A blighted corner lot in Brown Deer could become the site of another location for popular Mexican restaurant Café Corazon.
Owners Wendy and George Mireles are seeking village approval to redevelop the property, located at 4102 W. Bradley Road, with plans to open their fourth farm-to-table Mexican restaurant and bar.
Since opening the original Café Corazon in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood in 2009, the couple has expanded the concept to Bay View and Mequon, with a spot inside the Mequon Public Market.
The Brown Deer location would take over the vacant former Sammy’s Express Gyros & Custard building, which was originally constructed in 1960 as an A&W Root Beer. Having deteriorated over the years, the building’s interior would undergo a complete remodel and portions of the exterior would be improved, according to the project proposal.
“Café Corazon is excited at the opportunity to transform this highly visible, but vacant, corner into a vibrant, inviting dining destination,” the Mireles wrote.
The project includes a 1,550-square-foot adjacent outdoor patio with seating for 75 people, as the “focal point” of the property. A detached garage would be constructed to store Café Corazon’s food truck and other supplies.
The property’s parking lot would also be reconstructed and once that’s complete, the food truck would operate at the site during the remainder of the project.
Plans will be review by the village Plan Commission next month.
Café Corazon in Brown Deer would hire 25 to 30 employees and serve as the base kitchen for the business’ catering services, currently in Bay View.
