A dark restaurant on Monday evening led us to suspect that the newly minted Lombardi's Restaurant & Pizzeria, which opened Dec. 14 at 2301 S. Howell Ave., had closed up shop.
Verification from Ald.Tony Zielinski late this evening confirmed our suspicions. Lombardi's is, indeed, closed after a very short stint in the space that most recently housed Strada Pizza.
Strada occupied the space for approximately nine months, following two Mexican restaurants in the space: Mr. Webo's during 2014 and Guanajuato, the space's longest running tenant in recent years, which moved just two doors south to its current location at 2317 S. Howell Ave. after occupying the space for over five years.
Xel-ha, which rebranded to become Riviera Maya in 2006 and subsequently moved to its larger (and current) location at 2258 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., called the Howell Avenue location home from 2004 to 2006.
Zielinski says the building's owners are currently looking for a new business to occupy the space.
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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