The Pan-Asia Supermarket that opened last summer has its pros and cons. On the pro side, it’s one-stop shopping if you want to make pad thai, bibimbap, kung pao beef, chicken tikka masala, Persian rice and falafel, sushi rolls and spring rolls.
Maybe you want to fill a shopping cart with different kinds of noodles, sweet and salty snacks, non-mainstream produce, spices, sauces and condiments. Looking for live shellfish and eel? Want some made-to-order pho, or a boba tea and poke bowl for the road? All are inside this 36,000-square-foot former Kmart. But the store’s size can also be a con.
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It’s a lot to process, and even as well-organized as it is, it isn’t easy to find what you’re looking for. (I struggled to find coconut milk.) There’s also the inevitable comparison to the beloved Asian mini shopping village known as H Mart, with its nearest location in Glenview, Illinois.
It’s no H Mart, but that’s OK. Pan-Asia offers access to foods that many in our community struggle to find, all under one roof. I’ve learned a valuable lesson on my visits: If you see shoppers beelining to something, go after them. That’s how I discovered the store’s fresh-baked sweet rolls – soft, tender pillows with scrumptious names like sugar butter buns! Hours: Sun-Thurs 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri-Sat 9 a.m.-8:30 p.m. 6910 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis.
“We’ve watched our customers grow up, raise families and celebrate milestones. We’ve witnessed all that over the counter. It’s like a little family here, [but] we’re ready for a break.”
— Cathy Anderson, Co-Owner of Martino’s Hot Dog Joint, on the closure of the Layton Avenue landmark.
The doner kebab is – at least in these parts – well, what is it? A sandwich of seasoned spit-roasted meat cupped inside flatbread with lots of onions, crisp shredded lettuce and tomato – and a sauce! Creamy mayo-yogurt with a thinnish consistency and lots of garlic. It sounds like a gyro or shawarma.
It is, a bit: Doner (rhymes with loaner) comes from the Turkish word for turning. Seasoned, marinated meat slow-cooks on a vertical rotisserie. Once it’s shaved thinly off, that tender, slightly charred meat (lamb, beef, chicken) meets its final destination of a sandwich, bowl or what have you. At the new Milwaukee location of the 2-year-old Hartford shop Doner Kebab, it’s the star of a fresh-baked flatbread show with onions, red cabbage, lettuce, tomato and optional cheese. Order extra sauce, don’t skip the zippy, crisp fries, and thank me later. 138 E. Capitol Dr.
A new Mexican brunch spot called Axolotl Café (3001 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) is serving chilaquiles with birria in a Bay View storefront that’s had a revolving door of tenants since Pastiche French bistro moved out in 2016. • In its third season, Gene’s Supper Club – the winter pop-up inside Barnacle Bud’s (1955 S. Hilbert St.) – is serving relish trays, rib-eyes and ice cream drinks through the end of January. • Chicken wings with 13 different sauces are the hook at Legend Larry’s, a Wisconsin chain whose first Milwaukee location (1716 N. Arlington Pl.) will open early this year in the former Balzac Wine Bar. • Control Freak Coffee, a new brand from the Stone Creek people, is offering roasts with customizable caffeine levels. • Also operating a space in 3rd St. Market Hall and a pick-up spot in Brown Deer, Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ is debuting its first stand-alone restaurant in the old Izzy Hops at 2311 N. Murray Ave. The opening was slated for late 2025.
