Mexican Restaurant Planned For Site of Longtime Polish Restaurant
El Tsunami owner plans third Milwaukee restaurant.
Mazaba Restaurant at 3577 S. 13th St. Photo taken May 30, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Milwaukee restaurateur Misael Mazaba plans to open a new Mexican restaurant on the city’s South Side.
Mazaba, co-owner of El Tsunami restaurants at 2001 W. Lincoln Ave. and 2222 S. 13th St., recently filed a license application for Mazaba Restaurant at 3577 S. 13th St., just over a mile south of his existing 13th Street location.
A proposed menu highlights a variety of Mexican breakfast dishes—such as huevos rancheros and huevos con chorizo—alongside entrees like carne asada, chicken fajitas and beef tongue with salsa verde. A dedicated seafood section offers whole fish, ceviche and mojarra soup.
Gorditas, tamales, empanadas and other traditional items would also be available, along with a kid’s menu that includes chicken tenders, cheeseburgers and child-sized portions of tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas.
Beverage options could include aguas frescas, soda, coffee and tea. Mazaba has not applied for a liquor license.
Plans for the new restaurant date back to February, when Mazaba filed construction documents under the name Tsunami Restaurant. However, occupancy and signage permits published May 29 reflect the updated name: Mazaba Restaurant.
The 13th Street building was previously home to Camacho Family Restaurant, which served American and Mexican dishes, along with beer, wine and cocktails.
Camacho Family Restaurant opened in August 2020. It is now marked temporarily closed, and its phone number has been disconnected. A current license is set to expire in July 2025.
Mazaba Hernandez Properties, LLC purchased the building last August for $560,000, according to city records. Previous tenants include Crocus Polish Restaurant and JoJo’s Fried Chicken. Crocus was the last distinctly Polish restaurant in the city proper.
Mazaba aims to open the new restaurant by June 30, pending city approval. Proposed hours of operation are Sunday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The 1,620-square-foot restaurant would not offer catering or delivery.
Mazaba did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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