Here’s a glance at Milwaukee’s Top 25 Restaurants selected by Rachel Bernhard
For the first time in five years, the Journal Sentinel presents Milwaukee’s Top 25 Restaurants, this year from new dining critic Rachel Bernhard.
Chef Adam Siegel and Daria Aitken-Siegel, owners of the acclaimed French-Mediterranean restaurant Lupi & Iris, are planning a New York-style Italian restaurant on the first floor of the Northwestern Mutual North Building, 818 E. Mason St.
The 18-story building is currently undergoing a $500 million renovation that is projected to be completed in 2027.
Siegel and Aitken-Siegel plan to open their restaurant in the space in late 2026.
“We are thrilled to bring a New York Italian dining experience to Milwaukee,” Aitken-Siegel said in a statement. “It’s an honor to participate in the continued efforts of Northwestern Mutual’s North Office Building Modernization Project and the City of Milwaukee’s goal to energize and foster growth in the downtown area.”
The restaurant will serve New York-style Italian cuisine in a space that will be more relaxed than the fine-dining experience at Lupi & Iris, but it will retain the refined quality diners have come to expect from the 2023 James Beard Award Best New Restaurant finalist. Siegel, who won the 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Midwest, will oversee the menu.
“We congratulate the Siegels and their restaurant team on the third anniversary of Lupi & Iris, and we are pleased to welcome their newest restaurant to the Northwestern Mutual North Building in 2026,” Cal Schattschneider, vice president of campus and event experiences at Northwestern Mutual, said in a statement. “Having an inviting local restaurant be part of our new building reflects our vision of a vibrant campus that brings together our workforce, the local community and bustling energy in downtown Milwaukee.”
The restaurant’s name has not yet been announced, and more details will be released in the coming months.