New steakhouse coming to old Rumpus Room space in downtown Milwaukee

After teasing last June that something new would be coming to its former Rumpus Room space in downtown Milwaukee, The Bartolotta Restaurants is ready to reveal what it will be. 

High Stakes by Bartolotta, a European-inspired steakhouse, is expected to open in summer 2026 at 1030 N. Water St. in downtown Milwaukee. 

“I am excited to bring this space back to life for Milwaukee and our visitors as an all-new Bartolotta restaurant,” The Bartolotta Restaurants owner and co-founder Paul Bartolotta said in a news release. “High Stakes by Bartolotta will be unlike anything The Bartolotta Restaurants has done before, serving as a stylish and energetic destination in downtown Milwaukee for fine dining, incredible cocktails and social gatherings, and an intimate private dining room.” 

For the project, The Bartolotta Restaurants has partnered with designer Jay Franke of Jay Franke Design, who most recently led the design behind The Commodore – A Bartolotta Restaurant, which opened in summer 2024 in the former space of the Seven Seas restaurant on Nagawicka Lake in Hartland. For his work there, Franke earned a nomination for the 21st Annual Hospitality Design Project Awards in 2025. 

For High Stakes by Bartolotta, Franke’s design will channel glamour of the lounges and social clubs of London, pulling in influences and extravagance from the 1930s Art Deco design movement.  

“From the design and culinary approach to the overall energy of the space, every detail has been carefully curated to deliver an elevated steakhouse experience that feels both timeless and distinctly modern, further reinforcing our commitment to exceptional hospitality in the heart of Milwaukee,” Bartolotta said in the release. 

The restaurant’s concept was inspired by Bartolotta’s apprenticeship in Europe, recent travels to London, and his tenure leading the restaurant at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Expect high glamour, a refined menu of upscale steakhouse fare and The Bartolotta Restaurants’ signature fine-dining hospitality. 

On its website, High Stakes by Bartolotta promises to bring “the art of theatrics back to dining,” offering an immersive experience throughout each guest’s visit. 

Guests can dine in the traditional dining room or slip away to the restaurant’s Peacock Lounge for cocktails, light bites, lively music and socializing at any time, whether formally dining at the restaurant or just dropping in. 

Reopening a space in downtown Milwaukee is Bartolotta’s way of committing to Milwaukee’s growth and revitalization of its downtown area.  

The restaurant group operated the Rumpus Room in the same space from 2011 to 2020 and never reopened it after it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The English-style gastropub was named after Paul and late-brother Joe Bartolotta’s father’s tavern, which operated in the 1950s and ‘60s at North 29th Street and West North Avenue. 

“For over three decades, The Bartolotta Restaurants has grown alongside Milwaukee,” Bartolotta said in the release. “We are proud to work hand-in-hand with community leaders as part of downtown’s resurgence and are honored to contribute to the vitality of Water Street. High Stakes by Bartolotta is a symbol of The Bartolotta Restaurants doubling down on Milwaukee – we are creating a new experience that will be the place to see and be seen in downtown, and adds to the growing energy of this important neighborhood.” 

High Stakes by Bartolotta will offer another pre- and post-show dining option for Milwaukee theatergoers. It’s located directly across from the Marcus Performing Arts Theater at 929 N. Water St. The new restaurant also will sit squarely in what is now known as the Milwaukee Theater District, a marketing effort launched in 2022 to draw more visitors to surrounding performing arts venues including the Marcus, Miller High Life Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Pabst Theater.

A menu has not been released. More details will be released in the coming months. 

This story was updated to correct the restaurant’s opening timeline.