The McKinley Marina Roundhouse is likely to see a spark of new new life beginning this summer as the venue softly reopens under the oversight of The Bartolotta Restaurant Group.
The casual snack bar – which offers lovely views of the lake thanks to its location on the North end of the marina – has been closed since 2018.
However the local restaurant group has noted in a public statementthat they intend to open the Roundhouse for the summer season “as an amenity to Milwaukee’s most valuable asset, the lakefront… to support the city, the Milwaukee County Park as well as the community of boaters.”
According to the statement, the 2022 opening will serve as a soft opening for the venue, which will offer light snacks, refreshments and a sundry store. But the plan is exploratory, the statement notes, as the Bartolotta team will use the soft opening to explore plans for the best iteration and use for the venue in years to come.
Plans for a redux of the venu have been in the works for some time.
In April of 2019, just before the untimely passing of Joe Bartolotta, The Bartolotta Restaurants received Notice of Intent for the property and announced that they had begun discussions with Milwaukee County to assume operations for the Roundhouse. At that time, plans included adding a new kitchen and beer garden, although – for obvious reasons – it’s doubtful that the post-pandemic renovation plans will be quite as grand.
However, the Bartolottas’ have been a longtime partner of Milwaukee County, supporting the development of lakefront amenities for over 25 years. Both Lake Park Bistro and Harbor House are located on public land, and the restaurant group served as operators for the NorthPoint Custard stand until 2019.
Additional details are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
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 every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, 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.
