Milwaukee Bars Hosting Many Holiday Pop-Ups
Plus: 10 new bars and restaurants open and farewell (sort of) to Clock Shadow Creamery.
Holiday Hideout at Central Standard. Photo by Evan Babbitz.
A horde of holly jolly Milwaukeeans packed the bar at Lost Whale on Dec. 1, eager to be the first to experience this year’s Elf-themed holiday pop up. The event has become an annual tradition for the cocktail bar, 2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., also known for its Halloween events.
As usual, the bar’s interior is absolutely glistening, decked out in reds, greens, string lights and other holiday decor. A special menu of cocktails, inspired by the 2003 Christmas comedy starring Will Ferrell, draw inspiration from elves’ four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup.
Lost Whale, while one of Milwaukee’s most notable holiday destinations, is just one of numerous bars hosting holiday pop-ups this year. Santa Camp, another perennial favorite, is in full force at Camp Bar locations in the Historic Third Ward, Deer District, Wauwatosa and Shorewood.
Those who made it onto the nice list can stop in at PufferFish to check out the tiki bar’s Sippin’ Santa pop-up, featuring a menu of tiki-inspired cocktails with holiday twists, as well as decor meant to emulate Santa’s workshop.
Meanwhile, in Walker’s Point, Tin Widow‘s annual Miracle pop-up is in full swing. The bar’s cozy interior sports added flair from hanging ornaments, tinsel and stockings. From the bar, guests can expect Christmassy cocktails including hot buttered rum and a gingerbread-infused old fashioned.
A little further south, At Random‘s Magic Forest pop-up offers a unique, outdoor experience thanks to heated cocktail huts. Each private enclosure is situated within a sea of twinkling Christmas trees. Guests can order from a festive menu of spiked ice cream drinks, warm cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.
For a retro night out, head to the Tom & Jerry Room at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge for a fix of the Christmastime cocktail, made with stiffly-beaten egg whites, egg yolk, butter, powdered sugar, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla and allspice, along with a healthy dose of rum and brandy. Afterwards, keep the classic vibes alive with a trip to Paris — or at least a visit to the Paris-themed City of Christmas Lights pop up at Charles E. Fromage. The experience is complete with themed craft cocktails and a new holiday menu.
Additional holiday cheer is in abundant supply at Central Standard, which recently debuted its new Holiday Hideout — featuring more than 5,000 twinkling lights — earlier this month, as well as inside the Tinsel Taproom, located at J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard.
Some pop-ups welcome walk-ins, but many require reservations. For more information, to view menus or to reserve a spot, visit business’ websites directly, or find them on Facebook.
3rd Street Market Hall Unveils New Event Space
3rd Street Market Hall, on Wednesday, announced the upcoming opening of its new event space, Venue 3. The grand reveal will coincide with a New Year’s Eve party, offering guests a first look at the space.
The ticketed event will take place on Sunday, Dec. 31 from 8:80 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., featuring live entertainment and three different food and drink packages to choose from.
Options include the bronze package, priced at $35, which comes with two drink tickets good for soda, beer, wine and cocktails.
The silver package, priced at $70, provides access to four hours of unlimited beer, wine and soda, a grazing table courtesy of Charcute-Louie, dinner from Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ and dessert from Mr. Dye’s Pies.
The Pasta Tree Adds Brunch Service
The Pasta Tree, a fixture of the Lower East Side neighborhood, has been a destination for lunch and dinner for more than 40 years. Last month, the restaurant expanded its reach to the morning crowd, debuting a new, Italian-inspired brunch menu.
The brunch, available on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., features Italian twists on classic dishes such as Scottish eggs, eggs benedict and baked eggs. Other options include an antipasto plate with various salamis, cheeses and vegetables; breakfast carbonara featuring handmade pasta and a poached egg; zeppole (Italian doughnut holes) served with crushed pistachios and dipping sauces; caramelized apple pancakes and a seafood frittata.
For dessert, there’s cheesecake, gluten-free chocolate cake, tiramisu, seasonal cannolis and affogatos.
The restaurant also offers a substantial cocktail menu, complete with a housemade, Italian-style bloody mary, espresso martini, cold brew negroni, bottomless bellinis and more.
Burger Restaurant Opens Inside Great Lakes Distillery
When Sherrilynn Law and Jacob Neitzer stepped into Great Lakes Distillery for a drink last summer, neither imagined that they would soon open a restaurant just steps away from their seats at the bar. But a few short months later, the pair are on-site daily, serving up signature smash burgers and sides from their counter service eatery, Fox Den.
The venture began in June when Law and Neitzer, years-long friends who met while working in the industry, launched Fox Den as a food truck. The vision, they said, was to take a crowd-favorite dish — like a classic burger — and supercharge it with unique texture and flavor.
“We love cooking all sorts of different foods to begin with, and we were trying to think of something that would appeal to a larger mass of people that would still allow us to have our creativity shine through,” Law said.
The pair ultimately landed on smash burgers — whose patties are smashed flat on a hot grill to maximize browning — and put together a menu of eight, flavor-packed options including three beef-based burgers, three chicken and two vegan patties, along with a selection of sides.
22 Restaurants Hosting December Dining Events, Holiday Specials
This December, several Milwaukee bars and restaurants are cooking up special holiday meals in pursuit of that same feeling, offering guests equal opportunity to indulge in comforting, seasonally-minded meals while also setting the stage for memory-making and community connection.
All that without a sink full of dishes at the end of the night? That may well be the best gift of all.
