New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in January
11 establishments opened in Milwaukee last month, including a cocktail bar, Puerto Rican restaurant and a new food hall vendor.
Bronzeville Kitchen & Lounge, 2053 N. Martin L. King Jr. Dr. Photo taken Nov. 22, 2023 by Sophie Bolich..
Bronzeville Kitchen and Lounge
Restaurateur Paul Whigham launched his newest venture, Bronzeville Kitchen and Lounge, on Jan. 4. The restaurant and lounge, 2053 N. Martin L. King Jr. Dr., serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with an emphasis on soul food — in particular, Whigham’s “famous” shrimp and grits.
Whigham also plans to bring his love of jazz to the establishment, playing the genre over speakers and, eventually, hosting live bands.
Agency
A new cocktail bar opened its doors downtown in early January. Agency, an evening counterpart to Discourse Coffee, 1020 N. Broadway, offers traditional and non-alcoholic versions of each beverage on its menu.
The bar features a handful of classic cocktails such as margaritas, negronis and espresso martinis, as well as experimental offerings such as The New Frontier, made with brown butter-washed whiskey and house-spiced apple cider served hot with a flaming cinnamon stick.
Mex Avenue
Mex Avenue is the newest concept to open at Crossroads Collective, restoring an option for Mexican cuisine to the East Side food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.
The restaurant, which also operates a location in Wauwatosa, had its grand opening on Jan. 11 at the food hall, offering deals on popular items including chips and salsa, tacos, burritos and cocktails.
Sabor Divino
A new Puerto Rican restaurant opened its doors on Milwaukee’s South Side in late January. Family-owned Sabor Divino is now operating at 3300 W. Lincoln Ave. It’s the first brick-and-mortar location for the restaurant, which also operates a food truck.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with popular dishes, including mofongo, tostones and arroz con gandules.
Hong Kong Seafood Buffet
Southsiders have a new, casual dining option in Hong Kong Seafood Buffet, which recently opened at 270 W. Holt Ave.
The all-you-can-eat restaurant offers a wide variety of Chinese dishes with an emphasis on seafood. On any given day, guests can expect to find stir-fries, noodles, egg rolls and crab rangoon on the menu, along with shrimp dishes, crawfish, crab legs and more.
Vier North
The long-awaited Vier North opened its doors on the East Side in January, bringing new life to the former Vitucci’s tavern. Four new owners have contributed fresh ideas to the longstanding tavern, while preserving its historic past.
Vier North offers beer, seltzers, wine and cocktails, along with casual eats such as pizza and burgers.
Dunkin’
A new location for Dunkin‘ is now open on the Northwest Side, at 8111 W. Brown Deer Rd. The new business, serving coffee, doughnuts and breakfast items, is open for both drive-thru and counter service.
It’s the chain’s eight location in Milwaukee, though that number is expected to rise in the coming months.
Satchmo’s
After more than a year of preparation, Satchmo’s welcomed its first guests in mid-January. The new neighborhood tavern and restaurant replaces Baby Boomers at 182 E. Lincoln Ave.
Satchmo’s will continue with a limited food and drink menu until fully settled in the new space. But following its grand opening, the business plans to expand its offerings to include a Friday night fish fry, weekend brunch and other daily specials.
Todd I Believe I Can Fry
A new restaurant with an intriguing name is now open in Bay View, adding a new option for takeout to the neighborhood lineup. Todd I Believe I Can Fry began its soft opening at 2159 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. on Jan. 22.
The restaurant offers a unique menu of Asian-style street foods, from snacks like gyoza and ika geso (fried squid) to meal-sized orders of wings and other specialties.
RCW’s Cafe
Located in the basement of the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway, RCW’s Cafe is a little-known, but vitally important addition to downtown; the restaurant feeds dozens of city workers each day.
Opened in mid-January, RCW’s Cafe replaced Aladdin’s City Cafe, which recently transitioned out of the space after seven years in business.
The new restaurant continues to serve a variety of customer favorites from Aladdin’s such as breakfast sandwiches, burgers, and grilled paninis. New additions to the menu include avocado toast, bacon cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches and fresh salads.
Shawarma Palace
The owners of Pita Palace recently expanded to a new location on Brady Street. Shawarma Palace, 1701 N. Humboldt Ave., is now open in the former Mac Shack, which closed at the end of 2023.
Similar to its sister location, Shawarma Palace sells shawarma wraps and bowls, falafel and other Middle Eastern foods, plus a selection of American options like cheeseburgers, chicken wings, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks.
Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ
Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ is now slinging slow-smoked meats in a new location. The barbeque concept opened its second restaurant at 6807 W. Brown Deer Rd. in December.
Like its counterpart at 3rd Street Market Hall, the new restaurant offers a variety of meats including chicken wings, rib tips and brisket, along with sides like french fries and mac and cheese.
Fiyahside Jamaican Cuisine
Fiyahside Jamaican Cuisine celebrated the long-awaited grand opening of its second location on Nov. 4. The occasion was, regrettably, was not included in Urban Milwaukee’s November openings article.
Fiyahside, 7434 W. Capitol Dr., offers Jamaican dishes including oxtail, stewed pork and rice with pigeon peas.
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