Tre Rivali

Tre Rivali - “Three Rivals” in Italian - was named to pay homage to the three rival founders of Milwaukee. Dutch East Design provided naming, branding, and interior design services in conjunction with their work on The Journeyman hotel, in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.

This bar and restaurant is conceived as a series of spaces to serve as a three-meal restaurant. By day there is a grab-n-go deli and pantry, which adjoins the lobby of the hotel. Connected to the main bar, this transitions to an active evening social scene. The dining area is broken down into a series of spaces, ending with a wood and marble-clad private dining room.

An open kitchen looks over the main dining room, where diners can observe pizzas coming fresh out of the oven. During summer months dining spills out onto the pedestrian-friendly streets of the neighborhood.

Tre Rivali presents a fresh take on a Mediterranean restaurant - flooring is a combination of a light oak and a patterned tile from Spain. The ceiling is a system of fabric-wrapped panels, deployed to absorb reverberation in a large, busy restaurant. The spaces are punctuated by painted millwork panels, and the bar is an elaborate composition of glazed terracotta wine compartments.