Pizza Man Reopens on Downer Avenue
The restaurant reopens Friday afternoon with pizza, pasta and giveaways.
Pizza Man. Photo by Joey Grihalva.
Throughout its 54-year history in Milwaukee, Pizza Man has rebuilt, relocated and risen from the ashes. The restaurant’s latest pivot sees it boomerang back to its former location at 2597 N. Downer Ave., after a year-long run in Riverwest.
Pizza Man reopened Friday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m., concluding a seven-month hiatus.
The restaurant teased its return in a Facebook post earlier this week, showing off photos of its revamped interior and announcing a giveaway for its first weekend back in business.
According to the post, diners who share a picture of their meal on social media and tag Pizza Man will be entered to win a $50 gift card to the restaurant. Winners will be selected Monday, Sept. 30.
As it reenters the Milwaukee market, the restaurant’s menu of pizza, pasta and Italian appetizers remains largely unchanged; however, the new location is under new ownership.
Thomas Schafer and Krzysztof Zielinski of PM2 MGR LLC acquired the business from Za Man LLC in early 2024. Schafer’s entity, Bayside Mgmt, LLC, purchased the 6,313-square-foot restaurant space from Bridge33 Capital in May.
Schafer, a real estate investor, and Zielinski, a Milwaukee industry veteran, each own a 48.5% share of the business. A third partner, Jose “Miguel” Mayoral, is the restaurant’s executive chef and is listed as the registered agent for the limited liability company.
The change coincided with the end of a disjointed era for the restaurant, which relocated from the East Side to 2060 N. Humboldt Ave. in April 2023, only to abruptly close a year later.
Less than two weeks after that, Pizza Man filed a permit request to install its distinctive blade sign at the Downer Avenue address, where it had previously operated for a decade. The restaurant’s original location, established on North Avenue in 1970, succumbed to a fire in 2010.
The Humboldt Avenue space is now home to a new business, Cozumel Mexican Restaurant, which opened in early September.
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