After more than a decade of weddings, banquets and big family dinners on Milwaukee’s south side, Pakeng Palace has gone dark at 3730 W. National Ave, clearing the way for a new Asian concept to take over the corner.
Owners Rick and Mai Vang quietly closed the longtime banquet hall and restaurant earlier this month and confirmed the move in a March 18 social media post. They also signaled that the space is not staying empty for long. The incoming tenant, a restaurant called Elephant TKB, is aiming for a spring debut with a menu built around Hmong, Thai, Lao and Vietnamese dishes.
As reported by Urban Milwaukee, the Vangs told customers, “We are opening an authentic Asian Fusion in place of PK Palace. Please come support them soon.” According to the site’s reporting, a license application for Elephant TKB is now in front of the Milwaukee Common Council. The proposal outlines a streamlined menu and specific operating hours, and notes that the new operator does not plan to serve alcohol or offer public entertainment.
Space, ownership and the building
City licensing documents and floor plans show the restaurant space covers roughly 4,500 square feet, with a mix of tables, booths, counter seats, three private rooms and a small stage. Those filings and council records also list Rick Vang as the property owner at 3726–3730 W. National Ave and show PK Palace/PK Palace LLC as the recent holder of tavern and food-dealer licenses for the address, according to Milwaukee Common Council records.
Public parcel summaries indicate the two-story building dates to 1885, a detail that underlines how long this block has been in commercial use. Those specifics appear in local property records compiled by Redfin.
What it means for National Ave
The timing of the handoff comes as W. National Ave heads into a major reconstruction project that local media say could shake up foot traffic and customer patterns along the corridor. Urban Milwaukee has tracked a wave of recent changes on the strip, from Shalom Puerto Rican Restaurant’s closure to a string of short-lived newcomers, and notes that construction starting this spring will be a stress test for any business trying to plant roots there.
For Elephant TKB, opening just as crews roll in may make it more practical to lean on daytime and early-evening diners and carryout instead of late-night bar traffic. The restaurant’s future now depends on city licensing. If the council signs off on the application, Elephant TKB could open this spring and slide into the evolving lineup of National Ave eateries. The shift from banquet hall and late-night venue to family-style Asian fusion marks one more turn in the slow transformation of the corridor.
