Highly Anticipated French Bistro Hosting Pop-Up
Plus: A new southside grocery, wine shop debuts bar and big changes at Bavette.

Kyle Knall, executive chef and owner of Birch. Photo courtesy of Birch.
With sights set on a fall opening, Cassis will host a final pop-up July 31 at its sister restaurant, Birch, offering guests a preview of what’s to come at the highly anticipated French bistro.
Like previous pop-ups, this month’s event will showcase “brasserie classics” likely to appear on the menu at the upcoming restaurant, which will occupy a ground-level space at 333 Water, a newly constructed, 31-floor apartment tower in the Historic Third Ward.
It will also offer a glimpse at Cassis’ ambience and hospitality. The future restaurant aims to balance elegance and comfort, featuring vintage chandeliers, mosaic tilework and leather banquettes in a spacious dining room that can accommodate up to 200 guests.
A menu for the final pop-up has not yet been released, however, owners Kyle and Meghan Knall have teased dishes such as croque monsieur with raclette and country ham, moules frites, escargots and more in recent months.
Reservations for the event, taking place at Birch, the Knalls’ flagship restaurant at 459 E. Pleasant St., are available to book online.
For more information on Cassis, see Urban Milwaukee’s previous reporting.
How Milwaukee Inspects Festival Food Vendors
Food and drink is flowing at Bastille Days, which kicked off July 17 at Cathedral Square Park. While hungry festival-goers are focused on flavor, price and finding the shortest line, the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) has a different priority: safety.
Representatives from MHD’s Consumer Environmental Health (CEH) team were on-site Friday morning to complete inspections at Saz’s and Lupi & Iris — checking for handwashing, temperature maintenance, proper storage and more.
Festival veteran Saz’s was up first, welcoming Environmental Health Coordinator Mike Starks into its spacious booth.
Starks, with a sheathed thermometer around his neck and sanitizing wipes close at hand, examined the company’s license, tested the handwashing station and inspected both hot and cold foods.
New East Side Wine Bar Opening
Waterford Wine & Spirits is adding a permanent bar to its Lower East Side store, giving guests a new way to enjoy a glass, explore a flight or sample a bottle — right on-site.
The addition was “a long time coming,” said General Manager Jason Wedl, noting a thirst — not just for wine, but for community connection.
“We just love the interaction that we have with clients,” he said, referencing a similar bar setup at Waterford’s Delafield location. “Instead of just a transactional [experience], it really slows everything down … and creates a sense of place.”
Farwell Wine Bar is set to open Friday, July 18 within the existing shop at 2120 N. Farwell Ave. The 16-seat bar is situated at the back of the retail area, framed by large bay windows overlooking the Oak Leaf Trail.
Milwaukee Oktoberfest Relocating in 2025
After several years of downtown celebrations, Milwaukee Oktoberfest is rolling the barrel to the lakefront. The 2025 festival will take place at Henry Maier Festival Park, marking continued growth for the popular autumn event.
Kegel’s Inn, Swarmm Events and Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. are partnering for the event, which outgrew its previous home at Cathedral Square Park.
“This festival belongs to the people of Milwaukee,” said Julian Kegel, owner of Kegel’s Inn, in a statement. “We’ve poured our hearts into German hospitality at Kegel’s Inn for almost a century, and now we’re taking that spirit to the lakefront.”
The move will not only allow for greater attendance and expanded entertainment, but also the opportunity to measure up to similar celebrations across the region, said Swarmm Events owner Michael Sampson.
Seafood Restaurant Planned For North Avenue
For more than six years, Bria Grant has made steady progress on a long-held plan to redevelop a two-story building at 2501 W. North Ave. into residential apartments, a headquarters for her nonprofit, UniteWI, and a restaurant.
With the first two phases complete, she’s now turning her focus to the third: Fishbone Seafood Restaurant, which is set to open in the coming months.
The restaurant, part of a California-based chain, would occupy 2,281 square feet on the building’s first floor, specializing in fish dishes and New Orleans-style cuisine, Grant told Licenses Committee members in June.
Sample menu items include red snapper, cajun catfish filet, salmon and po’boy sandwiches, along with sides like collard greens, coleslaw and macaroni salad. With plans to open at 7 a.m., the Milwaukee restaurant is also expected to serve breakfast.
Where 50 Food Businesses All Converge
Before, during and after the daily grind of food service, more than 50 Milwaukee businesses converge at a single commercial kitchen on the far Northwest Side.
