Once Secret Restaurant Closing
Red Light Ramen, a spinoff of Ardent, grew a following on the Lower East Side.
Red Light Ramen (left) and Ardent (right) on N. Farwell Avenue. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
A restaurant that started as one of Milwaukee’s worst-kept secrets will soon be no more.
Chef Justin Carlisle‘s Red Light Ramen will serve its last bowls on July 13.
Launched in 2014, it originally operated as a late-night operation within Carlisle’s Ardent, 1751 N. Farwell Ave. With the blinds closed, an inconspicuous red light outside the building would be lit up on Friday and Saturday nights, signaling that the fine-dining restaurant had pivoted to playing hip-hop music and serving tonkotsu-style ramen.
Come 2016, Red Light gained its own space at 1749 N. Farwell Ave. More options were added to the menu, and the simple red light gave way to a legitimate sign and longer hours.
But soon it will be no more. Carlisle announced the news in a social media post:
“Dear friends, the winds of change are blowing and it is with enormous gratitude that we are closing our little ramen shop after almost 10 incredible years. What started with two pots and friends standing in the old Ardent kitchen became a wonderful space that gathered friends and helped us serve food to our wonderful Milwaukee community. Now it is time to turn the page. With heavy but grateful hearts, we announce that our last day open will be Thursday, July 13. Please join us over the next couple of weeks to say farewell, but also to celebrate this wonderful space. And not to worry, we won’t completely go away… stay tuned!!
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Carlisle, a four-time finalist for the James Beard Awards’ best chef Midwest, will continue to operate Ardent.
The chef and his wife Lucia Munoz-Carlisle closed another restaurant, The Laughing Taco, at the end of 2021. But Carlisle is a partner in the restaurant that recently replaced it, seafood-focused 1033.
Prior to housing Red Light Ramen, the partially below-ground space was occupied by Juiced and PJ’s Original Subs and Cubs. The building, owned by an affiliate of New Land Enterprises, has apartments on its upper floors.
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