Who Bought MKE Brewing?
Plus: Discourse Cafe announces new downtown location and much more.
Milwaukee Brewing Company in 2018. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
MKE Brewing Selling 9th Street Brewery
Milwaukee Brewing Company will soon lack a physical presence, but its beer is expected to live on.
The company announced Tuesday that it is selling its physical brewery and taproom inside The Forty Two, 1128 N. 9th St. Last week the company announced that it was closing the Milwaukee Ale House because it wasn’t able to reach an agreement on renewing the lease.
Both announcements follow the company publicly being listed for sale with New Mill Capital in March. A last call for prospective buyers was issued in May.
“While we can’t share who the brewery is just yet, we’d love to share that their innovation in the craft brewing industry, passion for sharing with others and creativity make them the perfect brewery to take over this space,” the company said in a statement.
Discourse Coffee Opens Cafe at MSOE
Change is brewing at Discourse Coffee.
Since relocating from Sister Bay to Milwaukee in 2021, the cafe has been shaking up the city’s caffeine scene with imaginative, experimental drinks–first as a pop-up then with a residency at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In February, the cafe moved into a brick-and-mortar location at Crossroads Collective, the East Side food hall.
The cafe is poised to expand again. The latest location, Discourse – Downtown, at 1020 N. Broadway is expected to open in September at the Direct Supply Innovation and Technology Center (ITC) on the Milwaukee School of Engineering campus. The ITC is where Direct Supply develops new technology for senior living communities.
The 55,000-square-foot building, which features high, arched windows and whimsical decor including a grass-covered bench, repurposed tractor trailer and life-size Mario warp pipe, couldn’t be better suited to the eclectic vibe of the cafe.
Tony’s BBQ Unlimited Seeks New Owner
Visionaries need not apply. Tony’s BBQ Unlimited is for sale and long-time owner Anthony Sephus has just one request: don’t change a thing.
Tony’s BBQ Unlimited, 3510 W. Villard Ave., has been a staple in the Old North Milwaukee neighborhood for more than 30 years.
The counter-service establishment is known for its traditional barbeque, classic sides and soul food buffet.
The restaurant is no-frills, but when it works, it works. Tony’s food was even showcased in a youtube-famous mukbang, which is a video, usually live, of a person eating. And if Facebook comments are any indication, Tony’s has a loyal and hungry fanbase.
Should County Parks Serve Wine, Spirits?
A number of Milwaukee County Supervisors have sponsored legislation requesting the state allow the county to sell hard liquor and wine at its parks.
The supervisors are calling on the state Legislature to simply pass statutory language found in a 2015 assembly bill that never made it out of committee. They argue that wine and liquor sales would be a way for the county to generate more revenue on its own since the state has frozen aid, not even keeping pace with inflation.
“Our ability to sell alcoholic beverages is unique in that we are not licensed like a typical bar or restaurant, our ability to sell these products is written in state statute,” said James Tarantino, deputy director of parks. Currently, the county can only legally sell fermented malt beverages, which includes products like beer and hard seltzers.
The 2015 legislation, which was supported by Milwaukee County and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, would have rewritten state statute to allow sales of alcohol. The supervisors resolution asks the county’s office of government affairs to push for passage of the law to the governor, state legislators, the Tavern League of Wisconsin and associations representing the interests of counties and municipalities.
Lucky Clover Celebrates Grand Opening
The Lucky Clover, a new Irish bar in the Westown neighborhood, has a full slate of events lined up for its weekend-long grand opening celebration.
The pub got a jump start on the weekend Wednesday with its VIP Night and will officially open to the public Friday. DJ Cloroxx will spin for Friday’s grand opening and DJ Spex will perform Saturday. Both nights will feature $3 select taps and $6 doubles from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and $4 Guinness taps and $3 Jameson shots from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m.
Located in the former Brüdd Cafe space at 1048 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. (formerly Old World Third Street), the pub is marketed as a classic Irish bar with a modern twist.
The full bar setup is complemented by 24 taplines. The pub plans to debut its food program in October.
Good Soup Coming To Southwest Side
Samantha Zielinski believes that every successful chef needs a specialty— some make their grandmother’s pierogis, others spend years perfecting roast chicken.
“Everybody has a story like that,” she says.
Zielinski’s specialty? It’s soup. And soon she will open her own restaurant showcasing her best broths, bisques and chowders.
Aptly named Good Soup, Zielinski would open the takeout only restaurant with co-owner Travis Reynolds in the West View neighborhood, 3135 S. 92nd St.
