A kitchen inspired by Spain & Portugal.

Rooted in Milwaukee. Built on people.

Amilinda

Amilinda is a chef-driven, independently owned restaurant in downtown Milwaukee led by Chef Gregory León. Inspired by the flavors of Spain and Portugal, we offer a constantly evolving menu of small, seasonal dishes that highlight both local Wisconsin ingredients and Iberian traditions.At its core, Amilinda is not just a restaurant—it’s a space built around community, storytelling, and thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking.

Our menus change often. Our counter is the heart of the room. We believe great food is built through collaboration, mentorship, and care.

James Beard Award Nominee 2022 seal
James Beard Award Nominee 2023 seal
James Beard Award Semi-Finalist 2024 seal
James Beard Award Semi-Finalist 2025 seal
Exterior of Amilinda restaurant at 315 E Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, with yellow storefront and red door
Painted rooster and neon Amilinda sign in the restaurant's front window

A House Called Amilinda

In Venezuela, homes are named rather than numbered. Chef Gregory León grew up in a house called Amilinda, a combination of his parents’ names, Amilcar and Linda. Today, that name belongs to his restaurant in downtown Milwaukee.

León arrived in Wisconsin after 18 years cooking in San Francisco and Madrid. He brought with him a quiet respect for the traditions of Spain and Portugal, adapting those coastal flavors to the seasonal produce of the Midwest.

Though the restaurant has earned four James Beard nominations, the kitchen operates without pretense. It remains an independent, neighborhood space built on a simple premise: exploring other cultures through food makes a community stronger.

"If I had a Portuguese grandma, this is how she would cook."

What We're Drinking

Current Creations

Reserve A Seat

DINE-IN HOURS
Wednesday – Saturday
5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Amilinda requires a credit card to secure all reservations. All credit card information will be processed securely. You will not be charged for making a reservation.

Reservation changes can be made online through OpenTable up until 24 hours before the reservation. No-shows or cancelations less than 24 hours in advance may be subject to a charge of $15 per person.

The Counter

The chef’s counter is where conversation, cooking, and community meet.

Who We Are

Gregory León, Chef/Owner
Raeden Kling, Chef de Cuisine
Adlai Smith, Sous Chef
Yare Matos, Beverage Program Director
Aldo Juarez Sanchez, Chef de Partie
Alex Sherwin, Director of Guest Experience
Mariah Bledsoe, Hospitality Manager

Community & Impact

Amilinda has always been more than a restaurant.

For us, Amilinda has never been just a restaurant.

Yes, we serve dinner. We pour wine. We celebrate the traditions of the Iberian Peninsula through food. But somewhere along the way, Amilinda became something much bigger than any of us ever imagined. It became a gathering place, a place where people come not only to eat, but to connect, celebrate, grieve, organize, learn, laugh, fall in love, and find community.

Over the years, these walls have hosted fundraisers, nonprofit events, educational dinners, film screenings, book launches, cultural celebrations, and conversations about everything from immigration and food insecurity to LGBTQ+ rights, HIV advocacy, and mental health. We’ve cooked thousands of meals to support organizations throughout Milwaukee, opened our doors to causes we believe in, and used our table as a place where difficult conversations can happen over good food.

But none of that happened because of one chef or one restaurant.

It happened because of the people who believed in this place.

Our staff has poured their hearts into creating an environment where every guest feels welcomed, respected, and cared for. Their generosity, kindness, and commitment to hospitality have shaped Amilinda just as much as any recipe ever could. And our guests—many of whom have become lifelong friends—have shown up year after year, supporting not only our restaurant but every fundraiser, community dinner, and cause we’ve championed. Together, they transformed a small neighborhood restaurant into something that often feels more like a community center than a dining room.

We believe restaurants have a responsibility beyond the plate. They can strengthen neighborhoods, create opportunity, amplify voices that deserve to be heard, and remind us that sharing a meal is one of the most powerful ways to bring people together.

Amilinda’s story isn’t ours alone. It belongs to every employee who has walked through our kitchen doors, every farmer, winemaker, artist, musician, nonprofit partner, and every guest who chose to spend an evening with us. You are the reason this place has become what it is.

Thank you for helping us build a restaurant that feeds not only people, but a community.

Mentorship

We believe that restaurants are built on people, not just plates. Every service is a classroom

Restaurants have always been one of the last professions where knowledge is passed from one generation to the next by working side by side. Recipes can be written down, but craftsmanship, leadership, discipline, and hospitality are learned through experience.

At Amilinda, we believe that every service is a classroom.

Our commitment to mentorship extends far beyond teaching someone how to butcher a fish, make a sauce, or serve a bottle of wine. We strive to help people become thoughtful professionals—people who understand teamwork, accountability, curiosity, and the importance of caring for one another. We encourage questions, celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn, and challenge our team to keep growing every single day.

Over the years, dozens of cooks, chefs, servers, bartenders, and hospitality professionals have come through our doors. Some arrived with years of experience, while others were stepping into a professional kitchen for the very first time. Many have gone on to lead kitchens, manage restaurants, open their own businesses, pursue advanced wine certifications, or build successful careers throughout the hospitality industry. Seeing them succeed has become one of our greatest accomplishments.

