Restaurants Offer Dry January Fundraiser Events
Plus: New bars and restaurants and what will former Martino's become?
Non-alcoholic margarita. Photo courtesy of Cafe Corazon.
Nearly two dozen Milwaukee-area bars and restaurants are participating in a Dry January initiative to support Meta House, a nonprofit confronting generational cycles of addiction.
During the month-long campaign, partnered businesses will feature a zero-proof specialty cocktail, inviting patrons to explore new alcohol alternatives, challenge stigma surrounding substance use disorder and learn more about Meta House’s programming. Most locations plan to donate a portion of proceeds from the featured beverage to the nonprofit.
Sarah Koehn, Meta House’s director of philanthropy and marketing, praised the multi-faceted effort.
“Our Dry January campaign encourages us to cultivate physical, emotional and mental health, and show support for individuals in our community who are affected by substance use disorder,” Koehn said in a statement. “We’re deeply grateful to our restaurant partners who are bringing this initiative to the forefront and creating inclusive spaces while helping us expand access to life-saving treatment.”
A full list of participating establishments includes: Agency, The Fitz and Gin Rickey at Ambassador Hotel, Bavette La Boucherie (through Jan. 17), Boone & Crockett, Bremen Cafe, Cloud Red, Flour Girl & Flame, Fork & Tap, Great Lakes Distillery, Nessun Dorma, LuLu Cafe & Bar, Lupi & Iris, Odd Duck, Red Lion Pub, Shaker’s Cigar Bar, Station 1846, The Trade, Third Coast Provisions, Three Lions Pub and Cafe Corazon locations in Bay View, Riverwest and Brown Deer.
For details on featured drinks and donation commitments from each participating business, see the Meta House website.
Some establishments will host additional events throughout the month. That includes a Dry January Social at Cloud Red on Jan. 15 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., a virgin margarita-making class at Cafe Corazon in Bay View on Jan. 18 and Pizza & Mocktails at Flour Girl & Flame on Jan. 22 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Lupi & Iris is also organizing a five-course, non-alcoholic pairing dinner on Jan. 24, with $10 from each $100 ticket donated to the cause.
Funds raised as part of the Dry January event will support Project Horizon, an expansion of Meta House’s campus designed to increase access to trauma-informed, family-centered treatment for women and children across Wisconsin. The project aims to reduce waitlists for residential substance use disorder treatment and improve long-term recovery outcomes for families, the nonprofit shared in a news release.
Sweet Little Waffles Will Replace Szechuan On Busy Street
A breakfast-focused eatery is set to open at 5650 W. Fond du Lac Ave., bringing waffles and fresh-squeezed juice to a long-vacant building once home to Szechuan Chinese Restaurant.
The new venture, Sweet Little Waffles, is led by Otis Moore, an industry veteran of more than two decades who also owns the neighboring Court MVP sports bar, which is temporarily closed.
Moore outlined his vision for Sweet Little Waffles during a recent licenses committee hearing, telling members he hopes to fulfill a community need for fresh, healthy meals.
“The area is really a food desert,” Moore said, noting that the restaurant would specialize in “a variety of different waffles,” with other “healthy breakfast options” also available.
Trio of Downtown Bars, Restaurants Have New Owners
Zero-Proof, Full Party, MobCraft Hosting NA Fest
MobCraft Beer is tapping into a new audience this year with its inaugural Non-Alcoholic Festival. The prohibition-themed event is set for Jan. 17 at the brewery, 505 S. 5th St.
Guests can expect plenty of booze-free cocktails, beers and other innovative beverages; however—just like 1920s Milwaukee—the real thing is still around, if you know where to look.
The free-to-attend festival runs from noon to 9:30 p.m., including a complimentary sampling session featuring Great Lakes Distillery, My Soul Kombucha, Untitled Art, Years (brewed at Pilot Project Brewing), Zero Proof Pass, Sprecher Brewing Co., MobCraft and others. Samples will be available between 1 and 5 p.m.
Live music performances from Jazz in Vivo, Finger Pickin’ Good and Troubadors of Rhythm will provide entertainment throughout the afternoon and evening, with a brief pause for a free swing dancing lesson at 6 p.m.
Community Cheers Glorioso’s Reopening
There were hugs, high-fives and even happy tears at Glorioso’s Italian Market on Wednesday morning, as shoppers and employees celebrated the store’s reopening following an early-October fire.
By lunchtime, it was back to business as usual: customers queued at the deli counter, rummaged through coolers of cheese and munched on overstuffed sandwiches in the dining area, seated beneath framed photos of the Glorioso family.
Everything was in its place—but it took nearly three months to get there, said Carmine Presta, who co-owns the store, 1011 E. Brady St., with his brothers Dominic and Paolo.
