Kawa Ramen finds temporary home, while two other Milwaukee restaurants remain closed after fire

Jessica Rodriguez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read

While one restaurant that had to shut down because of an east-side fire earlier this month has found a new, temporary home, two others say they'll be closed longer than expected.

The June 6 fire at Kawa Ramen & Sushi, 2321 N. Murray Ave., also affected nearby Tavolino MKE and Izzy Hops Swig & Nosh.

Kawa will move temporarily to the Crossroads Collective Food Hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.

"We hope to have this space up and running in less than a month and will operate a limited menu from the Collective for about nine months until our home on Murray is ready to be occupied again," a post on Kawa's Facebook page said.

Tavolino, an Italian restaurant at 2315 N. Murray Ave., celebrated a melancholy third anniversary after being closed for nearly three weeks. A concrete timeline for an opening date is still blurry.

"Unfortunately, all we can do is, when the time comes and we are given the green light, we just make sure that we're ready to go," Tavolino owner Peter Dietrich said.

Although the fire started at Kawa, Tavolino sustained smoke damage, causing the restaurant to throw away most of its equipment. Because power and gas were shut off in the building, it also had to discard food saved in the freezer.

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A post shared by Tavolino (@tavolinomke)

While insurance is taking care of the Tavolino staff's lost wages, Dietrich said he knows his employees are eager to get back to work during the restaurant's busiest season.

"They're not out there doing what they enjoy right now," he said.

Izzy Hops, 2311 N. Murray Ave., is looking at a July opening date, though owner Michael Vitucci said he couldn't give an exact date.

Vitucci said that although the Izzy Hops building is ready, a smell coming from its shared kitchen with Tavolino has to be resolved first.

"It's painful," he said. "We have thriving patios and loyal customers that are always reaching out."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kawa Ramen finds new home; Tavolino, Izzy Hops still closed after fire