Former Restaurant Hints at Comeback
Plus: Bibiana burgers, the return of a Bay View favorite and changes in THC regulations.
Dairyland Bacon Cheeseburger. Photo courtesy of Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers.
It’s been nearly five months since Dairyland served its final smash burgers and custard scoops at 3rd Street Market Hall, its former home. But the fast food restaurant is hinting at a comeback.
On Friday afternoon, Dairyland shared an image of Redbar’s logo on social media. Simultaneously, the St. Francis tavern posted Dairyland’s logo on its own page.
“Something is cooking,” Redbar shared in a separate post. “We’re stacking our roster and getting ready for BIG things this Winter.”
Commenters were quick to speculate about a partnership between the two businesses, though neither has confirmed the rumor directly.
Redbar, 2245 E. St Francis Ave., is a neighborhood hangout known for its cocktails, board games, pool and second-floor bonus bar, the Ula Ula Tiki Room.
Up until earlier this month, that list also included barbecue. The Saucy Swine, previously located inside Redbar, closed Nov. 2, leaving its kitchen space open for a new occupant.
“It’s been a great 8 years but it’s time to move on,” the restaurant said in an online post. “We have been blessed to have met so many amazing people and to have catered for so many people’s most cherished events.”
The partnership, if it comes to fruition, will likely take weeks or months to fully materialize, with a timeline dependent on licensing, inspections and other requirements.
Until then, keep an eye on the Redbar and Dairyland social media pages for updates.
These Restaurants Are Giving Back on Thanksgiving
McBob’s Pub & Grill, beloved for its overstuffed sandwiches, fish fry and annual St. Patrick’s celebration, is accustomed to the adrenaline-pump of a good rush. But few services compare to that of Thanksgiving 2024.
Minutes after unlocking the doors at 10:30, every seat in the restaurant was full. It was the ninth installment of McBob’s annual community dinner, offering a free hot meal, friendly service and—perhaps most importantly—a seat at the table for anyone in need.
“This is Thanksgiving for anyone who needs a place to belong,” owner Katy Klinnert told Urban Milwaukee. “Maybe you don’t have family nearby, maybe you’re new to town, maybe you’re food or home insecure—and what I found last year was that we had the most beautiful blend of all of those things throughout the day.”
The tradition started small under previous owners, who focused the effort on veterans. Now, under Klinnert’s ownership the invitation extends to the whole community. This year’s meal will be the tenth—and McBob’s, 4919 W. North Ave., is ready.
Secret Ramen Restaurant Reopens
A once-secret Japanese pop-up is making a comeback on the Lower East Side. This time, only its location is underground.
Red Light Ramen will host a late-night service at 1751 N. Farwell Ave. on Nov. 28, Black Friday. Its return brings staples like mushroom-miso ramen, Japanese curry and whipped Spam, along with some new additions. And yes, there will be boozy slushies, the team shared in an Instagram teaser.
The pop-up debuted in 2014, initially operating after hours inside Chef Justin Carlisle‘s Ardent. When regular service ended, the fine dining restaurant closed its blinds and lit a red lamp outside, signaling the shift from tasting menu to tonkotsu. By then, a line of eager patrons often already stretched down the block.
In 2016, Red Light gained a permanent space at 1749 N. Farwell Ave.—in the same building—where it introduced a larger menu and official signage. The restaurant shuttered in 2023, but has held several one-day pop-ups throughout the city.
Bay View Cocktail Bar Reopens After Flood Closure
When flash floods swept through Milwaukee in August, a number of Bay View bars got, well, sloshed. The Mothership was hit particularly hard, with water levels reaching the ceiling in its basement, forcing an extended closure.
Now, the space-themed cocktail bar, 2301 S. Logan Ave., has returned.
Its Nov. 11 opening concluded months of intensive repairs, documented daily on bartender Jenneca Younger‘s social media, as she worked with fellow employees and volunteers to clear out damaged items, scrub the building top-to-bottom, restock inventory and—finally—shake up the bar’s first drinks following the three-month dry spell.
In addition to structural repairs, the business had to replace its walk-in coolers, compressors, sound system, freezer, juicers, kegs and merch. With thousands in community support—573 individuals donated a total of $64,431 through GoFundMe—the bar was able to get back on its feet, despite initial uncertainty.
