Southside Restaurant Saved From Closure

El Jalapeño. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

After a heated committee meeting and last-minute motion on the council floor, El Jalapeño is set to continue operating on Milwaukee’s South Side—but only after it serves a 90-day suspension.

The Milwaukee Common Council delivered that disciplinary action Tuesday morning, following a recommendation from Alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa, who had previously moved for non-renewal of the restaurant’s license.

“I appreciate El Jalapeño reaching out and trying to come to some compromise,” Zamarripa said of the restaurant at 2106 W. National Ave., which was caught twice in 2025 remaining open far past its approved hours.

The statement marked a shift from the Dec. 2 licenses committee meeting, when Zamarripa called the police report “egregious” and criticized owner Angel Gutierrez Garnica‘s conduct.

“The lack of respect that you have—not just for this committee and the City of Milwaukee, but for the Clarke Square neighborhood where you have operated for decades—is breathtaking to me and unacceptable,” Zamarripa said.

She also reminded Gutierrez Garnica that the restaurant’s extended hours license was revoked in 2024 due to recurring incidents of selling alcohol after hours. Confusion over the restaurant’s current hours, however, briefly derailed the meeting.

Prior to the revocation, El Jalapeño was permitted to open until 3 a.m. on weekdays and 4 a.m. on weekends for food service only. Last year’s action reduced that to 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., though Zamarripa argued that Gutierrez Garnica had, in 2024, agreed to amend his application to close at midnight daily in a “show of good faith” after the restaurant was cited for selling alcohol to an underage patron.

The amendment appears in meeting transcripts but not on the license itself, committee members learned. Meanwhile, Gutierrez Garnica said he believed the midnight closing time applied only to alcohol sales. The police reports show the restaurant open at 4:15 a.m. and 2:51 a.m. in recent months.

Zamarripa said Clarke Square, where she was born and raised, struggles with public safety issues. While she had “tried to give El Jalapeño a chance” because of its longevity, she said she now realizes “that was a mistake” and that the restaurant contributed to these issues.

Alderman Peter Burgelis moved for nonrenewal, citing evidence in the police report and aldermanic testimony demonstrating that the business poses a threat to health, safety or welfare of the public by failing to comply with its approved plan of operations. There were no objections.

But in the weeks following the committee hearing, Gutierrez Garnica and his attorney, Michael Maistelman, worked with Zamarripa’s office to reduce the restaurant’s hours. El Jalapeño is now open Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

“My client is committed to being a good neighbor and fully complying with all city requirements moving forward,” Maistelman said.

On Tuesday, Maistelman shared the new hours with the full council, also noting Gutierrez Garnica’s commitment to attend safety meetings with MPD and join the VIA Community Development Corporation.

Zamarripa moved to renew the business’s license with a 90-day suspension, which went into effect immediately. The motion passed with no objection. Ald. Jose G. Perez was excused. El Jalapeño will be allowed to reopen in mid-March of 2026.

“El Jalapeño Restaurant is pleased to have reached a resolution that allows the business to remain open and continue serving the community,” the business shared in a statement. “We appreciate Alderperson Zamarripa’s leadership and her willingness to work collaboratively toward a fair solution.”

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