Iron Grate BBQ Will Close

Iron Grate BBQ Co. will serve its last batch of smoked meats, sandwiches and sides on Nov. 20.

In a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon, owner Aaron Patin announced that the southside meat emporium, also known as the home of the Milwaukee Rib, will close after eight years in business.

“I am fulfilled with joy of what we were able to accomplish in an old Boy Blue stand,” Patin said within the lengthy post, which included a quote by French chef Marie-Antione Careme. He continued, “Iron Grate grew beyond what everything I had dreamed. Cooking and sharing for everyone has been the utmost rewarding experience. I have led wonderfully dedicated people… Thank you for letting us be a place for you to gather and letting us in your homes.”

The post also asked patrons to share a memory “for our keepsakes as a team.”

In response, comments — nearly 100 within two hours — poured in from customers who shared photos and memories from past visits to the restaurant.

The restaurant first opened in 2016 in the same building as Hawthorne Coffee Roasters, 4177 S. Howell Ave. Patin, a veteran of Ardent, Stone Creek Coffee and SURG Restaurant Group, later relocated the restaurant just a few doors north, 4125 S. Howell Ave., where it continues to operate today.

Particularly known for its signature Milwaukee Rib, an especially meaty cut of short rib with the belly still attached, Iron Grate served a well-rounded menu of chicken thighs and drumsticks, hot links, riblets, brisket and more — all cooked to perfection in Patin’s hand-built smoker.

A hefty list of sides, including hush puppies, smothered greens, stone-ground grits, coleslaw, cornbread muffins with honey butter and others, complemented the main event.

The restaurant has eight days of service left, and if the social media response is any indication, they’re bound to be busy ones.

Iron Grate will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 20.

The restaurant also offers online ordering.

Patin did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.