Pizza Man, an iconic East Side restaurant that was destroyed by fire in early 2010, will re-open on Downer Avenue in Milwaukee.
In a press release today, Pizza Man owner Mike Amidzich announced that he has signed a letter of intent to lease property for a new Pizza Man restaurant. He will own and run the restaurant with the backing of a group of local investors. The concept will remain the same as the original Pizza Man, which opened in 1970, featuring thin and deep dish pizzas and an eclectic array of specialty dinners. The new Pizza Man will also revive its 600-choice wine list.
“After three years of searching for the right investors and the right location, we are finally starting the process to re-open,” Amidzich said. “We hope to become part of this neighborhood again.”
The location of the restaurant was not disclosed in the press release by Amidzich or his spokesman, Andy Larsen of Boelter + Lincoln.
However, all signs point to a building at 2595-97 N. Downer Ave. on the East Side of Milwaukee as the new location for Pizza Man.
The owner of that building, Milwaukee-based Van Buren Management, and Milwaukee architect Matt Rinka of Rinka Chung Architecture, have filed a request with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission to make alterations to the 97-year-old structure, including the addition of a second floor outdoor terrace. Their application indicates that a restaurant will occupy the space, but the restaurant is not named. The commission will review the request on Monday.
Van Buren Management and Rinka Chung Architecture both referred questions about the project to Larsen, who sent out the Pizza Man press release but declined to disclose the restaurant’s location. Larsen would only say that the new Pizza Man will be located somewhere on the East Side and that the location will be announced soon.
The press release indicates that Rinka has been hired to design the space for Pizza Man.
“We plan to take a contemporary approach to the design that preserves the rustic urban charm of the original Pizza Man,” Rinka said in the release. “The outdoor seating component is what drew Mike to the location and the design, but will also help connect the energy of Pizza Man to the street, bringing vitality to an important corner.”
