Sharks Fish & Chicken Reopening on Villard Avenue
Fast food restaurant plans return to business following 2023 fire.
Sharks Fish & Chicken, 5838 W. Villard Ave. Photo taken May 22, 2024 by Sophie Bolich
A longtime location for Sharks Fish & Chicken is poised to reopen this summer after an 18-month closure due to a fire.
The takeout-focused restaurant, serving sandwiches, chicken wings and a wide variety of fried seafood, will soon return to business with a similar menu and business model, owner Ayman Amali told Urban Milwaukee.
Located at 5838 W. Villard Ave., the revamped restaurant will also feature several new additions to its menu, along with slightly lower prices compared to similar concepts throughout the city, Amali said.
While an exact date is still unknown, Amali said he could reopen as soon as next month.
A license application notes that Sharks Fish & Chicken will have limited space for on-site dining. The 1,600-square-foot, counter-service restaurant will not offer catering or delivery, and does not include a drive-thru window.
A proposed menu features sandwiches like gyro, Italian beef, Philly cheese steak, cheeseburger and fried fish with tartar sauce. Fish dinners, served with fries, bread and coleslaw, offer a choice of catfish, ocean perch, tilapia, salmon and shrimp. The restaurant also offers fried chicken — wings, gizzards, legs and more — along with sides such as okra, hush puppies, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers and nachos.
Given city approval, Sharks Fish & Chicken plans to open daily from 10 a.m. to midnight, according to the license application.
Amali first opened the restaurant in 2005, filling a commercial storefront on the west side of a 2001 strip mall. The 9,440-square-foot building is under the ownership of Ritz Real Estate, LLC, which lists Haytham Hammad as its registered agent. Additional tenants include a convenience store, Ritz Foods, a cell phone store and a nail salon.
The Villard Avenue Sharks Fish & Chicken is situated in a residential area at the edge of the McGovern Park neighborhood. It’s the only restaurant within several blocks.
Several Mexican eateries, including Los Tuxtla, El Navegante and Dos Compitas Tacos Fish and Chicken, operate nearby. McDonald’s, Popeyes and other fast food chains are concentrated several blocks north, along Silver Spring Dr.
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