A New Good City Brewing

Good City Brewing’s Pils

Good City Brewing is gearing up to open its third taproom, this time at Mayfair Collection in Wauwatosa. The Brewery will take over the 8,000-square-foot building previously home to ABV Social Space, which permanently closed its doors at the end of 2020 after four years of business. If all goes according to plan, the taproom could open sometime this spring. BizTimes’ Maredithe Meyer reports:

The decision to expand amid the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is both exciting and surreal, said Good City co-founder Dan Katt.

“When (Mayfair Collection developer) HSA reached out to us late last year about opening a new location, our initial thought was that we were crazy for even entertaining the idea,” Katt said in a news release. “But a pillar of our business since day one has been risk taking, and we thought the opening of this taproom would time well with vaccinations and the overall trajectory of the pandemic.”

The taproom will serve Good City fan favorites such as curry fries and burgers, as well as innovative new brews from its Indigo experimental series, according to the release.

Good City launched its flagship brewery in 2016 on Milwaukee’s East Side, and expanded two years later with a second production site and taproom along the entertainment block near Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee. In July 2018, the business purchased a 53,000-square-foot building at the Century City business park on Milwaukee’s northwest side to relocate its office and warehouse operation.

The move into Wauwatosa follows the brewery’s temporary drive-thru operation last year at Mayfair Mall. With both of its taprooms closed due to COVID-19, Good City took over a drive-thru at the former Bank Mutual building and converted it into a curbside pick-up location for packs and growlers of its craft beer as well as hats and other merchandise.

Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge Pop-up Extended Through January

Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge (1579 S. 9th St.), a cocktail bar known for its lack of a menu and its old-timey atmosphere, is hosting a pop-up at Zocalo Food Park (636 S. 6th St.). The socially-distanced event will be called Armonia, which means “harmony,” and will celebrate the feeling of harmony that the Zocalo Food Truck has brought to businesses and the community with its rotating lineup of pop-ups. OnMilwaukee’s Lori Fredrich reports:

The menu will feature borrowed elements from Bryant’s, At Random and The Jazz Estate, showcasing a menu of specialty cocktails that highlights the diversity of the space. That includes selections using spirits from the Caribbean and Latin America (including the Heart Leaf, a mezcal-based cocktail that incorporates the flavors of banana, pineapple, walnut and lime), as well as warming drinks befitting of the season, such as the Euphonia Musica, a riff on hot buttered rum made with Chartreuse liqueur and spices.

Guests can also enjoy a wide variety of dishes from resident food trucks, including Mazorca Tacos, Anytime Arepa, Modern Maki, Dairyland Old Fashioned Hamburgers and Ruby’s Bagels, as well as guest appearances from area food trucks on the weekend.

Bryant’s will also be creating a collection of special cocktails, which pair with the cultural theme (or style of cuisine) for every food truck…

Guests can experience the Armonia pop-up by reserving one of the heated, weather-proof greenhouses at Zócalo. Each greenhouse accommodates up to six guests for 90-minute reservations, which can be made Wednesday through Sunday through the end of January.

In addition to a flat reservation fee for each greenhouse, there is a one-drink minimum per guest. To reserve, visit exploretock.com/zocalofoodpark.

New Puerto Rican Restaurant on South Side

A new restaurant specializing in Puerto Rican cuisine is now open on Milwaukee’s South Side. Lareños Restaurant, located at 1601 W. Lincoln Ave., opened in September 2020 and is currently working towards adding a full-service bar. Urban Milwaukee’s own Ethan Duran reports:

The restaurant currently offers a range of items, including mofongo with pork chunks (a Puerto Rican dish centered on fried plantains), triple meat sandwiches and tostones (twice-friend plantains).

(Owner Brunilda) Rosado wasn’t able to comment when Urban Milwaukee reached her by phone. Her son Joel Cabrera said that the venture started in 2018 as a food truck that sold hot dogs.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, according to Cabrera.

“We’re just here to eat with our community,” said Cabrera. “There’s a lot of Puerto Ricans, but not as many like the Mexican population. We try to give our people some food to enjoy.”

A Facebook page shows a variety of dishes.

A liquor license is currently pending before the Common Council. Rosado is the sole owner of the business according to the application.

The building was previously home to multiple iterations of Lopez Bakery.

Snack Boys Morphs Into Plant Boys

The East Side bar and restaurant Snack Boys (2028 E. North Ave.) has announced its own unique pandemic pivot. Goodbye, Snack Boys (for now); hello, Plant Boys. Matt Wild of Milwaukee Record has the story:

What can you get at Plant Boys? Well, plants and other plant-related stuff, of course. “We will have Neon Monstera T-shirts, assorted plants, plant related things, new and used books, assorted drank (wine, beer, NA & A) for sale,” Snack/Plant Boys said in an Instagram post last week. “We will be bringing in new product, plants, and commodities daily. Guests will be welcomed into the store 5 at a time, or you can order online and take advantage of curbside pick up.”

Curbside pickup hours are listed as Wednesday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.; and Saturday, noon-3 p.m.

Now Closing: The Original Pancake House On Downer

The Original Pancake House. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Diners have one week left to eat at an East Side staple one last time, as The Original Pancake House’s location on 2621 N. Downer Ave. Is set to close after more than a decade in business. Fredrich reports:

According to information gleaned from a manager by phone today, the restaurant will cease operations after service on Jan. 24.

“We’ve had so much support from the community over the years, and we all appreciate the opportunity we’ve had to serve all of our customers,” she noted, adding that the sentiment is offered on behalf of the entire team at the Original Pancake House…

The Original Pancake House at 16460 W. Bluemound Rd. in Brookfield will remain open.

Now Closing: Oak Creek Pizza Man

Pizza Man’s Oak Creek location has closed, ending its lease at 7974 S. Main St. in the Drexel Town Square. A statement was released by Jana Michaelis, marketing and creative director for F Street Hospitality, the group that owns the Pizza Man franchise:

“We would like to thank the Oak Creek community for their support over the last three years,” she said. “We have made the business decision not to continue our lease at Drexel Town Square. We invite everyone to join us at our other locations in Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, and Mequon.”