“It was a long three months,” Presta said, noting that crews from ServiceMaster Restore worked round-the-clock for nearly a month to empty and clean the store. “They actually did two shifts—24 hours a day—for seven days a week. It was literally nonstop.”
Sherman Park Grocery Issues Call for Help
Sherman Park Grocery has issued an urgent call to action, warning customers that the business faces permanent closure without immediate support.
Opened in 2022 at 4315 W. Fond du Lac Ave., the family-owned business plays a key role in providing fresh produce, meats and other essential groceries to residents in the surrounding area, which is one of 13 federally recognized food deserts in the City of Milwaukee.
After nearly three-and-a-half years in business, Sherman Park Grocery is struggling to stay afloat, warned owners Maurice “Moe” Wince and Yashica Spears, who cited rising food costs, thefts and a temporary interruption in federal food assistance.
“We are the only African American-owned grocery store in the entire State of Wisconsin, committed to addressing food insecurity, food equity, and public health outcomes,” Wince and Spears noted in a Tuesday announcement distributed by area Alderman DiAndre Jackson.
Former Martino’s Could Become Shawarma Spot
Martino’s Hot Dogs & Italian Beef served its final meals last December after nearly 50 years on the South Side, but the longtime restaurant space could see new life under a proposal from local operators.
Franklin residents Belal Jaraba, Mohammed Jaraba and Hazem Asad plan to open Top Shawarma, bringing a menu of Middle Eastern fare to the shuttered fast food spot at 1215 W. Layton Ave.
The group brings extensive business and culinary experience. Belal Jaraba previously co-owned Shawarma Palace and Pita Palace, Mohammed Jaraba runs several city convenience stores across the city and Asad has worked as a chef at area restaurants.
A proposed menu for Top Shawarma features starters like baba ghanoush, hummus and tabbouleh salad—a mix of finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, green onions, bulgur and lemon—along with entrees including falafel, beef or chicken shawarma and gyros, all available as a bowl, plate or sandwich.
Mystery Addition Coming to Popular Bay View Restaurant Complex
New Owners For Southside Pakistani Restaurant
During his first meal at Anmol years ago, Haq Nawaz was transported to Pakistan. The restaurant’s curries, biryani and roti are all staples in Karachi, the country’s largest city—and favorites for Nawaz, who returned time and again with his growing family.
Soon, Anmol will do more than taste like home—it’ll be home. Nawaz and his wife, Shamim, are buying the restaurant, which has operated at 711 W. Historic Mitchell St. since 2006, and its adjacent grocery store, Sasta Bazaar, with plans to officially take over both businesses later this month.
The venture is an ideal launch point for the couple, whose time is limited by four children. “We don’t have the energy to start something from scratch,” Nawaz said. “We were looking for something that was already established, and this is where it led. I happened to show up at the right time.”
Though initial changes will be minimal—limited to title modifications and cosmetic updates—Nawaz hopes to deepen the business’s neighborhood focus and prioritize community over profit, an approach already in action at the couple’s existing store, Raja Bazaar Brookfield.
FairWave Acquires Second Milwaukee Coffeehouse Chain
FairWave Coffee Collective has acquired Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters, expanding its portfolio of Milwaukee-area cafes to 12.
The sale, announced Jan. 2 in a joint press release, followed more than a year of deliberation, said Ray Marcy who previously co-owned Fiddleheads with Mike Wroblewski.
“Fiddleheads is our family’s baby,” Marcy said in a statement. “It was really important to us that if we ever did decide to sell, it would be to someone who works in coffee—someone who understands how special Fiddleheads is to us, and how special it has become to the local community here.”
It also marks continued local growth for the Kansas City-based FairWave, which took ownership of Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. in 2023.
New Indian Restaurant Proposed For Shuttered Southside Hotel
New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in December
Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ opened its third brick-and-mortar location in late December, bringing slow-smoked meats, housemade sauces and comforting sides to the former Izzy Hops tavern space at 2311 N. Murray Ave.,
The new restaurant joins existing locations at 3rd Street Market Hall and 6807 W. Brown Deer Rd., as well as a food truck and catering service—all led by owner Jack Holt, whose career spans more than two decades and encompasses both fine-dining experience and hands-on training with pit masters from Texas to Tacoma.
At the East Side restaurant, diners can expect choice meats like 12-hour hickory-smoked brisket, St. Louis-cut ribs and smoked rib tips, alongside classic sides and desserts. The soft-opening menu also includes shareable starters such as smoked and flash-fried chicken wings, smoked gouda mac and nachos, plus sandwiches like pulled pork and The Texan, made with chopped brisket and caramelized onions.
Smokin’ Jack’s replaces Izzy Hops, a craft beer bar that operated for eight years before its October 2025 closure. The Murray Hill building is also home to Kawa Ramen and Sushi and a vacant restaurant space, previously L’incontro, where Holt hopes to eventually launch a Mexican-inspired barbecue concept.
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