The Neighborhood Kitchen, 8103 W. Tower Ave., is a much-needed home base for food trailers, caterers, meal delivery services and more — offering not only a supportive, collaborative environment, but also something notably scarce in Milwaukee: commercial kitchen space.
Suzy Wagner — a chef and business owner herself — oversees day-to-day operations in the 4,000-square-foot building, balancing the needs of more than four dozen vendors ranging from mochi doughnuts to barbecue.
The Neighborhood Kitchen operates 24/7, supporting first-shift prep, late-night food truck re-ups and everything in between. The shared kitchen is loosely partitioned, with areas for cooking, processing, packaging and storage.
New Operator For River Center Restaurants
Saint Kate The Arts Hotel will become the exclusive food and beverage operator at the Associated Bank River Center this September, adding four new dining concepts to its portfolio.
That includes Toro Tacos & Bowls, On Rye and Knockbox Coffee — which make up the River Center Market — and Vault, a second-level lounge serving seafood and cocktails.
The hospitality management company 41Fork led the 2023 development and launch of the food and beverage businesses, aiming to drive traffic to the downtown office building, 111 E. Kilbourn Ave.
Guests shouldn’t expect any major changes following the transition, according to a joint statement from River Center and Saint Kate.
The Next Bar Pours Into East Side Nightlife
The Next Bar, a new arrival to the East Side, held its grand opening June 14 — the clink of glasses and swoosh of a ribbon-cutting set against a soundtrack of acoustic guitar, thumping bass and the throaty voices of local bands performing at the same-day Summer Soulstice festival.
Taking a cue from the neighborhood’s annual music event, The Next Bar is now finding its rhythm at 1732 E. North Ave.
“We’re building something that reflects who we are and who we serve,” co-owner Alex Edwards said in a statement. “Just give us one drink, one chance to stop in. We promise you’ll come back.”
Edwards, an entrepreneur and real estate investor, runs the new business with his uncle, James Chappel, a silent investor in other local nightclubs. The partners took over the Riverside Park building in early 2025, calling it a “perfect fit,” for their vision of change, community and positive evolution.
Grocery Store Opens in Former Walgreens
Walgreens is no longer operating at 2410 W. Forest Home Ave., but thanks to a new tenant, the southside building remains a destination for everyday essentials.
Supermercado La Hacienda, a Mexican grocery store, recently opened its second location in the former drugstore.
Heaps of chili peppers, cases of meat and rows of piñatas now fill the 14,560-square-foot market, which has received a warm welcome from community members, drawing a steady stream of customers on a recent weeknight.
Like its flagship at 820 S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr., Hacienda emphasizes Mexican cuisine and ingredients, offering a full range of fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, pantry staples and a butcher counter. It’s also a handy stop for bulk herbs and spices, as well as items like nopales, pork rinds, duros and clayware, which are more elusive at larger chain stores.
Popular Dinner Experience Returning to Third Ward
Table for 100, please.
Gather, the hugely popular Historic Third Ward dining event, returns Sept. 11 for its fourth year, featuring eight local businesses, seven courses, 100 diners and one very long table.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 15 — and don’t wait. Last year’s dinner sold out in 10 minutes.
The 2025 event will kick off at 5 p.m. with a pre-dinner socializing hour sponsored by Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria.
Another East Side Restaurant Closes
After seven years on Milwaukee’s East Side, The Original has closed its doors for good. The restaurant held its final service in late June, co-owner Eric Rzepka confirmed Monday.
The building, a two-story house with butter-yellow siding in the Riverside Park neighborhood, remains for sale. Located at 2498 N. Bartlett Ave., the property is tucked into a quiet residential block between bustling Oakland Avenue and the Oak Leaf Trail.
Though listed as a turnkey restaurant, Rzepka said potential buyers have two options: purchase the building along with its furniture, fixtures and equipment, or buy just the building at a lower price.
If the latter, he said, the remaining items would be sold at auction.
Changes Coming to Popular Third Ward Restaurant
More than a decade after its opening, Bavette La Boucherie remains a centerpiece of the Historic Third Ward dining scene — beloved for its fresh, approachable menu and commitment to locally sourced meats.
But the restaurant is poised for change, with plans to eliminate dinner service beginning next month. New, lunch-only hours are set to take effect Aug. 3.
Chef-owner Karen Bell, a five-time James Beard Award nominee, said the shift comes amid staffing shortages, including the recent departure of her evening chef de cuisine.
“That, coupled with already being understaffed, was just going to be too much of a time investment for me to get it filled,” she said. Beyond the simple hiring process, a new chef would require additional training and experience to lead the kitchen in Bell’s absence, if necessary.
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