Summertime means enjoying the patio weather with some good food and drink, so we thought we’d combine two great things– brunch and a ghost walk! On Sunday June 12 & 19 we’re not providing brunch for you, but we’ve got some recommendations for places to go. With a noon start time for the tour, that gives you the option of grabbing brunch before the tour starts, or build up an appetite and get it afterward.

In addition to having lots of ghosts, the Third Ward has become a destination in more recent years for its food. Below is a list of five great spots to get brunch, and they’re all within a block of two of our tour starting point in front of the Milwaukee Public Market. Check out their websites for a full menu.

The Wicked Hop  ( thewickedhop.com )

The building the Wicked Hop is located in is the oldest building in the Third Ward, built in 1875. You’ll hear about some frightening paranormal encounters people have had in the building on the tour. Besides ghosts, the building is also now known for The Wicked Hop’s killer bloody marys, which they claim are “Milwaukee’s best.” Their menu is filled with brunch classics– egg benedict, Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, French toast, and breakfast burritos, just to name a few.

Brunch served 9am-3pm, patio and indoor seating.

Cafe Benelux  ( cafebenelux.com )

We also talk about this corner on the tour because it was a notorious mafia hang out tavern run by August Palmisano aka “Palmy.” You’ll hear about Palmy’s loud last day in 1978. Nowadays, Cafe Benelux offers food in the BElgium- NEtherlands-LUXembourg style. Their brunch speciality are omelets and a nice variety of different flavored mimosas. Their frites cone with dipping sauce is recommended. Their vegetarian options are marked with a circled letter V.

Brunch served 8am-3pm on Sunday, patio and indoor seating.

Milwaukee Public Market  ( milwaukeepublicmarket.org )

We start our tour right outside the front (Water St.) doors of the market and it’s a great place to grab lunch because there’s so many options. These include the St. Paul Fish Market, Thief Wine Shop & Bar, Foltz Family Market, Anodyne Coffee Company, C. Adam’s Bakery, Margarita Paradise, The Green Kitchen, Thai-namite (their sister restaurant is on our Brady Street tour!), Aladdin, the new Pat’s Rib Place, and West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe. On the Bus is a great option if you are looking for vegan food, Kehr’s Candies will satisfy your sweet tooth, and the outdoor Draft Patio sells beer in summer. They have indoor seating and bathrooms on the second floor  as well as patio seating, or take it to the nice little riverside park across the street.

Open 10-6 on Sunday, patio and indoor seating.

Tre Rivali  ( trerivalirestaurant.com )

This place is also on the Third Ward’s former “Commission Row,” which was a bustling outdoor market place (and where a lot of bootlegging took place during Prohibition) that we talk about on the tour. Tre Rivali describes themselves as “modern Mediterranean,” and their brunch menu includes Greek yogurt, avocado toast, pancakes, and the classic brunch casserole known as hoppel poppel.

Brunch served 9am-2pm on Sunday, patio and indoor seating.

Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria  ( bluebatkitchen.com )

Definitely the place to go if you like tequila- they have 160 different kinds, so you can get a really good bloody maria or margarita here. Their “global brunch” includes churro pancakes, chilaquiles, and banana fritters. Right off of Water Street, their patio is right on the Milwaukee River, the perfect place to drink tequila and reflect on mysteries like the Lake Monster sightings that occurred in this river in 1890.

Opens at 11am Sunday, patio and indoor seating.