The Nite Owl Drive In, aka Nite Owl Ice Cream Parlour and Sandwich Shoppe (830 E. Layton Ave.), isn’t trying so much to recapture a long-gone era as maintain the one in which it originated. The place has been in business through multiple generations of the same family since 1948. Just as Nite Owl’s signage and decor point […]

3. Nite Owl Drive-In This awesome seasonal business is back open now until fall and is serving up such a solid all-around burger. Juicy, meaty, flavorful. I like mine with fried onions, pickle and mustard. Burger $4.50, cheeseburger $5. Tues-Sat 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Order at the walk-up window or call in your order. (830 E. Layton […]

We’ve officially made it through another winter, Milwaukee. Not only is it officially spring, but the Nite Owl Drive-In, 830 E. Layton Ave., has reopened its doors for the 2020 season.  And, while the restaurant might be operating in the carry-out only model for right now, there’s still joy to be had in biting into that […]

If Milwaukee’s nicknames (“City of Festivals” and “Brew City”) don’t inspire you to go there, then how about the fact that it’s cheap, full of proud and friendly locals, and has more bars than grocery stores? Uh huh, sign us up. This city is rooted in Midwest tradition and history, but with lots of playful […]

The drive-in restaurant is a dying breed. Born in the mid-twenties following the automobile boom, the drive-up restaurants saw their heyday in the 1950s and ’60s before gradually losing steam to the newfangled drive-thru restaurants. This week on the podcast, we chat with Chris Roepke, third generation owner of Nite Owl Drive-in, an old-school joint […]

ven though spring technically started on March 20, much of Milwaukee decided to wait a few extra days this year before officially saying farewell to winter. An updated answering machine message was a call to action for local burger aficionados and ice cream enthusiasts, as Nite Owl’s voicemail greeting formally announced the beloved business would re-open for its 72nd […]

It’s a sure sign of spring, Milwaukee’s drive-ins are starting to open. I’m joined by Molly Snyder of OnMilwaukee to learn more about a few of them. We’re talking about Night Owl Drive-In. What makes it so special? It is 71 years old this year, owned by one family. We are in the third-generation to […]

This year’s weirdly inclement spring made things feel seasonally, even cosmically, unbalanced. But I’ll tell you what set things right: the reopening of that South Side burger refuge-from-all-that-ails, Nite Owl. Its return is so welcome that each day the place is mobbed and owner Chris Roepke can make only one guarantee – that they open at […]

There’s something special about seasonal fare. Asparagus tastes best during the two to three weeks when it’s fresh and local. Citrus fruits shine brighter in the winter. And the first burger of the spring or summer at Nite Owl is rock-solid proof that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But Nite Owl is about more […]

Milwaukee is a fantastic city. It’s small, approachable, and filled with neighborhoods that have parks with beer gardens in them. I would consider moving there if I wasn’t so scared of Midwestern winters. Despite loving the city, my trip to Milwaukee was brief — I only had 24 hours or less to try burgers, but […]