Draft & Co. Opens Downtown
The long-awaited bar and grill is open for business at Vel R. Phillips Plaza.
Draft & Co., 401 W. Wisconsin Ave. Photo taken June 27, 2024 by Jeramey Jannene. All Rights Reserved.
The long-awaited Draft & Co. began its soft opening this week at Vel R. Phillips Plaza. The bar and cafe is intended to activate the downtown gathering space, which debuted in June 2024.
Led by tavern veteran Nathaniel Davauer, Draft & Co. offers 32 rotating tap lines—many featuring local craft beers—along with draft cocktails, wine, ciders and a more than a dozen non-alcoholic options.
A limited food menu features smash burgers, chicken tenders and snacks like French fries, cheese curds and soft pretzel sticks. Davauer previously shared a goal to revive Soup Bros—a former Walker’s Point cafe—in the new location.
Draft & Co. occupies a 2,900-square-foot building at 401 W. Wisconsin Ave., located on the western edge of the plaza. The custom build-out blends an industrial feel with vintage touches, including growler pendant lights and carved wood decor, also featuring a wraparound bar, high-top tables and booth seating.
“We’re still fine-tuning the space, the menu and all the little details, but Draft & Co. is officially starting to feel real,” the business shared in an online post.
Draft & Co. is the fifth brick-and-mortar business for Davauer, whose portfolio also includes Pomeroy, Giving Tree Garage and Draft & Vessel locations in Wauwatosa and Shorewood. However, Davauer wasnt the original operator selected for the plaza.
Mike Eitel, owner of Caravan Hospitality Group, was to lease the cafe building, anchoring the downtown plaza with a dynamic concept that included an early-morning coffee bar, a lunch restaurant, and an evening happy hour spot. Eitel canceled those plans in February 2024, Urban Milwaukee previously reported.
Along with Draft & Co., the building features exterior-facing public restrooms available for use during plaza events. The surrounding outdoor space, located along W. Wisconsin Avenue between N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue and N. 5th Street, is covered in brick pavers, trees and concrete walls designed as seating. A large public art piece honoring Vel Phillips is planned.
Draft & Co. is open Friday, Jan. 16 from 4 to 11 p.m. (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.), Saturday, Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to midnight (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.) and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The business will be closed Jan. 19. Future hours will be shared via social media.
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