The year winds down the with closure of some iconic Milwaukee restaurants, while tried-and-true classics dominate suburban dining.
The Bartolotta Restaurants is planning a new concept for The Rumpus Room space (1030 N. Water St.). The Rumpus Room shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened.
Kyle and Meghan Knall of Birch are set to open their French bistro Cassis (333 N. Water St.) on Jan. 5. The riverfront restaurant is in a 31-story luxury tower, where the developer opted for a restaurant owned by a local chef in lieu of interest from national chains.
Chettinadu House, a South Indian and Chinese restaurant, will open in the former Sabor Tropical space at 2258 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Scratch-made entrées will be crafted from 50-year-old recipes crafted by owner Ameen Tabassum’s grandfather. The menu will feature dosa, curries, tandoori, fried rice and nearly 100 other items.
Cannabis-themed sub sandwich chain Cheba Hut will open its third Milwaukee-area location, at 8871 Sura Lane, Greenfield, in the 84South development. The fast-casual restaurant’s two current locations are on the East Side and in Bay View.
Cheba Hut’s menu items do not contain cannabis, but the restaurant is known for its weed-themed branding, with sandwich names such as Jamaican Red and White Widow.
Idyll Coffee Roasters opened 6330 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa. Customers can find drip and pour-over coffee, coffee drinks, smoothies, tea and breakfast sandwiches.
Idyll’s ownership team is led by coffee business veteran Karen Kurgan. The group focuses on ethically sourced, specialty coffee and energy-efficient toasting techniques.
Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers has found a new home inside Redbar, 2245 E. St. Francis Ave., St. Francis. The popular burger and custard stand operated a food truck and pop-ups before becoming the first vendor to sign on at 3rd St. Market Hall (275 W. Wisconsin Ave.), where it, and its sister business, Mid-Way Bakery, operated from 2022 through this past summer.
At Redbar, customers can order Dairyland’s burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and cheese curds, along with a newly added fish fry.
This and That
Hamburger Mary’s, known for drag shows, bingo and burgers, relocation plans for a new space at 235 S. Second St., in the historic Borger Building, faces delays due to exterior renovation plans not meeting some standards of the Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission.
This would be Hamburger Mary’s third space in Milwaukee. The restaurant originally opened at 2011 at 2130 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. In 2016, the restaurant relocated to 730 S. Fifth St., in the legendary Mexican restaurant La Perla’s former space.
Cudahy's Lakeside Pub & Grill plans to reopen in The Scoot, a newly constructed mixed-use development on Packard and Layton avenues. A fire this past October destroyed Lakeside’s previous location on Layton and Swift avenues. Lakeside’s new location will be more spacious with modern amenities, and owner Bob Tate plans to bring back menu favorites like burgers and fish fry.
On December 19, the Lowlands Group delivered more than 700 toys collected during its third annual Stella’s Toy Drive to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin.
This year’s drive saw expanded participation through new partnerships with businesses from across the Greater Milwaukee Area.
The Bartolotta Restaurants will ring in 2026 with specially curated New Year’s Eve menus, along with the continuation of the annual Holiday Gift Card Bonus Promotion through December 31.
Three- and four-course menus and à la carte menus will be available at eight Bartolotta Restaurants locations; for more information and to make reservations, visit bartolottas.com.
Blue Collar Coffee Co. (523 Milwaukee St, Delafield), has doubled in size with 34 more seats. The coffee roasting chain also has locations in Beloit, Wis., and in Indianapolis and in Boise, Idaho. It serves coffee and coffee drinks, tea, non-coffee beverages, breakfast foods and pastries.
Outpost Natural Foods, with four area locations, broke ground on a new, nearly 9,000 square-foot commercial kitchen at its corporate office, 3200 S. Third Street. Outpost has operated a Central Kitchen facility since 2005 at its Bay View store, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
The new facility will allow Outpost to better meet customer demands for their fresh, house-made wraps, soups, salads, entrees and bakery treats for its grocery stores and wholesale accounts.
Closures
Beans and Barley, 1901 E. North Ave., announced it is closing after 52 years in business. The East Side staple is known for healthy and vegetarian-friendly fare, along with an adjoining deli and retail market. As of press time, their last day of service is Jan. 31.
Owners Polly Kaplan and James Neumeyer cite the pending sale of the building, along with rising operating costs, as the primary reasons for their decision to close.
The National (839 W. National Ave.) closed abruptly on Dec. 11. The breakfast and lunch spot opened in 2008; from 2011 through 2019 it was owned and operated by renowned chef Nell Benton, who sold it to employee Amy Plennes and her business partner, Angela Wierzbinski. Plennes and Wierzbinski cited slow business as a reason for the closure.
Plennes and Wierzbinski also owned Lafayette Place, a vegetarian restaurant at 1978 N. Farwell Ave, from 2021 through 2024. The business never reopened after a car crashed into the building in September 2024.
Classy Girl Cupcakes (825 N. Jefferson St.) closed Dec. 23 after 15 years in business. In a Facebook post announcing the closure, owner Erica Elia cited rising operating costs factored into her decision to close.
Customers that loved Classy Girl’s cupcakes need not despair; Elia hinted that Classy Girl's head baker may open her own business using Classy Girl’s recipes.
The Milwaukee County Zoo's Nourish 414 restaurant closes Dec. 31. A new concept, Crust & Copper, is expected to open soon in the space.
Pomona Cider Co. (2163 N. Farwell Ave.) closed Dec. 27. The cider bar opened in 2023 and served Island Orchard Cider, made in Door County.
