Allie Boys Bagelry & Luncheonette
135 East National Ave., (414) 988-0388
allieboysmke.com
Deli
$
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Don’t let the casual nature of this little breakfast and lunch shop fool you. There’s mastery to be found in their simple East Coast inspired deli offerings, including New York style bagels (made fresh daily), next level schmears and inventive nibbles.
I love the lazy weekends when I can grab a bagel sandwich and coffee from Allie Boy's. The basic egg and cheese with sausage is sheer comfort; and if you love lox (as I do), you can't go wrong with The Classic featuring house cured lox, tomato, onion, capers, dill, labneh and an herbal schmear. Be sure to get a latke waffle on the side!
But the love doesn't stop there. Offerings like housemade soups, which change with the seasons, are absolute comfort on a chilly day. Bubbe's matzoh ball is worthy of its name and is among their core offerings; grab a bowl and a half-portion of one of their tartines (choose from toppings like chicken liver mousse, lox or tamago egg salad) and it might be among the best lunches you enjoy all week.
If you've got a sweet tooth, be sure to try one of their fried sugar bagels. In fact, I'd recommend taking it all the way with the Lil Miss Sunshine featuring a fried citrus sugar bagel with vanilla pudding cream cheese, calamansi (Filipino lime) curd, toasted meringue and graham cracker. Yeah – it's sweet, bright and flippin' beautiful.
Also, don’t neglect checking out the bagel of the day; if you’re like me, you usually end up taking home a bagful.
Recommended: Bagel tartines; soups; latke waffle; creative specials
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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