These days, eating options are as plentiful as fashion boutiques and galleries in the Historic Third Ward. From the fun and casual Milwaukee Ale House to the upscale Riverwalk Bistro, this neighborhood's eateries are sure to please most palates.

Bella Caffé
189 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 273-5620
bellacaffe.com
Perched at the corner of Milwaukee and Chicago Streets, Bella is a great morning, noon or late night stop. Featured lunch items include many great Soup Market soups like Caribbean crab and corn chowder, Mardi Gras chili and Tyrolean vegetable soup with spaetzle to name a few. They've also got salads, quiche and more. They brew Alterra coffee, pour Rishi tea and serve wonderful desserts for your post theater, spa or shopping pleasure.

Broadway Bakery & Café
241 N. Broadway, (414) 431-2880
241broadway.com
Gourmet grab and go items from their locally renowned bakery, Boom Bros. coffee drinks, breakfast sandwiches, made-to-order omelets, a selection of salads, panini sandwiches, gelato and homemade daily servings of soup and chili are just some of the items to choose from. Located right below (shoo) and the Katie Gingrass Gallery, they also do great catering for your lunch or breakfast meetings.

Broadway Bistro
241 N. Broadway, (414) 431-2880
241broadway.com
Need something more elegant and eclectic? Then the other side of Broadway Bakery, Broadway Bistro, might be more your style with sit-down dining featuring lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.   Outside patio seating is available.

C. Adams
Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St.
Butter toffee brownies, orchard fresh streusel bars, toasted white chocolate coconut cream pie and amazing Wisconsin cookies with real maple syrup. These are just of few of the irresistible items featured at C. Adams Bakery inside the Milwaukee Public Market.

Owner Lisa Crum's passion for creating decadent desserts sparked at the tender age of 14 when her grandmother gave her some candy molds as a gift. Things took off from there. Local chocoholics will certainly recall Sweet Perks, Crum's former bakery in Wauwatosa, and her award-winning brownies.

Café La Scala
631 E. Chicago St., (414) 223-2185
Café La Scala (formerly the Italian Community Center Ristorante) is a public restaurant inside the semi-private ICC that serves great food -- Italian and non-Italian -- in a casual, friendly atmosphere. There are pizzas and paninis at lunch, too.

Coquette Café 
316 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 291-2655
coquettecafe.com
The dark wood, mirrored back bar and glowing gold walls invite you in to experience top quality and unassuming fare that you might find in the home kitchens of French grandmothers. But, no need to travel that far. Just venture to the Landmark Building for Angie and Sanford D'Amato's authentic bistro fare. The flatbread pizzas are delightful and always get the pommes frites with aioli as your sandwich side.

Harlequin Sweet & Savory Bakeshop
316 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 291-9866
harlequinbakery.com
From warm buttermilk donuts (in the morning), artisan breads, rolls and French pastries to baguette sandwiches and spinach salads (for lunch) and Sanford signature breadsticks, Sanford's Harlequin Bake Shop is a wonderful addition to the Ward. Everything is made from scratch.

Metke's on Milwaukee
332 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 277-1127
Nothing fancy here, just a Milwaukee tavern with a hearty menu of salads, soups and sandwiches. Add a touch of Irish blarney and a dash of sports on the tube and that's Metke's.

Milwaukee Ale House
233 N. Water St., (414) 226-2337
ale-house.com
Craft brews, live music, great bar food and one of the city's best patios make the Ale House a favorite stop. Louie's Demise, Pullchain Pail Ale, Sheepshead Stout ... ale's is what will cure ya at the Milwaukee Ale House. Swing night is Tuesday and late nights on Thursday rock with serious karaoke.

