Mexican, Indian, Italian, Chinese Fusion Restaurant Proposed For Northwest Side

Site of future The Mirage, 10950 W. Good Hope Rd. Photo taken January, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

The owners of Indian Village Restaurant plan to leverage nearly three decades of industry experience for an ambitious new project on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side.

Apexa Patel and her husband, Vijay, are preparing to open a fusion-focused restaurant, IVR Bar, at 10950 W. Good Hope Rd. The location, encompassing 7,730 square feet of space and a large outdoor patio, was previously home to Point Burger Bar.

IVR, which stands for International Variety Restaurant, will emphasize choice, said Apexa, catering to those craving Mexican, Indian, Italian, and Chinese cuisines — or even a combination of two or more.

“We are going to give so many options to people,” she said. “We have really good cauliflower gobi manchurian (an Indo-Chinese dish), we have really good butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, and we are going to make really good enchiladas.

The Patels, who have roots in India, expressed particular excitement to offer butter chicken pizza, a unique crossover rarely seen in Milwaukee establishments.

They also plan to incorporate a wide variety of proteins and alternatives, including goat, lamb and plentiful vegetarian options. A tentative menu for the restaurant features of tacos, paneer-filled quesadillas, curries naan-wrapped burrito and much more.

Beer — including imported offerings — wine and cocktails will also be available.

The couple’s nephew, Gary Singh, will hold an upper management role at IVR.

“We’ve been in the business for 30 years almost, so we know what we’re doing ” Apexa said. “And I decided that it was the dream of me and my husband to open a big restaurant.”

The upcoming establishment certainly fulfills that wish, seating up to 300 guests in the dining room alone, with additional room on the expansive patio. The property also includes a 111-space parking lot.

During a July 9 Licenses Committee hearing, area Alderwoman Larresa Taylor spoke in favor of the Patels’ proposal.

“I think that they’re going to be a great addition to the 9th district,” she said, recommending approval for the couple’s food and liquor licenses.

The Patels also plan to host entertainers including instrumental musicians and bands. In the absence of live music, a jukebox will be available. Their original proposal included karaoke, comedy acts, magic shows and pool tables; however the committee requested those be eliminated — at least for the time being.

A license application for IVR Bar indicates that the Patels purchased the building for $810,000. Brian Ward, agent for Shongololo LLC, previously owned the 2001 building, which he renovated in 2016.

Another business, The Mirage, made plans in 2023 to open at the site; however, the proposal never came to fruition.

The Patels operate Indian Village Restaurant locations in Greenfield and Waukesha. They also own Honeydip Donuts at 805 S. Layton Blvd.

Once open, the upcoming restaurant plans to operate daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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