A group of new restaurants has opened up at the old Pabst Bottling House at 9th and Highland.
The building, originally erected in 1889, also contains student housing.
On Monday morning the Restaurants at Eleven25 officially opened to the public.
The new food court contains The Gouda Girls, Meat on the Street, Upper Crust Pizza, Huan Xi Express and Tokyo Express and Bread House.
Tina and Katherine Tonn, who own The Gouda Girls, think the new restaurants fill a need in the building’s downtown neighborhood.
They expect student residents will patronize the restaurants, along with people working at the nearby courthouse or attending classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Katherine Tonn said one reason she and Tina decided to expand their food truck business into a brick and mortar restaurant was the historic nature of the Pabst facility.
Some of the wood and metal beams, still visible inside, date back to the early 1900’s.
In the center of the food court is a Pabst Brewing Co. sign that the building’s owners found in storage.
“It just appeared in a crate,” Katherine Tonn said. “They were cleaning things out in storage and all of a sudden they find this beautiful sign.”
Alexa Alfaro, who owns and operates Meat on the Street, said the building’s revival and growth is similar to that of her business.
Meat on the Street, like The Gouda Girls, started as a food truck. Alfaro and her brother Matthew serve up old, family recipes of Filipino food.
“There’s so much history here. It’s such a beautiful building, the area is up and coming, and being that we started with a food truck and now have come here, it feels like we’re up and coming too,” Alfaro said.
Here's a bit more on the new spots that are opening:
- Upper Crust Pizza - Pizza and gyros, fried fish, appetizers
- Huan Xi Express - Chinese entrees and sides
- Gouda Girls - Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with fresh grab-and-go items
- Meat on the Street - Filipino menu with bowls and ramen (soon)
- Tokyo Express and Bread House - Sushi and other entrees.