Your Office Is New and Truly Unique
In September 2015, Urban Milwaukee published a story entitled “My Office: the Bar that Never Changes.” In it, Jack Fennimore summarized the opinion of then-longtime owner Brian Peterson:
The last thing he wants is for My Office to turn into a snootier place that serves $15 martinis.
COVID-19 and a fire in 2020 displaced Peterson from the bar his mother bought in 1979, which he owned since 1996, and where, in true dive bar fashion, he lived upstairs.
After an extended period of vacancy, renovations to the tavern space began this summer, and “My Office” has reopened under new ownership as “Your Office,” billing itself as an “Elevated Dive Bar.”
Business Owners React to THC Ban Approved by US Senate
Now 43 days into a record-setting government shutdown, the U.S. Senate on Nov. 10 passed a funding bill that includes money for food assistance, retroactive pay for federal workers and $115 billion for veterans’ medical care—along with language that would reverse the unintended legalization of hemp-derived THC in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Lawmakers are now rushing into action, with a vote from the U.S. House of Representatives expected Wednesday. If passed, the bill heads to President Donald Trump.
“It could decimate a $30 billion industry overnight,” said Ryan Pattee, chief financial officer at Goodland Extracts, the state’s largest hemp processor and the largest cannabigerol (CBG) extraction facility in the Northern Hemisphere. “They snuck this one in at the 11th hour. It’s a targeted attack on an industry, and I feel that it’s coming from Big Tobacco, Big Alcohol, Big Pharma—because they don’t currently participate in the market.”
Wisconsin’s cannabis industry exploded when the 2018 Farm Bill declassified hemp as a federally controlled substance to encourage commercial cultivation. It defined hemp as cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC by dry weight, differentiating it from marijuana and paving the way for retail operations to sell THC beverages, edibles and other intoxicating products legally.
Two New Festivals Coming to Lakefront
Two new additions are set to bolster Milwaukee’s reputation as the “City of Festivals.”
Freshwater Food & Wine Festival and Rock and Roll Fest are coming to Henry Maier Festival Park in 2026 and 2027, respectively, Revolve Experience Marketing announced Wednesday.
The two-day food and wine festival will take over the lakefront next September with live cooking demos, chef challenger, tastings, sommelier-led pairings and other hands-on activities.
Revolve CEO and President Wes Shaver and Chef Adam Pawlak are co-producers of two-day event, which aims to lure foodies with local talent and culinarians from across the country. Freshwater will also feature farmers and artisan markets featuring handmade provisions, kitchen utensils and more.
Proposed Ordinance Targets Unsanctioned Nightclubs
Read the full paywalled article
National Dinner Series Comes to Milwaukee
Tables For Change, a national dinner series celebrating independent restaurants, is making a stop in Milwaukee with a four-course dinner at the newly reopened EsterEv.
The Nov. 18 event will feature James Beard-recognized chefs, including Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of EsterEv, Kyle Knall of Birch, Justin Aprahamian of Sanford and Tory Miller of L’Etoile in Madison.
The series, held in partnership with OpenTable, launched in early October to mark Restaurant and Bar Month and will conclude in the coming weeks with a final dinner in Austin, Texas. Each event takes place at a standout local restaurant, with proceeds benefiting the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) and its advocacy for policies that strengthen small businesses.
“This initiative gives diners a simple, joyful way to support the restaurants they love while fueling the policy work that ensures independents can thrive for years to come,” said Amy Wei, chief operating officer at OpenTable, in a statement.
Downtown Nightclub Battling The City in Court
Read the full paywalled article
3rd Street Market Welcomes 3 New Vendors
Nearly three months after launching its burger and ice cream stand at 3rd Street Market Hall, Bebe Zito is bringing a sister concept to the adjacent vendor stall.
Bebe Cafe opened Monday at 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., serving a menu that blends Brazilian, American and New Orleans-inspired cuisine, along with a beverage program developed in partnership with Minneapolis-based Misfit Coffee.
“Our goal is simple: to serve gourmet food that tastes like a sit-down meal, but is ready in minutes,” said co-founder Gabriella Grant, who leads both businesses with her husband, Ben Spangler. “This is high-quality food designed for real life—grab-and-go, without compromise.”
