If you're a frequent South 1st Street commuter, you've probably noticed the new Transfer Pizzeria Café, 101 W. Mitchell St. With its name broadcast in stylized neon, the corner building is a definite eye-catcher at night -- a glowing sign of life in a rather dim section of the city.

The restaurant opened quietly about a month ago, but, as chef Vasyl Lemberskyy's creative pizza combinations are nothing to keep quiet about, word has spread quickly.

Even a rainy Tuesday evening finds the spacious café packed and lively. Penny Rossetto, one of Transfer's six co-owners, moves quickly around the room, welcoming guests and introducing herself. The place is alive with conversation, laughter, music and tempting Italian aromas.

Chef Lemberskyy is Ukrainian, though he's been cooking in Milwaukee for years. Penny and her husband John were fans from the first slice.

"We met him when he owned Primavera in St. Francis," says John. "We loved his pizza, and we always thought that if we could put Vasyl in the right spot to highlight his amazing product, it would do really well. When Fresche Pizzeria didn't work out for him, he was open to partnering with us."

Lemberskyy's pies are the stars here, and there are more than 40 varieties, made "not Italian style, nor American style, but with my own vision," he says. Although there are a handful of pasta, panini, salad and antipasti options, the pizzas reserve the bulk of the menu and are divided up into categories: Garlic, traditional, veggie, seafood and special. Even the vegans will find a few cheese-free options (although the garlic sauce on Bob's special ($10 / $16) is so rich and creamy it's hard to believe there's no dairy involved.)

Transfer is a member of Springdale Farm's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and gets weekly deliveries of fresh, organic produce grown in Plymouth.

"We wanted an open kitchen concept," says John. "We wanted the pizza oven and Vasyl to be visible because he's a real interactive kind of guy and he likes to chat with the customers. We wanted an engaging space, not a quiet little restaurant."

The building itself, though it sat vacant for many recent years, is no stranger to bustling traffic. Its most recent previous tenant was Scrambled Ed's. Before that, a George Webb and before that -- dating back to the turn of the century -- Transfer Pharmacy. A photo of the pharmacy's final days, dated 1955, hangs on the wall near the back of the new restaurant as a warming reminder of the city's rich south side history.

Remnants of its former lives are still present on the site. The original pharmacy's stained glass windows advertising candies and ice cream face Mitchell Street; the old Webb counter and swivel stools form a horseshoe, connecting the full bar to the café; even the now faded Scrambled Ed's signage is ever so slightly visible from the outside.

The owners -- John and Penny Rossetto, John's brother Russel Rossetto, Chris and Stacy Zielinksi and chef Lemberskyy -- had an affinity for the space (John and Russel's father had owned the building for many years) but were also aware of the location's challenges.

"Up until this point, people drove past this corner and it was a dive bar and a lot of vacant buildings and it just looked dead," says John. "There was this perception that it was a nasty corner with a bus stop, and what we've thought all along was, if you put a restaurant there that was cool and lively, that might turn people's perceptions around. We talked to aldermen and city officials and they said, if you make it a restaurant, it'll be gold."

It turns out, they were right. And with the new Triskele's restaurant a few blocks west and the revamped Monkey Bar just down the street, the Clock Tower Acres neighborhood just might gain some momentum. The strip certainly has no lack of Bay View and Downtown commuters, which is why Transfer opens at 6:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, to serve coffee, tea, espresso, bakery and breakfast calzones. The restaurants gives coffee discounts to customers arriving via bus or bike.

"We're huge public transit fans," says John. "We love that it was called Transfer Pharmacy and the fact that it was always a major traffic intersection, even back in the days of trolleys and streetcars. It was always a major transfer point and we wanted to play that up."