Mexican Food Truck Plans Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant
La Flamita owner buys location to open restaurant.
2100 W. Hopkins St. This photo was taken by Jeramey Jannene on July 22nd, 2018.
A new restaurant, La Flamita, is slated to open at 2100 W. Hopkins St., filling a standalone building once home to Pizza House.
It would mark the first permanent location for the business, which has operated for years as a food truck.
Efrain Jimenez Mendoza is behind the proposed restaurant, which would serve Mexican dishes including tortas, tacos al pastor and handmade huaraches, according to a license application.
The menu could also feature chimichangas, birria, gorditas, quesadillas and tacos wrapped in freshly prepared tortillas, alongside snacks such as loaded Dorito nachos. Meat options would include pastor, asada, chorizo, chicken, tripe, tongue, ground beef and cabeza.
The restaurant does not plan to serve alcohol.
Jimenez Mendoza, who also operates the southside food truck, purchased the Hopkins Street property in January for $235,000, according to city assessment records.
A floor plan presents the 1,170-square-foot building as a counter-service restaurant without a dedicated dining area, though the property includes a surface parking lot for easy pickup.
Previous occupants in the Northwest Side building include Pizza House and Haji’s Red Hot, which closed in 2020.
A license application for La Flamita is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council, alongside permits for plumbing work and updates to the parking lot.
If approved, the new business plans to open “as soon as possible” with proposed hours of operation daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In the meantime, guests can visit the Tacos La Flamita food truck, which is based out of a kitchen at 1116 W. Historic Mitchell St., but, according to its Facebook page, typically parks at 1920 W. National Ave..
The mobile business offers a larger menu than the proposed brick-and-mortar, with additional dishes including burritos, tostadas, alambres, nachos and sopes.
Jimenez Mendoza did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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