The long-awaited Italian restaurant Safina in Milwaukee plans to have its soft opening next week

Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read
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The long-awaited Italian restaurant Safina, located in Milwaukee's Cathedral Square neighborhood, is planning to have its soft opening Tuesday and its grand opening in the coming weeks.

"It feels good," said Sal Safina, who's running the restaurant with his brothers, Giuseppe (Joe) and David. Their father, Giovanni Safina of the former Giovanni's restaurant, is also a part of the venture.

"It's been a long time in the waiting," Sal said.

Safina, 783-785 N. Jefferson St., sat ready to open for months due to staffing shortages, a previous Journal Sentinel report said. Now, most of the positions on the floor the owners were looking to fill have been, according to Sal.

Safina's menu features comfort food with Sicilian and southern Italian roots. It includes starters, salads, sandwiches, Giovanni originals, entrees and desserts.

"The whole menu, we do everything from scratch," Sal Safina said. "Everything is top-quality. We shipped a lot of stuff here too from Italy."

The olive oil is from Sicily and the pasta is from a small mill by Trapani, he noted.

A few of Sal Safina's recommendations include:

  • The "Frutta Di Mare," which he described as similar to fisherman's stew but "a little more elevated." It features black linguini, brodo pesce, shrimp, calamari, octopus and Calabrian chili.

  • The Strauss veal ribeye, a Giovanni original, is pounded down to not quite as thin as a cutlet, Sal said. It can be done in the style of "parmesan" or "cotoletta," which is essentially a Sicilian milanese. It's served with the chef's choice of pasta or a salad.

  • "Gio's Stuffed Fillet" features a center-cut fillet stuffed with provolone, prosciutto di parma 18-month Denominazione di Origine Protetta, caramelized onions, Roma tomato and Gio potatoes.

  • "Sicilian Grilled Maiale," is a Sicilian-style Duroc bone-in porkchop that's rubbed in olive oil and garlic, lightly breaded and grilled, Sal said. It's finished off with a lemon, olive oil sauce, and is served with Gio potatoes and bell peppers.

And just like at Giovanni's, Giovanni Safina will be making the sauces, cutting the veal, trimming the fillets and more.

The restaurant also offers house wines on tap and by the glass, as well as domestic and premium beers.

The "historic" space, formerly the Phoenix Cocktail Lounge, has a "touch of modern," and is decorated with family photos and artwork from Sicily, according to Sal Safina. There's a "quint" bar on the first floor and a second level for overflow seating.

"It's a homey feeling, but still has that chic vibe," he said.

The Safinas, who have been in the service industry for 40 years, want their customers to feel like they're a "part of the family," Sal Safina said.

"You come to our house, you eat with us, and we give you our twist on Sicilian food and old Milwaukee supper club items," he said.

Safina will open at 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The kitchen will close at 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and at 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The bar will stay open later.

Sal and David also own The Sofie cocktail lounge next door, located in the lower level of 777 N. Jefferson Street.

For more information on Safina, visit safinamke.com.

Jordyn Noennig of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's long-awaited Safina restaurant to open next week