New restaurants, bars opening in May include 2 beer gardens and a Third Ward riverside restaurant

As Milwaukee's weather warms, a handful of new bars and restaurants are planning to open in May and provide great summer hang out spots.

That includes the popular patio at Riverfront Pizzeria reopening as Brisa Do Mar, a new Mediterranean restaurant.

Two new beer gardens are coming as well: one in Walker's Point and another next to Havenwood's State Forest.

And Angelo's Piano Lounge, a longtime lower east side bar that closed earlier this year, is reopening under a new name and owner but with a similar vibe.

In order of opening date, here are four new bars and restaurants opening in Milwaukee in May.

Brisa Do Mar

509 E. Erie St., May 2

This new Third Ward restaurant is taking the space of the former Riverfront Pizzeria, with a new Mediterranean concept named Briso Do Mar, meaning "sea breeze" in Portuguese.

The new concept comes from chef Ramses Alvarez of Dia Bom. The menu was built around a wood-fired oven in the dining room and brick oven in the kitchen, along with it being a popular dining destination on the Milwaukee River.

"I am very diverse when it comes to cooking styles. We wanted to use the wood oven and the brick oven, but I knew that I didn't want to do just Italian," Alvarez said. "We thought Mediterranean, it would fit better for the food since we're on the water. With it, we can do Italian, French, Greek, some flavors from Morocco and Algeria."

Menu items include eggplant chips ($12), calamari ($12), a Sicilian-style steak burger ($18.50), and a Mediterranean steak panini ($16).

Pizzas made in the brick oven will be more traditional styles and pizza in the wood-fired oven will be Naples-style.

The bar will have a large variety of wines from Italy, France, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, plus local beer on tap. Alvarez is working to finish the cocktail menu.

Brisa Do Mar will have live music on the weekends. Opera performers whom Alvarez met at a former job will perform at the restaurant's grand opening on May 2, and he plans to host them regularly.

The dining area has been updated with various artworks including modernized portraits of Persephone, the Greek goddess of agriculture.

Brisa Do Mar will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

For more information, visit its website at brisadomarmke.com.

Donnie's Pub

1686 N. Van Buren St., mid-May

This bar is giving new life to Angelo's Piano Lounge, which closed earlier this year after 35 years of business.

Owner Donnie Dries is planning to give this space a try after briefly opening Baccara and Cafe Terraza, 2856 N. Oakland Ave., which closed about six months after opening.

Dries said the smaller neighborhood bar would be more manageable, and not much had to be done to reopen it.

"It's not going to be too different," Dries said. "We cleaned it up so it looks fresh."

Dries said the new bar would bring back karaoke and live music like Angelo's had. He also plans to hang pictures of Angelo Mortellaro, a musician who opened the bar in the late 1980s.

"It's important to recognize the folks that came before you," Dries said.

He is awaiting final inspection approvals from the city and is planning for a May 15 opening date if all goes well.

Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden

5840 N. 60th St., May 17

This new taproom is opening just in time for outdoor enthusiasts to grab a beer after hiking around Havenwoods State Forest, the state's only urban forest.

The taproom and beer garden neighbors the park. It includes a 1,500-square-foot indoor space and large outdoor beer garden. The property sits on five acres with a quarter mile of trail for visitors to enjoy with a drink if they would like.

Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden will have more than 20 beers on tap, wine on tap, non-alcoholic options and sodas. Food trucks are planned to regularly appear at the space to provide food for patrons.

It will also host outdoor live music in a storage container repurposed as a stage.

The new spot's soft opening is May 17, and the grand opening will be May 24.

For more information, follow Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden on Instagram.

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Giving Tree Garage

902 S. Second St., late May

This new beer truck park is coming to Walker's Point, bringing a beer garden with a twist — all beer will be served out of vintage vehicles.

The concept comes from Nathaniel Davauer, owner of Draft & Vessel and the Draft Patio at the Milwaukee Public Market.

The beer truck onsite will be a vintage Harvester Metro Van, with the rest of Davauer's fleet in a neighboring garage where people can view his vintage beer trucks that are available for rental.

In addition to the garage, the name comes from a large tree on the property with ample seating underneath.

Davauer plans for food trucks to regularly park on the street outside of the beer garden.

His other Walker's Point venture at 723 S. Second St. is also nearing an opening but likely will not be ready in May. He hopes to have everything open in time for Milwaukee's Pride Parade on June 9.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here are 4 new Milwaukee bars and restaurants opening in May