Torzala is Turning Four
Plus: A pivot at Wayfinder, Saffron's new menu and farewell to Centro Cafe.
Torzala Brewing Co. anniversary flyer. Image courtesy of Torzala Brewing Co.
An Olympic cycle, a college education, a presidential term — and Torzala Brewing Co.‘s tenure. The Harbor District brewery will mark its quadrennial anniversary later this month with a family-friendly street party featuring live music, vendors and Doh’p pizza.
The outdoor event will take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Harbor View Plaza, 600 E. Greenfield Ave. — just over a mile north of Torzala’s taproom at Lincoln Warehouse, where it operates alongside fellow alcohol producers including Component Brewing Company, New Barons Brewing Cooperative and Twisted Path Distillery.
Attendees can also expect art vendors, desserts and live performances from Happy Shotski Polka Combo and Leah Jee.
Opened in 2021 under Trish Torzala, Jeff Torzala, Jake Palubicki, Renee Martinez and Brian Michalak, the nanobrewery is known for its thoughtful flagship beers — many inspired by or created in homage to historical events.
That includes Brew 42, a nod to former Wisconsin Badger and Green Bay Packers player Gary Ellerson, and Jones Island, a perennial favorite at the brewery’s self-proclaimed “world’s smallest beer festival,” held at Kaszube’s Park on its namesake Jones Island.
Torzala’s taproom is open Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Good City Became Wayfinder, Now Becoming Event Space
Just over a year after opening in the former Good City Brewing space at 2108 N. Farwell Ave., Wayfinder will host its final restaurant service this weekend as the business transitions to an events-focused model.
A co-located tiki bar, The Rooftop, will remain public-facing.
Owners Mike and Joan Doble announced the shift in an online post Wednesday, expressing gratitude for customers’ “support, kind words and repeat visits” during Wayfinder‘s tenure.
“Over the past year, we’ve been incredibly proud to serve you—creating dishes we love and building a team that means the world to us,” the couple shared in a statement. “We’ve built a strong events business over the years, and we believe this space is a perfect fit for what’s next.”
Food Truck Operators Rally at City Hall
More than a dozen food truck operators and their supporters gathered at Milwaukee City Hall Thursday morning to put the brakes on new late-night restrictions they said would “devastate” business.
Attendees carried signs with messages such as “food trucks cause no harm” and “save the food trucks,” opposing a new ordinance slashing hours for mobile restaurants in sections of downtown and Burnham Park.
Starting May 9, trucks on Water Street and surrounding blocks will have to close by 10 p.m., down from the previous 1 a.m. cutoff. On a stretch of Burnham Street, operators must close by 11 p.m.
The change, supported by the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee Downtown, Business Improvement District No. 21, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, is intended to address late-night loitering and violence in the downtown entertainment district, according to city officials. But operators took issue with both the restrictions and how they were introduced.
Dinner Series Highlights Immigrant Chefs
Amilinda, typically closed on Tuesdays, hosted 16 diners for a family-style meal this week. Couples caught up and strangers formed friendships over heaping platters of noodles, salad and chicken quarters topped with crisp, raw onions and cilantro — Burmese dishes prepared by Chef Abdul and his wife, Zinath.
For safety and privacy reasons, they requested that their full names not be used.
The couple, parents of five children who came to the United States from Myanmar in 2015, have become regulars at Tables Across Borders, an annual dinner series that spotlights refugee and immigrant chefs. The program gives participants free rein of a restaurant kitchen and a platform to share food, stories and culture from their home countries.
Now in its seventh year, Tables Across Borders will take place in four installments: two in Amilinda’s homey downtown dining room, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., and two at Tricklebee Cafe, 4424 W. North Ave.
Milwaukee Takes First Step Toward Fencing Off Bar District
Centro Cafe is Permanently Closed
Centro Cafe, a longstanding Riverwest destination for housemade pasta and craft cocktails, is permanently closed.
The restaurant’s voicemail greeting confirms its shutdown, stating, “Pat and Peg are saddened to say that they have permanently closed Centro Cafe. Thank you for 17 years of magic.”
A handwritten note posted at the restaurant’s entrance offers the same message
Owners Peg Karpfinger and Pat Moore opened the business at 808 E. Center St. in 2009, filling the quaint brick building with cozy dining nooks, twinkling lights and terrazzo floors.
