Nadi Plates Cancels Plans To Open In Former Food Hall
The Italian restaurant instead hopes to open its flagship in another East Side building.
Nadi Plates owner Nadia Santaniello Bucholtz. Photo courtesy of Nadi Plates.
Nadi Plates is changing course on its proposed East Side restaurant more than a year after its initial proposal.
The business, which currently operates as a food truck and event vendor, will not move forward with plans at 2238 N. Farwell Ave., the former Crossroads Collective space, and instead plans to launch a brick-and-mortar location nearby at 2163 N. Farwell Ave., the former home of Pomona Cider Company.
“We are cooking up exciting plans to transform the space into the new Nadi Plates, and we can’t wait to share them with you as details are finalized,” the owners shared in an online post Thursday morning.
Nadi Plates was announced as an incoming tenant at 2238 N. Farwell Ave. in April 2025, shortly after the sudden closure of Crossroads Collective. In the following months, the business secured a series of construction permits and, in March, applied for a sign permit.
Plans called for the 7,025-square-foot commercial space, formerly divided into individual vendor stalls with shared kitchens, to be restructured as a full-service restaurant, complete with a spacious dining area and standalone espresso bar. Branded paper has covered the building’s large street-facing windows, obscuring progress on the buildout.
Nadi Plates originally aimed to open its brick-and-mortar last fall, but later pushed the date back to spring 2026. An official opening date was never set. Nadi Plates said it is ending its agreement with property owner New Land Enterprises on amicable terms.
“We’ve mutually agreed with the owners of 2238 N. Farwell to discontinue our previously planned location at that address and are now focused on the new project,” Austin Santaniello, head of administration at Nadi Plates, said in an email.
Nadi Plates is now targeting the former cidery building, which is much smaller at 2,100 square feet. Its previous occupant closed in late December after just under three years in business.
“We’re moving operations into the space beginning this week, and we will have more to share as we finalize concepts and timelines for this new space,” Santaniello said. “We are very excited to remain on the East Side and welcome our neighbors to our table.”
Initial plans for the restaurant included a selection of Italian small plates, cocktails and wine, with an emphasis on plant-based and gluten-free options. Santaniello said the new concept is still being finalized.
“Our vision hasn’t changed,” he said in an email. “It will still feature Italian food rooted in our family’s tradition, served in a space that brings guests more intimately into the kitchen, which has always been at the heart of how we want people to experience Nadi Plates.”
An in-house espresso bar, Il Grande Bambino, will be incorporated into the space, rather than operating separately, Santaniello confirmed.
Nadia Santaniello Bucholtz is owner and executive chef of Nadi Plates, which specializes in modern riffs on traditional Italian cuisine. A first-generation Italian-American daughter of two restaurateurs, Santaniello Bucholtz now runs the growing business alongside her three adult children: Austin, Zachary and Bianca.
The business has encountered financial challenges in recent months. Public records show at least $30,000 in delinquent tax warrants across four separate filings in 2026.
Nadi Plates has not yet announced a prospective opening date for the new restaurant. In the meantime, the business continues daily operations at Zócalo Food Park. It also operates at American Family Field during every Milwaukee Brewers home game.
New Land recently filed to open Star Bar in a portion of the former Crossroads space.
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
