Truly terrible news, Milwaukee. Hot Dish Pantry will be closing its doors before the end of the month. Friday morning, owners announced the difficult decision to close the restaurant on its Facebook page, along with a closing date of Saturday, September 28. Here’s the full announcement:
“It is with a mix of emotions that we are announcing the upcoming closure of Hot Dish Pantry.
We are so incredibly grateful to everyone that has supported us through this process. Opening a restaurant is not for the faint of heart and we cherish the people we met and those who helped us on this journey. We are endlessly grateful to our amazing employees for all they have given to make this possible. We have been lucky to have almost the exact same staff from when we hired them on at the Market Hall, and we are very aware of how amazing the are as workers, but most importantly as people. Our gratitude knows no bounds.
We absolutely love this neighborhood. The welcome we received, the neighbors we met and the community we served means the world to us. We have been so grateful to call Town of Lake and Airport Gardens our home away from home. For those of you that are not aware, the building was recently sold to new owners, who intend to open a restaurant in this location. To be very clear, we are not being forced out. We had been weighing this decision for some time and the circumstances lined up to make our decision a little easier. We are excited for the new owners to begin this journey and wish them nothing but the best. We know the neighborhood will welcome them with open arms.
Our final service will be Saturday, September 28th. In the lead up to our final shift we are planning to amend our hours slightly. We will be open our normal hours next week, and the amended hours will start the next week- including opening Monday and Tuesday nights. Swipe to see our intended schedule for the next few weeks. Please note this is subject to change.”
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 decided to exit the downtown food hall in early 2023 in order to take on the tall task of filling the south side property that was the longtime site of Iron Grate BBQ.
As HUGE fans of this restaurant, this is quite a blow. If you’re anything like us, you’ll want to make sure to stop by a few more times before the September 28 closing date. Here are the hours for the rest of September (and the rest of Hot Dish’s existence).
