10 Milwaukee-area restaurants that started as food trucks

Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·7 min read

On Aug. 26, Heirloom MKE, the popular food truck that built a following with from-scratch comfort fare and a Friday fish fry, opened the doors to its long-planned brick-and-mortar restaurant. But Heirloom is not the first food truck that’s moved on to open a restaurant in the Milwaukee area — far from it. Many restaurants start as food trucks and carts, taking advantage of the lower overhead cost of operating on wheels while developing menus and attracting new customers before settling into a stationary storefront.

You may be surprised to learn which of your favorite restaurants got their start on wheels. These are just a few area food trucks that have gone on to open standalone restaurants in the past four years alone.

Heirloom Mke a new food truck, makes its own burrata cheese and serves mussels steamed in white wine, as well as grass-fed beef burgers and its own vegetarian patty.
Heirloom Mke a new food truck, makes its own burrata cheese and serves mussels steamed in white wine, as well as grass-fed beef burgers and its own vegetarian patty.

Heirloom MKE

2378 S. Howell Ave.

Opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant was always the goal for owners Pete and Jess Ignatiev, who’d nearly signed a lease on a restaurant space for Heirloom just before COVID-19 struck. They instead shifted gears to operate out of a food truck, which launched in September 2020. Over the next three years, Heirloom built a loyal following serving outside-the-box “farm-to-truck" fare like steamed mussels, fresh burrata with arugula and tomato salad, braised beef rib and banh mi sandwiches.

Earlier this spring, it was announced that Heirloom would realize their dream and open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Bay View. Over the summer as they prepared to open in their new space, their beloved food truck was lost to an electrical fire, and the Ignatievs pushed up the restaurant’s opening date to Aug. 26.

On the restaurant’s menu are familiar favorites from the food truck as well as a slew of new options. They range from burgers, fries and cheese curds to cioppino, porcini-dusted steak and grilled octopus. The restaurant serves from-scratch, seasonally focused food with an emphasis on sourcing from local farmers and other vendors.

Chilango Express operated as a food cart beginning in 2011. It's had four different locations operating as a full-service restaurant, including its most recent location at 7030 W. Lincoln Ave. in West Allis.
Chilango Express operated as a food cart beginning in 2011. It's had four different locations operating as a full-service restaurant, including its most recent location at 7030 W. Lincoln Ave. in West Allis.

Chilango Express

7030 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis

Owners Juan and Guadalupe Ortiz started Chilango Express as an open-air food cart in 2010 and eventually expanded to a food truck. In 2014 Chilango Express opened its first storefront, a small space rented from a gas station at 6821 W. Lincoln Ave. in West Allis. In 2019 the restaurant moved into its current location at 7030 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, offering more dining space for customers, as well as room to open a full bar.

Chilango Express is known for its handmade tortillas, huaraches and oversized quesadillas. It also serves tortas, chile relleno, sopes, enchiladas, burritos and more. The authentic Mexican fare served there has gained loyal customers over the years, and has even appeared on former Journal Sentinel dining critic Carol Deptolla's top 50 restaurants list.

RELATED: These are some of Milwaukee's best tacos

Immy Kaggwa, chef-owner of Immy's African Cuisine, opened her counter-service restaurant space at 2847 N. Oakland Ave. in 2022.
Immy Kaggwa, chef-owner of Immy's African Cuisine, opened her counter-service restaurant space at 2847 N. Oakland Ave. in 2022.

Immy’s African Cuisine

2847 N. Oakland Ave. 

Ugandan native Immy Kaggwa opened her food truck in 2021 after years offering a catering service serving the food she loved from her childhood in Africa. Popping up at events and farmers markets, Kaggwa’s food truck grew a devoted following, which led her to open a brick-and-mortar in Shorewood in the spring of 2022.

Immy’s African Cuisine is a counter-service restaurant with about 40 seats for dine-in. Immy’s serves appetizers like samosas and bajia (potato covered in chickpea flour and spices and fried), plus entrees including spicy beef egusi (beef cooked in palm oil with ground melon seeds), chicken curry with spinach, smoked jerk chicken, peanut stew with chicken or smoked beef, and fried okra stew with chicken. Immy’s also serves two rotating vegan entrees, such as chickpea curry and eggplant peanut stew.

Immy’s food truck is still a regular fixture at the Sunday Shorewood Farmers Market in the summer.

RELATED: For Milwaukee food truck owners, opening permanent restaurants offers the best of both worlds

Just Smokin' Barbeque opened its restaurant at 20316 W. Main St. in Lannon five years after starting business as a food truck.
Just Smokin' Barbeque opened its restaurant at 20316 W. Main St. in Lannon five years after starting business as a food truck.

Just Smokin’ Barbecue

20316 W. Main St., Lannon

After five years operating as a food truck, Just Smokin’ Barbecue opened a brick-and-mortar in Lannon in September 2022. Owner Justin Kahle’s menu includes meat by the pound (beef brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, pork belly, corned beef and turkey), barbecue sandwiches, St. Louis-style ribs, homestyle sides and specialties like loaded macaroni and cheese and a smoked reuben sandwich. A special fish fry menu is also available on Fridays.

The Just Smokin’ food truck is still in business, too. You can find its schedule and location on Facebook.

Kalibres Restaurant & Bar owner Alejandro Hernandez, right, poses with his 8-year-old son Alejandro Hernandez Jr., and his parents Agustin Hernandez and Nelda Hernandez on Oct. 21, 2023 at their restaurant in Milwaukee.
Kalibres Restaurant & Bar owner Alejandro Hernandez, right, poses with his 8-year-old son Alejandro Hernandez Jr., and his parents Agustin Hernandez and Nelda Hernandez on Oct. 21, 2023 at their restaurant in Milwaukee.

