New food hall Crossroads Collective on Milwaukee’s East Side will gain its eighth and final tenant when seafood concept Raw Bar opens later this month.
The new eatery, slated for a mid-March opening, will serve fresh, seasonal seafood. Items on the menu include king crab legs, oysters on the half shell, crab claws, shrimp cocktail and ceviche, along with signature sandwiches like a lobster roll and tuna melt and fresh, daily-made soups such as lobster bisque and clam chowder.
Behind the concept is Jon Manyo, chef and owner of farm-to-table restaurant Morel in Walker’s Point, and his brother and local business owner David Manyo.
“I’m really looking forward to working (and cooking) with seafood again,” Jon Manyo said. “After spending seven plus years on the West Coast, cooking in cities like San Francisco, Monterey, and Portland, it’s going to be a lot of fun bringing that technique and dining experience to the East Side.”
David Manyo for the past 20 years has been involved primarily with Milwaukee’s auto services sector, previously owning a Matco Tools franchise and various auto repair shops and dealerships.
“I’m really looking forward to joining my brother Jon on this venture,” said David Manyo. “I’ve been looking for the right opportunity to enter the food and beverage industry and as opportunities would come and go, it just seemed best to do it with family.”
Raw Bar’s food stand, which is situated in between the new Egg & Flour Pasta Bar and Beerline Cafe, will feature nautical-themed decor and nods to films such as “Jaws” and “The Life Aquatic.”
Crossroads Collective, which opened in mid-December, had initially planned to operate an oyster bar as part of the bar area in the middle of the food hall. With the addition of Raw Bar, the hall’s original oyster bar space will soon be used instead for a collaboration with a local coffee company, said Wes Shaver, founder of consulting firm Revolve Brand Experience Management.
Details about that collaboration will be announced in the coming weeks, he said.
Raw Bar joins seven local businesses that operate “micro-restaurants” at Crossroads Collective, which is located in the former Oriental Drugs building at 2238 N. Farwell Ave.
They include Falafel Guys, Laughing Taco, Heaven’s Table BBQ, Beerline Cafe, Scratch Ice Cream, Frida and Egg & Flour Pasta Bar.
