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Middle East Side, the Middle Eastern concept which debuted as a pop-up last spring, has officially opened at the 3rd Street Market Hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave.
The new food hall vendor, which offers dishes inspired by countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, is one of the four hawker stall tenants which shares a commissary kitchen with Dairyland Old Fashioned Hamburgers & Frozen Custard and Mid-Way Bakery.
Middle East Side is owned and operated by Chef John Chandler, a Northern California native whose experience includes work at Mamoon, a Seattle restaurant which focuses on fare from Syria, Persia and Lebanon. More recently, he worked as sous chef under Chef Gregory Leon at Amilinda, 315 E Wisconsin Ave., where he launched the Middle East Side concept as a carry-out only lunch concept.
On the menu
The inaugural Middle East Side menu includes fan favorites from the inaugural Lebanese pop-up, including housemade man’oushe (Lebanese flatbread) sandwiches stuffed with lahm bi ajeen (ground beef, tomatoes and spiced pomegranate molasses, $14); shish taouk (lemon garlic chicken and tahini sauce, $14); and batinjan (eggplant roasted with ras el hanout, za’atar oil and herbed yogurt tahini sauce, $14).
Guests can also order harra frites (fries topped with harissa, jalapenos and herbs, $6); fatoush salad ($8), hummus ($6) or muhammara, a dip made with walnuts, red peppers and pomegranate molasses, $6. Guests can also order up slices of sticky-sweet baklava for dessert ($3).
Moving forward, Chandler says he plans to offer a happy hour mezze box filled with a spread of snacks including hummus, muhammara, shamandar (beet hummus), torshi (Persian pickled vegetables), crudites and pita bread.
In good company
Middle East Side joins a growing slate of tenants at the new Downtown food hall, which includes Dairyland (burgers, chicken sandwiches, frozen custard), Mid-Way Bakery (bakery, desserts, soups, salads, sandwiches), Amano Pan (breads, pizza), Hot Dish Pantry (pierogi, hot dish), Strega (appetizers, pastas, desserts) MaKE Waves (smoothies, juices, acai bowls).
Of course, there are still numerous vendors on the way, including the Strange Town Bottle Shop (natural wines, vegan grab and go items), Kawa 3rd Street (ramen, sushi), Dawg City (hot dogs, sausages), Anytime Arepas (Venezuelan arepas, desserts), Supernova Coffee & Doughnuts (doughnuts, coffee), Paper Plane Pizza (pizza), The Greenhouse (sandwiches, soups and salads) and Sweet Treats.
New hours
The food hall is now open seven days a week with hours Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (bar until 9 p.m.), Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (bar until 11 p.m.) and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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.
