Tamale Restaurant Planned Near I-94, Becher Street
Full-service restaurant would serve Mexican and Guatemalan cuisine in Lincoln Village.
Site of future Marta’s Tamales, 551 W. Becher St. Photo taken Oct. 18, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
When it comes to making tamales, technique is everything, and Marta Lopez Salazar learned from the best — watching the well-practiced hands of her mother and grandparents.
Years later, Lopez Salazar is the specialist. As owner of Marta’s Tamales, the chef prepares and sells a wide variety of Mexican and Guatemalan dishes from her southside food truck.
In the coming months, Lopez Salazar plans to add a brick-and-mortar location to her growing business. The new, full-service restaurant is slated to open at 551 W. Becher St., replacing Fastbreak Cafe in the Lincoln Village neighborhood.
Lopez Salazar said she plans to continue serving her signature Mexican and Guatemalan dishes including tlayudas, pupusas and pollo asado. The menu will also feature an assortment of tamales including chicken, pork, poblano and dessert varieties, as well as birria tacos and ramen.
The restaurant is seeking a liquor license, with plans to serve beer.
Lopez Salazar expects to generate 90% of revenue from food sales, with the remaining 10% from alcohol sales, according to a license application.
Marta’s Tamales would occupy a portion of a larger, 5,314-square-foot building that also contains a laundromat. The property, which features a small handful of parking spaces, is owned by an affiliate of PGI Properties LLC.
Lopez Salazar said she has not set an opening date for the restaurant due to ongoing inspections. Once that process is finished, a prospective launch date will be announced.
The business’s liquor license is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council.
Once open, the proposed hours of operation for Marta’s Tamales are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The upcoming restaurant is one of several businesses proposed for or newly-opened in the area. Earlier this month, Punta Cana opened at 2000 S. 13th St.; the bar aims to offer a laid-back environment inspired by the sandy beaches and turquoise waters of the Dominican resort town.
Meanwhile, a new ice cream shop, Chu-Chi’s, is slated to open at 2691 S. 6th St., less than a mile south of Marta’s Tamales.
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