After 11 years in business, Ardent will permanently close its doors Dec. 31 on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side.
The upscale, small-format restaurant — which earned its chef-owner, Justin Carlisle, four consecutive James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef Midwest — announced the forthcoming closure on social media last week.
“We want to announce that December 31st will be Ardent Tasting Room and The Lounge last day of service. It is time to close this chapter for now. The last 11 years have been nothing short of unbelievable and amazing. Ardent has achieved more than we ever thought possible,” according to the post, which also thanked past and present staff, family and friends as well as customers for their support.
Carlisle opened Ardent in 2013, in a garden-level space at 1751 N. Farwell Ave. Featuring a pre-fixed, multi-course tasting menu, the restaurant earned numerous national and local accolades over the years, including a spot among nation’s 15 best new restaurants by Condé Nast Traveler; Best Restaurant in the State of Wisconsin by Business Insider; semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2014 by the James Beard Foundation; 19 Great Restaurants to Work for by Food & Wine; and Top North American Restaurants (2021, 2022, 2023) by Opinionated about Dining.
Carlisle was named a finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He also launched two other restaurant concepts along the way, Laughing Taco and Red Light Ramen.
In 2023, Ardent relocated its main tasting room into the adjacent former Red Light Ramen space and filled its original space with a new, more casual lounge. The transition into a dual-concept restaurant was meant to strike a balance between a “fine dining experience and dynamic tasting menu guests have enjoyed” and “a new neighborhood bar and lounge for more casual, spontaneous outings and celebrations,” according to Ardent’s website.
But even after its reinvention, Ardent temporarily closed from January to May this year due to slow holiday traffic and a shift in diner preferences, according to a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. Carlisle told the Journal Sentinel that a new concept by a new operator — “someone close to our hearts and we’ve known for a very long time” — is already planned for the North Farwell Avenue space.
“Stay tuned as the story of the little basement in 1751 Farwell continues, now written by someone else,” according to the social media post.
Ardent’s operating hours during its final weeks of service will be Thursday through Sunday for the lounge and Thursday through Saturday for the tasting room.
