Ally’s Bistro opening second location, in Wauwatosa at former power house building

Ally’s Bistro of Menomonee Falls will open a second location in Wauwatosa next spring as part of Milwaukee-based Mandel Group Inc.‘s Crescent Apartments development.

The full-service café will be called Ally’s Powerhouse Café, and it will be located in the 105-year-old former power house building at 10460 Innovation Drive, in the Milwaukee County Research Park. It is undergoing renovations as one component of Mandel Group’s mixed-use project, which also includes the 102-unit apartment building and a 119-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel.

Ally’s Powerhouse will serve breakfast, lunch and happy hour with a light dinner menu. The café will have indoor seating including areas for private parties of up to 50 guests, plus an exterior terrace capable of accommodating 40-50 people. The outdoor terrace will connect to the guest terrace at the adjoining hotel.

“We are incredibly excited to finally find the home we’ve been looking for in the Wauwatosa area,” Ally’s co-owner Rodney Zimmerman said in a news release. Zimmerman owns and operates Ally’s with his wife Michelle and three children.

“Working from our Menomonee Falls cafe we’ve developed quite a business clientele in Tosa and look forward to serving them from our new Powerhouse Café,” he said. “We are ecstatic that we have found such a unique home with Mandel Group in a restored historic building, to bring to Wauwatosa our love for food, coffee and all things delicious. The character of the building and the ability to have a large outdoor terrace are sure to be welcoming to patrons as a comfortable and relaxing place to visit and linger.”

Mandel put forward its renovation plans of the 8,200-square-foot power house building for city approvals late last year. It is expected to open spring 2021 in conjunction with the Crescent Apartments, according to the release.

The power house will additionally house leasing offices for the Crescent Apartments and a fitness, training and physical therapy business. A specific tenant will be announced soon, the release states.

Construction of the apartments began in March. They will include a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Angie Tabrizi, Mandel Group project manager, said the firm has already begun seeking future residents.

“In addition to the concentration of nearby employers, we’re reaching out to students, faculty and staff of the Medical College to remind them that they can identify and reserve housing for the 2021-22 academic year knowing that construction will be complete well before school resumes next year,” Tabrizi said in the release.