Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro Celebrates 30 Years of Fine Dining and Award-Winning Hospitality

MILWAUKEE – The Bartolotta Restaurants is celebrating 30 years of authentic French cuisine and exceptional hospitality at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, the award-winning restaurant and historical landmark overlooking Lake Michigan. The Bartolotta Restaurants co-founders, Paul Bartolotta and his late brother, Joe Bartolotta, opened Lake Park Bistro on September 28, 1995. It has since earned a reputation as a premier restaurant and event venue in the Milwaukee region, garnering consistent praise and reviews from both local and national outlets.

[inarticled]Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro resides in a historic pavilion built in 1903, originally designed by Milwaukee architect Alfred C. Clas as a gathering place for visitors. In 1995, The Bartolotta Restaurants partnered with Milwaukee County Parks to reimagine the space as a restaurant – an early example of how public and private proactively continues to collaborate to preserve a landmark. With the county’s vision and courage to take on this initiative, and with the Bartolotta’s stewardship, the building has been maintained for the betterment of the community for the past 30 years. The lower level remains open to the public as a community room, and the restaurant proudly supports Friends of Lake Park initiatives, ensuring that the pavilion continues to serve both neighbors and visitors alike.

“As we look back on 30 years of Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, I am filled with gratitude for the community that has embraced us from the beginning, and to Milwaukee County Parks for the unwavering support and partnership,” says Chef Bartolotta. “Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro was the second restaurant Joe and I opened together, following the success of Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa.

“Joe found this incredible location in Lake Park, and we felt Milwaukee was ready to embrace an authentic French bistro,” continues Bartolotta. “We wanted to highlight the food I had learned during my years in France, cooking under culinary masters including Roger Vergé, the Troisgros family, Paul Bocuse, and the team at Taillevent in Paris, as well as studying pastry at École Lenôtre. Bringing those experiences home, we crafted the opening menu with iconic dishes that remain guest favorites today. Joe and I wanted Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro to be more than just a fine dining destination. We wanted it to be a place where memories were made and where we could continue the legacy of sharing our hospitality heart with the world.”

For three decades, that authenticity has made Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro more than a restaurant, it has become a beloved destination for generations of guests to share life’s moments. From birthdays and anniversaries to celebrations of life and weddings – including Chef Bartolotta and his wife, who were married at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro in 1999 and Joe’s daughter, Mary, who was married there last summer – the venue continues to serve as a gathering place for the community, just as it was first intended.

Today, Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro offers a classic French dining experience through their Haute Bistro menu, elevated Bistro cooking, and classic French dishes that have become guest favorites since first opening. The restaurant is led by Executive Chef Amanda Langler, who has spent the last 15 years working through a variety of Bartolotta Restaurants, starting as a line cook and working her way to Executive Chef; and General Manager and Certified Sommelier Mariana Popescu, who has moved through the ranks within Bartolotta’s Lake Bistro for 17 years and oversees the restaurant’s extensive all-French wine list.

Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro is open Mondays through Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant hosts a three-course Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can make reservations online or by calling 414.962.6300.

More information about The Bartolotta Restaurants can be found at bartolottas.com.

About The Bartolotta Restaurants
The Bartolotta Restaurants is a nationally recognized restaurant and catering organization co-founded by Chef Paul Bartolotta and his late brother, Joe Bartolotta. Chef Paul Bartolotta is a two-time James Beard Award-winning chef in two separate regions, Midwest and Southwest, winning in both 1994 and 2009. In addition, Chef Paul Bartolotta has six James Beard Award nominations including Best Chef Midwest in 1993, Best New Restaurant in Las Vegas in 2005, Outstanding Restaurateur USA alongside his brother in 2017, 2018, 2019, and a finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur USA in 2020. Since the opening of its flagship restaurant, Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993, The Bartolotta Restaurants group has grown to become the premier culinary brand in the Greater Milwaukee region, offering first class service and cuisine across a portfolio of 18 one-of-a-kind restaurants and catering facilities, including fine dining, upscale casual, food halls, executive dining, quick-casual, and airport concepts. More information can be found at bartolottas.com.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.