New Speakeasy Opens Downtown
Plus: More soul food, street food and a strip club.
Entrance to The Back Door, 767 N. Front St. Photo taken Aug. 2, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.
A new cocktail lounge, The Back Door, recently opened in Downtown, but visitors won’t find signage, bright lights or decals announcing its presence.
Instead, guests must head to the alley entrance at 767 N. Front St., tap a code into the typewriter and wait for entry.
The Back Door has been quietly developing in its downtown space since August 2025, when owner Joseph Thompson submitted a proposal to transform a lower-level space near Jimmy John’s into a speakeasy-style lounge.
Described as an oasis “for those who appreciate the finer things,” the lounge features exposed brick walls, flickering candlelight and a choice between standard and “luxe” seating. A door-shaped menu — complete with a miniature knob — lists specialty cocktails including Empress of Blues and Scarlet Veil.
The Back Door welcomed its first guests during a soft opening Thursday night. Reservations, which are “suggested but rarely required,” according to the business’s website, are now available to book online.
Personalized entry codes are sent to those with reservations. If typed correctly, visitors will hear “the door is open” and can enter the lounge. Those without codes can use the intercom to request entry.
The model is similar to that of Safe House, which operates nearby at 779 N. Front St. and requires a passcode to enter.
In addition to daily service, the location accepts private event bookings. Its hours of operation are Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Back Door is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Walker’s Point Cafe Closes as Owners Retire
Full of Beans Café pulled its final espresso shots last weekend, closing out a nearly 10-year chapter in Walker’s Point as owners Rob and JoAnn Hausknecht prepare to retire.
The married couple are longtime industry veterans, with nearly six decades of combined hospitality experience — the last nine of which were spent running Full of Beans, which opened in 2017 at 184 S. 2nd St.
“Between rising costs, long hours and a distinct desire to take it easy, we will be retiring from the cafe business,” the Hausknechts said in a July 10 social media post. “We’ve enjoyed serving you and being a part of your day. We love our neighborhood and hope to come back to visit often.”
The cafe officially closed July 25. According to the post, JoAnn plans to continue working as a teacher, while Rob is “looking for a new adventure.”
Council Kills Controversial Bar Proposal
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The Crab Shack Expanding To South Side
The Seafood Shack, a local chain specializing in po’boys, crab boils and fried catfish, is again poised for growth, with plans to open a new location in a former tavern on Milwaukee’s South Side.
Owner Tyseria Griffin recently submitted a proposal for The Seafood Shack Cocktail Lounge at 3954 S. Howell Ave. The building was previously home to Pat’s Niche Pub and Grub, which closed in 2022. A college student-focused cafe, Precious Vibes, was later slated for the space, but never came to fruition. Most recently, Miss Cherrie’s Childcare Center explored plans for the site.
Its incoming tenant would expand both the neighborhood’s food scene and The Seafood Shack’s local footprint, which has fluctuated in recent years. The business’s Wauwatosa location shuttered in March 2024, followed by its South Milwaukee flagship in June 2025. An East Side outlet at 2336 N. Farwell Ave. remains open.
Griffin aims to launch the new restaurant, which would include a full cocktail program, this fall. A proposed menu lists catfish, perch, cod, shrimp skewers and crab kebabs alongside handhelds such as po’boys and fish tacos. Appetizers could include seafood nachos and oysters Rockefeller. The Seafood Shack also plans to serve brunch, featuring options like catfish and grits, salmon grilled cheese and waffle breakfast sandwiches.
Asian Food Festival Coming to Veterans Park
A new-to-Milwaukee festival will bring Asian street food, beverages, handmade art and traditional performances to Veterans Park later this summer. The Minnesota-based Asian Street Food Night Market Festival will travel to the lakefront Aug. 22-23, setting up at 1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr., near the lagoon. Dozens of vendors representing cultures across Asia are expected to participate.
The festival was inspired by organizer Ka Vang‘s childhood trips to local night markets in Thailand. “It’s kind of similar to the state fair,” said Vang, who launched the inaugural event in Minnesota in 2022 with just 14 vendors in a restaurant parking lot. It has grown rapidly since then, with recent festivals drawing crowds of up to 30,000.
Vang, who moved to Eau Claire at age 10, felt a pull to bring the festival to her home state and said she saw Milwaukee as a natural choice for the festival’s expansion. “It’s close to a lot of Asian communities,” she said. “The festival isn’t just for food; it also brings our cultures together.”
Food will be the festival’s main draw, with more than 70 vendors offering pho, Korean corn dogs, baked goods and treats like tanghulu — crunchy, candy-coated fruit skewers. Many vendors will travel from out of state, Vang said, introducing Milwaukee diners to dishes and flavors that are not yet widely available in the city.
All-Day Restaurant Proposed Near Airport
A new public-facing restaurant is proposed to open at Travelodge Milwaukee, near the airport.
Cafe Monarca Chivolin would fill a large commercial space on the southwest side of the property at 1716 W. Layton Ave., joining a portfolio of three restaurants operated by Floralia Tellez Ortiz and Luis Alvarez.
The husband-and-wife duo also own La Casa del Chivolin Mexican Restaurant at 2423 S. 6th St., Hacienda Chivolin Mexican Restaurant in Greenfield and Casa Chivolin in Two Rivers, along with a food truck.
Tellez Ortiz brings nearly 15 years of experience to the venture, having worked as a chef specializing in American breakfast dishes. Alvarez is also a seasoned restaurateur, though he had an unusual introduction to the industry.
Caribbean Restaurant Opens in Story Hill Neighborhood
Story Hill has a new spot for Caribbean cuisine. Dos Islas quietly opened in mid-July at 5814 W. Blue Mound Road with a menu of Puerto Rican and Dominican dishes sourced from family recipes — all paired with a selection of fresh juices and Colombian coffee.
