Stack’d Equipment Will Be Auctioned
Plus: Three new businesses open, offering pizza, coffee and acai.
Stack’D Burger Bar, 170 S. 1st St. Photo taken March 20, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Stack’D Burger Bar is no longer selling burgers and fries, but customers will be able to purchase its furniture and decor starting later this month. The shuttered restaurant, 170 S. 1st St., is holding an online auction through Badger Corporation starting April 17.
The sale includes a wide range of restaurant equipment, furniture, decor and entertainment items — from TVs and tablets to a Pac-Man arcade game. Also featured are tables and chairs, sandwich board signs, commercial kitchen appliances, a host stand, light fixtures, glassware, dishes, tap handles and patio furniture — nearly 800 items in total.
Urban Milwaukee first reported Stack’d’s closure on April 1. The following week, the restaurant shared its own announcement via a handwritten sign posted at its entrance. A flyer for the auction also appeared.
Opened in 2009, Stack’D was known for its gluten-free wings and extensive burger menu. Patties ventured beyond beef, with options like bison, black bean ground turkey, breaded chicken, Impossible beef, free-range chicken and portabella mushroom.
Trevor Danielsen owned the restaurant at the time of its closure, having purchased the business from founder Tim Dixon in 2016. SDI Holdings Co., LLC, with Randy Elliott as its registered agent, owns the building, which is also home to Colectivo and, on the second floor, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.
New Restaurant Planned For Brewery District Food Court
Mexi-Cali Grill, a Wauwatosa-based food truck, is poised to expand its reach with a permanent location in Milwaukee, according to a license application.
Get a daily rundown of the Milwaukee storiesWith tentative plans to open in May, the mobile restaurant would bring a fusion menu of American and Mexican dishes to 1125 N. 9th St., joining a lineup of vendors in the building’s ground-level food court, The Restaurants at Eleven25.
A proposed menu features popular dishes from the food truck, including walking tacos, land and sea tacos with shrimp and steak, veggie burrito bowls, loaded fries and spicy birria.
Mexi-Cali Grill would join several existing food businesses in the space, including Tangled Noodles and More, Coaches, Bento Xpert, Marco Pollo and Mr. Shawarma.
Brady Street Sandwich Shop For Sale
Megawich, a Brady Street restaurant known for its extra-large sandwiches and late-night hours, is for sale.
Operators Adham Awadalla and Wael Elsayed are offering up the business and brand for $245,999, according to a listing from Paul Monigal of Corley Real Estate.
“This is a rare opportunity to develop your own brand and expand as a franchisor—without the burden of franchise fees!” the listing states.
Opened in July 2023, the 1,230-square-foot, counter-service restaurant was renovated prior to its launch. The space includes a service counter, beverage cooler and several tables for dine-in customers.
Public Market Hosting Spring Festival, Anniversary Celebration
Building on the success of its autumnal Harvest Festival, Milwaukee Public Market is adding a new spring event.
The inaugural Festival of Flowers will bring seeds, spring blooms and seasonal food and drink to Riverwalk Commons — across the street from the market — on May 3, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
Paul Schwartz, executive director of the Milwaukee Public Market and Business Improvement District #2, said the springtime festival was inspired by the market’s October Harvest Festival, which has become one of its “most anticipated events of the year.”
New Restaurant Planned For Former Sabrosa Space
Industry veterans Jerry Patzwald and Christine Lorch are planning a new restaurant, Swan Song, at the former site of Sabrosa Café and Gallery, according to an occupancy permit filed with the City of Milwaukee in late March.
If approved, Swan Song would offer sit-down dining and is expected to open four nights per week for dinner, the filing states. The 3,532-square-foot restaurant space is located at 3216 S. Howell Ave.
Patzwald and Lorch, a husband-and-wife team, previously operated Cafe Brucke, a gastropub and coffee house, on Prospect Avenue from 2004 until 2010.
When reached by Urban Milwaukee, Patzwald declined to share additional details on the project until the application process is further along.
The Lafayette Place Will Not Reopen
The Lafayette Place has been closed since last September, when a driver crashed into the side of its building, 1978 N. Farwell Ave., causing extensive structural damage.
While building repairs are progressing steadily, the vegan cafe has scrapped its initial plans to reopen.
Lisa Wierzbinski, an employee at The Lafayette Place’s sister cafe, The National Cafe, confirmed the news in a social media comment. “Lafayette Place will not be reopening!” she wrote, noting that owners Amy Plennes and Angela Wierzbinski, along with their employees, “are heartbroken over the choice.”
She encouraged diners to continue supporting The National, 839 W. National Ave., which offers a taste of the former restaurant with dishes like the Vegan Brekkie Sammy and Vegan Cinnamon Roll.
