225 So. – Mia Famiglia

Ever since I heard that 225 South was opening in Waukesha, I wanted to check it out. Finally, last week Thursday, a few of my girlfriends and I found a night that our schedules aligned for a dinner, and we chose 225 South – Mia Famiglia for our dinner.

My parents used to frequent the Mia Famiglia in Hales Corners until the restaurant closed to focus on retail business. The food was fresh and always made to order. A friend of mine also took a cheese-making class at that location. When I heard that Mia Famiglia was coming to Waukesha, I followed the construction updates regularly. And then when it opened, I watched for reviews. From everything I read, it sounded like this was a Waukesha-favorite already!

I got to the restaurant a little earlier than my friends and took a seat at the bar. I was greeted by a friendly bartender who told me about the Happy Hour specials and the house-made sangria special. I selected a glass of the red sangria and took in the ambiance.

The garage door was open on the front of the location, allowing passersby to look in and see (and smell) the restaurant. The garage door area also serves as additional bar seating with stools so you can look out the door and check out downtown Waukesha. A few high top tables are in the front of the restaurant and then some low tables are down the middle. Against the side wall is a long booth with tables and chairs so they can accommodate groups of all sizes. 

During the ten minutes that I waited for my friends, quite a few groups came in for dinner. This is a great thing to see at a local establishment. Everyone seemed really friendly and ready for a great meal!

My friends joined me shortly and we got a table in the middle of the restaurant. Our server (Carrie, Kari, Kerry?) greeted us and because it was all of our first time here, she told us about the menu. Most items are homemade and made to order –a few are not, but most entrees are. She also said they try really hard to locally source as many products as they can, and the fresh produce they are using currently is from local farms. I love that they are being locally responsible! She gave us a few minutes to look over the menu and then came back to take our order.

We each had a hard time choosing which dish to go with as so many sounded good, but we all knew we wanted pasta. I decided on the Rigatoni, and my friends chose the Mac and Cheese and Fettuccine. My friend also ordered the Bruschetta as an appetizer for us to try.

The Bruschetta came out just a few minutes later and looked absolutely divine. The tomatoes were so red and juicy and the aroma was delightful. The bread was lightly toasted and the tomatoes were piled high across the toast. It tasted even better than it looked and I highly, highly recommend this to everyone that dines there.

Our entrees came out a little while later. Because everything is made to order, the dishes do take a bit to come out, but it’s not an unbearable length of time. We had time to catch up on what we have each been up to the last few weeks. I also noticed that the restaurant was almost completely full, bar area included. This is a great sign for a new restaurant.

When the entrees arrived, we were all extremely impressed. Portions were very generous and the food smelled amazing. And then the table got extremely quiet because we all dug in and couldn’t stop eating. Everything was exceptional!

About my entree — the chicken was possibly pulled from a rotisserie chicken as it had that flavor to it. The cream sauce was delectable but not overwhelming. It did have a little pepper kick, but knowing my taste buds, it’s probably a pretty typical amount of seasoning. The dish was also generous on mushrooms and everything went together so well.

I took about half of my meal home, as did my friend with her mac and cheese. My other friend’s entree was so good, she finished the whole dish. I bet I would have if I was her too, the shrimp looked so appetizing! Not to mention, shrimp doesn’t reheat as well as chicken or mac and cheese, so it’s best to eat it fresh.

We didn’t save room for dessert, but Carrie told us to definitely save room next time. And we will, because we will definitely be returning! The have a great happy hour special until 6 pm with drink, appetizer, and flatbread specials. And I read on their Facebook page that they have late night specials as well on the weekends.