Updated Guide to Free and Affordable Meals
Food pantry hours can vary from day to day, especially during the holidays and with COVID-19 cases rising over the past few weeks. If you are looking for a food pantry, take a look at the resources below or call the pantry you want to visit beforehand.
Use the 2-1-1 Wisconsin website to find the food pantry in your neighborhood. You can also call IMPACT at 2-1-1 or text your ZIP code to TXT-211, which can connect you to food pantries and meal programs in your area.
The Hunger Task Force has created an interactive map complete with soup kitchens, MPS meal sites, non-MPS meal sites, mobile markets, meal sites for seniors and more. You can search by ZIP code or by resource type to find what you are looking for at a location near you. The map is updated daily, but call the location before you visit to make sure it is still open.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin also has a collection of resources, including a pantry locator and information and help with applying for FoodShare and Women, Infant and Children, or WIC, credits. All of this information is here.
Juice Bar Planned For North Side
A new juice lounge would bring healthy options, entertainment and networking opportunities to the Roosevelt Grove neighborhood on Milwaukee’s North Side.
Somethin’ Good, a juice bar and event space, would open mid-September at 4736 W. Fond du Lac Ave. The business would also serve wraps, salads and soup.
Owner Dennis Walton is a lifelong Milwaukee resident, community organizer and entrepreneur. He is also a strong proponent of nutritious foods and a healthy lifestyle.
“Looking at the void that exists in our community as far as food and healthy food…it was a no-brainer to create something of this nature,” Walton said.
La Mendocina Makes Argentinian-Style Empanadas in Riverwest
The Riverwest Filling Station may have closed earlier this summer, but the gastropub’s kitchen is still cranking out delicious food.
La Mendocina, a take-and-bake empanada business, is using the space, 701 E. Keefe Ave., as a commercial kitchen for the operation.
Owner Marcela Lagos started selling her Argentinian-style empanadas in 2020. At the time, she was working as a fitness instructor, but business ground to a halt when the pandemic hit.
The Glass Pantry Will Close
The Glass Pantry, a zero-waste bulk store, will close after operating for two years in the Walker’s Point neighborhood.
“All of us here have loved serving you for the past few years but it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter,” owner Jenna Meier said in a lengthy Facebook post Thursday.
Meier opened the store, 1039 S. 5th St., in June 2020, selling pantry staples, skincare, hygiene products and household goods in a plastic-free format. Due to the pandemic, it initially opened curbside pickup and delivery only. As restrictions loosened, customers were able to enter the store, reusable containers in hand, to fill up on goods.
The Glass Pantry was a first-of-its-kind store in the city. Many grocery stores have bulk bins for pantry staples and some, like Fresh Thyme, allow customers to bring reusable containers. But The Glass Pantry went further than that, offering shampoo, hand soap, laundry detergent, olive oil and more. The store also stocked low-waste alternative items like plastic-free toothpaste tablets, bamboo floss, reusable paper towels and stainless steel razors with recyclable blades.
New Event Space Has Skyline, River Views
A new event venue, Northern Lights Events, had its grand opening August 12 and is now booking for the coming months.
The 2,300-square-foot venue, 106 W. Seeboth St., operates in one of the five commercial condominiums on the first and second floors of the 12-story The Point on the River condominium complex.
Northern Lights Photo Studio owner Robert Popp bought the space following the 2018 closure of The Love Shack tiki bar. The photo studio is located on the building’s second floor.
The two-story venue has a wraparound bar, floor-to-ceiling windows and several large TVs and speakers for seminars and presentations. An outdoor patio and balcony overlook the downtown skyline and the confluence of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers. The space can hold up to 154 guests, but for smaller gatherings, there is the option to rent just the upstairs lounge.
New Mexican Restaurant in Walker’s Point
A new restaurant in Walker’s Point serves authentic dishes from Michoacán, a state in southwestern Mexico.
Restaurante Mi Lindo Michoacán opened about two weeks ago at 1039 W. National Ave. in the former El Sazón de Jalisco space.
Co-owners Mauricio Baca and Arturo Baca Delgado both have prior experience in the industry.
Michoacán is known for its hearty cuisine, which includes carnitas, hominy-studded stews and endless varieties of tamales. Pasilla chiles, tomatillos, cotija cheese and fruit pastes are all staple ingredients in the dishes of Michoacán. The state is also Mexico’s top producer of avocados.
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