Halal Restaurant Opens on Howell Avenue
Plus: More boba, less beer.
Site of future Baithak of Punjab, 4252 S. Howell Ave. Photo taken June 30, 2025 by Jeramey Jannene.
Baithak of Punjab is now open at 4252 S. Howell Ave., bringing an extensive—and fully halal—menu to the former Marsel’s Pizzeria.
First proposed in late June, the restaurant moved quickly to revamp the restaurant space and welcomed its first guests last week.
More than 50 unique menu items are categorized by region, with categories ranging from authentic Pakistani-Indian cuisine and South Asian fusion to New York-style pizza. Standouts include kabuli pulao, an Afghan dish featuring lamb, carrots and raisins; chapli kabab, a popular street food; and sarson ka saag, a deep green curry traditionally made with mustard leaves.
Baithak of Punjab also serves a variety of biryanis, curries and tandoori meats, along with fusion pizzas topped with chicken tikka. A selection of non-alcoholic drinks includes N/A beer, mocktails, lassi, coffee and tea.
Ahmad Shahzad owns the restaurant, which is now open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lakefront Brewery Has Tasty Food
My history with Lakefront Brewery goes back to 1996 when I wrote The Food Lover’s Guide to Milwaukee. I got lucky when I happened on a small brewery on Chambers Street in Riverwest on a day when they were tasting their new fruit brews, cherry and pumpkin. The person who shared samples with me described the cherry brew like this: “It’s tart, hollow, woody, with a champagne flavor that ends with a hint of malt and hops,” a mouthful of words to describe a beer that tasted like, well, cherry. They made it, then and now, with Door County cherries, including the pits to add a hint of almond to the mix. The second sample, pumpkin lager, I later learned was a recipe that originally came from Thomas Jefferson.
Get a daily rundown of the Milwaukee storiesFrom their unpretentious beginning on Chambers, in 2000, Lakefront took their beer operation to Commerce Street by the Milwaukee River where they brew and serve food in a rathskeller-like room with long communal tables.
When you come for a meal, it is a slick operation. You pick up a menu, order at the counter, and in a very short time, a server delivers your meal. If you want a drink, you order it separately at the bar where you can choose from 18 taps, fountain drinks, or the refreshing house-made golden maple root beer.
If you come on a Friday, you will get the Friday menu, a scaled-down version of the regular menu because the fish fry is the main event. My companion’s fish tacos, strips of beer-battered cod neatly tucked into a flour tortilla were a rave. Also, inside the tortilla there were micro greens, chopped tomatoes, and hidden underneath the cod, coleslaw. The side, house-made sour cream and cheddar kettle chips, were unique in their toasty flavor.
Indian Restaurant Planned For Southwest Side
A new restaurant is slated to open at 3135 S. 92nd St., marking the latest in a string of short-lived businesses to occupy the southwest side space.
AI Kitchen, short for authentic Indian, would operate a takeout-only location in the former Mo’s Chicken Shack, which quietly closed earlier this year.
A proposed menu features meat-based entrees like chicken curry and butter chicken, along with vegetarian options including mixed vegetable curry and butter paneer. Meals are accompanied by bhagara rice—aromatic rice made with warming spices and green chillies—or jeera rice, which is flavored with cumin seeds.
The menu also offers plain rice served with dal or a choice of entree, along with breakfast items such as upma, a savory semolina porridge; mysor bonda, a crispy fried dumpling made with flour and yogurt; and idli, a steamed cake made of lentils and rice, often served with chutney or sambar.
Fiesta Colombia Is Uniquely Ethnic
Fiesta Colombia stands alone, a multi-colored beacon at the corner of 20th and Oklahoma. Its combination of golden yellow, blue and red echo the colors of the Colombian flag and creates a welcoming presence to lead you into this unique southside restaurant. Flowers of all colors line the sides of the building and on the west side, a Wisconsin cow looks like an escapee from Kopp’s Frozen Custard in Glendale.
Once inside, you’ll find the restaurant is immaculate. Colorful plants hang from the ceiling and the lower part of the bar is covered with a mural that adds more bright colors to this restaurant that features, yes, Colombian cuisine.
As soon as my companions and I were seated, our server delivered a multi-page tome that required some time to read and digest before we could order our meals.
This is Milwaukee’s only Colombian restaurant, so it made sense to order dishes that represent traditional Colombian cuisine. I ordered bandeja paisa, considered the national dish of the country because it includes a selection of the most popular flavors in Colombia. I have never seen anything like the presentation of this dish. First, there was a full platter of food, and attached to each end of the platter were basket-like metal handles. At the apex where the handles met, there was a dish of beans and on either side of the beans, two vertical metal spikes provided support for an eight-inch strip of fried pork skin.
New Juice Bar Opens in Bay View
From freighthopping and hitchhiking to trading a car for a cargo bike, John and Onamikii Cameron have never been ones to follow the crowd. So when a major hurdle at Milwaukee City Hall threatened their plans to open a juice bar, they kept pushing—and are now the proud owners of The Canteen.
The business officially opened earlier this month at 3040 S. Delaware Ave., next door to the couple’s retail store, MKE Outdoor Indoor Exchange. Once home to Little Cancun Sports, the space now serves fresh-pressed juices and healthy snacks—swapping tequila for turmeric, but keeping the wraparound bar intact.
“The shape of the bar is my favorite because you’re forced to look at each other, you’re forced to interact,” said John, also noting that The Canteen fulfills his longtime goal of giving customers a “place to sit the heck down and relax.”
More than just a juice bar, The Canteen serves as an extension of the couple’s neighboring shop, which is so densely packed with gear that it’s difficult to see everything at once. “We were kind of at a bottleneck with the business,” John added.
