SoLo Pizza and Black Rose Irish Pub

By Cynthia Sommer

The name and entrance have changed but not the wood-fired pizza.  Many neighbors remember the Oakland Trattoria before it was split a couple of years ago into SoLo Pizza (2856 N. Oakland Ave) and the Black Rose Irish pub.  The name SoLo comes from its location south (So) of Locust (Lo), even though it is only by a few yards south of this main intersection; to complement the name change they have added a small size pizza called the SoLo.  Remodeling includes the addition of a vibrant mosaic of “flames” over the main entrance that flows to a view of wood-fired ovens for pizza; the interior design changes followed this theme with hand-crafted mosaic art on the walls.  The south half of the former Trattoria was transformed into the Black Rose Irish Pub, one of three Irish pubs (Harps, Trinity) run by the owner, R.C. Schmidt.  The two next-door restaurants share the same kitchen so diners in the area can choose from thin crust California style pizza to Irish Pub bar food.

SoLo is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week (M-F, 11am-11pm; Sat, Sun, 10am-11pm) and has recently added a brunch on weekends from 10 am-3 pm.  The menu offers appetizers (e.g., Italian nachos, bruschetta), soup and salads (e.g., goat cheese, pine nut and sundried tomato salad), sandwiches (e.g., parmesan chicken), various pastas and of course, thin crust wood fired pizza. You can choose from a variety of pizzas ($5.95 – $16.95) or you can build your own pizza with various choices of meats (9 choices; e.g., pepperoni, prosciutto, anchovies); vegies (13), cheeses (6 choices; e.g., Gouda, goat, gorgonzola) and extras (10).  To attract the university clientele, they have added a UWM Pizza of the month special. The wine list includes about 25 wines and taps of several regional and national beers.

Their weekend brunch ($4.95 – $8.95) offers breakfast classics, (e.g., eggs, French toast, fruit plate), skillets (e.g., Mediterranean, Margherita), build your own pizza omelet and some specialty dishes (e.g. stuffed French toast, breakfast burrito).  Dine-in, carry out and delivery options are available.  The facility is handicap accessible and has been upgraded with Wi-Fi.

You might have recently seen that SoLo has built on its reputation as a Milwaukee food establishment by its recent venue at Summerfest.  Check out SoLo as another great neighborhood option for lunch, dinner or weekend brunch. For more information visit www.solopizzamilwaukee.com or on twitter use SOLOPIZZAMKE.