We’re feeling all the burger love over here at Milwaukee Magazine. Nite Owl – the seasonal, South Side drive-in (830 E. Layton Ave.) – is back to flipping and frying burgers! They officially put the grill to work for the first time this year on Tuesday, March 25, kicking off their 77th year in business since opening in 1948.
And they were all secretive about it.
“People didn’t know, and we were still crazy [busy],” says owner Chris Roepke of their first day back. Back to tradition. Chris’ dad, John, is still in the kitchen cooking at the fine age of 85. He has been at his post since 1955, adds Chris.
Nite Owl’s hours are the same as they’ve been in previous years – Tuesdays-Saturdays, from 11 a.m. until they sell out. (They sell out because they get a finite amount of ground beef each day for their hand-made burgers and when it’s gone, they close.) Sometimes that’s as early as 1 or 2 in the afternoon.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Also crazy: It’s already been five years since Nite Owl’s double cheeseburger won our Burger Bracket. Might be time for another bracket!
If you’ve never been, the menu is very straightforward: burgers, a hot dog, chicken sandwich and fish sandwich, plus fries, onion rings and ice cream (shakes, malts, floats and sundaes).
Come prepared! The restaurant is cash only.
