New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in April
City welcomed more than 15 new additions including a pizza restaurant, smoothie bar and three coffee shops.
Azal Coffee, 1318 S. 1st St. Photo taken April 30, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
April offered consistently gloomy skies in Milwaukee, but a lot was happening on the ground. More than 15 bars and restaurants opened, including a pizza restaurant, smoothie bar and three coffee shops.
Among them was Azal Coffee, which joined a growing wave of Yemeni coffee shops with its Milwaukee opening on April 18. The cafe, located in Freshwater Plaza at 1318 S. 1st St., serves traditional Middle Eastern coffees and teas made with beans sourced from Yemen.
It’s one of several planned franchises for the Michigan-based chain, which is also expanding to New York and New Jersey.
Azal’s menu includes a full range of espresso drinks, with specialty lattes in flavors like pistachio, Biscoff and Nutella. The cafe also serves Yemeni beverages such as mufawar and qishr, as well as fruit refreshers and snacks. A food menu, currently offering baked goods and desserts, is set to expand with lunch options in the coming weeks.
Doh’p
A long-awaited pizza restaurant opened its doors at 2509 E. Oklahoma Ave. in early April. Doh’p, sister concept to Zocalo’s Hot Box Pizza, is now serving wood-fired pies, smoked chicken wings and more out of a former auto shop.
Style Pop Cafe
Style Pop Cafe had a lively start in its new Walker’s Point space, welcoming upwards of 200 customers for its April 5 grand opening. The cafe and coworking space, 934 S. 5th St., marks the first brick-and-mortar location for Style Pop’s mobile operation, which launched in 2020.
Rosha Brister leads the business, which serves its own coffee blend and a full range of espresso drinks. Lemonade and tea, along with housemade snacks and selections from Delicious Bites, are also available.
Wayfinder
Just three months after acquiring Good City Brewing, Explorium Hospitality Group unveiled a brand new concept in the brewery’s East Side taproom.
Wayfinder, serving craft cocktails, globally inspired small plates and beers from both Good City and The Explorium Brewpub, opened in mid-April at 2108 N. Farwell Ave.
Baya Bar
Customers flocked to Baya Bar on its opening day, drawn by the promise of free smoothie bowls and other giveaways. The new cafe, 2220 N. Prospect Ave., serves a health-focused menu of smoothies, juices and acai bowls, plus oatmeal, avocado toast and coffee.
Las Gardenias
Aperitivo owner Richard Kerhin and his wife, Patricia Barrera-Kerhin, launched a regional Mexican restaurant, Las Gardenias, in April at 305 N. Plankinton Ave.
Tamales, mole, birria and chilito de puerco — a rich stew made with bone-in pork chops and tomato-chile sauce — all star on the menu. The offerings draw inspiration from Guadalajara, a city in the Mexican state of Jalisco known as much for its tequila as its savory, comforting cuisine.
Creta
Though well-versed in Latin American cuisine, restaurateurs Edgar Aispuro Garcia and Paco Villar are branching out with their latest concept, focusing on flavors from the Mediterranean.
Creta, which opened in recent weeks at 3rd Street Market Hall, offers gyros shawarma, spanakopita, falafel and other entrees, along with hummus and pita, fries and ice cream.
In addition to its downtown location, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., Creta operates in the 3rd Street Market Hall Annex at American Family Field.
Sip & Purr
After an 18-month hiatus, Sip & Purr reopened to the public April 30 with a new location, new cafe partner and a new crew of adoptable cats. The cat cafe is now operating at 833 E. Brady St. with a menu of beer, wine, Space Time Coffee and snacks.
Sip & Purr will accept walk-in guests for its first two weeks in business, allowing guests to book sessions in the Cat Lounge upon arrival, based on availability. It will transition back to its reservation system beginning May 14.
Jalisco’s Cantina
A sun-drenched restaurant space on the northwest side of Lincoln Warehouse is now home to Jalisco’s Cantina, which quietly opened in mid-April.
The new Mexican eatery features a spacious dining room, big-screen TVs and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Kinnickinnic River. On the menu, guests can expect a wide variety of breakfast items, as well as tacos, burritos, sopes and tortas. Jalisco’s also serves specialty dishes like mole and tamales, along with a full bar program.
Food Palace
The Northwest Side recently welcomed a new destination for quick-service comfort food with the opening of Food Palace Food for the Soul. The restaurant, 9002 W. Silver Spring Dr. serves burgers, tacos, hot dogs, nachos and catfish, along with sides like onion rings, okra and mozzarella sticks.
Food Palace also offers Soul Food Sunday dinners, featuring sides like cabbage, greens, chitterlings, yams and more, along with a rotating choice of meat.
Tyrecia Benson owns the restaurant, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Antigua
Citlali Mendieta and Nicolás Ramos, owners of Antigua Latin Inspired Kitchen in West Allis, have expanded their operations with a second location inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
The counter-service restaurant fills the cafeteria space within the municipal building and is now open to the public, serving grab-and-go items including oatmeal, salads, sandwiches — along with Antigua-style specials.
Mae Velma’s
Fast-growing local chain Mae Velma’s Corned Beef recently launched its fourth location at 540 N. 27th St., the former site of Buffalo Boss. Tyron Smith owns the fast food restaurant and three others across the city, offering sandwiches, reuben rolls, seafood and more, plus his crowd-favorite corned beef — cured, sliced and served by the pound.
Leo’s Wok Restaurant
Carne asada and chicken fried rice share space on the menu at Leo’s Wok Restaurant, which opened at 807 W. Historic Mitchell St.
Leo’s Wok Restaurant, offering Japanese and Mexican cuisine, is proposed to open at, according to a license application. The southside location, which was previously home to Damascus Gate, has experienced high turnover in the past year, with Tacos el Costeño and La Ventanita among its recent tenants.
In-Yun
In-Yun, or 인연, is a Korean concept suggesting that present-day interactions are shaped by connections from past lives. It’s also the name of 3rd Street Market Hall’s newest vendor. And if the restaurant’s Korean dishes sound familiar, blame in-yun — or a past meal. Owners Oscar and Ivan Rubio also operate Ikigai Izakaya at Zocalo Food Park.
Taste Amir’s Roti
Burmese and Malaysian food truck Taste Amir’s Roti is now serving from a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 3101 S. 15th Pl. The family-owned business is known for its namesake flatbread, often served as an accompaniment to grilled meats, stews and curries. Other popular items include fried noodles, coconut rice and biryani.
Dulce Diabla
A new tavern, Dulce Diabla, held its grand opening in March at 1900 W. Lincoln Ave. The space, formerly home to Diamante Negro, is outfitted with colorful neon lights and selfie-worthy wall art — a perfect pairing for the tavern’s tropical drinks and lively entertainment.
Its predecessor, Diamante Negro, has reopened in a larger location with an expanded food program at 2501 W. Greenfield Ave.
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