Welcome to Food/Drink Week at Milwaukee Record, brought to you by Third Space Brewing. From May 12 through May 19, belly up and enjoy adventurous, odd, and elaborate coverage of all things edible and drinkable in Milwaukee and beyond.
Way back in 2014, we rounded up 11 Milwaukee restaurants we wished were still open. (Bella’s Fat Cat! Brady Street Pharmacy! Grecian Delight! More!) Nearly a decade a later, we put together another list of gone-but-not-forgotten Milwaukee food/drink gems. Now we’re back with even more eating establishments we miss—and we’ve also added a few bygone bars for good measure. Let’s remember some bars and restaurants!
42 Lounge / 42 Ale House
When it opened in spring 2013, 42 Lounge was an exciting anomaly. A “geek”-themed bar and nightclub? In a swanky downtown location (326 E. Mason St.)? Whose name is a reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy? FINALLY. Video games, board games, anime, cosplay, and more were staples of 42 Lounge in its original run. A companion business, 42 Ale House, opened two years later in St. Francis (3807 S. Packard Ave.) Then came the shakeups. 42 Ale House split from 42 Lounge in 2016, but remained open. Two years later, 42 Lounge left its Mason Street home and moved into the lower level of the new, similarly “geek”-friendly bar, Oak & Shield Gaming Pub, at 600 E. Ogden Ave. And then, in 2020, both businesses closed: 42 Ale House in February, just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic; and Oak & Shield in September. The spirit of the 42 brand lives on, however, in numerous bars that host things like Magic tournaments and board game nights. [Matt Wild]
1983 Arcade Bar
Stop us if this sounds familiar: When it opened in winter 2017, 1983 Arcade Bar was an exciting anomaly. A dedicated arcade bar? In a swanky downtown location (1110 N. Old World Third St.)? Whose name just screams “retro”? FINALLY. 1983 boasted nearly two dozen old-school machines, from arcade classics like Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, Area 51, Mortal Kombat, Burger Time, Galaga, Double Dragon, and Dig Dug, to pinball games like Indiana Jones, South Park, and Playboy. Rounding things out were a handful of driving games (Crazy Taxi, Cruis’n USA, Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders), a bubble hockey game, and one of those tabletop Tron games that used to sit in the corner of every Pizza Hut on planet Earth. The opening of the much-larger Up-Down arcade bar (615 E. Brady St.) in late 2018 spelled doom for 1983; it closed in May 2019. These days, we love Up-Down (a chain), but we still miss 1983’s homegrown vibe. [MW]
Brother’s Backyard Barbeque
Lifelong friends Christopher Patton and Michael Hester brought their custom-built smoker to Silver City and opened Brother’s Backyard Barbeque (which started as a pandemic catering endeavor) as a full-fledged brick and mortar restaurant in November 2022. After opening, the venture received very little in the way of press, but we stopped by a few times during its run and loved it. Following a visit in late 2023, we called Brother’s “the gold standard in Silver City comfort food” on the strength of its succulent pulled pork, outstanding brisket, and unforgettable sides (especially its mac and cheese). Sadly, the restaurant quietly closed in early 2024, ending the BBQ joint’s short-but-delicious run. [Tyler Maas]
Company Brewing
Last May, less than two weeks removed from celebrating its ninth anniversary, Company Brewing announced it had closed with no warning to the public, its staff, or anyone who had events booked at the space. Despite its abrupt and altogether unsavory ending, the Riverwest brewery/restaurant/venue was nothing short of a neighborhood hub since opening in 2015. Their beer, including the Milwaukee Record Re-Porter they made in collaboration with us, was great. The food menu was eclectic, vegan-friendly, and full of cozy culinary creations. And the business was a host to countless live events, including local concerts, comedy shows, festivals, and fundraisers both in its taproom and out on its sprawling patio. Its ending was sad, unexpected, and frustrating, but we’re choosing to remember the good times at Company Brewing. [TM]
Crossroads Collective
