More Details Revealed About Planned Italian Restaurant
Award-winning chef has big plans for Big Apple-inspired restaurant.
Il Ponte rendering. Image by Eppstein Uhen Architects.
Think you know Italian food? Think again.
Il Ponte, an upcoming restaurant from Lupi & Iris owners Adam Siegel and Daria Aitken-Siegel, promises New York-style Italian cuisine — with plenty of new-to-Milwaukee twists.
“There’s a good amount of red sauce, but not just spaghetti and meatballs,” Siegel told reporters during a Friday morning press conference. “There are quite a few dishes that many people in Milwaukee have never seen that we will utilize, and we’re excited for that … we’ll have some fun with it.”
Il Ponte, meaning “the bridge” in Italian, is set to open on the first floor of the Northwestern Mutual North Building, which is in the midst of a large-scale overhaul.
The name is a nod to the skywalk connecting the North Building with its 32-story neighbor — and to the restaurant’s role in uniting diners throughout the community.
“In this industry, you know that food brings people together, it brings family together, colleagues, community, your friends — and it’s the bridge that brings people together,” Aitken-Siegel said.
The restaurant, supported by Northwestern Mutual and Eppstein Uhen Architects, is on schedule for a 2026 opening.
Though the menu is still under development, Siegel said guests can expect a mix of traditional and modern Italian dishes, with house-made pastas and a variety of sandwiches, especially during lunch service.
Equal attention is being paid to the elements surrounding the food, Siegel said. “We’ve already started looking at some really cool china and flatware to fill the place in. “It’s been exciting to pick out all the little details.”
Aitken-Siegel, a floral designer, will create the arrangements for Il Ponte, as she does at Lupi & Iris.
Like its sister restaurant, which opened just down the block in 2022, Il Ponte aims to balance quality and comfort — pairing high-end dishes, polished presentation and attentive hospitality with a welcoming atmosphere for all types of diners.
“Casual fine dining just means that you’re going to have the finer touches,” Siegel said, mentioning the upscale atmosphere, uniformed servers and luxe seating. “But you’re not walking around with your nose up in the air, you’re making sure that people feel welcome — like you’re having them in your house.”
Siegel said he takes a similar approach at Lupi & Iris, despite its fine dining feel. “There’s guests in our dining room, is the way that I look at it,” he said. “You want them to feel relaxed … we don’t want them to feel like they have to be prim and proper at every moment. You want them to feel like they’re having a good time.”
The laid-back environment also lends itself to creativity, Aitken-Siegel said. “When you have a more approachable menu, then you can throw some unique things in here and there,” she said. “What we’ve learned over the years is that Milwaukee is such a well-traveled city, and it’s so much more sophisticated than we get credit for.”
Renderings of Il Ponte reveal a spacious bar and a raised patio, along with dedicated space for private events. The dining room will also be reconfigurable for gatherings, with smart TVs throughout the restaurant for business presentations, slideshows and more.
The owners also plan to extend what has become a signature aesthetic at Lupi & Iris — its acoustic ceiling — to the new establishment.
“One of the things that we love about Lupi & Iris — and that our guests love — is that you can come here, the restaurant can be full, and you can still hear the people that you’re sitting with,” Aitken-Siegel said. “We want to carry that into Il Ponte.”
The couple is collaborating with Eppstein Uhen to explore ceiling options and finalize the overall design. If all goes well, a build-out is expected to begin in early 2026.
“It’s been such a blessing for us, and we’re so excited to be part of Northwestern Mutual’s efforts for the revitalization of Downtown — something we feel so strongly about,” Aitken-Siegel said. “Neither one of us are from here. I’m from New York, Adam is from Chicago. We don’t have to live here. We choose to live here. We’ve created a great life for ourselves here, and we’re just really grateful.”
For additional details, see Urban Milwaukee’s prior reporting.
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I’m intrigued to learn what sort of “cuisine,” “restaurant,” and/or “dining experience” Il Ponte will offer given that each of these has at various times been described as “New York Italian-style.” I mean, heck, New York is a big and varied place to begin with. When I think New York Italian-style, I still think storefront restaurant, warm, dimly lit, with red-and-white checkered table cloths and a booth or two in the back for “family members.” (Wait, maybe that was Sally Papia’s old place…)
Nonetheless, great to see Milwaukee’s dining scene continue to grow and diversify.
Interesting note: While coastal cities like NYC, San Francisco, and New Orleans (and big, Midwestern Chicago) had Italian restaurants since the 1800s and the first wave or Italian immigration, most other cities didn’t get pizza, let alone Italian restaurants, until after WWII. That’s the case with Milwaukee, whose Caradaro Club opened in 1945. Even “The Hill” in St. Louis didn’t get an Italian restaurant until then…perhaps even *after* Milwaukee.