A new sit-down restaurant with a bar is being proposed for a vacant, 1,874-square-foot bar space on Burnham Street in West Allis.
The proposal was filed April 16 by Raul Arteaga under Taqueria el Toro LLC.
City planning documents show that Taqueria El Toro is proposing a new restaurant, El Toro, at the site at 5632 W. Burnham St.
The project would convert the entire first floor of the building into a dine-in restaurant with a bar, replacing a layout that previously included both a tavern and a residential apartment, according to the proposal. The building last operated as the Fifty Seven Bar.
What is Taqueria el Toro?
Owned by Toribio Perez Martinez, Taqueria El Toro operates multiple Mexican-style restaurants in the Milwaukee area, including locations at 551 W. Mitchell St. and 631 W. National Ave. in Milwaukee, and 8322 W. Lincoln Ave. in West Allis. The business also operates at least two food trucks, according to previous reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Taqueria El Toro is also currently proposing the Toros Sport Complex, which is slated to be located in West Allis.
It is not yet known whether El Toro will feature the same or a similar concept as the Taqueria El Toro restaurant chain. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reached out to West Allis and Arteaga for comment, but didn’t immediately hear back.
Taqueria El Toro offers a variety of authentic Mexican dishes, including appetizers, tacos, burritos, tortas, fajitas and more.
A full menu can be found here.
Who is designing the restaurant?
Arteaga, a project architect at BMR Design Group Inc., is listed as the project’s designer, according to documents. The company’s website shows the firm has worked on multiple projects in the Milwaukee area, including the Boys & Girls Club, 1975 S. 24th St., and the El Rey grocery store on South 16th Street.
Proposed hours for El Toro in West Allis
The proposed hours for El Toro are 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday.
What’s next?
The West Allis Plan Commission is scheduled to review the proposal April 22.
If the project is recommended by the commission, the conditional use permit would move to the Common Council for final approval on May 5.
Construction is expected to take about four to six months, with documents stating that work could potentially begin in May and wrap up by November.
Adrienne Davis is a south suburban reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New El Toro restaurant proposed for vacant Burnham bar in West Allis
Reporting by Adrienne Davis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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