It’s been just over two years since Chef Terrell Turner and Suzanne Pham-Banh of Hot Box Pizza signed a lease on the former home of Swift Roofing at 2509 E. Oklahoma Ave.
But, thanks to hard work, persistence and patience, the couple have officially opened their first brick and mortar restaurant, doh’p Wood-fired Fare, a restaurant specializing in pizza and other dishes cooked in a wood-fired oven.
In fact, the counter service restaurant served its first customers this weekend, giving Hot Box fans and area residents a taste of Turner’s distinctively crispy wood-fired pizza, snacks and salads, as well as a peek at their fun, family-friendly eatery.
It’s doh’p
Much like the name Hot Box Pizza, which conjures polysemous meanings, doh’p Wood-fired Fare makes full use of the homonym “doh'p,” pointing most specifically to its colloquial meaning of “great” or “excellent.”
And greatness is what Pham-Bahn and Turner aspire to when it comes to their new eatery, which they see as an evolutionary work in progress.
“Am I ecstatic that we have a restaurant and that we’re open? Yes,” Turner says. “But as Kobe Bryant said, ‘What's there to be happy about? Job's not finished.’ We’ve just made it to the draft, and there’s a lot in front of us. It’s our time to show off what we have.”
Inside the restaurant, guests will find seating for about 22 guests, some at small four-top tables and others at a bar overlooking the restaurant’s open kitchen and wood-fired oven.
The decor is bright with an urban industrial chic aesthetic. Lucky Dice Murals is responsible for the pizza-themed graffiti-style art and line drawings that cover the exterior of the building as well as most of the interior walls and visible ductwork.
Meanwhile, the eastern wall mimics the look of a green wall, while the wall on the west (as well as the bathroom walls) are covered with an eclectic mix of art that the couple picked out to give the restaurant a vibrant, fun look.
Two operational garage doors connect the restaurant to its expansive outdoor patio, which will more than triple the capacity of the restaurant during the warmer months.
“We created this to be a family-friendly restaurant and we want people to feel comfortable bringing their kids to eat here,” says Pham-Bahn, who notes that they’ve designed the space to be as amenable as possible to folks who want to take their kids with them for dinner.
On the menu
Turner, who built the wood-fired oven with assistance from a friend, says he’s really proud of the space, as well as the kitchen team they’ve built at doh’p.
“I’m excited to work side-by-side with them,” he says. “Training people, signing peoples’ paychecks and improving their lives has been really gratifying. It’s really cool to see how we’ve grown and I love that it’s based on everyone’s efforts.”
Guests familiar with Hot Box Pizza will find familiar items on the doh’p menu. That includes a variety of 10” wood-fired pizzas including basics like cheese; sausage; pepperoni; and veggie (mushrooms, green peppers, shallots, black olives, spinach).
Signature pies include Supreme (veggie pizza with sausage); Margherita (fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil, balsamic); BBQ Chicken (BBQ sauce, chicken, pineapple, shallots, spinach); and the Pesto Party (nut-free pesto, chicken, bacon, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, shaved parmesan). Pizzas are priced $13-$26, depending on the toppings.
New pizzas include The Fernwood topped with whipped ricotta, crispy prosciutto, roasted figs, watercress and house beer gastrique; and the WISgoat featuring creamy goat cheese, brandied Door County cherry and roasted orange chutney, bacon lardons and watercress.
Guests can also build their own pizzas ($16 for max of four toppings) or order the Dealer’s Choice (a creative custom pie made by the pizza chefs, $16). Gluten-free Pizza Bowls featuring four toppings are also available for $15.
Fresh items include the Soup du Jour ($7 a cup); Roman Caesar Salad ($12); Burrata (served with wood-fired tomatoes, shallots and garlic along with arugula, “pizza crispies” and balsamic, $18); and Caprese Panzanella with arugula, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil, housemade croutons, balsamic vinaigrette and cracked black pepper ($14).
Guests can also order the Monthly Meat & Cheese Plate featuring a selection of three meats and three cheeses served with “pizza crispies” for $20 (currently Le Gruyere, Don Juan Manchego and Belgioiso Vino Rosso, mortadella, salami and prosciutto).
Meanwhile, snacks include seasoned waffle fries ($5); cheesy garlic bread ($8); goat cheese garlic bread (creamy goat, house cheese blend, red pepper flakes, balsamic, $10); and the Big Ol’ Wood-fired Bagel Bite (Allie Boy’s plain bagel halves toasted with garlic butter and topped with pizza sauce & house cheese blend, $10).
You can also indulge in the smoked jumbo chicken wings that I've been raving about (a pound and a half for $20).
A kids meal features a choice of two items (chicken tenders, waffle fries, mac & cheese) plus halved grapes for $10.
Desserts include Scratch vanilla bean ice cream (8 ounces for $5); housemade tiramisu ($9); and freshly made doughnuts (tossed in cinnamon and sugar, goat milk chocolate and goal milk caramel drizzle served with housemade whipped cream, $10).
Beverages include canned soda, bottled water, juice pouches, Sprecher rootbeer and a small selection of bottled beer (Miller Highlife, PBR, Coors Light, Modelo, all $5-$6) and a house red and house white wine ($8).
Moving forward
Moving forward, doh’p is likely to expand its wine selection and expand beer offerings to include three craft taps, including selections from local breweries like Component, 1840 Brewing and Ope!
Guests can also look forward to monthly pasta and sandwich specials, as well as Friday fish fry featuring three pieces of hand-breaded ocean perch, seasoned waffle fries, housemade prosecco vinaigrette coleslaw, pink lady applesauce, green goddess tartar sauce, lemon wedges and rye bread with whipped garlic butter (for now, guests can order fish fry from the Hot Box truck at Zócalo).
As the weather warms, guests can also look forward to outdoor seating available at picnic tables on the patio.
Turner and Pham-Bahn also plan to create a patio-side shipping container ice cream stand that will feature Scratch ice cream, popsicles and freshly squeezed lemonade.
“We love this neighborhood,” Turner says. “We’ve had two years to get to know the area and we love that it’s so community-focused. People are welcoming and they’re super excited and supportive. We can’t wait to show people what we can do here.”
Pham-Banh says they plan to continue to operate both of their food trucks. One will remain at Zócalo Food Park and the other will make appearances at events around town.
doh’p Wood-fired Fare will be open Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) with hours Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday from 4 to 9 p.m. Online ordering for carry-out will be available beginning Thursday, April 10.
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.
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