Angelo’s Piano Lounge to close as a new bar makes plans for the space

Angelo’s Piano Lounge will close after more than 35 years of business as Donnie Dries tries another opportunity at opening a bar.

The new bar comes after Dries attempted to open a bar and restaurant in the space that was formerly the Black Rose and Monster Pizza at 2856 N. Oakland Ave. He named the east side spots Baccara and Café Terraza and they closed about six months after opening.

He said noise complaints from upstairs tenants caused too much of an issue and sought to get out of the lease.

“It’s not that we wanted to get out of the business,” Dries said, “but I wasn’t going to deal with that. We got away from that deal. It’s much more manageable down here.”

Dries said the new spot at 1686 N. Van Buren St. was more fitting for him, given the smaller size and the fact that it's not a restaurant.

"If anything would have been my downfall, it's the restaurant part. It's so much. The insurance itself is $900 per month less for just a bar, plus finding the staff," he said. "With the bar, you're able to run it by yourself if you had to."

Dries said he wants to keep much of it the same while giving some interior updates. He'll also keep the piano for live music.

Angelo's Piano Lounge was opened by Angelo Mortellaro in the late 1980s as a spot where pianists and jazz musicians would play.

Mortellaro was a musician himself who worked in hotels and restaurants in California, had connections in Las Vegas and knew Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and other jazz musicians. He died in 2016 and the lounge has been owned by a series of other owners who kept Angelo's open until it temporarily closed a few weeks ago.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Angelo’s Piano Lounge to close as a new bar makes plans for the space