The former Red Dot in Wauwatosa will soon become a new bar and restaurant
Wauwatosa's Red Dot building was once a popular bar, even hosting live shows for Run-DMC and Public Enemy. A 2018 fire shut down the venue, and despite promises to reopen, it never did. Now, a new pub and restaurant may take its place at 6715 W. North Ave.
Jason Growel proposed the sports-themed gastropub, named Growlers East Tosa, to the city's government affairs committee on April 25. Plans include a bar with 25 beers on tap, a main dining area, an outdoor patio and "a party room for special occasions," his proposal said.
Growel once owned the now-closed Eastsider in Milwaukee, now Baccanera Enoteca, a European wine bar. He also opened Wauwatiki in 2016, a tiki bar and grill still operating at 6502 W. North Ave.
The owners of Red Dot originally planned to redevelop the bar into a three-story building with 17 residential units and about 4,600 square feet of retail space. After redevelopment plans fell through, the building was put up for sale in 2021, and eventually purchased by Mario Balistreri, the co-owner of a nearby pizza restaurant, BB's on North.
If Growlers is eventually approved, Growel said construction will be completed by the New-Berlin based Venture Construction Group.
Early on in the process, Growlers is still seeking a conditional use permit, so the committee postponed granting the restaurant a liquor license, a monthslong process for each.
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Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa Red Dot to become new sports-themed gastropub
