By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jun 17, 2024 at 1:31 PM

Urban Beets will be closing its Wauwatosa location at 3077 N. Mayfair Rd. after service on Sunday, June 30, 2024.

Financial difficulties were cited as the reason behind the closing in a messages shared today on social media:

"With regret, Urban Beets has decided to close its Wauwatosa operation effective June 30th. We've enjoyed our stay in Tosa and are so appreciative of all our patrons and team members throughout the last few years.

"Our mission was to bring more plant-based goodness to the community, and to be an ethical and healthy option for all. We're grateful for having had that opportunity. The choice was very difficult, but financial considerations have required us to make this difficult decision.

"Our Brown Deer location remains open, and we would love and appreciate your continued support of our operation there. We have a lot of awesome things planned, which will include being open nights again soon. We're also excited that we will be joining Milwaukee's tradition of Taco Tuesdays! So, stay tuned for these exciting new things happening. It's a great location with a beautiful patio and a larger dining area. We look forward to seeing our Tosa friends there, and you'll be met with a few familiar faces from our Tosa staff who have joined our Brown Deer team.

"The Tosa cafe will have new hours moving forward- Mon.-Tue- 8-2:30, Wed-Fri- 8-5, Sat- 9-5, Sun- 9-2:30
Thank you again. We truly appreciate you.
Dawn & Jason"

The vegan cafe operated by Dawn Balistreri and Jason Massman, opened its first cafe Downtown in 2016,  expanding from there to include cafes in both Wauwatosa and Brown Deer. The Downtown location closed in 2020.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.