With an eye on convenience, the counter-service cafe offers breakfast and deli sandwiches on housemade focaccia, topped with “thoughtful ingredients” such as premium bacon from the Smoky Mountains. The menu also features beignets and NOLA-style Muffuletta sandwiches.
New Tavern For Silver City
New operators are taking over Milwaukee Nights Pub in Silver City, with plans to bring a new place called Cultura Ave to National Avenue.
The proposed business, 3830 W. National Ave., would preserve the building’s tavern legacy while introducing a cross-cultural selection of shareable appetizers, sandwiches and other casual eats, according to a license application.
The proposed menu features imported and domestic beers, seltzers and cocktails including Mexican-inspired palomas, cantaritos and micheladas, along with mojitos; the mint-spiked mixed drink has roots in Cuba.
Cultura Ave also plans to serve chicken wings, asada fries, loaded nachos and a house burger topped with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, bacon, grilled pineapple, grilled jalapenos and chipotle mayonnaise.
Saint Bibiana Has Great Burgers
Saint Bibiana is known for its Saint Bibiana burger and rightly so. It is either a hot mess with a lot going on inside its sesame bun or a fantastical concoction that features two three-ounce hand formed burgers, or both. It depends on how you like your burger. It drips umami thanks to melting American cheese, thick-sliced dill pickles, grilled onions, and a tasty Saint Bibiana house sauce. If that is not enough to send you into burger heaven, then do as I did and add two crisp slices of bacon.
Saint Bibiana is mainly a bar that also happens to serve good food. It is located in a building on Brady Street that formerly housed Waterford Wine before its move to Farwell Avenue. Opened in 2021, it was the brainchild of Jeno and Lorenzo Cataldo, the owners of Jo-Cats Pub and Dorsia, immediately next door. For Saint Bibiana they opened the ceiling and the rest of the building and created something that according to our server was intended to resemble a church. When you look up, at one end you will see a second floor balcony, also known as the choir loft, and at the other end above the door, the altar. On weekends there is music, occasionally live, and the owners open a bar in the loft where people dance. A bar with a church-y atmosphere seems appropriate combo since Saint Bibiana is reputed to be the patron saint of hangovers.
In the restaurant, or the nave, there are five high-tops and a long bar. That is all. It is a small place where they serve mighty good food including that Bibiana burger.
They call the buttermilk fried chicken breast thing # 2, a juicy piece of deep-fried white meat served on a sesame bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and house-made black pepper aioli. Like the burger, this sandwich was made with the finest choice meat said my lunch companion.
Coffee Shop Chain Expanding to Downtown Hotel
A popular Yemeni coffee shop is expanding to downtown Milwaukee, opening at 1230 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., inside the Aloft Hotel.
Haraz Coffee House, a Michigan-based chain, recently filed construction documents for the space. Plans call for a kitchen buildout and a dining area, covering just over 2,600 square feet.
The fast-growing company was founded in 2021 by Hamzah Nasser and now includes more than 31 locations across the country, with 185 more in development.
Franchisee Madhi Hassan operates an East Side cafe at 2900 N. Oakland Ave. Another began its soft opening last month in Oak Creek under Ali Hamed, who is expected to lead future expansions across the state, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
FoodShare Assistance Restored to Wisconsinites
Gov. Tony Evers said Wisconsin is restoring benefits for nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites who receive federal food aid.
The move means the Wisconsinites who rely on food assistance “will not have to wake up tomorrow worried about when or whether they are going to eat next,” Evers said in a Thursday evening statement.
Evers’ announcement came hours after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as FoodShare in Wisconsin.
The federal government had halted November payments for the program amid the government shutdown. More recently, the administration opted to make partial payments under previous court orders last week. A Wednesday statement from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said the partial payments could add delays because states had calculate what reduced payments would look like for individuals and get that information to a vendor that distributes the funds.
Fast-Casual Restaurant Plans Downtown Location
Read the full paywalled article
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
Now Serving
-
New Brunch Cafe in Bay View
Nov 9th, 2025 by Sophie Bolich
-
Purslane Adds Brunch Service
Nov 2nd, 2025 by Sophie Bolich
-
The Return of South Water Snacks
Oct 26th, 2025 by Sophie Bolich
