Taylor's People's Park

Rooftop dining in downtown Waukesha

Though I went to high school in Waukesha and my parents now live there, I still get lost in the maze of streets. Thank heavens for GPS, or I'd never remember the best route to Main Street, which is where you'll find the the small town cute-ness of Waukesha and Taylor's People's Park, our favorite spot to dine.

The interior of the restaurant is bustling and fun — definitely recommended. But if you have a warm summer night, be sure to brave the hour-long wait and snag a table on the roof. It's so wonderful! The bar area, with its colorful string lights and lanterns, gives off a festive feel, and the summery open air ambiance can't be beat.

We went on a Friday night, when downtown Waukesha hosts Friday Night Live. There's live music and local shops are open late — it's the perfect way to kill time while you're waiting for your table on the roof. My family and I actually waited almost two hours, but didn't mind as we browsed Main Street's galleries and antique shops. These shops won't blow your mind or make your Top 10 list, but it's enough to entertain while you work up an appetite. 

For dinner, since it was Friday, most of the people in our little party ordered the fish fry. Strangely I wasn't one of them — what alternate universe is this?! But my mom was kind enough to share some of hers with me, and it gets my stamp of approval. I would order that super-delicious fish fry for myself in a heartbeat! 

But that night I went for the Frankie's Garden salad with romaine, cucumber, walnuts, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and avocado, all topped with grilled salmon. Absolutely delicious! I love that People's Park offers healthy options for their sandwiches too. You can get fries on the side of course, or sub a fresh cucumber, tomato, onion, mozzarella, and olive salad at no extra charge. No extra charge for healthy? What a concept! Wish we saw more of that. Not that it would stop me from ordering fries, but you know.

Anyway, if you're making the winding journey to the heart of Waukesha, let Taylor's People's Park be the light at the end of the tunnel. It's worth getting lost for. Or just use GPS like a normal person — this is 2016. P.S. A special shout out to Erin Gosch for capturing the above mother-daughter moment! It's like she majored in photography or something...