Is it too early to mourn the passing of a restaurant that closed last week? When it comes to Crossroads Collective, no. The city’s first dedicated food hall opened in late 2018, in a high-profile East Side space (2238 N. Farwell Ave.) best remembered as the former home of the Oriental Drugs pharmacy. At its height, Crossroads hosted the terrific Pharmacy bar and more than a half dozen vendors—some of them short-lived, others longer-lived. Sadly, things noticeably thinned out in the last two years, and Crossroads closed for good on May 8, 2025. Popular Waukesha food truck and catering company Nadi Plates will open an Italian restaurant in the space this fall; hopefully it does well and doesn’t follow in the footsteps of the numerous uninspired restaurants that filled the space between Oriental Drugs and Crossroads. (Anyone remember Twisted Fork? Replay? Rosati’s?) [MW]
Damascus Gate
After almost five years in business, Damascus Gate Restaurant—a Middle Eastern establishment that was opened by Syrian refugees in early 2019—quietly ended its operations in late 2023, giving an unfortunate end to an uplifting story and leaving Historic Mitchell Street with one fewer place to procure exceptional eats. We went a few times pretty early on in its existence (and loved it), but to be honest, our visits eventually stopped as we focused our eating-related attention on new restaurants, old favorites, and trusty places next to our home or office. So this closing is a tribute to a great restaurant that doubles as a reminder to circle back to support places you enjoy if you want them to stick around. [TM]
Hot Dish Pantry
Originally started as a pop-up concept by Laura Maigatter and Nathan Heck during the pandemic, Hot Dish Pantry quickly made a name for itself as an early tenant in the 3rd Street Market Hall. With a steady customer base along with a growing buzz built around its unconventional and inventive takes on Midwest comfort food, the young venture moved into a south side property that was the longtime site of Iron Grate BBQ in early 2023. As HUGE fans of the restaurant, it was quite a blow when Hot Dish closed last September. It wasn’t around very long, but it made quite an impression in its relatively brief tenure. [TM]
Kim’s Thai
Smashed between a staffing agency and a men’s haircut chain in an airport-adjacent mini mall on decidedly un-chic Layton Avenue, Kim’s Thai Restaurant had all the makings of a secret treasure that was buried amid an endless array of chain restaurants and other unexceptional eateries on Milwaukee’s largely overlooked South Side. However, the secret was out. The tremendous Thai joint was a favorite among local critics and area residents alike. We picked up Kim’s comforting delights like its Jungle Curry and Pad Kee Mao at least once a month the last five-plus years of its existence. When we learned of Kim’s closure in late September 2024, it was arguably the biggest “this one hurts” on this list. To be totally up front with you, this one still really, really hurts. [TM]
Promises
“Party everything. Expect nothing.” Has there ever been a more appropriate slogan for a place like Promises? (We were also partial to “You’re going to love the way you used to look.”) Milwaukee music stalwarts Casey Hughes and Joey Turbo opened the hard-partying bar in July 2022, in the former space of Gilbralter MKE and Walker’s Point Music Hall (538 W. National Ave.) It ruled. Promises hosted tons of incredible shows and events, boasted a small but top-notch selection of pinball tables (Sopranos!), and had a great back smoking-and-drinking patio with some random Minions stuff and a giant Rocky Rococo sign. Sadly, the new year brought about the end of Promises, and it closed in January 2025. Better to burn out than fade away, etc. [MW]
This Is It!
When PrideFest takes place next month, it will be the first installment in which This Is It! won’t be around. Months shy of what would have been its 57th year in business, This Is It!—Milwaukee’s oldest and longest-running LGBT+ bar—closed without warning this winter. The historic Cathedral Square-based bar’s closure was announced on social media on March 9, claiming the lingering difficulties brought on by the COVID crisis, as well as the lengthy closure of the sidewalk and road on Wells Street directly in front of This Is It! for much of last year “put the business in a position that [it] could not ultimately overcome.” We only visited the bar a few times personally, but it’s impossible to underscore the importance the bar had in the local LGBT+ community, the outlet it provided both local and national drag performers, and the historical significance it possessed. This Is It! will be missed. [TM]
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