Category: News

The 5 Curbside Carryout Burgers You Need Right Now

The 5 Curbside Carryout Burgers You Need Right Now

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 […]

A surefire sign of spring: Nite Owl Drive-has reopened for the season

A surefire sign of spring: Nite Owl Drive-has reopened for the season

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 […]

How to Completely Dominate a Trip to Milwaukee

How to Completely Dominate a Trip to Milwaukee

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 […]

FoodCrush Podcast: Preserving history at Nite Owl Drive-in

FoodCrush Podcast: Preserving history at Nite Owl Drive-in

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 […]

Mandatory Milwaukee: Nite Owl has been a summer tradition for more than 70 years

Mandatory Milwaukee: Nite Owl has been a summer tradition for more than 70 years

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 […]

Iconic Nite Owl drive-in has interesting quirks

Iconic Nite Owl drive-in has interesting quirks

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 […]

Restaurant Review: Nite Owl is a Burger Refuge

Restaurant Review: Nite Owl is a Burger Refuge

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 […]

On the Burger Trail: Cheeseburger at Nite Owl

On the Burger Trail: Cheeseburger at Nite Owl

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 […]

The Best Burgers in Milwaukee, Ranked by Our National Burger Critic

The Best Burgers in Milwaukee, Ranked by Our National Burger Critic

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 […]