Discourse Rolls Out Mobile Cafe
Plus: Goodbye to Pita Pit, hello to candle bar and welcome back Fixture Pizza.
Discourse’s cafe at Radio Milwaukee. Photo by Sophie Bolich.
Discourse‘s popular coffee drinks will soon be available outside the walls of its two local cafes.
The business is launching a mobile arm to shuttle its baristas across the Milwaukee area, with pop-ups planned for parties, corporate gatherings and other events — including a maiden voyage at Summerfest.
“We had been dreaming of a mobile for quite some time,” said Ryan Castelaz who runs the cafe with his business partner, Sean Liu. “Discourse Mobile was designed as a way for us to more holistically engage our brand in off site events: all the way from massive like Summerfest to intimate like a backyard wedding.”
Discourse Coffee Mobile is housed in a restored 1997 Subaru Sambar KEI truck — now painted a rich forest green and emblazoned with the cafe’s name, logo and slogan: Drink Different. Sam McGovern-Rowen, an “avid car guy” and one of Discourse’s “strongest supporters,” according to Castelaz, arranged for the truck’s import. “When it rolled off the boat several months later, it was the cutest little silver pickup you ever did see,” he added.
Liu and a team of collaborators worked over several months to transform the vehicle before Michael Cerda of Cerda Design Co. hand painted the finishing touches. Inside, Discourse Mobile is equipped with a full espresso and cold bar setup, and can serve “most any past or present drink from the Discourse catalogue,” Castelaz confirmed.
The truck debuted at Summerfest over the weekend, setting up near Generac Power Stage with classic espresso drinks and a list of signature lattes — including two designed specifically for the festival. Castelaz expressed gratitude to sponsors Minor Figures, Hollander Chocolate Company and Bittercube for making the Summerfest appearance possible.
Along with public appearances, Discourse Mobile is available for private event bookings. Inquiries can be submitted online.
Candle Bar Planned For East Town
A visit to Luxe Pour Studio will begin with one simple question: “What do you need today?”
At the soon-to-open candle bar, 765 N. Jackson St., the answer will help guide everything that follows.
Apothecary bottles line the studio’s wall-to-wall shelves, their custom labels noting descriptors like love, energy and calm. Visitors will use those blends as a starting point to create their own candles.
“The whole idea is that people are being intentional about the mood they’re looking for,” said owner Adrienne Reese. “Whether it’s focus, joy, relaxation — we have already put scents together that help create that mood.”
Former Southside Club Could Reopen as Sports Bar
The South Side’s newest sports bar could arrive in time for the final games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Pending city approval, Macrina’s Sport Bar is set to open in the coming weeks at 1663 S. 11th St., offering cold beer, snacks, TVs and a “family-friendly” atmosphere.
“We want to try to bring something good for the community,” said owner Marcela Lechuga, adding she aims to offer a “safe and comfortable place where everybody will be welcome.”
A seasoned entrepreneur, Lechuga has experience at businesses from hair salons to hot dog carts. She and her husband, Jose, also operate Ma’chuggy’s tavern at 3173 S. 13th St.
Shorewood Siblings Launch Ube-Focused Bakery
Ube, a violet-hued staple of Filipino cuisine, is gaining popularity in the local food scene, showing up in everything from craft lattes to scoops of ice cream.
In Shorewood, two preteens are spearheading their own purple reign.
Miles and Zelda Quimpo, ages 12 and almost 10, launched Ube MKE earlier this year. The cottage bakery offers ube crinkle cookies, muffins and brownies for pickup and has a busy schedule of summer pop-ups ahead.
The brother-sister duo has always enjoyed ube, which was ubiquitous in their Southern California hometown but harder to come by after they relocated to the Milwaukee suburb last summer.
New ‘Healthier’ Restaurant Planned for Riverwest
Calvin Martin has a big vision for transforming a vacant, city-owned building and dozens more homes.
After successfully going through Acts Housing‘s homebuying counseling program in Beloit, Martin is setting up a home-renovation business and cafe in Milwaukee.
The lauded Acts process involves credit counseling, down payment saving and, often, acquisition of a home in need of repair.
Martin, a process engineer with contracting experience, said the renovation aspect is an “overwhelming thing” for many people. He aims to make it easier and thinks there is a business opportunity to do so.
Food Truck Park Planned For Vacant Southside Lot
A grassy lot in the Muskego Way neighborhood could soon become a local hub for food, drinks and socialization. El Toro Properties LLC has purchased the 0.74-acre property at 2137 W. Greenfield Ave. as the site for a proposed food truck park.
Restaurateur Toribio Perez Martinez is behind the venture, bringing years of restaurant and food truck experience from Taqueria El Toro, which he operates at several locations throughout the Milwaukee area and in Lomira, Wisconsin.
The southside project remains in its earliest stages as Perez Martinez, working with architecture firm BMR Design Group, seeks city approval to construct a new building on the fenced-in lot.
A building previously stood on the northwest corner of the site but has since been demolished. Its former tenant, Milwaukee Christian Center — now known as Milwaukee Community Crossroads — relocated in 2013.
Tenant Sought For Former Rare Steakhouse Space
Irgens is seeking a new tenant for the high-end restaurant space at the base of the 833 East office tower following the closure of Rare Steakhouse earlier this year.
The 5,497-square-foot space, 833 E. Michigan St., is available for lease, according to a listing from Colliers International, which describes the space as turnkey. The listing comes even as a co-owner of the restaurant applied to renew the restaurant’s licenses.
Photos included in the listing show the former steakhouse’s dining room, bar and kitchen, with furniture and equipment still in place. An itemized inventory is available on request.
Colliers highlights the property’s proximity to lakefront events and nearby office workers, with more than 25 business tenants occupying the 18-story building’s upper floors. The space is adjacent to The Couture luxury apartment tower and along The Hop streetcar route.
A Walker’s Point Fixture is Back in Business
After months of uncertainty, Fixture Pizza Pub is back to serving customers in Walker’s Point.
The restaurant resumed service at 623 S. 2nd St. over the weekend, though diners said it is currently operating with a limited menu.
Customers crowded in for a taste of their favorite pies following the hiatus, dining in or toting pizza boxes for carryout as the last of the Milwaukee Pride Parade marched past Fixture’s newly reopened doors.
Business was brisk Wednesday evening, too, with guests gathered around square-cut pizzas and plates of eggplant fries as the NBA Finals drew eyes to TVs mounted above the packed bar.
Nadi Plates Cancels Plans To Open In Former Food Hall
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.
Pita Pit Closes Downtown Restaurant
Pita Pit, a fast-casual Mediterranean chain, has closed its downtown location after more than a decade in business.
Signage has been removed from the corner storefront at 231 E. Wisconsin Ave., which is now being marketed for lease by Colliers International.
A phone call to the business went unanswered Wednesday and the restaurant’s Facebook page is no longer active.
Opened in 2015, the restaurant occupied a space in the base of the Railway Exchange Building, where it served a health-focused lineup of custom pita sandwiches, grain bowls and salads.
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