Mexican Restaurant Proposed For Key East Side Corner
Restaurant industry veteran plans new sit-down restaurant in former Triple Taproom.
Triple Taproom & Kitchen, 2018 E. North Ave. Photo taken Nov. 16, 2022 by Sophie Bolich.
The Herrera family will continue its local restaurant legacy with a new East Side addition. Ruben Herrera plans to open Jalisco’s Cocina y Bar at 2018 E. North Ave., the former site of Triple Taproom & Kitchen.
With a tentative arrival in early March, the full-service restaurant would occupy a prominent corner overlooking one of the neighborhood’s busiest intersections, marking a potential rebound for the area after high-profile closures, including the nearby Crossroads Collective and Beans & Barley.
It also fills a void for sit-down Mexican cuisine following the 2024 departure of Judy’s on North, which relocated from its longtime home at 2207 E. North Ave. after a fire.
Herrera brings years of experience to the upcoming business, having grown up in his family’s restaurants — also called Jalisco’s — and later launching a food truck. His brother, Miguel, owns Jalisco’s Cantina in the Harbor District.
A proposed menu is not included in the license application; however, Herrera said he expects to generate 60% of revenue from food sales. A bar program would account for the remaining 40%, with a request for entertainment such as comedy acts, amusement machines and live music from local bands also included in the application.
The spacious restaurant has a capacity of more than 200, featuring a wraparound bar, booths and tables. The floor plan also includes an entertainment area with a stage and a dedicated outdoor area for sidewalk dining.
The North Avenue building was the longtime home of G-Daddy’s BBC, which operated for more than two decades before its 2017 closure.
Wisconsin-based breweries Hacienda Beer Co. and Door County Brewing Co. later joined forces to renovate and reopen the space as a foodie-focused tap beer destination: Hacienda. In 2024, the collective added 3 Sheeps Brewing Company and rebranded as Triple Taproom. It abruptly closed in August 2025 after six years in business.
Triple Taproom’s closure was one of several to rock the East Side over the past year, along with Izzy Hops, L’incontro, The Original, FreshFin Poké and the aforementioned Beans & Barley and Crossroads Collective.
The neighborhood remains in flux. Italian restaurant Nadi Plates is soon to open in the former Crossroads space, and, in the same building, Shanghai recently completed an expansion. Across the street, Von Trier is under new ownership. To the north, the former Izzy Hops space now houses Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ, which plans to expand into the neighboring storefront, previously L’incontro, in the near future. Further west, The Original, once an upscale restaurant, has reopened under its original co-owner as OG Pub & Grille, a laid-back sports bar.
Given council approval, Jalisco’s Cocina y Bar aims to open later this winter. Its proposed hours are Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight, according to the license application.
Herrera was not available for comment by the time of publication.
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