10 Milwaukee-area restaurants that started as food trucks
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
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
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.
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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.
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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
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 & 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.
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 & 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.
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 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