Downtown Dining Week Features 33 Restaurants
Plus: More Jamaican and Korean food for Milwaukee, less jazz and food waste.
Menu items at The Edison, one of the participating restaurants in Downtown Dining Week 2026. Photo taken June 26, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
More than 30 Milwaukee restaurants will offer specially priced menu items during the 20th Downtown Dining Week. The latest installment will take place May 28 through June 4, featuring meals starting at $15.
The annual celebration, organized by Milwaukee Downtown, Business Improvement District #21, aims to build support for participating restaurants, bars, bakeries and breweries while giving customers the opportunity to explore a variety of establishments without breaking the bank.
Featured restaurants in 2026 include Avlí, Bacchus, Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria, Café at the Pfister, The Capital Grille, Carson’s Prime Steaks & Famous Barbecue, Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen, The Conroy, DOC’s Commerce Smokehouse, The Edison, Electric Lime Taqueria, Elsa’s on the Park, The Explorium Brewpub (Third Ward), Flourchild Pizza, Il Cervo, JoSa’ on the River, The Knick, Mader’s Restaurant, Merriment Social, Milwaukee ChopHouse, Oak Barrel Public House, Onesto, Rodizio Grill, Smoke Shack, The Social American Tavern, The Studio Kitchen & Cocktails, Third Coast Provisions, Tre Rivali, Tupelo Honey Cafe, Vagabond, Ward’s House of Prime, Who’s on Third and The Yard at The Iron Horse Hotel.
Menus, each featuring two to three courses, are available to view online. Lunch options range from $15 to $25, while dinner menus are priced at $35, $45 and $55. Most include several choices, allowing guests to customize their meals.
Information on parking deals will be posted in the coming days, along with a link to Downtown Dining Week’s survey. Diners who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing, with four winners randomly selected to receive $400 in downtown dining gift cards. Multiple entries are permitted for those who visit more than one participating restaurant.
Reservations, where accepted, are highly encouraged during the eight-day dining event.
Pepperpot Targets Locust Street Expansion
New Cafe Operator For Walker’s Point Building
A new operator is slated to take over the cafe portion of Arts @ Large, restoring food and beverage service to the gallery’s Walker’s Point headquarters.
Mary Ramirez, a seasoned festival vendor, plans to open Maria’s Cafe at 1100 S. 5th St., offering coffee and espresso drinks, teas, matcha, and a limited food menu.
The former tenant, Green Baked Goods, closed its storefront in April but continues online and at local markets. Maria’s Cafe would fill the vacant 300-square-foot space as a counter-service operation, also featuring on-site dining and catering.
A proposed menu includes hot and iced espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and café de olla — a Mexican coffee drink brewed with cinnamon, cloves and piloncillo — Mexican raw sugar. Chamomile, cinnamon and green teas would also be available, alongside matcha lattes in flavors such as strawberry, mango and pineapple.
Korean Restaurant Would Fill Former Applebee’s
New Effort Helps Milwaukee and Madison Restaurants Cut Food Waste
Founded on principles of wellness and sustainability, Kuumba Juice and Coffee has implemented several eco-friendly practices during its two-year tenure at 274 E. Keefe Ave., including offering discounts for customers who bring reusable cups, stocking reusable straws, and expanding a food scrap collection program that diverts an additional 1.5 tons of organic material annually.
A new collaboration could help scale those efforts at Kuumba and other food businesses across Milwaukee and Madison.
CET, an environmental nonprofit formerly known as the Center for EcoTechnology, will train partners across the state — including Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office, the Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables, and Sustain Dane — to help restaurants reduce waste, donate surplus food, and improve recycling and food scrap separation, according to a news release.
“Our partners in Milwaukee and Madison are deeply connected to the local food system and understand the challenges restaurants face,” said Ashley Muspratt, president and CEO of CET, in a statement. “This training gives them additional tools to work alongside businesses and identify practical opportunities to prevent wasted food.”
Committee Endorses Third Street Tavern Replacement
Urban Farm in Riverwest Adds Event Space
With a name like Crops on Top, growth is non-negotiable.
As co-owner Joel Lichosik nurtures arugula, radishes and herbs at his urban farm at 3522 N. Fratney St., the operation is also expanding beyond its groomed beds and into an adjacent upper-level event space at 3700 N. Fratney St.
The plant-filled venue, known as Elevated Acre, includes a 16-seat dining table and lounge area with room for up to 49 guests. It was a natural evolution for Lichosik, a lifelong chef who launched Crops on Top with his brother, Jamie, in 2021.
What started as a sustainable food project has evolved into a weekly garden market and local vendor for nearby restaurants. Lichosik also uses his homegrown ingredients for seasonal dinners held at the farm itself.
Appleton-Based Cafe Expands to Milwaukee
Food Nonprofit Seeks Higher Profile in Riverwest
Dunkin’ Eyes Former Food Hall
The former North Avenue Market could soon become home to one of the nation’s most recognizable brands. Dunkin’ is slated to open its latest Milwaukee location in a vacant space at 5900 W. North Ave.
The chain would bring its specialty coffee, doughnuts, and breakfast sandwiches to a portion of the building that includes an existing drive-thru window, according to documents submitted to the city by franchisee Kardo Rasha.
It would also make use of a pergola-covered outdoor patio space, aiming to reactivate the “pedestrian-friendly” property, as Rascha described it. His plans call for the remaining 10,232-square-foot structure to be subdivided for future tenants.
The drive-thru, which accommodates 10 cars, would remain in its existing configuration, though Dunkin’ plans to install a new menu board and speaker canopy.
Duke’s On Water Closes After 22 Years
Two downtown bars have permanently closed amid renewed discussion over late-night safety on Water Street. Duke’s On Water and the co-located, co-owned Varsity shuttered after service on Friday, May 15.
The news, confirmed by Duke’s in an online post, comes just under two months after a deadly shooting near the taverns at 154-158 E. Juneau Ave. It also follows a tumultuous era for the conjoined businesses, which changed hands several times in recent years.
A Water Street fixture for more than two decades, Duke’s was known as a destination for tap beers, bar games and sports viewing on its many TVs. Varsity, formerly Scooter’s Pub, served as a hub for DJs and theme nights.
Co-owners Andrea Shafton and James Baade sold the two bars to Tim Sluga and his business partners in 2024.
The Estate Announces Closing
After years of reinvention attempts, reduced hours and periodic closures, The Estate is preparing to pour its final cocktail.
Owner John Dye announced Friday that the East Side lounge, long known as The Jazz Estate, will close permanently following a final performance by Twin Talk on June 27. A farewell party is planned for June 28.
“This is a post I’ve been putting off writing for a long time,” Dye wrote in a lengthy Facebook post announcing the closure.
The business, 2423 N. Murray Ave., will remain open Thursday through Saturday nights until the final weekend.
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