It’s been a big week on the East Side. On Tuesday, OnMilwaukee broke the news that the East Side Japanese staple Izumi’s will leave its space at 2150 N. Prospect Ave. and be replaced by… a different Japanese restaurant. Kanpai 2, a second location for the Third Ward sushi restaurant, will assume the space’s lease on Feb. 1.
This morning, Urban Milwaukee reported that a new lease had been given to a possible poké restaurant operating under the name Poké Fusion WI, Inc. at 1813 E. Kenilworth Pl., which was formerly home to Hotch. Poké Fusion WI, Inc. is not currently on record with the Wisconsin Department of Finances and hasn’t filed any licenses with the city according to Urban Milwaukee’s report.
Poké Fusion will face tough competition in the area. It would be located directly across the street from FreshFin Poké, which opened in January and has since expanded to a location in the Third Ward and announced plans for a third location in Brookfield.
This news comes on the heels of another neighborhood stalwart being replaced by a newcomer. The Eastsider closed its doors after 10 years on North Ave. on Saturday, Dec. 16. Baccanera, a craft cocktail and wine bar with a soccer theme, will replace it sometime next year.
This year has been a massively transformational one for the neighborhood, and with a number of large, still-vacant spaces left to be filled, the changes will likely continue.