Milwaukee Public Market
400 N. Water St.
milwaukeepublicmarket.org
We highlighted C. Adams above, but don't forget that while the market isn't meant to be a suburban food court, it's full of wonderful dining options. El Rey, Field's Best Produce, Oskri Organics, Ceriello Fine Foods, St. Paul's Fish Company, Aladdin, Sushi-a-Go-Go, Taste of Wisconsin, Piacentine's Artisan Bread, West Allis Cheese and Sausage Shoppe, Soup & Stock Market, Cedarburg Coffee and Sheridan's Wines and Generous Spirits. Shop, eat, drink and sample!

Mom & Pop Corn cart
Catalano Square, Broadway & Menomonee, (414) 672-3614
Specialized Snack Wagon located in Catalano Square offering an assortment of goodies.

Nanakusa
408 E. Chicago St., (414) 223-3200
Sushi, Japanese cuisine, Pan-Asian fusion and one of the more unique bar areas in the Ward. Just do the Nanakusa Bento and make your ordering easy. It's a five-compartment bento box of house specialty dishes and chef's choice of sushi and sashimi served with miso soup and rice.

Rip Tide Seafood Bar and Grill
649 E. Erie St., (414) 271-8433
getriptide.com
This seafood restaurant provides a fun atmosphere with generous servings and the public is flocking to taste its offerings. Rip Tide's menu has all the seafood you could want from shrimp to fish to delicious crab dishes.

Riverwalk Bistro
223 N. Water St., suite 100, (414) 272-4200
riverwalkbistro.com
Riverwalk Bistro (formerly Borrego's) is an ideal spot for a relaxing and delicious meal. Dinner entrees at Riverwalk feature unique presentations and flavor combinations for seafood, chicken, pork and beef, including a menu that weighs heavily on ginger root-based sauces. It's true upscale dining on the airy and beautiful Riverwalk.

Riverfront Pizzeria Bar and Grill 
509 E. Erie St., (414) 277-1800
OMC listing
In a city full of many fine pizza options, Milwaukee's Third Ward has found, thanks to Greendale's Ricardo's Pizza (the owners of Riverfront Pizzeria), another great pizza and a new, cozy family-style restaurant that's sure to please for years to come.

Soup's On! 
221 N. Water St., (414) 283-9244
soupsonat221.com
Some say that Soup's On! serves the best soup in Milwaukee. Now, soup is one of those personal passion type foods, and we all have our faves. Is this the best? Who knows? We do know that the creativity from Mary Krimmer's kitchen is simply soup-tastic. Beer and bean, chicken barley, Wisconsin chili. Breakfast is also served.

Strange Brew Café & Gallery
143 N. Broadway, (414) 847-3247
Affiliated with MIAD, Strange Brew does basic lunch food, ice cream drinks, coffee and art, of course.

Tulip
117 N. Jefferson St.
Tulip will open in Summer '07 as Milwaukee's first Turkish restaurant. Menu features shish-kebabs and baklava.

The Wicked Hop
345 N. Broadway, (414) 223-0345
thewickedhop.com
Miles and Andy O'Neil's space inside one of the Third Ward's oldest buildings has what he describes as "an Old World feel." Architects Vetter Denk and contractor Shawn Wardall preserved the look but added contemporary tweaks like a cool loft dining space, flat screens and a coming-soon live music space just to the south. Hop's food is bar standard with an upscale twist. "Burger Madness" on Sunday and Monday gets you unlimited toppings for only $7.95. Wash your food down with a tap of Father Damien's Belgian Wit from Harbor City. It's oh so good.

Third Ward Caffe
225 E. St. Paul Ave., (414) 224-0895
A nice, intimate Italian restaurant, Third Ward Caffe has sumptuous plates of pasta and main courses. Outdoor seating is great, in season. A carry-out deli and specialty foods shop are attached.

Water Buffalo 
249 N. Water St., (414) 431-1133
water-buffalo.com
Opened April 12, 2007.  Expect foodstuffs a la the Sorge's other popular venue, Swig, served up by chef Frank Ortlieb, and a casual contemporary atmosphere designed by Flux.