New Sports Bar For East Side

2028 E. North Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A new sports bar and restaurant featuring pub fare, creative drinks and live entertainment is slated to open on the East Side later this spring.

Raymond Sanchez and his wife, Stormie Loren, plan to open North Sports Bar at 2028 E. North Ave. The bar and restaurant will combine the comfortable, throwback feel of “the old North Avenue,” as Sanchez calls it, with a hint of glamour inspired by the couple’s visits to Las Vegas.

In the early 2000s, Sanchez recalls being a young adult frequenting the popular bars in the neighborhood. “Everybody used to be over there, having fun, and just enjoying a good time,” he said.

In past years, the couple has traveled frequently to Las Vegas, Loren added, where they gained valuable perspective on what details and experiences make a bar truly unforgettable. “Although we know we can’t replicate Las Vegas here, we want the space to be somewhere that’s super interactive, where people can come and have a really good time,” she said.

Sanchez, who brings 10 years of restaurant experience to the new venture, plans to offer a straightforward but high-quality menu including buffalo wings, chicken tenders and other comfort foods that pair well with a cold beer, he said.

And while the food menu leans traditional, Loren said she hopes to liven up the drink offerings with inspiration from Las Vegas establishments.

“What we really love about Vegas is that every place you go to, regardless of the atmosphere, you’re always expecting to see a menu of really fun drinks and cocktails,” she said. “So we want to bring that to our sports bar.”

In addition to screening a wide variety of sporting events, the bar will feature entertainment such as bands, musicians and DJs. A license application also notes plans for five amusement machines. Once open, the bar and restaurant expects to generate 55% of its revenue from alcohol sales, 40% from food and 5% from entertainment, according to the license application.

The 1,603-square-foot space, sandwiched between Hacienda Taproom & Kitchen and Whole Foods, was most recently home to Nice Times, a plant-based restaurant and bar. Snack Boys and The Hotel Foster also previously operated at the address.

Commercial alterations, including a redesigned bar area, new bathrooms and other aesthetic updates, are slated to begin later this month. The second-floor patio, a designated smoking area that overlooks the bustling intersection of E. North and N. Farwell Avenues, will remain intact.

A liquor license for the business is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council. If granted, the couple said they hope to open the bar April 1, but are willing to postpone the date a few weeks to ensure everything is perfect come opening day.