These downtown Milwaukee restaurants are expanding hours, offerings during the RNC

Though many downtown restaurants, bars and businesses outside of the security zone of the Republican National Convention are disappointed by the lack of official bookings from the event’s estimated 50,000 visitors, they’re holding out hope that expanded hours and offerings will attract patrons throughout the course of the four-day convention.

“People need to eat,” said Gregory Leon, chef-owner of downtown Spanish-Portuguese restaurant Amilinda , 315 E. Wisconsin Ave. “We’re right by the hotels, and if there’s going to be some extra business in the area, we’re going to cast our nets wide and see what we can get.”

Amilinda is typically open Wednesday through Saturday evenings for dinner service, but during the convention, it will open its doors Monday and Tuesday, as well. From July 15 through July 18, the restaurant will remain open until 1:45 a.m.

As of July 12, Leon said Amilinda had 14 seats booked for Monday, four for Tuesday, 13 for Wednesday and 14 for Thursday during the convention.

“In a normal week, on Wednesday and Thursday, I should be in the 30s,” he said.

He doesn’t expect a rush of delegates to come to his restaurant, but he does hope members of the press will dine in, and he encourages Milwaukee residents to support downtown businesses however they can.

Downtown Mediterranean restaurant Lupi & Iris, 777 N. Van Buren St., is offering an RNC special prix fixe menu open to the public at both lunch and dinner all four days of the convention. Lunch is a three-course meal offered for $60, and the four-course dinner menu is $150. An a la carte dinner menu is available all four evenings at Lupi & Iris’ bar only. The restaurant will remain open until 11 p.m.

“I expect we’ll see lobbyists, out-of-state business owners, a few locals, people who are not part of the delegates or the political end of the convention,” chef-owner Adam Siegel told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

He said that, not knowing the number of walk-ins the restaurant might receive, offering a prix fixe menu would make it easier to plan for an uncertain week.

Third Ward Chinese-American restaurant DanDan , 360 E. Erie St., co-owned by “Top Chef: Wisconsin” finalist Dan Jacobs , will offer a late-night menu during the convention from 9 p.m. to midnight. ARIA , 139 E. Kilbourn Ave., on the second floor of the Saint Kate Hotel, will open early for breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m.

What downtown Milwaukee restaurants are expanding their service during the RNC?

Many restaurants that are typically closed on Mondays will be offering service July 15. Some are planning to open with additional hours — including adding breakfast or brunch service and late-night dinner hours — throughout the course of the convention.

These downtown restaurants are planning to expand hours and/or offerings from July 15-18:

• Alem Ethiopian Village : Dinner served 4-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday
• Amilinda : Open 5 p.m.-1:45 a.m. Monday-Thursday
• ARIA : Breakfast will be served 7-11 a.m. Monday-Thursday. Dinner will be served 5 p.m. to midnight.
• Bavette La Boucherie : Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday. (Open regular hours, 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday).
• Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria : Open 11 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday
• Canal Street Caf e (inside the Potawatomi Casino Hotel): Opening at 6 a.m. Monday to Thursday, featuring a special $25 breakfast buffet.
• Chop House : A special brunch menu will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Dinner is served 4 p.m. to midnight.
• DanDan : A limited late-night menu will be available from 9 p.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday.
• Five O’Clock Steakhouse : Open 4:30-8:30 p.m. Monday. Open regular hours (4:30 to 8:30 p.m.) Tuesday to Thursday.
• Lupi & Iris : A special four-course prix fixe dinner menu will be available from 5 to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday. A special three-course prix fixe menu will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
• Mason Street Grill : Opening early for brunch, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Dinner is served 4 p.m. to midnight.
• Onesto : Opening early for brunch at 9:30 a.m. The restaurant will remain open until 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
• Proof Pizza : Kitchen will remain open until 2 a.m.
• SafeHouse Milwaukee : The bar will be open until 2 a.m., with the kitchen closing at midnight. During the week of the convention, show your RNC credentials and bypass the SafeHouse’s entry password screening.
• San Giorgio Pizzeria Napoletana : Lunch service is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Dinner service is available 4:30 to 11 p.m.
• The Edison : Monday, Tuesday and Thursday's hours are expanding to 11 a.m. to midnight. On Wednesday, the restaurant will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight.
• Trouble Makers Cocina (inside the Central Waters Brewing Co. tap room ): Extended hours on Wednesday and Thursday (noon to 8 p.m.). It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Jordyn Noennig contributed to this report.

Rachel Bernhard joined the Journal Sentinel as dining critic in June 2023. She’s been busy exploring the Milwaukee area food scene to share her favorite finds with readers along the way. Like all Journal Sentinel reporters, she buys all meals, accepts no gifts and is independent of all establishments she covers.

What should she cover next? Contact her at rseis@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter at @rachelbernhard or on Instagram at @rach.eats.mke .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These downtown Milwaukee restaurants are expanding hours, offerings during the RNC