A Walker’s Point wine bar that billed itself as a destination for “rule-free” dining has closed. One of the owners of 1033 – located at 1033 S. First St. – had posted an announcement on their Instagram on Monday, July 1 that they would close on July 13 – with plans to “reopen and reconcept” in the future.
On July 3, they added an update: “Closed effective immediately.” It goes on: “Thank you to all who made the efforts to book reservations with us for the last few days of service. Sadly we were unable to accommodate reservations as we no longer have staff to provide the experience.””
Owners Rob Levin and Tony Bisciglia also operate 2A Wine Merchants in the Third Ward. Their menu at 1033 included, among other things, a raw bar and several changing, often unusual small and large plates They’d also recently started serving desserts made by Sam Sandrin of Midwest SAD bakery.
1033’s executive chef, Adam Kemmler, worked at Le Reve Patisserie & Cafe and Lupi & Iris. According to his bio, Kemmler also held an interim position at the renowned Noma in Copenhagen.
The original closing announcement featured a video message from Levin: “We have made the difficult decision to shut the doors as is and reopen and re-concept, in the very near future, as some sort of a wine bar, with simple, approachable cuisine. It’s been an amazing 13 months. We believe in our hearts and souls that in order to have a long-term existence here in the city of Milwaukee and in Walker’s Point, we need to do some reevaluation and change our platform moving forward…. Stay tuned for more details as it pertains to the upcoming platform and our future.”
This story was updated on July 3.
