It’s a very happy birthday for Transfer Pizzeria Café, 101 W. Mitchell St., which will turn 10 on Monday, March 12.
To celebrate the occasion, the restaurant will host a week-long celebration. In addition to their weekly line-up of live music, there will be additional performers from local bands including Transfer House Band Neil Davis along with a variety of special guests, including the Mitch Shiner Trio.
And that’s not all. Anyone who chooses to attend the celebration will also have the opportunity to get a peek at Transfer’s expansion into the building located immediately to the west of the restaurant, which once housed The Haven Bar.
The additional space includes the expansion of both the kitchen and prep area, which will better accommodate take-out and delivery thanks to a special new storefront entrance where customers can pick up their pizzas during peak times.
There is also a newly minted ADA compliant event space, which will have seating for up to 60 guests for dining or groups of up to 80 for parties, meetings, live music and community gatherings. Inside the space, folks will find decor consistent with the current Transfer Pizzeria space, as well as some fun finds unearthed from the building itself, including The Haven Bar sign, which was painstakingly removed from the exterior of the building.
.jpg){kind=spacer}
Other treasures were also found, including the Fox Head Brewing sign that is currently partially visible on the west side of the building. And you should take a good look at that one, since Transfer owners John and Russell Rossetto note that they're unsure if it will remain.
"We have been involved with the planning and build-out of this expansion for a while. It has been an interesting project as we unearthed pieces of Milwaukee’s past and brought some long-forgotten memories back from the dead, while we updated the expansion for our needs," says John Rossetto.
"It will be nice to finally be able to pull the curtain back on the new event space at a time when we can thank the people who have helped support us over the years."
Several public and private events have already been lined up for the space starting in late March.
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.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
