Originally opened on Second Street in early 2018, Snack Boys enjoyed two unforgettable years in Walker’s Point before setting plans to relocate to North Avenue in March 2020. You can guess what happened next. The pandemic caused the one-of-a-kind bar and restaurant to quietly shutter, leaving co-owner and chef Mitch Ciohon to shift the entirety of his culinary focus back to his Taco Moto food truck and the catering business he operates out of Boone & Crockett.
Though those ventures—and the Dooby Dogs food truck that was launched in the years since Snack Boys ended—are still alive and well, the spirit of Snack Boys still resides within Ciohon’s soul. Now that the dead of winter has made its frigid and economically challenging presence known, the former Snack Boys co-founder is hitting pause on Taco Moto for a few months so he can go back to snacks.
This week, Ciohon’s South Water Snacks winter pop-up started serving out of the kitchen connected to Boone & Crockett. Thursday through Saturday nights from 5-11 p.m., the temporary concept will be cooking up a mixture of Snack Boys menu classics and new snack-y creations Ciohon devised in the years since his passion project closed. In advance of the first official weekend of South Water Snacks service at Boone & Crockett, Milwaukee Record spoke with Ciohon about the pop-up’s origin and what diners can expect.
Milwaukee Record: What ultimately led to the decision to bring back at least the spirit of what you did at Snack Boys?
Mitch Ciohon: Snack Boys is one those things that always is referenced to me and to everybody that was involved in it. When I see people from my past, I always hear “Man, I miss Snack Boys.” My response is always that I miss it too and I think about it a lot. It was certainly a flash in the pan situation for us and then it instantly became that of legend in Walker’s Point. It was a “fallout of the pandemic”-sort of situation. We always just wanted to get back to doing those things again. It existed at a perfect time. It was just right. It’d be so hard to exactly recreate it.
Ultimately, what led to it in this instance is every year at this time for the last 10 years, we’ve transitioned the taco truck to either inside service or still operating out of one of the trucks. Inevitably, sales go down by 90 percent and it’s tough to squeak by in the winter months, so I’m always thinking of different stuff we can do. This is approachable and something people know, love, and miss. Once we started think more about it, it was a no-brainer. We already have this platform to be doing food inside out of the kitchen, so why not do this?
MR: Yeah, and unlike just moving Taco Moto inside for a few months, it’s something people will feel the need to come here to get. If you want that Snack Boys bologna sandwich and you really miss it, here’s your chance to get it.
MC: Every person I ran it past was like, “Oh man, that would be awesome.” It’s approachable. Even doing the soft opening last weekend, people stopped on their way to dinner to get snacks. It’s affordable, you know what you’re going to get, and it’s fast. There are a lot of benefits to doing this style of food.
MR: Since Snack Boys shut down, what are some of the dishes you’ve heard people talk about missing the most?
MC: The top three things that I hear the most about honestly are the barbecue blue cheese meatballs. They were always a fan favorite. The crispy tofu is vegan and was just a great dish. And the sticky ass ribs were certainly the top of the pyramid for us. Those are things that you’ll see. Also, the bologna sandwich and the slider were highly sought after items. I put out a soft menu without those on there and I got the blowback, so I eventually put them on it.
MR: Is a part of doing this wanting to have a proper sendoff for Snack Boys?
MC: No. That wasn’t a thing. I miss it like somebody in my family who’s passed and I know they’re not coming back. It’s that kind of separation. I don’t want to have a grand closing for anything ever. I just want it to disappear into the tide on its own. It’s just something that ended up happening. I think everybody has fond memories and those are what we hold onto and things we’re trying to bring back. More than anything, in these months—January, February, and March—it’s cold out and you inevitably see this downtick. Trying to create something exciting during this little window of winter is a win-win for the people that are creating it and the people that are consuming it.
MR: Beyond the returning favorites, is there anything new that will be offered? Maybe things you’ve been thinking about for years that just doesn’t work in the Moto format?
MC: Definitely. It’ll be a healthy mix of both things. I won’t do this without showcasing some of the old favorites, but there’s also fun new items. I’m always thinking of funny dishes to make that taste good and writing them down. That list is very long.
MR: Are there any examples of things that will be available as of this weekend?
MC: The ahi tuna nachos are a fun new thing. A full version of it is on my catering menu. Gyoza salad is a crispy hot and crispy cold dish and I’m kind of obsessed with that combination. The shrimp fried steam buns is new menu item I think will be one of the most popular things. It’s kind of made in the vein of fried shrimp toast, but it’s on a little steam bun. The shrimp paste is in that steam bun, then it’s steamed and then deep fried. It’s steamy, then crispy on the outside and dressed with a little aioli, a little soy sauce, and an aggressive amount of sesame seeds and scallions. I have “featured wings” on the menu, but it will be an ever-changing thing. And the Bosco sticks with butter chicken sauce are so good.
MR: I know you’re able to do a lot with the Taco Moto format, but you are sort of bound by what fits into a tortilla or what a chip can hold on it. So this seems like this is a blank canvas or clear palate to apply whatever touches and flavor profiles you’d like and then see what sticks.
MC: It is. Taco Moto is Taco Moto. We do specials, but it has its way and I can’t stray too much from it. But when it comes to fitting it in a taco shell, you are kind of stuck there. Also, coming off a truck, you’re limited to the amount of things you can hold in that thing. Whereas in wintertime, we’re running out of my giant kitchen, so the sky is the limit.
MR: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
MC: I’ve cooked so many different ways in my life and I always come back to this. Making snacks is a happy place for me. For me, when I go to a place, I’d rather get all the appetizers and share them with two or three people than get one single thing. This is the most approachable version of a pop-up. You order separate from the bar you’re in using a QR code. You can get as many things as you want and we’ll bring it out to you on a tray in a few minutes.
MR: What is the projected end date of this?
MC: This will go from now until the end of March. The end of March could turn into a couple weeks into April, but that’s kind of weather dependent. Whatever time we normally pop out to do Taco Moto—which is historically the first couple weeks of April—is inevitably when we wrap this up for the season. January, February, and March are the target window and we hope to see everybody within that timeline. Also, to go along with this menu, Boone is going to have a little pop-up menu with some throwbacks as well. There are going to be three or four Snack Boys-type drinks on the featured menu for the next three months while we’re doing this. It’s going to be fun.