The business replaces Mexican restaurant Tavo’s Signature Cuisine, which operated in the cozy, standalone building for seven years until relocating to Elm Grove in 2025.
Dos Islas owners Gloria Castro Tapia and José Luis Soto DeLeon took over the space several months later.
Since then, they’ve transformed the exterior with a coat of black paint, a matching awning and an outdoor patio. In place of a permanent sign, the restaurant’s initials, DI, are posted in gold lettering on its front entrance.
Festival Will Crown Wisconsin’s Best IPA
Wisconsin IPA Fest returns to Third Space Brewing Company on Aug. 1 for its 10th installment, with organizers reporting that ticket sales are already outpacing last year ahead of the milestone event. The hop-heavy festival will feature 40 Wisconsin breweries competing for the title of Wisconsin’s best IPA or India pale ale.
This year’s festival will take place at 1505 W. St. Paul Ave. and run an hour longer than past events, featuring unlimited sampling from 2 to 6 p.m., with beer-friendly snacks available for purchase from Tots on the Street, Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds and other vendors.
VIP ticket holders will be granted entry at 1 p.m. for an extra hour of sampling time. A variety of IPAs — West Coast, hazy, imperial — will be on offer alongside styles including lagers, stouts and seasonal ales. Special attractions such as the Lager Lounge and Sour Station will also return this year.
Attendees are invited to vote on their favorite IPA to determine the People’s Choice Award; however, a panel of industry experts will determine the official champion before the festival begins.
Dugout 54 Is a Winner
When the friend of a friend suggested a restaurant that I might want to review, I listened, and that’s how I discovered Dugout 54 on W. Bluemound Road.
At Dugout 54, I found a mac and cheese dish that set the bar so high for that entrée I may never order it again except when I return to this restaurant. The impossibly creamy cheese sauce included ale that added a hint of beer, and because there was so much cheese, every cavatappi noodle dripped with tasty, oozy sauce. The bacon was incidental in the dish because I added barbecue pulled pork that overshadowed the bacon. It, too, was delicious and something I would absolutely add to my mac and cheese again.
If pulled pork is your jam and you want something besides mac and cheese with your meat, order the Pig Pen sandwich: pulled pork topped with cheddar, bacon and onion rings.
The Dugout Reuben, served with Thousand Island dressing on the side, was thick with several slices of corned beef, Swiss and kraut. A smear of mustard on the marbled rye gave it the right balance of meaty, sour, creamy and spicy. The sandwich came with fries or house-made kettle chips and, at my request, included a dish of coleslaw, both creamy and tart. You can also order the corned beef on a Reuben pizza or in a Reuben roll with the meat wrapped in a wonton wrapper.
Filipino Restaurant Announces Grand Opening
After years of slinging lumpia at local festivals from its food-truck-based business, Cocina Filipina is poised to debut its first brick-and-mortar location in early August.
Located on Milwaukee’s Near West Side at 3801 W. Vliet St., the corner restaurant will host guests for a daylong grand opening and block party on Aug. 1.
“We’ve been long awaiting this announcement,” owners Lupe Moreno and Edu Aragon Guzman shared in an online post over the weekend, noting that the business and team are finally settled into the “revamped” restaurant space. “We’ve found our forever home.”
Saturday’s family- and dog-friendly festivities will run from 3 to 8 p.m., featuring eats from both the food truck and newly opened restaurant, along with live performances from a range of local bands and desserts from the pop-up bakery Ube MKE.
Lounge and Restaurant Proposed at Northside Shopping Center
Acez Lounge, a new destination for live music, cocktails, burgers and seafood, is proposed to open at 6081 N. Teutonia Ave.
Pending city approval, the business would fill a commercial storefront within Silver Mill Shopping Center, a multi-tenant building near the border of Milwaukee and Glendale.
“We’re looking to create something different for the nightlife-slash-restaurant life on the North Side of Milwaukee,” owner and veteran club promoter Timothy Milton told Urban Milwaukee.
Since taking over the location earlier this year, Milton has completed extensive renovations, adding new furniture and finishes and lining the spacious lounge with all-black booths.
New Bar Proposed at Former Sam’s Tap Site
A new operator is slated to take over the former Sam’s Tap, with plans to reopen the neighborhood tavern as Kelly’s Tap.
Kelly Brzycki and co-owner Angelina Brzycki recently submitted a proposal for a new tavern at 3118 S. Chase Ave., which would replace the business operated by Sam Leaf for nearly a decade before its 2025 closure.
The tiny tavern has room for just under 40 patrons and features a small outdoor patio, according to a license application. Like its predecessor, Kelly’s Tap would offer alcoholic beverages and a food program, but the owners did not include a proposed menu with the application.
Sam’s Tap served a casual menu of bar food, including options like hot dogs and sandwiches.
Soul Food Restaurant Planned For Near South Side
Milwaukee’s near South Side could soon see new options for soul food, as Trap Kitchen prepares to open at 551 W. Becher St.
Wanda Smith is behind the proposed business, which received unanimous support from the Licenses Committee on Tuesday and is now awaiting final city approval before opening.
Smith, who previously owned East Side Pub & Grill at 2178 N. Prospect Ave., plans a new approach at Trap Kitchen.
The upcoming restaurant will feature Southern dishes such as fried chicken, greens, pot roast and macaroni and cheese, she told committee members. Social media posts indicate the business would also offer Saturday brunch — complete with free mimosas during its anticipated Aug. 1 grand opening.
New Strip Club Proposed For Former Cheetah Club Space
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