A long-empty patch of Greenfield Avenue could soon turn into Milwaukee's next food-truck hot spot, thanks to a familiar name in South Side tacos.
El Toro Properties, tied to Taqueria El Toro owner Toribio Perez Martinez, has purchased the 0.74-acre parcel at 2137 W. Greenfield Ave. in the Muskego Way neighborhood and is floating plans for a food-truck park with multiple vendors and a small building. The project is still in early planning and will need city approvals before anything officially opens.
Public records show the property changed hands in late 2025, and a preliminary commercial permit labeled “New Building for Food Truck Park” was filed on March 13, 2026, according to Realtor.com. Commercial listings identify the owner as El Toro Properties LLC, per Crexi.
What is planned at the Greenfield site
The concept, led by restaurateur Perez Martinez of Taqueria El Toro, would pull several mobile vendors into a shared space with outdoor seating, according to Urban Milwaukee. He is reportedly working with architecture firm BMR Design Group on drawings, although the permit application remains preliminary and does not lock in the exact footprint of the building.
For now, the fenced lot already hints at what might come next. Picnic tables and pop-up canopies have been set up, and vendors have been staging there in recent weeks, giving the vacant corner an early test run as a casual gathering spot.
City rules and the legal fight over late-night hours
The Greenfield proposal lands in the middle of Milwaukee’s ongoing tug-of-war over how, and how late, food trucks can operate. Earlier this year, the Common Council approved tighter limits that would roll downtown food-truck curfews back from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. and impose an 11 p.m. cutoff near Burnham Park, with vendor groups responding by taking the city to court, according to WISN.
A judge subsequently issued a temporary restraining order that blocks enforcement of those new curfews while the legal challenge plays out, TMJ4 reported.
Where this fits in the local food-park trend
Milwaukee has already warmed up to the idea of permanent and semi-permanent food parks, which give vendors a lower-risk way to test menus and build a following. Zócalo Food Park in Walker's Point and The Patio Food Truck Park on the South Side are frequently pointed to as local success stories, with architects involved in Zócalo saying the model helps incubate new vendors and create built-in community gathering spaces, according to TKWA.
City council records show alderpeople including JoCasta Zamarripa and the late Jonathan Brostoff played key roles in crafting the 2023 regulatory framework that reshaped where trucks can operate, per City records.
Next steps
Perez Martinez’s team is expected to bring the project through city review as designs are finalized. The permit remains preliminary, and the future food-truck park has not yet disclosed proposed operating hours, according to Realtor.com.
Perez Martinez did not respond to a request for comment by the time local coverage was published, Urban Milwaukee noted.
