Italian Cocktail Lounge For Bay View
Calogeros will transform old Bay Street Pub into destination for cocktails, wine and Italian-style small plates.
338 E. Bay St. Photo taken April 29, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
When Greg Huber and Santo Galati set out to revamp the former Bay Street Pub at 338 E. Bay St., they quickly agreed on a concept: a craft cocktail lounge with Italian influence. But as the business partners began to remodel the 124-year-old building, a fitting name was still out of reach.
The answer arrived in the form of a simple description — and a foreign language. Once open, the cocktail lounge will be called Calogeros, a name of Greek origin adopted into Italian, meaning “good elder” or “beautiful in old age.”
Huber and Galati are well-versed in restoring historic properties, having completed a similar transformation at the site of their neighboring business, Santino’s Little Italy.
“We feel like we’re in the business of un-diving bars,” Huber told Urban Milwaukee in February.
After stripping the tavern down to its studs, the partners are beginning to rebuild the 1,425-square-foot space — this time, as a cocktail lounge. According to construction documents submitted to the City of Milwaukee in early April, plans for the lounge include a new wood-top bar with about a dozen stools, two all-gender restrooms and a kitchen build-out.
A floor plan shows additional booth and table seating along the building’s western wall and in a back room. The property also includes a 1,225-square-foot patio. MKE Design Build is leading the remodel, which is estimated to finish in late-June, according to a license application.
With major construction complete, Huber and Galati plan to finish the space with vintage-inspired decor — potentially evoking the 1930s, according to the partners.
On the menu, guests can expect drinks like negroni, aperol spritz, prosecco and pinot grigio, along with a selection of small plates including cheese and charcuterie, caprese salad, risotto croquettes, mini cannoli and more.
A license application for Calogeros is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council, with an opening date tentatively set for July 15.
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