Photo: 3rd Street Market Hall 3rdstmarkethall.com
3rd Street Market Hall
Milwaukeeans of a certain age remember the splendor of the Grand Avenue mall when it opened in Downtown Milwaukee in 1982. Fast-forward through four decades of suburbanization, a lull in urban investment, and internet shopping, and the once-glorious Grand Avenue eventually became a defeated presence with vacant stores. Today, the 3rd Street Market Hall (275 W. Wisconsin Ave.), a food hall celebrating the city’s diverse cuisine, is breathing new life into the former mall.
The 3rd Street Market Hall, owned by restaurateur Omar Shaikh, along with real estate developers Joshua Krsnak and Tony Janowiec, is part of The Avenue, a mixed-use development of office, retail and apartment space. A visit to the food hall during opening weekend found the space bustling with people enjoying food, drinks and activities.
Food vendors include Dairyland Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard & Hamburgers, which also hosts four “hawker stalls” serving as incubators for food entrepreneurs. Mid-Way Bakery features sweet treats like grandma used to make, along with soup, salads and sandwiches. Amano Pan offers naturally leavened artisan sourdough breads, pizza and globally influenced pastries. Strega has fresh homemade pasta, and Hot Dish Pantry features pierogi and other hot dishes.
More vendors will open by spring: Middle East Side, specializing in Middle Eastern style sandwiches; Supernova coffee and doughnuts, Make Waves smoothies and juices; Paper Plane Pizza; Kawa Ramen & Sushi; Anytime Arepa, featuring Venezuelan arepas and empanadas; Dawg City natural hot dogs; and Strange Town Bottle Shop and natural wine bar.
The hall has a full bar, numerous TVs mounted throughout the space so you’ll never miss a game, and shuffleboard, Top Golf Swing Suite, cornhole and the Photoverse Selfie Museum.
Hall Empowers Local Vendors to Pursue Their Passions
Edgar Cuarezma and his wife, Aemi Kato-Cuarezma, own Amano Pan, bakers of naturally leavened artisan sourdough breads and pizza. Cuarezma, an artist who had lived throughout the United States and abroad, says he fell into baking by chance.
“With bread in particular, there is a lot of mystery as to how you actually make it. Once you crack that code and open that door, you naturally start to wonder how far you can push it,” Cuarezma says.
Cuarezma further honed his skills while on the bread baking team at Troubadour Bakery. In addition to bread, other items include picos, Nicaraguan pastries filled with crumbled cotija cheese, sugar and cinnamon; cookies; and taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped cake with savory filling. Cuarezma will put a ‘Sconnie fish fry twist on it with rye dough, Japanese style coleslaw and fermented veggies.
Strega MKE offers hot, prepared pasta dishes and global pastries. Pasta dishes all come vegetarian with options to add meat. They will eventually add pasta for purchase to cook at home.
There seems to be a fresh extruded pastas trend, but co-owner Samantha Sandrin believes people have been interested in fresh pasta forever, but in many cases never took the time to learn how to do it properly. “Truth is, it’s a very simple process that takes focus and provides a vehicle for creative freedom and technical practice.”
Sandrin and co-owner Katie Gabert are excited to be part of 3rd Street Market Hall and hope people will follow their hearts and bellies to grass-roots producers that utilize quality products and generate a dignified work space that benefits Milwaukee’s food culture.
Nathan Heck and Laura Maigatter of Hot Dish Pantry offer scratch-made Midwestern comfort food inspired by global fare, including five flavors of pierogi: Loaded Baked Potato, Aloo Chat, Mushroom and Sauerkraut, Crab Rangoon and Spiced Apple with Cream Cheese.
Hot Dish Pantry started as a way for the couple to make quality, handmade and unique food that folks could buy frozen to stock their freezer. “Working with Dairyland and the 3rd Street Market Hall will allow us to offer our food hot and with all the fixings while also expanding our frozen food business,” says Maigatter.
Middle East Side will feature topped flatbreads, sides and baklava. John Chandler was a chef at Amilinda before launching Middle East Side. He fuses Midwestern food influences with the unique flavors of Lebanese street food by using the quality and diverse produce grown in the Midwest, which he says lends itself to Middle Eastern cuisine.
Look for his version of a fried cheese curd made with halloumi, a firm cheese that takes heat well and can be grilled. “It has the same kind of cheese-curd like, squeaky texture,” Chandler says. “It will be beer-battered; you can’t get much more Midwestern than that.”
For more information and updated hours, visit 3rdstmarkethall.com.
