Indian Restaurant Opening in Third Ward

Saffron Modern Indian Dining, a restaurant specializing in traditional Indian flavors with a contemporary twist, is set to open June 4 at 223 N. Water St. The restaurant will feature a full bar and a riverfront deck. Saffron will be open for lunch and dinner and will be open every day of the week except for on Mondays. Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Carol Deptolla reports:

Menu items will be made with traditional Indian spices and flavors, and the restaurant has a tandoor oven for bread and other items. But dishes also will be prepared in ways not typically associated with Indian cooking, (co-owner Fatima) Kumar said.

Some of the items on the menu include pulled tandoori chicken bao buns, one of the small plates, and main dishes of butter chicken made with smoked chicken and a sauce of red pepper and tomato, and malai lamb chops that are brined with cardamom and baked in the tandoor.

Most of the cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks from the bar will use fresh juices, Kumar said, adding that Saffron’s head bartender created the drinks for the restaurant.

Ope! Brewing Opens in West Allis

A brewery that originally planned on opening in West Allis in late summer of 2021 has finally opened its doors to the public. Ope! Brewing officially opened at noon on May 27 after struggling with construction issues and legal delays with the DNR. The brewery, located at 6751 W. National Ave., is hoping to host a grand opening event by the end of summer. Bob Dohr reports:

When customers come in, (co-owner John) Onopa said they’ll be greeted by a large, inviting taproom with a variety of seating areas, including dining-height tables, bar-height tables and lounge furniture.

There’s also an event space and a stage for live music; booking of acts will start in June.

Brew-wise, the business will offer a handful of collab beers the trio has created with some brewery friends around town, a couple of hop forward beers, session IPA, hazy IPA, a sour beer or two, dark lager, light lager and some seasonal beers that Onopa said will be “coming and going quickly.”

Mexican Restaurant Planned for Walker Square

A new restaurant, appropriately titled Los Tres Amigos (the three friends), is being opened by three friends in the Walker Square neighborhood on Milwaukee’s South Side. The restaurant will serve traditional Mexican cuisine, and the trio is hoping to open Los Tres Amigos by the middle of June. Graham Kilmer reports:

(Co-owner Edgar Estrada) Segura said (co-owner Noel Lopez) Rodriguez and (co-owner Noel Melgar Rodriguez) Selvin are amazing cooks who have always dreamed of owning a restaurant. When they found out the space at 1401 W. Washington St. was available, Segura decided to join them in pursuing their dream.

Los Tres Amigos will serve traditional, authentic Mexican food, Segura said, including dishes served in a Molcajete, a Mexican stone mortar, fajitas and a salad, called the Pastors Salad, created by Segura.

Their location on W. Washington Ave. was most recently a Mexican and Honduran restaurant called El Rincon Catracho. The multi-story, 4,244-square-foot building was built in 1890 and has a mix of commercial and residential space. It is owned by Taqueria El Cabrito owner Francisco Salazar.

Cheba Hut’s Coming to Bay View

Cheba Hut, a national chain serving fast-casual food with a marijuana theme behind it, is opening its second Milwaukee location in the Bay View neighborhood. This new location will take over the 2,336-square-foot commercial space on the first floor of the Vue Apartments located at 2202 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. That space was formerly a RedBrick Pizza Kitchen Cafe, which closed in 2021 due to a labor shortage. Kilmer reports:

The new Cheba Hut is being opened by the same owners behind the first Milwaukee location at 2907 N. Oakland Ave., Heather Huhn and RC Huhn. RC is also the owner and CFO of Viking Masek Packaging Technologies. A business license application recently filed with the City of Milwaukee indicates the new Cheba Hut will open in October of this year.

Despite being a fast-casual restaurant, Cheba Hut also serves alcohol, and the location on N. Oakland Ave. has a sizable bar. The owners have also applied for a liquor license for the Bay View location. The names for many of the drinks are also allusions to marijuana or the smoking of it, like the “Hot Box”, made with grapefruit vodka, jalapenos, ginger brew and lime juice. The license requires Common Council approval.

Heather did say that they plan to get involved in the Bay View community as they open the new restaurant. After opening the first location on Oakland, Huhn became a member of the Oak & Loc Business Improvement District and the restaurant partnered with the Street Angels, a homeless outreach organization, to help raise awareness of their work. “One of the things I’m championing our GM’s to do is to find something that is important to that community to partner with,” Heather said.

Now Closing: Plant-Based Restaurant Nice Times

The plant-based restaurant Nice Times, which opened its doors in January of 2022 at 2028 E. North Ave., has closed its doors for good after just six years of operations. A sign on the restaurant’s entrance announced the closure, stating that failure of the Restaurant Relief Fund and “ongoing challenges from COVID 19” were to blame for the closure. The sign goes on to thank its patrons, stating that “It’s been nice.”

Nice Times brought a plant-based menu inspired by fast food and cafeteria-style dining to Milwaukee’s East Side. The bar served an assortment of cocktails on draft, with an equal share of non-alcoholic options. Aside from food and drinks, the bar and restaurant also sold art and housewares from local makers.