If you’ve walked or driven past the storefront at 753 N. Water St., you may have noticed a sign advertising that Mediterranean Cuisine is coming soon.
Indeed, if all goes according to plan, the new restaurant – which specializes in Turkish dishes and other Mediterranean-inspired offerings – is slated to open as soon as August in the space that formerly held Angry Taco, which closed in 2020.
The counter service eatery is a sister restaurant of Madison’s The Mediterranean Joint, owned and operated by brothers Ender and Bunyamin (Benji) Erk. Both have experience working at restaurants across the globe, including Turkey, where they grew up and the Netherlands. Ender Erk will be at the helm for the Milwaukee location.
According to Ender, Mediterranean Cuisine will feature a similar menu to the Madison location, featuring an assortment of dishes from the Mediterranean region including dishes from Turkey and Greece. Many of the items are derived from family recipes.
Popular items will include chicken shawarma, beef kebabs and the restaurant’s signature hummus and herb-laden Turkish falafel. There will also be items like kofta, Turkish tabbouleh, haydari yogurt dip, baba ghanouj and a variety of Greek dishes like gyros, shepherd salad and tzatziki.
Ender says the Milwaukee location, which has a larger footprint, will also feature several distinctive items not found on other local menus, including tomato-sauce-drenched iskender and spicy adana kebabs.
“We’re excited to bring some different food to Milwaukee,” says Ender, “We feel as if we are adding something to the market and we’re excited to be located right on Water Street.”
Ender projects that Mediterranean Cuisine will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
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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