SAGE - MKE

Review summary

1. K

   Kaitlin

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   I dined in a group of 3. We were a bit taken aback when we received the bill and were charged a 25%“large party fee”. The cocktails were good, but the food was mediocre and missing multiple ingredients. For the price, this was overrated.
   

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2. D

   Dianna

   San Diego

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   For a Valentine's Dinner we hoped to have food that was at least great quality and value. Apparently, the day we went they ran out of potatoes for Mashed Potatoes with the filet mignon. We we're starving and hoped to have some food that would provide us satisfaction. My girlfriend ordered the Filet Mignon which they subbed pasta in place of the potatoes. I ordered Fettuccine and added steak. When the plates were delivered we were shocked. The portion was really small. So small my girlfriend was still hungry after the main course! Normally for dinner a plate will leave her full and satisfied. The size of the Mignon was about less than an inch thick and about 2inches in length. The price $35! My added steak was even smaller, about the size of an index finger and middle finger together. The taste was pretty good but value was poor. I felt ripped off by the prices. The restaurant itself is beautiful and has a nice ambience. The servers were incredibly hospitable and friendly. Again, my disappointment lies with the food itself.
   

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3. L

   Lou

   Milwaukee

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   We had reservations at Sage for Valentine’s Day and unfortunately it was quite a bad experience. My partner and I both ordered a soup as appetizers, which we did not get until over an hour after we first arrived. They were forgot about until shortly before our entrees came out, and came out after we got our main course. Our entrees were… not good. My partner had the filet mignon, with a vegetable and mashed potatoes, but they ran out of vegetables and mashed potatoes… and they served the filet, which was lukewarm, with a side of fettuccine without warning (good thing we didn’t have a gluten allergy). I got the mushroom fettuccine for my main course. There was barely any mushrooms and my pasta was also borderline cold. The drinks however were very good and one of the two servers was very helpful, and comped our soups, but the other was either overwhelmed or inattentive. Getting the soups knocked off the bill was nice however we still didn’t feel that this made up for the overall let down we experienced. PS it was very cold in the restaurant, which is somewhat understandable since it was snowing out but then maybe turn the heat up some more or have a second barrier between the entrance and the dining area.
   

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4. S

   Shara

   Chicago

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Atmosphere was great for our valentines dinner. There was a few miss communications with staff that we were able to smooth out. For the price I would have expected slightly higher quality. The dessert was a huge disappointment.
   

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5. J

   Jon

   Milwaukee

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   The place is cool, food was good but we had to wait 1/2 hour to be seated for our reservation, they sat us by a window that had a huge crack in it and they added a gratuity fee of 25% when we didn’t feel they deserved that much with our experience.
   

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6. P

   Paul

   Milwaukee

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   It’s possible for anyone to have an off night so I’ll prefer to give Sage the benefit of the doubt. We arrived just a couple minutes early for our reservation and it was immediately obvious the staff was in the weeds. We took a seat at the bar to wait and had very pleasant conversation if brief with the bartender, but didn’t get to our table for almost a half hour. The menu looked interesting so we put in for everything: two entrees, a salad and small appetizer as soon as someone came to talk to us. Then, we waited. People that were seated when we first arrived started getting their food and our concern grew. Water glasses empty and drinks finished we waited. The ambiance was nice, others’ conversations were not too loud nor was the music. After a while our entrees arrived, followed by the salad and app, and a glass of wine previously forgotten was delivered. The steam was tender and prepared well, but I cannot say the same for the sides, potatoes over seasoned with too much pepper, mushrooms chewy as though they had come from a can. The schnitzel was too thin and overcooked, tough and not really edible. We were surprised that 25% gratuity had already been added to the bill and I’m sure they could read the temperature of the room when they didn’t ask how things were with the meal. We thanked them and left, the entire evening taking about 2.5 hours. All of this is to say that Sage could very well be a nice neighborhood restaurant, and certainly has a lot of potential, but maybe we just caught them on the wrong night.
   

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7. D

   Daniel

   Milwaukee

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   I was excited to try this place out, but unfortunately it was a huge let down. Ambiance and a friendly staff is about the only thing it has going for it. Ordered a filet mignon and a fettuccine Alfredo. We waited about 30 minutes or more for the food, and when it finally arrived, it was not worth the wait. The steak was about a 4 ounce cut, and was slapped on some mashed potatoes with some mushrooms on top, served with a non serrated butter knife. The steak tasted like the most plain piece of meat I've ever had, I had to salt the heck out of it for it to be at all enjoyable. The potatoes were also lackluster. Fettuccine was decent, but was a vegan dish with no ability to add a protein. Drinks were fine, but nothing above average. The most appalling thing about the experience was receiving the check, which included a 25% "large party" gratuity, even though it was only my wife and I. I brought this to the attention of the server, and she said it's because it's a holiday (was Valentine's Day) and because they have more staff on hand... I'm okay with charging a gratuity, but PLEASE make your patrons aware of this beforehand, otherwise you make yourself seem desperate and dishonest. Will never be back here again.
   

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8. J

   Jessica

   Milwaukee

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   Parked in lot, walked around to front door only to walk all the way back around the building to find the “rear” entrance. Aside from the poor/ lack of signage, a large landscaping company truck was parked ~3ft outside of the back door, concealing the entrance. This doesn’t feel welcoming as it feels like we’re trying to get in an employee entrance or delivery door. Cute place once inside. Was chilly seated by a drafty window. Food was priced in a category that did not match the finished product. ($28 for a charcuterie board with one type of cheese and one meat). The 25% automatic gratuity was a quite presumptuous surprise for a party of 2, holiday or not. We did not see any posting anywhere about this automatic addition. Instead, we got a quick explaination as we were presented with our bill and simply asked to sign on a tablet. Automatic gratuity is meant for larger parties and events, and is typically more like 18%. We felt bad that we didn’t warn the table of two seated next to us about the 25% deal. They sat for at least 30 minutes before having to ask to put in their order (and told it would be a while yet). About 15 more minutes went by before we left but didn’t get to see them attended to before we were gone. The food and service must be absolutely mind- blowing to assume your own % of gratuity. A not so fancy place not trying hard enough to be as fancy as they think they are (based on their pricing)
   

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9. K

   Kim

   Milwaukee

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on February 2, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   If you have allergies - this is not the place to go. If you want to leave without feeling like you spend a ton of money for nothing to eat, then I'd recommend it. Nice people but not the best food.
   

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10. H

    Heidi

    Milwaukee

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on January 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    I didn't know until I got there that this is located in the old White House bar, which was favorite of mine in the early 90's. The instant nostalgic hit was my first impression. I love how Sage has kept the beauty and character of the place while giving it a lovely update with chandeliers, plants, and paintings by local artists. I ordered the Lavender #2 cocktail to begin and it was so delicious and presented so prettily that I had to order a second. My dinner was the Winter Salad with Salmon and it was also not only delicious but pretty as well. I am gluten free and the menu was full of great options for me. It was a very slow night, mid week, so I had the opportunity to enjoy chatting with both the owner and the server, who were absolutely lovely. I will definitely return and highly recommend a visit.
    

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