Mentorship at Amilinda doesn’t stop with our own staff. We regularly welcome culinary students, aspiring chefs, nonprofit organizations, schools, and community groups into our kitchen to share knowledge, techniques, and the realities of building a career in hospitality. Whether we’re speaking at a university, hosting a demonstration, collaborating with fellow chefs, or simply answering questions at the pass, we believe the future of our industry depends on sharing what we’ve learned.

Because in the end, great restaurants aren’t remembered only for the food they serve. They’re remembered for the people they inspire, the careers they help shape, and the culture they leave behind.

That’s the legacy we hope to build, one service, one lesson, and one person at a time.

Team Culture

Amilinda runs on collaboration. From the counter to the kitchen, every person here has a voice.

Great restaurants aren’t built around one person, they’re built by teams of people who trust one another.

While every restaurant has a chef, we have never believed that the best ideas always come from the loudest voice or the person at the top. Amilinda is at its best when everyone contributes. Whether it’s a dishwasher suggesting a better way to organize a station, a line cook developing a new dish, a server noticing how a guest experiences the dining room, or our wine team discovering the perfect pairing, every perspective matters.

We work hard to create an environment where respect is earned through actions, not titles. Our kitchen is built on accountability, honesty, and the understanding that every role is essential. A beautifully cooked plate means very little without someone to wash the dishes, polish the glasses, welcome guests, answer the phone, or make sure every detail behind the scenes happens exactly as it should.

Collaboration doesn’t mean we always agree. Some of our best ideas have come from thoughtful debate, different perspectives, and the willingness to challenge one another in pursuit of something better. We encourage curiosity, celebrate creativity, and believe that every member of the team should feel comfortable asking questions, offering ideas, and continuing to grow.

The result is a workplace where people are invested in one another’s success. We celebrate promotions, certifications, personal milestones, and accomplishments both inside and outside the restaurant because we know that healthy teams are built by supporting the whole person, not just the employee.

Hospitality begins long before a guest walks through the front door. It begins with how we treat one another. When our team feels respected, valued, and empowered, that care naturally extends to every guest we have the privilege of serving.

At Amilinda, our culture isn’t an employee handbook or a mission statement on a wall. It’s something we practice every day, together.

Tables Across Borders

A fundraising dinner series that brings Milwaukee together around food, equity, and community.

Tables Across Borders was created to do something simple but meaningful: give refugee families the opportunity to share their culture, tell their stories, and earn income by doing what they know best, cooking the food of home.

For each dinner, Amilinda welcomes a refugee family into our kitchen to prepare a meal that reflects their traditions, history, and heritage. These are not Amilinda menus with international influences; they are authentic meals created and served by the families themselves. Guests are invited to experience a cuisine they may have never encountered while learning about the people, traditions, and journeys behind every dish.

What makes this series unique is our commitment to the families. One hundred percent of every dollar generated through ticket sales goes directly to the family preparing the meal. Amilinda does not keep a percentage, charge a fee, or profit from these dinners in any way. Our role is simply to provide the kitchen, the dining room, the staff, and the platform to help make these evenings possible.

We believe that hospitality can create opportunity. By opening our doors, we hope to help refugee families share their talents, build confidence, supplement their income, and introduce Milwaukee to the incredible diversity that already exists within our community.

Tables Across Borders is a reminder that food is one of the world’s most universal languages. Around a shared table, strangers become neighbors, cultures become familiar, and understanding begins with a single meal.

Community & Partnerships

From neighborhood fundraisers to chef collaborations, Amilinda has always been more than a restaurant. We’ve hosted fundraisers for or donated to countless organizations, including:

ALIVE Rescue
Alzheimer’s Association
Art @ Large
Bay View Community Center Emergency Food Pantry
Camp Cedarburg
Children’s Wisconsin
Courage MKE
Damascus Gate
Dining Out For Life
ElevAsian
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
Food For Health
FoodRight
Fondy Food Center / Fondy Farm Project
Hanan Refugees Relief Group
Hephatha Lutheran Church
Human Rights Campaign
Hungry Hearts
Jacques Pépin Foundation
Kennedy’s Disease Association
MADACC
MATC
Milwaukee PBS
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee Public Schools Culinary Program
Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation
Milwaukee Rescue Mission
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
NourishMKE
Oolong Dachshund Rescue
Outpost Natural Foods
Pathfinders
Radio Milwaukee / 88Nine / HYFIN
Ronald McDonald House Charities Eastern Wisconsin
Running Rebels
SHARP Literacy
Sojourner Family Peace Center
Tables Across Borders
Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church Warming Center
UEDA / Carnival Milwaukee
Vivent Health
Wisconsin Humane Society
Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project

In The Press

Featured Coverage

The 38 Best Restaurants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

All it took was dinner at Odd Duck. That’s the moment chef Gregory Leon credits as inspiration to leave his San Francisco kitchen post and make Milwaukee home.

Milwaukee chef reflects on 10 years in service after fourth James Beard nomination

For chef Gregory León, earning a fourth James Beard award nomination isn’t about him. “It’s not just a reflection on me, it’s a reflection on my staff,” León told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

Build a Successful Restaurant: Tips from James Beard Semifinalist Gregory León | OysterLink Podcast

In this episode, we meet Gregory León, the owner and chef of Amilinda in downtown Milwaukee. He’s been nominated for Best Chef in the Midwest in 2022 and 2023 by the James Beard Foundation and this year — he got one at the national level for Outstanding Chef.

For media inquiries, contact Kate Kazan at kathrynkazan@gmail.com.