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Beginning today, Kawa Ramen & Sushi fans can get their fix at Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.
Owner Selina Zheng says that, thanks to a generous offer from the food hall, she has temporarily relocated her restaurant operations to the East Side food hall, where she expects to remain through the end of the year.
The popular restaurant, known for its Hellfire ramen and high quality sushi offerings, can be found in the two stalls left vacant after the departure of Egg & Flour Pasta Bar and E&F Pizzeria.
“We will serve ramen and noodle dishes at one stall and sushi at the other,” says Zheng, noting that they have tried to keep many of the restaurant’s most popular items, including appetizers like gyoza, shumai edamame and haru maki (Japanese spring rolls), along with teriyaki and fried rice. Guests are invited to enjoy the slightly abbreviated menu at the food hall or via carry-out.
The relocation will allow for the demolition and remodeling of the Murray Street restaurant kitchen, which was seriously damaged by an electrical fire on June 7. Although Kawa took the brunt of the impact from the fire, it also impacted nearby businesses including Izzy Hops Swig & Nosh and Tavolino, both of which are currently closed to accommodate smoke damage mitigation.
Zheng says they have made arrangements to accommodate the employees that worked at the East Side restaurant. Some will work at Crossroads, while others have been transferred to either Kawa Japanese Restaurant on Silver Spring Drive or 3rd Street Market Hall Downtown.
“We are very lucky,” she says. “We have worked very hard to ensure that we can continue to pay our employees and give them work. Many have been with us for a long time and we know they have families to support.”
“We are also very grateful to Crossroads for allowing us to continue to operate our business while we remodel our kitchen,” she adds.
Kawa Ramen & Sushi is open at Crossroads Collective Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
