It’s already a place where you can get bagels, tacos, burgers, loaded fries, Asian street food and ice cream. You can also hear live music twice a week.
But as of this week there’s officially more to love at the Zocalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St. in Walker's Point. That’s because the food parks brand new tavern made its debut this weekend. And it’s a lovely place to pass the time.
A nod to Frida Kahlo
Designed with the help of local artist and MIAD graduate Gloria Santos Ruiz, the tavern’s look and feel was intended to capture both the aesthetic and welcoming vibe of Latina artist Frida Kahlo’s La Casa Azul (Blue House), the home where she was born and in which she lived for the better part of her life.
The Blue House was not only the center of Kahlo’s creative universe, but a place where she orchestrated countless parties and entertained a multitude of guests.
The spirit of La Casa Azul is captured in the tavern’s airy quarters, painted in bright blues, sunflower yellows and deep reds and accented with metal, rustic wood and decorative tile.
Take a peek
The bar itself, which sports a beautiful copper topped bar with turquoise metal and wood accents, sits below repurposed chandeliers from the former St. Mary’s Academy in St. Francis. It also features an ordering window which faces the outdoor patio.
The menu includes 12 taps of local craft beer, bottled cider, seltzer and both domestic and imported beer, both a red and white wine and a menu of cocktails including a Bloody Mary, margarita, michelada and paloma.
The bar, which can be accessed from all sides of the food park, connects to additional main floor seating and a second floor loft.
The back seating area opens to both sides of the food park, allowing guests to move seamlessly between the bar, bocce ball court and food trucks.
Head up the beautifully tiled staircase and you’ll find yourself on the small second floor loft, which overlooks the bar.
The loft features both soft seating and tables making it the perfect for chatting with friends or hunkering down to get a bit of work done (Zocalo offers free Wi-Fi for guests).
Zocalo Food Park is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ruby’s Bagels serves Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 7 a.m.
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.
