Walker’s Point Sees Restaurant Boom

Raw bar selections at 1033. Photo taken May 24, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

Walker’s Point, once a heavily-industrial area, has come to be one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods for dining. Home to a host of upscale eateries, farm-to-table restaurants and dessert shops, hungry visitors will find an option to assuage any craving — from brunch to pizza, international cuisine to hyper-local meals.

A wave of new bars, restaurants and cafes opened in the area within the past year, including 1033, a seafood and raw bar; La Chinampa, a counter-service taco restaurant; La Piña, a tequila bar; Restaurant Jerez, a sit-down, Mexican seafood spot; Green Baked Goods; a bakery and cafe; Red Maple, a Japanese-inspired tavern; Vendetta, an Italian espresso bar; Revival; a Latin bar and small plates establishment and Hen’s Deli, a breakfast and brunch restaurant offering hand-rolled bagels.

And the offerings only continue to expand, as the neighborhood prepares to add even more eateries to its portfolio in the coming months. Ruta’s Vibrant Indian Cafe, Style Pop Cafe, Giving Tree Garage and Taqueria el Toro are all forthcoming, most with plans to open this summer.

Whisky Haze Is Permanently Closed

Whiskey Haze Craft Cocktails & Food is permanently closed after nearly three years in business.

Owner Christine McRoberts, who operated the westside bar and restaurant as well as its predecessor, Tusk, delivered the news in a May 23 social media post.

“Some things do not always go as planned,” she wrote. “We are closing Whiskey Haze.”

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The post went on to thank former employee Kevin Murphy, who recently left his position at Whiskey Haze to become restaurant manager at Jackson Grill, a southside supper club.

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Supernova Relocating Within 3rd Street Market Hall

Supernova Coffee & Doughnuts on Thursday celebrated its first anniversary in business at 3rd Street Market Hall. On the same day, the business announced plans to relocate — though the journey won’t be far.

Later this month, Supernova will move across the food hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., to join fellow sweets purveyor Mid-Way Bakery.

The change will allow for additional collaboration between the two vendors, as well as more space for Supernova, allowing for an expanded doughnut menu and possible new offerings, the business wrote in a social media post.

Supernova offers a rotating daily selection of yeasted, potato and old-fashioned cake doughnuts in flavors such as cookies and cream, original glazed (OG) and lemon poppyseed. The lineup would add to Mid-Way’s existing bakery, which includes brownies, croissants and cream puffs, as well as savory options like soup, salads and sandwiches.

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Bloody Mary Festival Returns to Milwaukee

Milwaukee is on the brink of festival season, with the first major events set to kick off this weekend. Later this summer, a crowd-favorite festival will return to the city for a fourth year, inviting attendees to eat, drink and be mary. Bloody mary, that is.

The endlessly-customizable, savory brunch cocktail will star at The Bloody Mary Festival, set for Saturday, August 12 at the Mid Gate Pavilion, 200 N. Harbor Dr.

“The Bloody Mary is the quintessential Wisconsin cocktail and people want to try the best,” said festival organizer Evan Weiss in a statement. “It’s no surprise that this event has quickly become one of the most popular local cocktail-tasting events of the year.”

This year’s festival will see a series of Wisconsin establishments vying for the title of Best Bloody Mary in Wisconsin, offering up samples of their signature mixes to festival-goers as well as a panel of industry-expert judges. At the end of the festival, awards will be granted for Best Bloody Mary in Wisconsin and People’s Choice.

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Amorphic, Crops on Top Host Pairing Dinner

While most home gardeners are eagerly awaiting the first shoots to emerge, Joel Lichosik is already reaping his harvest.

Lichosik, who owns the urban garden Crops on Top with his brother, Jamie, started his growing season months ago, sowing the first batch of seeds under grow lights in his basement.

On June 9, Lichosik will incorporate freshly-picked and seasonal produce into a five-course meal served on the Crops on Top garden deck.

The long-time chef, most recently associated with Lowlands Group, left the industry amid the pandemic, but he hasn’t stepped away from the kitchen altogether. Rather, he found a new niche at Crops on Top, where he cultivates seasonal produce, herbs and flowers, then uses some of the bounty to create upscale dishes for private dinners.

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Green Baked Goods Opens in Walker’s Point

Green Baked Goods, a bakery and cafe, recently made its brick-and-mortar debut in Walker’s Point, adding to a surge of new eateries that have joined the neighborhood in recent months.

