New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in August
More than a dozen new places in town include BBQ, Japanese and Mexican restaurants.
a new barbecue restaurant, Japanese kitchen, cocktail bar and others.
Casera Cafe & Bakery ushered in August as we all should: with fresh pastries, indulgent brunches and lots of coffee.
Despite a rainy start to the month, the new business often opened its floor-to-ceiling windows, inviting in a refreshing breeze as guests chatted at tables, cozied up in couches or wandered through the on-site marketplace, featuring a variety of locally-made goods.
A sibling to Sugar & Flour Bakery Cafe in Greendale, Casera welcomed its first customers to the Harbor District space, 2067 S. 1st St., on Aug. 1. After just a few weeks, it began to attract a handful of regulars, employees report.
The cafe serves breakfast, lunch and baked goods, along with a full range of coffee and espresso drinks. Non-coffee drinkers can opt for a selection of herbal teas, turmeric lattes or a mushroom mocha featuring homemade Rishi mushroom tea.
Casera is just one of more than a dozen establishments to open its doors in Milwaukee last month, joining a new barbecue restaurant, Japanese kitchen, cocktail bar and others.
Agency
A high-end cocktail bar is now operating at Dubbel Dutch, activating the hotel’s lounge space for the first time in several months.
Agency, which got its start as a pop-up at Discourse, held its first service at the new location, 817 N. Marshall St., on Aug. 31.
Touted as the nation’s first fully hybrid cocktail lounge, Agency offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of each drink on its menu. The bar offers a lineup of traditional cocktails, along with a selection of experimental offerings.
Allie Boy’s
Allie Boy’s Bagelry and Luncheonette has expanded both its local footprint and production capabilities with a new location on the East Side.
Owners Ben Nerenhausen and Staci Lopez opened the second Allie Boy’s at 2100 N. Farwell Ave. on Aug. 1.
Like the original, the new location offers fresh bagels loaded with various schmears, as well as breakfast sandwiches, pastries, Anodyne coffee, tea and other beverages.
Cute Robot Japanese Kitchen
Comfort food is on the menu at Cute Robot Japanese Kitchen, which opened in mid-August at 704 S. 2nd St., the former home of The Noble.
The new restaurant focuses on yoshoku cuisine, or Japanese dishes with Western influences. That includes Kewpie mayo-drizzled street fries, gyoza, katsu and more.
A colorful ambience and anime-inspired decor pair well with the menu, lending a cozy and laid-back feel to the dining experience.
Dunkin’
The city’s newest Dunkin’ store marked its arrival with a weekend-long celebration, featuring live music, a bounce house, giveaways and more.
The doughnut shop, 5430 N. Lovers Lane Rd., held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 1, with the first 250 guests receiving free coffee for a year.
Flame 13
A new nightclub is now open at 2330 N. Martin Luther King Jr Dr., replacing Jewels Caribbean, which closed in April.
Flame 13 is run by former Jewels employees Marvin Bailey and James Perry, who have begun redesigning the space with help from a local muralist.
The business is open Saturdays, offering drinks, music and food such as burgers, chicken wings and macaroni and cheese.
Judy’s Cantina
Judy’s Cantina is back to business in its new location, and already receiving plentiful praise from fans of the restaurant’s margaritas, burritos and more.
The return comes less than a year after a devastating fire at the restaurant’s previous location on North Avenue.
In addition to margaritas and burritos, Judy’s, 2124 N. Farwell Ave., offers an extensive menu of tacos, gorditas, sopes, enchiladas, chimichangas, tostadas and more. Appetizers such as nachos, guacamole and chips with salsa are also available.
Mediterranean Cuisine
A Madison-based restaurant entered the Milwaukee market in August, bringing a slate of Mediterranean favorites to 753 N. Water St.
Mediterranean Cuisine, a project of brothers Mustafa and Ender Erk, offers familiar dishes like baba ganoush, hummus, chicken shawarma and falafel, as well as new-to-Milwaukee offerings such as Turkish Adana kebap, which is made with ground beef, red bell peppers and a variety of spices.
The restaurant also features vegan options such as plant-based kofte and lentil soup.
Milwaukee Brewing & Distilling
Milwaukee Brewing & Distilling opened in Bay View in August, replacing The Tonic Tavern at 2335 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
The new taproom, operated by Eagle Park Brewing Company, offers popular picks from Milwaukee Brewing Company, including Weekend at Louie’s, Outboard cream ale, O-Gii and others.
Old Time Sake
A new tavern with an old soul recently made its debut in Riverwest.
Old Time Sake opened its doors at 2221 N. Humboldt Ave. last month, welcoming patrons aged 30 and up to sip, socialize and sing along to their favorite throwback tunes.
Station 1846
Meghan Miles channeled her love of Milwaukee into Station 1846, which held its grand opening on Aug. 1 at 215 W. Bruce St.
The new business, located in a former auto repair shop, operates as a cafe and coworking space by day and transitions into a cocktail lounge in the evening. It also serves as a home base for Miles’ other company, City Tours MKE.
Tacos el Costeño
A popular food truck is now serving tacos, huaraches, carne asada and more in a new, brick-and-mortar location.
Tacos el Costeño is open at 807 W. Historic Mitchell St., filling the building that once housed Damascus Gate restaurant. Puerto Rican restaurant La Ventanita was briefly open in the building, but closed in February.
The High Crowd
The High Crowd, selling delta-9 THC-infused items, opened its first Milwaukee location in early August at 1229 E. Brady St., augmenting the city’s recreational cannabis scene while still adhering to state law.
The new cafe offers infused teas, lattes, lemonades and baked goods dosed with customizable levels of delta-9, ranging from 25 to 100 milligrams.
Yummy Bones BBQ
Southern barbecue spot Yummy Bones BBQ is now serving brisket, chicken wings, potato salad and more at Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.
The food hall’s newest vendor made its debut on Aug. 19, replacing Ready to Roll, an artisan egg roll concept.
The 10-year-old restaurant, led by Robert Meredith, also operates a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Port Washington and, up until recently, a location at the delivery-focused Paper Table.
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