Kalibres Restaurant & Bar

4555 W. Forest Home Ave., Greenfield 

Previously operating as Kalibre’s Tacos food truck, Alejandro Hernandez, along with his father, mother and sister, opened their own Mexican restaurant in October 2022.

The restaurant opened in a former Burger King and offers a drive-thru service for to-go orders. The menu includes classic Mexican plates, as well as specialty items like carne asada french fries, quesabirria tacos, burgers and Wednesday chicken wing specials. A full bar serves cocktails, beer and margarita specials.

Milk Can Hamburgers & Frozen Custard began as a food truck in 2019 before opening its brick-and-mortar location in Muskego in 2021.
Milk Can Hamburgers & Frozen Custard began as a food truck in 2019 before opening its brick-and-mortar location in Muskego in 2021.

Milk Can Hamburgers & Custard

S73W16770 W. Janesville Road, Muskego 

After launching as a food truck in the fall of 2019, Milk Can built a following as it popped up across the area, making stops in Wauwatosa, Bay View, Hales Corners, Muskego and downtown Milwaukee. In April 2021, it opened a standalone space in Muskego, taking over a former Arby’s restaurant, including its drive-thru.

Today the restaurant offers dine-in, drive-thru and carryout options, and serves from-scratch fast-food fare such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken bites, salads, french fries, onion rings and cheese curds. Milk Can also specializes in freshly churned custard, house-made cookies and brownies.

A neon "Empanadas" sign lights the way at the new La Cocina del Sur empanada bar at 701 E. Keefe St. in Riverwest.
A neon "Empanadas" sign lights the way at the new La Cocina del Sur empanada bar at 701 E. Keefe St. in Riverwest.

La Cocina del Sur

701 E. Keefe Ave. 

In February of this year, Pedro Tejada opened La Cocina del Sur in the former home of the Riverwest Filling Station. But prior to that, he gained a following for the empanadas and more that he served from his mobile business, Pedro's South American Food Truck.

The full-service restaurant and bar has allowed Tejada to significantly expand his menu, with offerings such as the “tamale of the day,” yucas fritas (fried cassava), ceviche served with fried green plantain, mote de chicharrón (crisped pork belly over hominy with sweet fried plantain) and sandwiches like the choripán (chorizo on baguette with potato salad).

Of course, as they were on the food truck, empanadas are a highlight of the menu, with 11 varieties with fillings featuring beef, pork, chicken or vegetarian options.

Tejada’s food truck is still in operation, though only for festivals and private events.

Romero’s Restaurant and Bar opened at 4171 S. 76th St., Greenfield, in January 2023.
Romero’s Restaurant and Bar opened at 4171 S. 76th St., Greenfield, in January 2023.

Romero’s Restaurant & Bar

4171 S. 76th St., Greenfield 

Romero’s still has a fleet of four taco trucks — in Fond du Lac, New Berlin, Wauwatosa and West Allis — but earlier this year, brothers Alex and Carmelo Romero, along with their nephew Tonny, opened Romero’s Restaurant & Bar in Greenfield.

Romero’s started its taco truck business in 2020, and previously used the restaurant space as a commercial kitchen for food prep before opening it as a full restaurant and bar in January 2023.

The restaurant serves favorites from its taco truck fleet, including tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tortas, fajitas and its popular quesabirria. Romero’s menu also includes seafood, birria ramen, chicken tortilla soup and sides like Mexican corn, asada fries, Hot Cheetos corn and tamales. The restaurant also has a full bar that specializes in house-made margaritas.

Arielle Hawthorne, owner of Twisted Plants, stands inside the restaurant she owns with her husband Brandon at 1233 E. Brady St. on Oct. 19, 2023. "It has been an interesting transition, to say the least," she said, of opening their first brick-and-mortar restaurant after operating a food truck. "It has been a learning curve all the way through. The first year that we opened up, it was during the pandemic so we only provided curbside service and navigating new rules with the CDC." They are hoping to open a third location in West Allis by the end of the year.

Twisted Plants

4905 S. Packard Ave., Cudahy; 1233 E. Brady St., Milwaukee 

Brandon and Arielle Hawthorne operated their Twisted Plants business from a food truck for about a year before opening their first physical location in Cudahy in the spring of 2020. Despite opening at the height of COVID-19, they built a fanbase from take-out customers and food truck patrons. That led the Hawthornes to open their second location on Brady Street in 2022, and now they have plans to open a third location, in West Allis, later this fall.

Twisted Plants's menu is entirely vegan, serving plant-based burgers, chick'n patties and nuggets, brats, Chicago-style hot dogs, shredded barbecue jackfruit sandwiches, salad, and appetizers like mozzarella bites and cauliflower bites.

Twisted Plants still has two food trucks in operation, popping up at events and festivals throughout the Milwaukee area.

Ventura's Tacos opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant at 2899 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in 2021.
Ventura's Tacos opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant at 2899 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in 2021.

Ventura’s Taco Restaurant

2899 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. 

A fixture parked near the Bay View post office on E. Oklahoma and S. Brust avenues, Ventura’s Taco opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant less than a mile away on Kinnickinnic Avenue in 2021.

A family venture, the restaurant is owned by Jorge Ventura Ramirez and his brothers Juan Carlos and Isidro Ventura Ramirez. The menu includes tacos, burritos, tamales, quesadillas, tortas, enchiladas, tostadas, quesabirria tacos and more. They also have brunch options like huevos con chorizo, omelets and chilaquiles.

Ventura’s operates a full bar and, in warmer months, has a vibrant patio space outside.

The taco truck is still in service and can be found most days parked by the Bay View post office.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 10 Milwaukee-area restaurants that started as food trucks