A restaurant promising tacos and tequila on weekdays and soul food plates on weekends is angling to open at 6107 N. Teutonia Ave. in Milwaukee, bringing an unusual two-in-one concept to a North Side commercial strip. The business, called Tipsy Taco, has a liquor license application pending before the city, with plans to serve premium tequila, handcrafted cocktails and tacos alongside a weekend menu cooked by a separate local kitchen.
According to Urban Milwaukee, Tipsy Taco plans to serve tacos, premium tequila and handcrafted cocktails Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. On weekends, the operation shifts gears entirely, hosting what it calls “Soul Food Days,” with meals prepared by Gloria’s Kitchen. The restaurant’s liquor license application lists Sylvia Evans as the owner, per the same report.
Gloria’s Kitchen brings a lineup of Southern comfort staples to the weekend rotation: smothered chicken, catfish fillets, ribs and fried pork chops, alongside sides like collard greens, cornbread and mac and cheese, the outlet reports. The pairing of a Tex-Mex weekday menu with a soul food weekend program marks an unusual arrangement for a single storefront, and it comes as the broader Tipsy Taco brand has been pushing to expand beyond its Southern base.
A Greenville Brand Looking to Grow
Tipsy Taco traces its roots to Greenville, South Carolina, where the first location opened in June 2016, according to the company's press materials. The brand describes itself as an Upstate-grown Tex-Mex concept known for bold flavors, handcrafted cocktails and an energetic, community-driven atmosphere. Those materials note that Tipsy Taco has been actively working toward continued franchising and regional growth while keeping its Greenville roots, with existing locations spread across South Carolina and western North Carolina, including a Brevard, North Carolina, shop that opened on February 18. The Milwaukee location's announcement, as cited by the news outlet, invited customers to “get ready for a one-of-a-kind dining experience.” Delivery will be available once the restaurant opens, and the application lists one amusement machine planned for the space, per Urban Milwaukee's reporting.
Service Bar Designation and the Liquor License Process
Tipsy Taco selected a service-bar-only designation for its liquor license, a classification that, per the same report, means alcoholic drinks will be served directly to tables and customers will not be able to sit at a bar. Under Milwaukee's municipal rules, that designation carries the same privileges as a Class B Beer/Tavern license, except that alcoholic beverages must be served only to employees who then deliver drinks to patrons seated at tables — patrons themselves cannot sit at the service bar, according to a City of Milwaukee table of license restrictions.
The application remains pending before the Milwaukee Common Council, the report states. Under the city's general liquor licensing rules, alcohol sales must occur at the licensed premises with both buyer and seller physically present at the time of sale, and the city issues licenses only after determining an applicant is qualified, according to the City of Milwaukee's liquor license dataset.
Joining an Already Diverse Food Corridor
If approved, Tipsy Taco would land in a stretch of North Teutonia Avenue that already features a mix of cuisines. Jamerican Jerk Center specializes in Caribbean-American fare nearby, while Big Shark Fish and Chicken serves up platters from both land and sea, the outlet notes. The addition of a Mexican-soul food fusion spot would add another distinct option to that commercial mix.
The planned restaurant's address sits within or near the Silver Mill Shopping Center, which Urban Milwaukee places at 6063-6159 N. Teutonia Ave. A LoopNet commercial listing for the same shopping center lists a different range, 6063-6245 N. Teutonia Ave., though that figure comes from a lower-confidence source and the discrepancy has not been resolved. No opening date, ownership structure details beyond the listed applicant, or additional operational specifics have been made public as the liquor license application continues moving through the city's review process.