The business, which had its grand opening Tuesday after a brief soft-launch, operates in partnership with the co-located Arts @ Large, allowing visitors to grab a bite before or after perusing the gallery space.

Green Baked Goods has been on the rise since 2020, when owners Angela and Kevin Green started the business in their home kitchen. The married couple are both industry veterans — he previously worked as a chef and she was a host and server.

“We always wanted to open our own business,” said Angela Green, adding that the couple sold their first batches of baked goods at local farmers markets, as well as in Madison and at special events like the Milwaukee Night Market.

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New Food Truck Restrictions Approved

The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved a new regulatory framework for food trucks Thursday that will substantially change how, where and when food trucks operate.

Lead sponsors JoCasta Zamarripa and Jonathan Brostoff have called the proposal “pro-food truck and pro-community” and one that was a “heavy lift” to craft.

“We have had an influx of food trucks in Milwaukee since the pandemic,” said Zamarripa during a two-hour hearing on the proposal on May 16. She said that the number of operators in the city has doubled since 2014, prompting new issues. Brostoff previously cited concerns on N. Water St. with a growing amount of litter, improperly dumped grease, public urination and customers using others’ parked vehicles as tables.

The policy includes major changes for how and when food trucks operate Downtown, near Burnham Park, on W. Lincoln Ave. and near restaurants.

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Style Pop Plans Walker’s Point Cafe

There are those who visit coffee shops simply for a caffeine fix — ordering a cup of joe and promptly leaving to go about their day; or better yet, making a quick trip through the drive-thru lane.

And then there’s Rosha Brister. The coffee enthusiast and founder of Style Pop Cafe has long-frequented cafes throughout the city and beyond, lingering over a drink and socializing or tapping into the creative energy of the space.

After nearly three years of operating a mobile cafe and coffee brand, Brister is preparing to launch her first brick-and-mortar business in Walker’s Point. The permanent location for Style Pop Cafe, 934 S. 5th St., is slated to open in June.

“I am so excited about it,” Brister said. “The goal is to provide a space where people can find their purpose, their why, their drive. And our way of doing that is creating ever-evolving themes in the coffee space.”

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Broken Yolk on Marquette Campus Closes

The Broken Yolk, a breakfast and brunch restaurant located on the Marquette University campus, has closed after 15 years in business.

Known by the student population as Bro-Yo, the no-fuss eatery served up heaping plates of eggs, toast and hashbrowns, among other dishes, making it a top destination after a long night of studying — or partying.

Bro-Yo quietly closed on May 21 — the day after the university’s commencement ceremony. The only indication of its closure was a note from owner Jim Gatto, which was posted to the front door.

“Thank you to the Marquette community and our neighbors for allowing us to be a part of your lives over the past 15 years,” Gatto wrote. “However, father time has made me a visit and said it was time for me to hang up my spatula and working utensils.”

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Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen Opens Downtown

Personal trainers LaQuita and Troy Brooks have been helping Milwaukeeans reach their fitness goals for years through their wellness business, Brooks Balance 7. But earlier this year, the couple took their health-conscious pursuits one step further, launching a counter-service cafe stocked with convenient, nutrient-dense meals.

Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen opened in late March at 731 N. Jackson St., serving healthy and satisfying breakfast, lunch and snack options.

“Our goal is just to make sure that people think that wellness and taking care of yourself is fun and cool,” LaQuita Brooks said. “And we want to build that throughout the community.”

The 500-square-foot cafe occupies a ground-level space in the Wintrust bank building, which also houses Fit Pro Milwaukee, where the couple work as personal trainers. The previous tenant, Java Corner Cafe, closed during the pandemic.

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Outdoor Patio Opening at RSVR

At RSVR, Bay View‘s virtual reality arcade, visitors are able to traverse beyond the business’s four walls into new and fantastical worlds. Soon, they will also be able to step into a brand new backyard patio — no VR headset required.

Known as The Bonus Level, the outdoor space is set to open Saturday, June 3, coinciding with Bay View Gallery Night. Both the patio and the indoor arcade are family-friendly and welcoming of all ages.

The patio’s centerpiece will be its outdoor bar, housed inside an antique, aqua-striped trailer, which will offer a rotating selection of local tap beers and tiki drinks, as well as video game-themed craft cocktails.

Bowser’s Breath, based on the villainous Super Mario character, punches up the classic tequila sunrise with a splash of Fireball. The Blue, inspired by an underwater VR experience, is a mixture of vodka, lemonade and blue curacao.

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