By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor Published Nov 29, 2022 at 3:20 PM

A brand new concept is brewing for 3rd Street Market Hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., which will bring a new slate of delicious offerings to the food hall’s proverbial table.

Criollo Rotisserie Chicken is the name of the concept, which will be owned and operated by Chef Edgar Aispuro Garcia and Karlos Soriano and Paco Villar, owners of C-Viche (Bay View and Shorewood), Kompali Taqueria and Kompali Tacos y Tortas.

Soriano says the vendor stall for the concept will be located on the Eastern side of the food hall, just past the bar near the shuffleboard courts and Top Golf suites. In fact, if all goes well, the concept could open as soon as early next year (January of 2023).

The showpiece of the menu will be pollo a la brasa, Peruvian rotisserie chicken, a dish which debuted at C-Viche in Bay View during the pandemic. The chicken was so popular that the team decided to build an entire concept around it.

The chicken, which is made by covering a whole chicken in a flavorful wet rub composed of Peruvian chilies, cumin and garlic. The chicken is then cooked in a hornos brasero, a combination grill and rotisserie, which seals the wet rub into a crust on the exterior of the bird, resulting in a spectacularly juicy bird with a super-flavorful crispy crust on the exterior. 

Guests will be able to enjoy the chicken served with traditional Peruvian accompaniments including fries and salad with a creamy Peruvian vinaigrette.

Other styles of chicken will include Mexican style grilled chicken, which is seasoned with Mexican chilies, paprika, cumin and garlic, roasted and then finished on the grill. The Mexican chicken will be served alongside rice, beans, salsa and tortillas.

Soriano says that a jerk-marinated Jamaican-style chicken recipe is also in the works, along with the potential for rotating rotisserie chicken specials.

Guests can also look forward to traditional Mexican carnitas, delectable pork which is slow cooked in its own fat, resulting in some of the most unctuous, flavorful meat available. 

Carnitas will be available for purchase by the pound, along with warm tortillas for building tacos.

Meanwhile, the chickens will be available to order as a quarter, half or whole chicken portions. Sides will include fries, salad, black beans and various rice dishes including Peruvian rice, Mexican rice and Puerto Rican arroz con gandules.

When it opens, Criollo Rotisserie Chicken will join a slate of 11+ main vendors including Anytime Arepa, Dairyland Old Fashioned Custard & Hamburgers, Dawg City, Greenhouse, Kawa Ramen, Kawa Sushi, Kompali Tacos y Tortas, Make Waves, Mr. Wings, Paper Plane Pizza, Supernova Coffee + Doughnuts along with Hot Dish Pantry, Strange Town Bottle Shop, the 3rd Street Market Hall bar and Brew City Brands.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor

As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.

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 every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, 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.