After nine years of service in the Riverwest neighborhood, Riverwest Filling Station has made the decision to close its doors at 701 E. Keefe Ave.
The news follows a Facebook announcement made in July that the restaurant would be closing for the remainder of the summer.
“We did our best,” notes co-owner Bryan Atinsky of the closing. “I have a great deal of thanks and love for the community of loyal customers who appreciated us and supported us over the years.”
When Atinsky and his wife, Miriam purchased the former location of Abanese’s to open Riverwest Filling Station in January of 2013, they blazed trails for both the neighborhood and the city of Milwaukee on the whole.
Not only did they transform a long-neglected building on the industrial northern end of Riverwest, offering a menu of both American staples and internationally inspired dishes, they also changed the game for craft beer bars throughout the city, working with city officials to overturn a law that prohibited the sale of growlers to go in venues other than breweries and brewpubs.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
