By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Feb 03, 2016 at 4:44 PM

Good news is coming for Downtown employees, particularly those in the City Center at 735 N. Water St., who can soon enjoy a brand new restaurant and lounge on the lobby level.

Good Life, a full service bar, restaurant and lounge, will be moving into the lobby level space formerly occupied by Tazino’s. The restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner along with happy hour and weekend entertainment.

And if the name sounds oddly familiar, that’s because it is.

"A good friend of mine used to own Good Life on Water and Humboldt," says co-owner David Hinton. "I always liked the name, so I called her and asked her permission to use it."

Hinton and business partner Ural Jackson both bring previous service industry to the table, and say they were initially attracted to the space because of its proximity to Downtown attractions as well as its prime placement on the Riverwalk, which will allow patio dining during the summer.

"We’re excited to move into the space," says Hinton. "We are looking forward to catering to the residents of the City Center, and we also hope to draw in people from all over the city to enjoy themselves at Good Life."

Hinton says the menu for the restaurant is currently being designed, but is expected to include breakfast sandwiches, lunch items including flatbreads, pasta and pizza along with wraps and sandwiches. A simple dinner menu will focus on burgers, salads and the like.

Meanwhile, a full bar (which will replace the counter area on the east side of the restaurant) will offer up specialty cocktails – including martinis and frozen drinks in the summer – along with a daily happy hour.

"We really want the building residents to feel at home here," he says. "So, we’ll have free Wi-Fi for anyone who wants to stay here and work. And on Friday nights we’ll feature live music from Milwaukee bands."

Moving forward, Hinton says they would also like to acquire a boat to use for parties and events on the river.

Hinton says they hope to have Good Life up and running by mid to late March. 

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.