISH * // $10 Sunny-side eggs, bacon, English banger, tomatoes and mushrooms, potatoes, beans, and toast.

ALL AMERICAN BREAKFAST * // $9 Two eggs, bacon, ham, or sauteed veggies, rosemary breakfast potatoes, and sourdough toast. Vegan option available. $9.5

HUEVOS RANCHEROS * // $10 Fried corn tortillas with blackbean spread, topped with sunny-side eggs, and a spicy ranchero sauce. Served with rosemary potatoes. Vegan option available (GF)

ULTIMATE BREAKFAST SANDWICH * // $10 Bacon, ham, or spin,caramelized onions, fried eggs, cheddar, avocado, olive tapanade, and sriracha mayo on toasted sourdough. Served with fruit.

THE HOT MESS (Fri - Sun only) * // $10. Rosemary Potatoes, bacon or ham or veggies, sautéed peppers, caramelized onions, cheddar, grilled tomatoes, sunny-side eggs & hollandaise. (GF)

HOUSE-MADE GRANOLA PARFAIT OR FRUIT // $6 (GF)

Sammies / Hot Items

VEGAN CHORIZO SANDWICH // $9.50 Open faced baguette with soy chorizo, black bean spread, provolone, and pico de gallo.

MUMBAI PANINI // $10 Fresh herb pesto with masala spices, melted butterkase cheese, cucumber, tomato, onion, and cucumber dipping sauce. (v)

AHI TUNA SANDWICH * // $11 Sesame-crusted ahi tuna with sautéed mushrooms, greens, and wasabi mayo on a toasted kaiser roll.

BLACKENED SALMON SANDWICH // $10.25 Salmon, pickled peppers, arugula, red onion and dijon mayo on toasted ciabatta.

TURKEY CLUB // $9.50 Roast turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, garden jack cheese and garlic mayo, on ciabatta.

BLT&A // $8.50 Bacon, lettuce, tomato & avocado, on toasted sourdough, with garlic mayo.

CHICKEN, BACON AND SWISS // $9 Chicken breast, bacon, and melted swiss cheese on a kaiser roll with garlic mayo, lettuce & tomato.

TURKEY, BACON & BRIE PANINI // $10 Turkey, bacon, and melted brie with a cranberry-orange relish, on ciabatta.

PORTOBELLO MELT // $9 Grilled portobello mushroom, provolone, red onion, Spinach, avocado on a toasted kaiser with dijon mayo. Can be made vegan. (v)(V)

MEDITERRANEAN PANINI // $8.5 Sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, red onions, spinach and provolone, on a ciabatta with garlic mayo and olive tapenade. Can be made vegan. (v)(V)

TONKOTSU RAMEN * (In-house only) // $12 Rich pork broth with seared pork belly, scallions, soft egg, nori and egg noodles. Served with spicy bomb.

Cold Sammies

SALAMI BAGUETTE // $10 Salami, goat cheese, caramelized onions, fennel and arugula, on a toasted baguette with dijon mayo.

MOROCCAN WRAP // $9 Marinated chicken, peppers, red onions, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and mint yogurt sauce. Served in a whole wheat wrap.

HUMMUS WRAP // $8.25 House-made hummus, cucumbers, carrots, red onion, tomatoes, red pepper, greens, and lemon caper dressing in a whole wheat wrap. (v)(V)

INDIAN CURRY CHICKEN SALAD WRAP // $8.5 Diced chicken, scallions, and sultanas, in a light curry based mayo dressing, with mixed greens.

HUMMUS SANDWICH // $9 House-made hummus, roasted veggies, capers, sunflower seeds, basil, and arugula. (v)

HAM & BRIE BAGUETTE // $9 Ham, brie, arugula, tomato and dijon mayo on a baguette.

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN BAGUETTE // $9 Marinated chicken, jicama slaw, and spicy sriracha mayo on a toasted baguette.

Soups & Salads

CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKE SALAD // $11 Marinated chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, peppers, and feta. Topped with a Greek yogurt dressing.

Garden Salad // $7 Tomatoes, red onions, carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, and sunflower seeds on mixed greens with house-made balsamic dressing. (v)(V)

Lemon Caper Tuna Steak Salad // $11 Sesame crusted tuna steak, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, red onion and goat cheese on mixed greens with lemon caper dressing.

WARM FARRO SALAD // $10 Farro, roasted sweet potato, dried fruit, arugula, and cashews in a light dressing

INDONESIAN GADO GADO SALAD // $10 Cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, seared tofu, hard-boiled eggs, and cilantro, on a bed of greens with a warm savory peanut sauce. (v)

Soup of the Day // 12 oz - $4 16 oz - $5 House-made soups with local, and sustainable ingredients. All soup served with Rocket Baby bread.