A German Christmas at EsterEv
EsterEv, a fine dining restaurant tucked away inside DanDan, 360 E. Erie St., will host chef Cole Ersel for a German holiday dining experience on Dec. 8 and 9. One-hour dining slots are available for 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night.
Guests will enjoy a multi-course meal including dishes like liverwurst, kasespatzle, dry-aged duck and more, along with pairings from Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery.
New Concepts Opening at Crossroads Collective This Week
Adonis Burger Co. and Temple Goddess are on the home stretch to opening at Crossroads Collective, with plans to bring two, fully-vegan menus to one vendor stall at the food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., starting on Friday, Dec. 8.
But before arriving at Crossroads Collective, owners Eve Savva and Gregory Cilmi found themselves at a metaphorical crossroads.
At the time, the couple had recently exited Paper Table, a delivery-focused food hall located Downtown. Cilmi and Savva were two of the numerous vendors who struggled to thrive at the food hall due to a lack of support and communication, technological issues and other problems reported by previous tenants.
The experience, detailed in an earlier report by Urban Milwaukee, left a bad taste in their mouths; however, undeterred, Savva and Cilmi moved quickly to secure a new location at Crossroads Collective, which is owned and operated by New Land Enterprises. The restaurants will get a fresh start at the East Side food hall.
Fondy Food Center Names New Leader
Milwaukee’s oldest farmers market has a new leader. The Fondy Food Center board of directors announced Dec. 1 that Venice Williams will now lead the organization.
Williams, known for her leadership at Alice’s Garden Urban Farm, has been acting in an interim role for the past 18 months. As of November 2023, her position is permanent.
“This is an incredible step forward for Fondy and the Lindsay Heights neighborhood as Venice is incredibly connected with the needs and goals of the community,” said Heather Deaton, president of the board of directors, in a statement. “It’s been an honor to work with Venice the last 18 months — her commitment to the mission of Fondy, the community and cultural connections is tremendous and humbling.”
The Fondy Farmers Market, run by the Fondy Food Center, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017, marking a century of efforts to increase fresh food accessibility throughout Milwaukee’s northside neighborhoods.
Convenience Store Closed By City To Reopen Under New Owner
A convenience store in the Harambee neighborhood will be allowed to reopen under new ownership, following the city’s decision to shut down the previous operators last spring.
Amritpal Singh plans to open Sunshine Supermarket at 200 E. Chambers St., the former site of Chambers East Food Market. The Milwaukee Licenses Committee signed off on the business’s food dealers license last week. The full Common Council will consider the matter on Dec. 12.
Back in April, the council opted not to renew the license for Chambers East due to ongoing issues at the location including loitering and litter, as well as the use of drugs, alcohol and weapons inside the store. During the proceedings, area Alderwoman Milele Coggs voted in favor of the closure, citing her concern for her constituents’ safety. But testimony from neighbors, many of whom said that they rely on the store for basic necessities, didn’t go unheard.
Per Coggs’ request, Sunshine Supermarket will sell meats, fresh produce and other grocery staples. “I’m not moved about chips and soda, but having access to fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and other things you really need as sustenance for life, I am moved by,” she said during a Nov. 28 Licenses Committee hearing. “And I understand neighbors’ desire to have that as close to them as possible.”
Clock Shadow Creamery Closes Walker’s Point Store
Clock Shadow Creamery, a pioneering urban cheese factory and the force behind some of Milwaukee’s favorite cheese curds, is making some changes ahead of the new year.
The company’s storefront, which opened in 2012 at 138 W. Bruce St., has closed. Clock Shadow will continue producing cheese for wholesale in grocery stores and to local restaurants. In its place, Hill Valley Dairy, which has shared space with the company for several years, will take over the Walker’s Point storefront.
“I’m in this stage of my life where I’m just trying to simplify things,” said Bob Wills, founder of Clock Shadow Creamery. “To me, it was the ideal transition for us to sort of shift responsibilities. It’s more like a shift than a closing.”
After more than 11 years in the neighborhood, Wills said he’s amassed “a pile” of memories.
New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in November
Barrel Burrito Company
A new, fast-casual restaurant joined the East Town lineup in early November, offering quick and convenient meals for office workers and other on-the-go diners. Barrel Burrito Company debuted its menu of quesadillas, walking tacos, churros and — of course — burritos, on Nov. 7.
The new restaurant, 782 N. Jefferson St., is one of two new concepts coming to the block. The other, an apres-ski bar called Experts Only, is expected to open in December. Mike Eitel is the owner of both businesses, as well as several others throughout the Milwaukee area.
Ready to Roll
Mother-daughter team Shatoia and Sandra Robinson debuted their egg roll-focused concept, Ready to Roll, at Crossroads Collective last month. The restaurant, which serves egg rolls with non-traditional fillings inspired by family recipes, celebrated its grand opening at the food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., on Nov. 10.
Allie Boy’s Adding Second Location on East Side
Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette is known as much for its out-the-door lines on Saturdays and Sundays as it is for crispy, chewy, hand-rolled bagels. One of those things is likely to change next year, when the Walker’s Point restaurant expands to a second, much larger location on the Lower East Side.
The new space, 2108 N. Farwell Ave., will serve as the “epicenter” for baking operations, allowing the business to ramp up bagel production to four times its current rate. It will also function as a counter-service restaurant with a communal dining area.
The expansion will grow the physical footprint of Allie Boy’s by 4,600 square feet. The original location, 135 E. National Ave., is 1,300 square feet.
“It’s something we’ve actually been looking for for a couple of years now,” said Ben Nerenhausen, who co-owns Allie Boy’s with Staci Lopez. “We’re excited to be part of the neighborhood.”
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