Acai Cafe Plans Expansion to Marquette Campus
Oakberry, a cafe chain specializing in açaí-based bowls and smoothies, plans to grow its Milwaukee footprint with a new location at 1528 W. Wells St.
The shop has filed a series of permits for the Marquette University-owned building, where it would fill a ground-level storefront next door to Jimmy John’s. Student apartments occupy the building’s upper floors.
Founded in 2016 with a flagship location in Brazil, Oakberry has since gained momentum as a global brand with more than 900 stores across 42 countries.
The chain’s first Wisconsin storefront opened in Bay View in May 2025 under Tyler Schmitz, who will also lead the upcoming location.
Saffron Unveils Annual Menu Refresh
Bouncy pop music and the buzz of conversation filled the low-lit dining room at Saffron on Monday evening as servers ferried platters of prawns, dumplings and bao from table to table.
It was a typical dinner service at the modern Indian restaurant at 223 N. Water St. with one key difference: Saffron had swapped its regular menu for a list of nearly two dozen new dishes.
The preview event offered a first taste of the restaurant’s annual menu refresh, which debuted Tuesday with a mix of returning favorites and new additions.
Seasonal darlings such as morels and soft-shell crab appear on the revamped menu, with mushrooms suspended in a rich cardamom sauce alongside sweet potato dumplings and soft-shell crab deep-fried in seasoned chickpea batter.
Downtown Food Truck Operators Balk at New Curfew
Bay View’s Chettinadu House Is a Winner
Sadly, Milwaukee will lose the Walker’s Point restaurant Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare at the end of April, but nearby in Bay View, we have Chettinadu House, an Indian restaurant that recently opened on South Kinnickinnic Avenue. While Ruta’s was small and intimate, Chettinadu House occupies a much larger space in the former Sabor Tropical that closed in 2025. However, a note to the owners of Chettinadu House: It is time to change the prominent signage on the restaurant that still reads Sabor.
We learned from our server that the owners closed a restaurant in Madison called Thalaivas Indian Cuisine and brought the same menu to Milwaukee — literally, the same cuisine and same physical menu that has the old name on the front of it. Our server said the name means “boss.”
It’s a lengthy one. I counted 16 pages with soup, appetizers, noodles, non-veg curries, thali, vegetable curries, biryani, South Indian, parotta, Chinese, dosa, tandoori, bread, drinks, desserts and a kids section.
It’s hard to know where to start when presented with such an immense menu. My companion and I stayed close to the familiar and ordered butter chicken masala from the non-vegetarian curries and vegetarian korma, another curry. We followed our server’s recommendation and ordered medium heat, a wise suggestion, as both dishes left a happy glow — enough heat, but not too much.
Brim Cafe & Catering Opens on Lincoln Avenue
Though it sits in the shadow of Basilica of St. Josaphat, Brim Cafe & Catering brings its own shine to the block.
Natural light floods into the freshly renovated storefront through a wall of windows, illuminating a spacious seating area, countertop bakery case and digital menu boards at the cafe, which began its soft opening Thursday at 622 W. Lincoln Ave.
The new location is the latest for the 12-year-old company, which also operates at Honey Creek Corporate Center, 330 Eats and the Rivercenter Building at Schlitz Park.
Similar to its existing locations, Brim’s Lincoln Village menu offers a blend of Mediterranean-inspired and American food, with options including chicken shawarma with pomegranate glaze and garlicky toum; a brisket burger topped with caramelized onions, beef bacon and a fried egg; and a Sicilian muffaletta with imported pistachio mortadella, soppressata, salami, arugula and tomato on a sesame roll.
Bay View High School, MPS Unveil Student-Run Food Truck
Cheers rose from a crowd gathered at Bay View High School Thursday afternoon as students pulled down a black sheet to reveal a new student-led food truck.
The mobile restaurant, 414 ATE, will be managed by students under the direction of culinary arts teacher Ann Marie Sims. It is set to hit the streets later this year, aiming to provide summer employment for students while also helping them build career-ready skills in culinary arts, entrepreneurship, accounting and technology.
“This is what happens when an educator, some kids that don’t say no, an administration that stands up to support us and some wonderful minds come together,” Sims said. “We end up here with a food truck.”
The industry-grade truck was parked on the football field for its reveal and ribbon-cutting ceremony, which opened with performances from the school’s drumline, step team and cheerleading squad. Dozens of students who collaborated to create — and will soon manage — the business were also in attendance.
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