Zocalo Hosting St. Patrick’s Day Pop-Up

Site of Zocalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

Along with leprechauns and green beer, corned beef has become a cornerstone of American St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations. This year, observers will find at least two of those — if not all — at Zocalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St., which plans to host chef Nathan Heck for a reuben pop-up.

Heck, co-owner of the former Hot Dish Pantry, will be on-site Sunday, March 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or sell out), dishing up sandwiches with all the fixings: corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing — all piled atop marble rye bread from Midwest Sad.

Sandwiches will come with a side of roasted vegetables, horseradish cream and spicy mustard. The pop-up will also feature a selection of desserts by Midwest SAD, as well as hot sauces from PepperRich Farm and A&M Local Provisions.

Meanwhile, the tavern will be serving up green beer and cocktails, while other vendors, including Ikigai Izakaya, Las Virellas, Modern Maki, Mazorca Tacos and Hot Box Pizza, will be open for business.

Northside Food Pantry Experiences 40% Surge in Attendance

Housed in a small garage behind Eastbrook Church, the eponymous food pantry has been serving the community for more than 30 years. A Hunger Task Force partner since 2006, Eastbrook Church Food Pantry takes pride in its selection and accessibility, offering a wide variety of grocery products and operating outside of regular business hours to accommodate working clients.

While Eastbrook sees new faces every month, its coordinator, Brian Dressner, said attendance, compared to the year prior, has surged approximately 40% over the past six months. Last month, the pantry, located at 5385 N. Green Bay Ave., served 334 households, of which 69 were new.

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Dressner said the change can’t be attributed to just one factor. He noted that a major driver was a recent switch from curbside service to a choice model, which allows clients to enter the food pantry and select their own items, similar to a regular grocery store.

“We think this treats people with more dignity, and is more efficient,” Dressner said, noting that the model ensures clients are taking only what they want, reducing food waste.

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Prospective Tenant Found For Company Brewing Space

With plans for a permanent location in Riverwest and a soon-to-launch fundraising campaign, Vanessa Rose is turning her long-held vision into reality: creating a safe and welcoming LGBTQ+ third space that combines a restaurant, bar and event venue under one roof.

The concept, House of Bridges, has existed for years without a brick-and-mortar, most recently operating fine-dining pop-ups through its food program, Mother’s. Now, Rose has her sights set on the former Company Brewing building, 735 E. Center St., and plans to embed herself in the community — not just as a business owner, but as a conduit for advocacy and political action.

As its name suggests, House of Bridges aims to foster connections — or build bridges — with the end goal of actionable change.

“With the threat of things like Project 2025 in the mix, I think it’s really important for us to get together, to have plans, to grow together and better understand what it means to be such a diverse community,” Rose said.

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Loaded Baked Potato Restaurant Planned For Downtown

A new restaurant serving loaded baked potatoes is proposed to open at 789 N. Water St., replacing the salad-centric Colour Palate on the first floor of The Druml Company‘s downtown office building.

Loaded Spud aims to “redefine comfort food,” according to its website, with a menu of baked potatoes and customizable toppings.

David Hinton of Urban Life Development Group, LLC will lead the new business. Hinton’s previous experience includes general manager roles at several local establishments including Good Life and Sake Tumi. In a license application, he also notes ownership of another restaurant.

With proposed hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Loaded Spud would cater to a diverse range of dining experiences, from the early-morning crowd and office lunches to late-night bites.

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L’incontro Hosts Filipino Food Pop-Up

Ahead of L’incontro‘s opening on the East Side, Chef Juneil Cabreza promised traditional Italian dishes infused with Asian influences, particularly inspired by his Filipino roots.

Now, just over 10 months into service, Cabreza is dedicating one night a week to fully embrace his heritage with his Bad English pop-up.

The special menu, available Monday nights from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., marks a revival of Cabreza’s former food truck, offering a rotating selection of Filipino favorites including lumpia, street noodles and the fan-favorite longanisa smashburger.

The pop-up also introduces guests to ulam, described as “something to eat with rice” — a staple of Filipino cuisine. The dish includes pickled vegetables, sawsawan dipping sauce, crispy shallots and a choice of pork sausage and fried egg, eggplant with banana ketchup, chicken adobo or mushroom adobo.

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Another Smoothie Cafe For Lower East Side

Tropical Smoothie Cafe plans to expand its local presence with a new location at 626 E. Ogden Ave., on the Lower East Side.

