New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in December
Two dessert shops, Thai restaurant and Milwaukee's sole dedicated omakase restaurant join the local food scene.
1033 Omakase, 1033 S. 1st St. Photo taken Dec. 21, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
One of Milwaukee’s smallest dining destinations made a big impression with its mid-December debut. Just before the holidays, 1033 Omakase quietly opened reservations for its 10-seat Walker’s Point restaurant—and promptly sold out its initial days.
The upscale eatery owes its instant popularity, in part, to a series of successful pop-ups led by chef and co-owner Worawit Boonyapituksakul, an accomplished sushi chef who trained under luminaries like Masaharu Morimoto.
An immense respect for the art of sushi, paired with a passion for customer experience, led Boonyapituksakul—who often goes by Chef Ray—to pursue omakase-style dining, a Japanese tradition where guests entrust the chef to curate a series of custom-made, bite-sized courses crafted from the freshest seasonal ingredients.
The newly opened restaurant, located at 1033 S. 1st St., serves as a permanent manifestation of that philosophy.
“At 1033, every dish is a testament to craftsmanship, thoughtfully prepared with exceptional options of sake, wine, and craft cocktails to elevate your experience,” reads the restaurant’s website. “Our mission is to honor the tradition of Japanese omakase by creating an unforgettable dining journey that harmonizes simplicity, elegance, and the finest seasonal ingredients.”
With each service, Chef Ray and his business partner, Cherry Phetleung, guide diners through a multi-course meal of sushi and other small bites. The restaurant operates without a menu; daily dishes are influenced by ingredient availability and the chef’s creative whims.
Reservations remain scarce for the new spot, which offers just three seatings per service; however, those who have been lucky enough to visit have shared rave reviews.
Bennet’s Pizza
A new late-night pizza spot has opened in Lincoln Village, offering a wide selection of specialty pies, along with calzones, pastas, wings, salads, sandwiches and desserts. Bennet’s Pizza, run by the former owners of Wisconsin Pizza Authority, is located at 2107 S. 6th St.
Big Sharks Fish & Chicken
The newest location for Big Sharks Fish & Chicken is now serving customers at Silver Mill Shopping Center. The chain restaurant, serving seafood and fried chicken, replaced Buddy’s Pizza at 6239 N. Teutonia Ave.
Elevate Coffee
After launching as a mobile business in West Allis last spring, Elevate Coffee joined Zocalo Food Park as a permanent vendor in December, offering Mexican-inspired lattes, atole and hot chocolate, as well as breakfast sandwiches and bowls.
Elevate is currently on winter break, but is set to return Jan. 17 to Zocalo, 636 S. 6th St.
Fiesta Colombia
Formerly a Mexican steakhouse, the restaurant at 3086 S. 20th St. recently rebranded as Fiesta Colombia, with a menu to match. The reimagined eatery now serves dishes like cazuela de frijoles, empanadas, and sopa de mondongo, while still offering a selection of steak, seafood, and chicken.
IVR Bar
The owners of Indian Village Restaurant and Honeydip Donuts have expanded their local presence with a new fusion restaurant, IVR Bar, on Milwaukee’s far Northwest Side.
Located at 10950 W. Good Hope Rd., IVR Bar offers a mix of authentic Indian and Mexican cuisine, along with unique fusion dishes such as falafel burritos and tikka pizza. A soft opening in mid-December was followed by an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 2.
Kelly’s Trackside Inn
Kelly Westerhausen fulfilled a lifelong dream with the launch of Kelly’s Trackside Inn, which recently opened at 8762 N. Granville Rd. A 28-year industry veteran, Westerhausen brings a robust food program and a loyal following of third-shifters to the new business, located across the tracks from W. Brown Deer Road.
La Gelati
La Gelati, a Michigan-based chain specializing in desserts and cafe drinks, softly launched in November at 5663 S. 27th St. The shop serves a variety of treats including soft serve, sundaes, fruit smoothies, crepes, waffles, pancakes and cookies, alongside coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
Unique to La Gelati is its ashta, a frozen treat with roots in modern-day Syria. The stretchy, hand-pulled ice cream is typically served with pistachios, but La Gelati offers several variations, including options with fruit, Turkish baklava or cotton candy.
Lemongrass By EE -Sane
A new Thai-Lao restaurant, Lemongrass by EE-Sane, quietly opened in early December at 1505 N. Farwell Ave. The menu features authentic dishes such as spring rolls, spicy Lao sausage, curries, noodles and stir-fries, alongside popular favorites from EE-Sane, which is temporarily sharing the space while its own kitchen is being renovated.
Mochinut
Mochinut began serving its signature chewy doughnuts, corn dogs and boba teas in Bay View at the end of December. Located at 2140 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the new spot will also house Roll Up, a counter-service restaurant set to open on Jan. 4.
Taco Pros
Taco Pros, a quick-service Mexican chain restaurant held a multi-day grand opening from Dec. 16 to 18 at 242 E. Capitol Dr. Along with free tacos, the celebration reportedly featured a mechanical bull and live mariachi music.
Toya’s Homestyle Kitchen
Latoya James channeled more than a decade of culinary experience into the opening of Toya’s Homestyle Kitchen, the newest arrival to Milwaukee’s Lincoln Creek neighborhood. The restaurant, 3326 W. Capitol Dr., offers a wide variety of fish and seafood, chicken, pork chops, po’ boys and burgers.
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