James Beard-nominated chef Kyle Knall and his wife Meghan Knall, the owners of acclaimed Milwaukee restaurant Birch, plan to open a French bistro along the Milwaukee River in the ground floor of the 31-story 333 Water apartment tower that opened earlier this year in the city’s Historic Third Ward.
The new restaurant, named Cassis, is slated to open in the fall of 2025 in a 5,175-square-foot space located along St. Paul Avenue and the river, and is the largest of the building’s three ground floor retail spaces.
Cassis is the first retail tenant to be announced at the $165 million building, developed by Houston-based Hines. It will have nearly 200 seats and design elements imported from Europe.
The restaurant’s menu will feature French brasserie classics like moules frites, escargots, elements of charcuterie and seafood, alongside modern interpretations of French tradition, according to the press release.
The space is being designed by Wauwatosa-based Amy Carman Design and Milwaukee-based Dan Beyer Architects.
No other tenants have been announced yet for the two other retail spaces in the building which include a 1,621-square-foot space at the corner of Water Street and St. Paul Avenue, and a 3,256-square-foot retail space along Water Street.
Kyle Knall, executive chef for Birch, was nominated by the James Beard Foundation Awards for “Best Chef: Midwest” in 2024 and “Outstanding Chef” in 2022.
Birch, located at 459 E. Pleasant St. on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side, was named one of the 50 best restaurants in the United States by The New York Times in 2023.
