Each week on This Bites, dining critic Ann Christenson from Milwaukee Magazine and Radio Milwaukee’s resident foodie Tarik Moody dig into the city’s culinary and restaurant culture to help you find new spots, old favorites and the best ingestibles around Milwaukee.
We find ourselves in the midst of navigating the highs and lows of Milwaukee’s food scene, and unfortunately this episode starts down a valley with the recent announcement that Mother’s has permanently closed.
The Bay View spot hadn’t even been open for a full year, but it was quite an almost-12-months considering owner Vanessa Rose was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the category of Emerging Chef. Mother’s also landed a spot on the Journal Sentinel’s 2025 list of best new restaurants.
But Rose told Journal Sentinel dining critic Rachel Bernhard that economic realities and a customer flow that “sputtered out” led her to make the difficult decision. As usual, however, it wasn’t all bad news around the area’s culinary scene:
- The first brick-and-mortar location for much-loved Italian food truck Nadi Plates will now open in the former Pomona Cider Co. space on Farwell.
- Two ambitious Shorewood pre-teen siblings have launched Ube MKE, a cottage bakery featuring the Filipino purple yam treats.
- The South Side is getting a food-truck park on Greenfield Avenue, courtesy of Taqueria El Toro owner Toribio Perez Martinez.
- KISS Korean BBQ made a USA Today list of the best food trucks in the U.S.
We also take a quick detour to Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, where Black-owned restaurant Soul Ramen is blending Japanese and African flavors to deliver “culture in a bowl.” It’s a nice little road trip to finish up the episode, and we appreciate you coming along for the ride with us.
