DanDan | Our Story
Two Dans, one table
DanDan is the story of two chefs — Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite — who opened a restaurant together in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward in July 2016. One name, two people, one shared vision for Chinese food with a Midwestern soul.
Chinese food, Midwestern point of view
The menu borrows from Chinese tradition and filters it through decades of Midwestern cooking — seasonal, sourced with care, and built for sharing.
Dan Van Rite's road to the kitchen
A Green Bay native, Van Rite trained at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland before spending years cooking across the country. His work at Hinterland earned three James Beard Foundation semifinalist nominations for Best Chef: Midwest.
Dan Jacobs, Chicago to Milwaukee
Jacobs grew up in Chicago and cooked at Carlos', TRU, and Green Zebra before relocating to Milwaukee in 2011. He and Van Rite co-founded Dim Sum + Give Some, an annual benefit for the Kennedy's Disease Association.
EsterEv: a table within a table
Tucked inside DanDan, EsterEv is a chef's table named for Van Rite's grandmother Evelyn and Jacobs' great-grandmother Ester. A ten-course prix fixe menu changes every week.
Flavorful, respectful, playful, seasonal
These four words guide everything at DanDan — the menu, the sourcing, the way a dish is plated, the way a guest is welcomed. Pull up a chair.