Baya Bar Opens First Milwaukee Cafe
Baya Bar, a New York-based acai chain, launched its first Milwaukee location April 5 at 2220 N. Prospect Ave.
The new cafe occupies a ground-level retail space at Contour Apartments, offering a health-focused menu of açaí bowls, smoothies, juices, coffee and snacks.
On opening day, a line of customers stretched down the block in front of the cafe, drawn by the promise of a free smoothie bowl and tote bag for the first 75 orders. Giveaways including Summerfest passes, yoga supplies, skin care and more also helped promote the launch.
Business partners Taylor Owens and Susan Weinberg Richheimer are behind the new cafe, which fills the space formerly occupied by Kwench Juice Cafe. Like its predecessor, Baya Bar offers made-to-order items with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, as well as superfood add-ins like goji berries, flax and chia seeds.
New Cafe Opens in Walker’s Point
Style Pop Cafe welcomed upwards of 200 customers for its grand opening Saturday — a lively start for the new Walker’s Point business. On Tuesday morning, however, owner Rosha Brister was the only one in the building.
With a wagon full of supplies in tow, Brister restocked cups, lids and several varieties of non-dairy milk — all depleted by the weekend rush. The cafe, 934 S. 5th St., was closed for the day, giving Brister a moment to reflect.
“It was so fun,” Brister said of the grand opening, which offered food and drink specials, hourly raffles and an on-site DJ. “There were so many people.”
Customers old and new turned out to support the long-awaited business, first proposed in early 2023. It’s the first brick-and-mortar for Style Pop Cafe, which got its start as a coffee trailer in 2020. “It was nice to see familiar faces,” Brister said.
New Tavern Proposed For National Avenue
Back in 1920, Prohibition ushered in an era of soft drink parlors and speakeasies, bathtub gin and bootleggers. Smugglers of agave-based spirits had a nickname of their own: tequileros.
Now, a namesake business on Milwaukee’s south side is preparing to bring the party — this time, legally. Tequileros, a new venture led by Martha Coronado, is set to open in the coming months at 3830 W. National Ave.
The incoming tavern would replace the former Milwaukee Nights Pub, which closed at the end of January, according to a license application, which also shows that Coronado purchased the business for $135,000.
The previous bar operated for nearly a decade in the building, most recently under the ownership of Samona McCann.
Coffee Makes You Black Closes
Coffee Makes You Black, a restaurant, cafe and community hub in Milwaukee’s North Division neighborhood, has closed after more than 20 years in business.
Co-owner Djdade Denson cited financial challenges and the need for significant building renovations as key factors in the decision. “We just weren’t able to pull it all together,” he said, noting that the closure took effect in August.
Located at 2803 N. Teutonia Ave., the business opened in 2001 under Bradley Thurman and his wife, Laurie. It was later taken over by Denson and his late father, Ron “Xhongo” Johnson.
More than just a restaurant, Coffee Makes You Black — described as an “urban Afrocentric space” — served as a conduit for social, political and economic resources in the area. The business regularly organized events ranging from jazz nights to political roundtables, all with the goal of uplifting and empowering residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
New Pizza Spot Opens in Fernwood
Doh’p, the much-anticipated pizza restaurant, opened its doors in the Fernwood neighborhood over the weekend. The pizzeria fired up its ovens during a stretch of proper spring weather — sunny and mild, much like the demeanor of employees and customers, who were happy to see the business finally in operation after more than a year of delays.
“It was surreal to see our dining room and patio filled with people after waiting so long to open,” the business shared in a social media post on Monday. “We are still on cloud nine, and honestly, haven’t let it fully sink in yet!”
Located at 2509 E. Oklahoma Ave., just south of Bay View, the new restaurant is the latest venture from Terrell Turner and Suzanne Pham-Banh. The married couple also own a food truck, Hot Box Pizza, which opened in 2020.
“We had driven past this space a countless number of times and always thought that this would make a great pizza spot,” Turner and Pham-Banh shared in an Instagram post. When the building became available, the couple said they “dove in head first.”
Lakefront Partnering With Famed German Brewery On New Beer
You’ve heard of pen pals. Now, get ready for Bräu Buddies.
A new partnership between Lakefront Brewery and Hofbräu München spans the Atlantic Ocean, tapping into more than 400 years of German brewing tradition for a special collaboration brew: Bräu Buddies.
The rustic German-style lager, featuring Vienna and Melanoidin malts, will be available starting April 4 at Old German Beer Hall, 1009 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., which will tap a complimentary keg for patrons at 6 p.m.
The brew is also available in Lakefront’s beer hall, 1872 N. Commerce St., throughout April and May. Guests can purchase a commemorative pint glass — with a full pour included — for $10. The glass is also available to buy on its own.
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