Palomino To Resume Food Service
Bay View bar bringing back burgers, sandwiches and more starting Thursday.
The bar at the Palomino. Photo by Joey Grihalva.
Palomino recently announced plans to reopen its kitchen, restoring burgers, tots and that famous chicken sandwich to patrons of the Bay View bar, 2491 S. Superior St.
Food service had been paused — with exceptions for a handful of special events — for nearly a year, following Palomino’s temporary closure of nearly two months last summer. But that’s set to change this Thursday, May 18, starting with a limited menu of “fan favorites,” according to a post from the company.
Guests can expect burgers, veggie burgers and tater tots, as well as Palomino’s signature hot chicken sandwich, also available vegan-style.
A variety of homemade pies, crafted on-site at the adjacent Honeypie Bakeshop, as well as “cold beer and hot whisky” will also be abundant, as the establishment celebrates its full return to service.
The announcement was met with great fanfare online, racking up nearly 700 reactions overnight, with commenters throwing out requests for additions to the limited starting menu.
Last June’s closure, brought on by staffing shortages related to the pandemic, came as a surprise to many, so the news comes as a relief for fans of Palomino, bringing an end to an era of uncertainty about the future of the establishment.
But last year’s decision to close turned out to be a strategic one by owner Valeri Lucks, who redistributed Palomino staff to sister restaurants Honeypie and Comet Cafe in order to aid in pandemic recovery, before turning her attention back to Palomino.
Even as Palomino settles back into its regular routine, staffing shortages continue to wreak havoc on the restaurant industry — more than three years after the onset of the pandemic.
Within the past several months alone, numerous restaurants throughout the area have closed their doors for good, citing staffing shortages as a principle cause for the closures.
Lucks, who operates the aforementioned establishments under the restaurant group PIE Inc., has also been busy elsewhere in the Bay View neighborhood.
The entrepreneur recently launched Buttercup MKE, a pop-up urban garden shop specializing in locally-grown perennials and annuals. The plant-focused business operates on a grassy space outside of SmallPie, 2504 E. Oklahoma Ave.
Originally, Buttercup MKE was to occupy a nearby building at 2509 E. Oklahoma Ave., but that plan was later scrapped. The structure is now slated to become a brick-and-mortar restaurant for Hot Box Pizza.
For hours and more information about Buttercup MKE, visit the business’s Instagram page.
Starting Thursday, May 18, the kitchen at Palomino will be open Thursday through Monday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The bar will be open until 11 p.m.
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