Camino Delays Move Over National Avenue Construction
Popular Walker's Point restaurant and bar will stay put, at least for now.
Construction of W. National Ave. near S. 35th St. on Oct. 4. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Camino’s move is on hold.
Just over a week after announcing plans to relocate to a larger Walker’s Point space, the popular bar and restaurant said it will wait about a year because of the impending reconstruction of National Avenue.
Owner Casey Rataczak will keep Camino at 434 S. 2nd St. rather than move before winter to the former Engine Company No. 3 space at 217 W. National Ave.
“Camino is moving. Just not yet,” the business announced in an Oct. 6 social media post.
The business said it learned more about the construction at a neighborhood meeting held the day after its relocation announcement.
“To be clear: We knew construction was coming,” Camino wrote. “What we learned at the meeting was that the scope, timing and impact of the project were going to affect our new location much more significantly than we had initially anticipated.”
According to the announcement, reconstruction of National Avenue between S. 1st and S. 11th streets, including Camino’s future home, is scheduled for 2027.
“But opening a restaurant at approximately the same moment the street in front of it becomes a major infrastructure project seemed slightly ambitious, even for us,” the business wrote.
The delay will give customers another year at Camino’s compact original location, where it opened in 2015.
The planned move, about three-tenths of a mile to the south, would substantially expand the restaurant and provide a larger patio. Its current space is approximately 1,500 square feet, while the former firehouse is listed at 5,596 square feet in city assessment records.
Peter and Sonia Sandroni converted the Cream City brick building into Engine Company No. 3 in 2014 and earned several accolades along the way, including a 2016 visit from President Barack Obama. But the couple ended regular brunch service in late 2023 and shifted the property to private events.
The relocation delay is another sign of the disruption accompanying the multi-year National Avenue project.
The approximately $39 million reconstruction extends from S. 1st Street west to the city limits at S. 39th Street. Completed in phases, it will rebuild the roadway and sidewalks while adding protected bicycle lanes, landscaping and street trees.
The first phase on the western end, which started this year, has occurred amid closures of the 27th and 16th Street viaducts, further limiting access to the area.
Shalom Puerto Rican Restaurant, which operated at 3500 W. National Ave., has already closed. Co-owner Maria Robles cited longstanding parking challenges and the prospect of construction worsening them in her decision not to renew the restaurant’s lease.
On the eastern end of National Avenue, Council President José G. Pérez has recently advocated for the Department of Public Works to explore ways to mitigate the impact on businesses, including those that could be boxed in by construction because they lack alley access.
The city previously approved allocating $600,000 from a Menomonee Valley tax incremental financing district to support businesses in and around the corridor. Half was designated for infrastructure improvements to help western National Avenue businesses maintain access; the other half was allocated to commercial corridor reimbursement programs.
VIA CDC, which serves the western end of the corridor, separately announced plans for an $800,000 “Open for Business” fund to help businesses experiencing income losses.
Camino now wants to help organize additional support.
The business said it plans to contact National Avenue businesses and property owners, gather signatures and bring their concerns to city leadership. It also wants to explore creating a business improvement district or another form of organized support for the corridor.
While the move is delayed, Camino is inviting ideas for pop-ups, music, food collaborations and neighborhood events at both its current restaurant and the new building.
“Our move got delayed,” the announcement says. “Our enthusiasm did not.”
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