Last week, East Side food hall Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., announced its impending closure on May 8. Crossroads noted that an unnamed local restaurant was set to expand into the full space. A week later, that local restaurant has a name: Nadi Plates.
Yes, popular Waukesha food truck and catering company Nadi Plates (pronounced “naughty plates”) will completely renovate the Crossroads space and open its first brick-and-mortar Italian restaurant there this fall. Until then, the space will serve as the “central production hub” for the company’s food trucks, catering business, and recently opened stall at American Family Field.
“This business grew out of our home from conversations around our own kitchen table, and we are so excited to bring it back to where it all began,” says owner and executive chef Nadia Santaniello Bucholtz in a press release. “With this new space, we’ll not only be closer to our neighbors and our community, but we’ll finally be able to welcome them all to join us at the table to celebrate what we love about Italian cuisine: spending time with people we love around great food, great wine, and even better company.”
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The press release says Nadi Plates will “blend the company’s scratch-made Italian classics and original recipes, quirky street food staples, and whimsical company culture together to create a sophisticated but comfortable neighborhood gathering spot.” What can guests expect? “Guests can expect innovative Italian small plates, expertly-crafted cocktails and wine pairings, and a commitment to offering delicious plant-based and gluten-free options.” Oh, and a “European-style espresso bar and café element is also planned during daytime hours, with lunch catering available to neighboring businesses.”
A series of introductory pop-up events are scheduled for the space outside Crossroads, Ivanhoe Plaza, throughout the summer. The speakeasy attached to the building, Shanghai MKE, will remain open.
“We knew we had to find a way to work with Nadia and her family as soon as we met them. These are good people with great food,” says Sheldon Oppermann, CFO and General Counsel of New Land Enterprises, which owns the building. “We’re incredibly fortunate to be a part of their move home to the East Side and the growth of their already successful locally owned business. We know how important great gathering spaces are for creating vibrancy in a neighborhood, and what Nadia and her family have planned will be that neighborhood place where everyone gathers and feels welcomed.”
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Crossroads Collective opened on the corner of North and Farwell in late 2018. Longtime Milwaukeeans will remember the space as the former home of Oriental Drugs pharmacy.
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• Crossroads Collective will close May 8, “local restaurant” will expand into space