Coffee & Drinks

House cup (free refill) // $2.25 //

coffee to go (12 0Z) // $2.00 //

coffee to go (16 0Z) // $2.25 //

Iced Coffee (16 0Z) // $2.50 //

Espresso // $1.75/$2 //

Cappuccino // $3/$3.25 // espresso with textured milk

Latte // $3.25/3.50 // espresso with steamed milk

Mocha // $3.50/$3.75 // espresso, steamed milk, chocolate

Americano // $2 // espresso with hot water

Red Eye // $3/$3.25 // coffee and espresso

Macchiatto // $2.50 // espresso marked with milk

Breve // $3.5/$3.75 // espresso with half and half

Café au lait // $2.75/$3 // coffee and steamed milk

Cubano // $2.75 // espresso with raw sugar and steamed milk

Mexican Mocha // $3.75 // chocolate, cinnamon & ancho

Mint Mocha // $3.75 // chocolate, mint

Mocha Blanco // $3.75 // espresso white chocolate

Organic Chai Latte // $3.25/$3.5 //

Hot Cocoa // $3/$3.25 //

Iced Latte // $3.25/$3.5 //

Iced Mocha // $3.5/$3.75 //

Iced Americano // $2 //

Iced Organic Chai Latte // $3.50/$3.75 //

Italian Soda // $3.00 //

Iced Tea // $2.25 //

Thai Iced Coffee // $3.25/$3.5 //

Sport Tea // $2.75 //

The Cafe

Welcome to The National, located in the heart of Milwaukee's Walker's Point neighborhood, just south of downtown. We love Walker's Point for its rich history, traditions, and unique flavor and are honored to be a part of this tapestry. Almost everything we offer is made from scratch, and we use the best of fresh, locally sourced and organic ingredients whenever possible. From our olive tapenade to our ginger-infused yogurt, from house-made hummus to the basil pesto. Expect flavor, originality, and only the best ingredients.

Photo by Matt Haas

CHEF NELL BENTON

Born in Santa Monica CA, it was a toss up between surfer or chef. Her formative years were spent experimenting; not just in the kitchen, but with fixing small mechanical items and helping her dad take apart his motorcycles. After collecting a degree in Anthropology/Sociology in De Pere, WI, Nell spent almost a decade living and working all over the world, which fueled her passion for international cuisine. Having obtained a culinary degree from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Nell moved to Milwaukee to surround herself with her favorite people - Midwesterners - and immerse herself in the local culinary scene. Nell is open about her ketchup obsession, hopes to one day ride the Tran Siberian Express, and has been known to serve tripe in dessert form.

STAFF

Our team embodies the spirit of The National. They are hard-working, bright, talented, fun-loving souls that enjoy the arts of cooking, serving and making people happy.
Artist, animal lover and French toast connoisseur.

The master and the genius behind our much sought after Huevos rancheros.

Ship captain, wicked humor, calm in the storm.

Dancer, catering maestro, ray of sunshine.

The noodle man with a flair for sarcasm and a quick wit.

News

Ramen Noodle Update
Due to the high demand for ramen, we are unable to keep up with in-house noodle production. We are now using a traditional Japanese ramen noodle, made by Amoy.

Congratulations to Nell for releasing her new book, Ramen Fusion Cookbook, out October 6th, 2015!

Check out our catering menu!

Catering Menu

Even the mayor enjoys our Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich! (It was his first egg sandwich EVER)

RAMEN FUSION COOKBOOK

Written in 2015 by the National's own Chef Nell Benton. Pick up your copy at the National, or

Buy Ramen Fusion Cookbook on Amazon

EVENTS

There are no scheduled events at this time.

CATERING

Download Catering Menu

Request a Quote

Catering photography by Rachel Kabukala
EVERYTHING FROM OUR CAFE MENU & MORE

We provide full scale catering, from corporate luncheons to private in-house dinner parties. We are happy to work with you to customize your catering menu. We use only the freshest ingredients, oftentimes locally sourced.

All of our bakery is made in-house, with love.

From cakes, to scones, to bars and cookies. We also provide customized bakery platters for catered events. From baby showers to bridal showers, we love throwing themed catered events, such as traditional English tea parties!

We specialize in wedding catering

and provide all staffing as well as working with Canopies to secure tableware, chairs, linens and dishware. We cater weddings up to 200 guests, and can provide plated dinners, buffets, or heavy hors d’oeuvres.

Request A Quote

It's as easy as filling out the form below. All fields are required.

PRESS

UrbanMilwaukee.com

The National Is Really International

8/24/2015

MilwaukeeMag.com

Dawn of the Bread

10/7/2015

OnMilwaukee.com

National Cafe serves up some of Milwaukee’s best ramen

3/20/2015

TallGuyandaGrill.com

Restaurant Review: The National Cafe

1/20/2015

Chicagoist.com

Five Great Reasons to Visit Milwaukee

7/14/2014

WUWM.com

3 Places to Taste the Ramen Renaissance in Milwaukee

2/28/2014

CONTACT

839 W. National Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53204
414-431-6551

Hours

Tuesday - Sunday
7:30am - 3:30pm

Announcement

Weekly Soups

dairy-free available (DF)

gluten-free available (GF)

vegetarian (v)

vegan (V)

Breakfast

Sammies / Hot Items

Cold Sammies

Soups & Salads

Coffee & Drinks

The Cafe

CHEF NELL BENTON

STAFF

News

RAMEN FUSION COOKBOOK

EVENTS

CATERING

EVERYTHING FROM OUR CAFE MENU & MORE

All of our bakery is made in-house, with love.

We specialize in wedding catering

Request A Quote

PRESS

CONTACT