New Riverwest Shuttle Will Simplify Brewery-Hopping

Lakefront Brewery. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Riverwest Breweries Offering Free Shuttle Between Taprooms

Brewery hopping in Riverwest is about to get much easier, thanks to the Riverwest Brewery Syndicate.

Starting Oct. 22, a shuttle service will be available to ferry riders through the neighborhood, with stops at Lakefront Brewery, Black Husky, Company Brewing, Gathering Place Brewing Company and Amorphic Beer, according to a Wednesday announcement from the group.

The Five-Three-Brew-One-Two shuttle will travel on a continuous, 35-minute loop from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday, with the exception of holiday weekends.

The shuttle is free, and riders can hop on at any of the five stops, with the caveat that they “treat the driver well and stick to consuming their beverages in the taprooms,” the announcement said.

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Secret Hot Chicken Joins Paper Table

Secret’s out — Paper Table‘s newest vendor will be Secret Hot Chicken.

The restaurant began to build anticipation for its upcoming opening via Instagram posts on Sept. 28 and 30. The posts were tagged with a Downtown Milwaukee location, and directed followers to “share this post and tag a friend for a secret invitation to our soft opening.”

The tactic was effective. After just two posts, the Secret Hot Chicken Instagram had attracted 411 followers as of Tuesday.

But the air of mystery was brought to an end when the business was unmasked by a license application filed at the address of the downtown food hall, 733-737 N. Milwaukee St.

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Mad Chicken Planned for Northwest Side

Mad Chicken plans to expand its Milwaukee footprint with a new location near 76th and Capitol.

The fast-casual restaurant offers chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, salads and bowls, plus a variety of sides.

Owners Nabil Mutlaq, Mohamed Elkady and Ramez Aly first launched Mad Chicken in 2020 with a flagship location at 2045 E. North Ave. The fast-growing chain now has eight locations throughout Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. A ninth is planned at 7818 W. Capitol Dr. and could open by the end of the month, according to Mutlaq. The newest location will have an additional co-owner, Waleed Kamal Mohamady.

Mad Chicken formerly operated at Mayfair Mall, Southridge Mall, Fox River Mall in Appleton and Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, CA.

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Winter Farmers Market Ditching Deer District for Capitol Drive

The Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market will relocate to the former Capitol Drive Lutheran Church, 5305 W. Capitol Dr., for its 2022-2023 season. The first market is scheduled for Nov. 12.

The market has been on the move for the past several years, having been held in Deer District, the Mitchell Park Domes and Wisconsin State Fair Park.

The upcoming season was initially planned for the former Legacy Bank building, 2102 W. Fond du Lac Ave., on the same block as Fondy Farmers Market. Self-Help Federal Credit Union currently owns the two-story, 23,130-square-foot building.

“It was our hopes that we would be in the historic Legacy Bank Building this season,” said Venice Williams, interim executive director of Fondy. “But it’s an old building and needs a little bit of work.”

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Goodkind Ending Brunch Service

Bay View is a hot spot for weekend brunch, but the neighborhood will soon have one less option for the late-morning meal.

Goodkind, an upscale restaurant and tavern at 2457 S. Wentworth Ave., is ending it’s brunch service at the end of the month. Fans of the restaurant will have until Oct. 30 will mark the last day to grab a heaping plate of breakfast poutine, french toast sticks, or a morning remedy from the restaurant’s craft cocktail menu.

In place of brunch, Goodkind will add Sunday dinner service starting Nov. 6., the restaurant announced on Instagram Thursday. Switching out brunch for a dinner service is meant to give staff members more time to rest between Saturday and Sunday shifts

“We’ve got a much smaller crew these days, and frankly, these folks work reeeeally hard to make GK the special place that it is,” the online post said. “That being said, that crew that works here every day deserves more time to rest between Saturday and Sunday. It’s just the right thing to do.”

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Modern Greek Restaurant Planned For Former View MKE

A Chicago-based restaurant group will soon open its first Milwaukee location at the former View MKE building, 1818 N. Hubbard St., in Brewers Hill.

Avlí, which has five locations throughout the Chicago area, offers a modern take on Greek cuisine with dishes like shredded filo-wrapped prawns with spicy mayo and greek yogurt sauce; and Sagnaki, pan fried Greek cheese served with spiced fig compote.

“We can show you that Greek food can be something worthy of traveling to, because of the food and the atmosphere and how we treat you,” said owner Louie Alexakis. “I feel that Milwaukee really will embrace us for that reason.”

Alexakis, a veteran Greek restaurateur, opened his first restaurant in 1989 inside a Chicago nightclub. In 2009, he opened his first Avlí. Since then, Alexakis has been orchestrating what he calls a “contemporary Greek dining renaissance.” The intention, he explained, is to create an atmosphere as welcoming as the food is delicious.

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Seven Swans Creperie To Open in Former Dino’s

A new restaurant is moving into the former Dino’s Riverwest space — replacing pizza and pub fare with crepes, coffee and cocktails.

Kate Bryan plans to open a second location for Seven Swans Creperie at 808 E. Chambers St. The space became available following the August closure of the Italian tavern and restaurant. Seven Swans’ other location is in the Crossroads neighborhood in Kansas City.

A Milwaukee native, Bryan graduated from Riverside High School but has been “all over the world and back,” and said her travels have sparked inspiration throughout the process of building her business.

Bryan attended school in Portland, where she pursued a degree in general studies and Russian while frequenting the local creperies.

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Water Street Brewery Will Reopen as “The Brewery”

Water Street Brewery will reopen at 1101 N. Water St. later this month as The Brewery.

The downtown brewpub was one of the first such establishments in the city when it opened in 1987, but has been closed since March 2020. And while Water Street Brewery’s three suburban locations have long since reopened, the downtown one took a little extra time.

During the early days of pandemic restrictions, as bars and restaurants hesitantly began to reopen, co-owner Matt Schmidt said he decided to focus on the other Water Street Brewery locations in Delafield, Grafton and Oak Creek, as well as Trinity, The Harp Irish Pub and Vagabond, which are owned by his dad, R.C.

That left plenty of time to reimagine the look, feel and name of the brewpub. Schmidt said that the updates will better reflect the Water Street area, which has evolved throughout the past years into a thriving entertainment district.

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The Bridgewater Modern Grill Announces Grand Opening Date

The Bridgewater Modern Grill, a new restaurant from Benson’s Restaurant Group, will open its doors to the public Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The restaurant is located along the Kinnickinnic River in the River One development at 2011 S. 1st St.

Grand opening festivities will see the restaurant’s 245-foot-long patio transform into a “fall fest,” featuring lawn games and live music. A professionally-carved pumpkin display in the shape of an anchor will be the centerpiece of the outdoor space.

Each reservation during the opening week will include a complimentary Bridgewater lap blanket, while supplies last. 

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