Vintage Marks 15 Years on Prospect Avenue
Vintage is soon to celebrate its 15th anniversary on Prospect Avenue—a notable milestone for the neighborhood bar that, while still a bit too young to fully live up to its name, has become a fixture on the East Side.
Opened at 2203 N. Prospect Ave. in 2010, the corner tavern has built a reputation as a laid-back spot to grab a drink, catch the game or shoot a few rounds of pool. That same community-minded approach will shape its anniversary celebration: a carnival-themed party with proceeds benefiting Milwaukee Public Schools.
“Vintage has always been about more than just drinks,” owner Becky Godfrey said in a statement. “For 15 years, we’ve been a place where neighbors become family, where anyone can walk in and feel welcome. This party is our way of celebrating our regulars, our amazing staff, and the community that’s supported us from day one—while giving back to a cause that matters to us all.”
The event is set to begin at 4 p.m. on Aug. 16, featuring carnival-style games such as balloon darts, ring toss and shot wheel—with all proceeds benefiting Riverwest Elementary School. Vintage will also collect school supplies and monetary donations to further support MPS as the school year approaches.
Birch Hosting Guest Chef Series
An upcoming dinner series will bring chefs from across the country to one of Milwaukee’s top restaurants.
With participants from Miami, Brooklyn, Austin and the Midwest, the series offers not just a unique dining experience, but also a platform for “emerging culinary voices,” according to Kyle Knall, chef and co-owner of Birch, which will host the collaborative dinners at its Lower East Side location, 459 E. Pleasant St.
“Bringing unique and world-class dining experiences to Milwaukee is something I feel incredibly passionate about and fortunate to be able to do,” Knall said in a statement. “Fusing the distinct culinary approaches of these incredible visiting chefs with robust bounty of the Midwest is a natural extension of what we do at Birch.”
Each dinner will feature a one-night-only menu with input from both visiting chefs and Knall.
41Fork Hospitality Starting ‘New Chapter’
41Fork Hospitality will transition out of ownership at Vault and River Center Market this month, signaling a broader shift as the company expands its focus on event-driven spaces.
On Monday, 41Fork announced plans to conclude operations at Vault, a cocktail lounge and seafood bar, along with fast-casual concepts Knockbox Coffee, Toro Tacos & Bowls and On Rye—all of which operate within the Associated Bank River Center.
The company, formerly F Street Hospitality, launched its food and beverage concepts in 2023 as part of a push to activate underutilized space and drive traffic to the downtown office building, 111 E. Kilbourn Ave.
“These spaces were created with heart, creativity, and a deep love for Milwaukee,” said founder Kaelyn Cervero in a statement. “While this decision wasn’t easy, it allows us to focus our energy and resources on what’s ahead, and what’s ahead is incredibly exciting.”
East Side’s Triple Taproom is Closed
Triple Taproom & Kitchen, formerly Hacienda Taproom & Kitchen, closed its doors this week after more than six years on Milwaukee’s East Side.
The taproom and restaurant—a collective of Wisconsin-based breweries including Hacienda Beer Co., Door County Brewing Co. and 3 Sheeps Brewing Company—shared the news on social media Tuesday morning.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the time we’ve had in Milwaukee—it’s been an amazing journey filled with great food, cold pints, and even better company,” begins the lengthy post. “While it’s hard to say goodbye, we’ll carry forward the spirit of community and innovation that inspired the Triple Taproom in the first place.”
The announcement follows years of frequent change at the taproom, 2018 E. North Ave., which opened as Hacienda Beer Co. in 2019—less than nine months before the onset of COVID-19.
Boba Cafe Proposed For South 27th Street
From Myanmar to Malaysia—and soon to a small storefront in Milwaukee—one local couple is channeling their love for boba tea into a new southside cafe.
Azwan Zubur Ahmad and his wife, Farida, plan to open TMTea Boba at 3174 S. 27th St. this fall.
The 700-square-foot space, formerly home to a small boutique, is surrounded by restaurants ranging from independent eateries like 27th Steak & Potato to global chains such as Chipotle. But the couple, who live nearby, felt the neighborhood was missing a key feature.
“I didn’t see any bubble tea around here,” Azwan said. “We love boba tea, but we have to go Downtown or somewhere else really far to get it.”
New Cafe Supports Youth Athletics
Volleyball enthusiast Adrian Lynch spent more than a decade on the court. From league play to coaching, he dedicated up to six days a week to the sport, honing his skills while also building community ties.
Today, he’s serving something else: coffee.
As head of Reinas De La Cancha Volleyball Club, Lynch draws on his experience to empower aspiring athletes and lower financial barriers for low-income families. When a cozy cafe space at Mitchell Street Arts (MiSA) became available, he saw a creative opportunity to raise funds for the upcoming season.
New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in July
Three years after launching MKE Outdoor Indoor Exchange, owners John and Onamikii Cameron were feeling the squeeze at their their Bay View location, 3044 S. Delaware Ave. With more than 700 consignors and thousands of items ranging from hydration packs to vintage Patagonia, the store needed room to grow.
The couple made that leap in July, expanding their existing business and opening an in-house juice bar, The Canteen, along the way.
With a menu of fresh-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, wellness shots and energizing snacks, the business hopes to cater to a wide range of customers, functioning as a third space without the presence of coffee or alcohol.
“We’ve got the morning thing going on, with people running in and out after the gym,” John said. “You can get done riding your bike on the Oak Leaf Trail for 100 miles, throw back a juice and a [power] bar and be ready to go. The goal is to provide a third space … you can bring your laptop here and sit, and write a report, whatever it is that you do.”
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