The cafe, a national chain, would convert a 1,622-square-foot office space, formerly occupied by Coldwell Banker Realty into a home for its health-focused concept, offering custom smoothies, sandwiches and wraps.

Yash Patel is the franchisee for the new business, which will be the second for Milwaukee, joining an existing cafe at 3657 S. 27th St.

The menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe features more than a dozen smoothie flavors, including Acai Berry Boost and Mango Magic, the vegetable-forward Avocolada and indulgent options like Mocha Madness and Peanut Butter Cup. Customers can personalize their drinks with add-ins like protein powder, collagen and Vitamin B12.

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New Cafe Opening on King Drive

Signage is up at Sweet Connie’s Cafe, equipment has arrived and the new business is prepping its garden boxes for tableside herbs. All that’s left now is to bloom.

After nearly three years of work, owners Shelley Wiley and Consuela Towns are set to open Sweet Connie’s on Saturday, March 8. Inspired by their time living in Germany, where Towns operated her own restaurant, they’ve channeled their experience into creating a cafe that combines the charm of European bistros with a focus on community and fresh ingredients.

While there are some pre-launch jitters, the milestone will bring relief for the couple, who faced constant setbacks and unexpected delays throughout the entire project.

“There are times when you feel like stopping and giving up, but then you think about how much work you’ve put into it, and you realize you really have to keep going and follow through,” Wiley said. “We’re optimistic — I think that’s the biggest thing.”

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Yemeni Cafe Opens on East Side

For the past six months, East Side residents have watched as the commercial storefront at 2900 N. Oakland Ave. transformed from vacant to vibrant. With the addition of a service counter, gold-edged tables, and finally, a gleaming espresso machine, the former gray box space became Haraz Coffee House.

The new cafe, which began its soft opening on Monday, is part of a Michigan-based chain that’s adding to the growing number of Yemeni coffee shops in the Milwaukee area. The East Side location is led by local franchisees Madhi Hassan and Hasan Abuasi, who told Urban Milwaukee they were inspired by the burgeoning interest in Yemeni coffee.

A caffeine-packed menu, evening hours and plenty of seating make the business an ideal destination for nearby college students, and Hassan looks forward to their business, but hopes the cafe also attracts a wide variety of people, from families to professionals.

“We’re trying to bring back the third place,” Hassan said, noting that many local cafes tend to close around 5 p.m., if not earlier. “If you’re not at school, work or home, this is your place to hang out.”

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New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in February

Some restaurants take pride in a quiet, laid-back atmosphere — where the music is dialed down and guests converse in low voices while tucking into their meals. And then, there’s El Caporal.

The new Mexican restaurant, 721 S. Cesar E Chavez Dr., burst onto the scene in February with disco lights and a 10-piece band in tow, ready to wow customers with dinner and a show.

At the center of it all is owner Jose Lozoya, Jr., who, during the grand opening, smiled and clapped along as a lively procession of employees and musicians danced their way through the dining room.

It’s always a party at El Caporal, but the menu is not to be overlooked. Molcajetes overflowing with crab legs and shrimp tails, juicy birria tacos and trays loaded with fresh-shucked oysters stream through the kitchen doors in quick succession, accompanied by sweet-spicy mangonadas in frosty glasses. In addition to a wide variety of seafood, the restaurant showcases traditional dishes like fajitas, enchiladas, chiles rellenos and menudo.

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Meet Milwaukee’s Newest Wine Bar

The family behind Union House, a bar and restaurant in Cedarburg, has uncorked its newest business — this time, in Milwaukee. BJ and Chris Homayouni, a mother-son team, celebrated the grand opening of Cork Wine Bar on Thursday.

The new business, located at 1039 S. 5th St., has transformed a commercial space, previously occupied by a bulk goods store, into a moody oasis for wine pours, cocktails and spirits. Cream City brick, velvet-backed booths and tabletop oil lamps act as a backdrop for an extensive list of reds, whites and rosés, as well as emerging orange wines —  made from white grapes fermented with their skin and seeds.

And whether you’re a vino novice or a seasoned connoisseur, knowledgeable bartenders are close at hand and eager to guide you to the perfect pour.

The current wine list includes nine whites and rosés, ranging from the bright and delicate Sokol Blosser Estate Rose, sourced from Oregon, to the citrusy Wither Hills Sauv Blanc, made in New Zealand. Nearly a dozen reds are available, with picks from Italy, California, Australia and other regions. Sparkling wines like Mionetto Avantgarde Prosecco and Gratien & Meyer Cremant Rosé, as well as two non-alcoholic wines —  riesling and pinot noir — round out the list.

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