A 'third space’ atmosphere at The Gallery Food Hall on Milwaukee's east side

Photos by Kamal Moon

Exterior of The Gallery Food Hall (on left) at 2335 N. Murray Ave., and its owner Kamal Shkoukani holding two flavor versions of Korean corn dogs.

The Gallery Food Hall on Milwaukee’s east side combines a potpourri of food options with an art gallery to make for a unique third space experience. The Third Space theory is defined as “an in-between space where ‘cultural boundaries meet and blur’ allowing people to synthesize elements of different identities and create new, hybrid identities and knowledge.” (Christina Tatham)

Located at 2335 N. Murray Ave with Handala, a prominent national symbol and personification of the Palestinian people, painted on the building, The Gallery Food Hall is a one-stop shop for a late bite to eat, alcohol-free social atmosphere and platform for artistic expression. Owner and chef Kamal Shkoukani takes pride in the establishment’s juxtaposition of his two greatest passions – food and art.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Shkoukani grew up frequently cooking for his family. He is of Palestinian and Puerto Rican heritage, which for him brought many cultural aspects to the kitchen. “Both sides are a very proud people,” he confirms. “With my parents being divorced, my siblings and I had to learn how to cook for ourselves so we definitely developed a palette for more traditional American food, too.”

Menu items at The Gallery Food Hall include Secret Hot Chicken, Moon Burger, Harley’s Chicken and Waffles, Gym Bae and Callate La Boca.

After spending time living in Los Angeles, Shkoukani moved back to Milwaukee after the pandemic hit. He saw that food delivery and online ordering services were thriving given the circumstances, and that gave him an idea. “I started cooking hot chicken out of my house,” Shkoukani says. “I became a big fan of hot chicken when I was in LA but didn’t see anyone really doing it around here. I called it Secret Hot Chicken. This was before Dave’s Hot Chicken came to Milwaukee.”

He moved Secret Hot Chicken into Paper Table Food Co., which got Shkoukani bringing more food options to his operation. “They really took a ghost kitchen approach, where I cooked and they did the rest,” Shkoukani continues.

Dissatisfied with Paper Table’s business model, Skhoukani decided to move from there into his own brick-and-mortar location. He settled on the space of the former Mr. Señor’s restaurant, which has a built-in pickup window, located between Kawa Ramen & Sushi and Paddy’s Pub.

The Gallery Food Hall officially opened in July 2023. “It’s what we call a digital food hall,” Shkoukani describes. “There’s a bunch of different food concepts built into one place.”

Current food options at The Gallery Food Hall are Secret Hot Chicken, Moon Burger, Harley’s Chicken and Waffles, Gym Bae and Callate La Boca. Gym Bae menu serves rice and quinoa bowls along with salads and wraps, and Callate La Boca offers Mexican cuisine like tacos, burritos and nachos.

Artwork is always part of the dining experience at The Gallery Food Hall on Milwaukee’s east side.

“I’ve spent too much time getting ideas from TikTok,” Shkoukani laughs. “When that Flying Dutchman burger was going viral, I threw it on the Moon Burger menu. It can’t hold itself together, but people love it.”

According to Shkoukani, the Secret Hot Chicken tenders are the hall’s most popular item. All meat served is halal. Non-alcoholic beverages and dessert options like ice cream and deep fried novelties are also available.

“Even the corn dogs are halal,” Shkoukani affirms. “You get to try a lot of foods that you probably would not find halal anywhere else.”

There is limited seating in the hall, with benches prominently featured to accommodate the gallery’s ambiance. Shkoukani currently has two full-time employees helping him run the space.

“Even though it’s more of a to-go place, people can place an order and then go check out the art while they wait for their food,” Shkoukani explains. “You see a lot of galleries open and close, but having a kitchen is really what’s made us able to stay open.”

Artist Robert Porter (photo on left) showing his work and the woman (photo on right) who purchased his artwork.

As a third space, The Gallery Food Hall establishes itself as an ideal neighborhood hangout. “There’s a videographer guy who does all his meetings in the hall, and there’s people who come and bring their art supplies to just work on projects,” Shkoukani mentions. “We usually have the coffee pot going too so people can always help themselves.”

He likes having his space on the east side because of the neighborhood’s walkability and hip, burgeoning culture, adding, “It’s very much how I want to be living.”

Shkoukani tries to be more hands-off with events in order to give featured artists as much creative control as possible. “Typically we just take 30% if the artist is charging at the door, but if they’re doing the event for free then they don’t have to give us anything,” he notes.

The gallery’s first show, titled “Chain Reactions: A Symphony of Cause and Effect,” debuted when the place officially opened. It featured four artists: Robert Porter, Francisco Dominguez, Taylor Katzman and Kyle Kaufman.

Artist Kyle Kaufman will be hosting his own show on September 1 at the Gallery Food Hall.

Then in January they hosted “For Palestine! For Humanity! Raising Awareness Through Art” featuring artists Amal Azzam and Liala Amin, who donated all the proceeds from sold pieces to Gaza relief. “The turnout was amazing for that one,” Shkoukani reflects. “They raised and donated a lot of money, and it was cool just to be able to have the space and be a part of it.”

The “For Palestine” workshop series, hosted by Bint Jamila’s Table, has been held at The Gallery Food Hall as well. “I first met Muna when she did a food table at Amal and Liala’s show,” Shkoukani recalls. “She did a dinner and a couple cooking courses. I like having a couple workshops planned that make sense with the theme of the art show.”

Other events the gallery has held include guided paint sessions and a “Kool-Aid and Frozen Pizza” show featuring nostalgic-themed art. Proposal forms for events can be filled out here.

Bint Jamila’s Table’s sold out “For Palestine Cooking Workshop Series” in March was a three hour workshop hosted by The Gallery.

The gallery is currently rolling out an artist-in-residence model where different individual artists will showcase their work. Kyle Kaufman is slated to be the first such artist, showcasing his art starting Sept 1.

Skhoukani also wants to start doing more three or four-course ticketed dinner events at The Gallery Food Hall. “It’d be cool to offer a full banquet experience where people could come and chill out,” he says. “The way Muna did it really inspired me.”

Open calls for artists will continue to be announced on The Gallery Food Hall’s social media. Follow them on Instagram @thegalleryfoodhall.

“This whole thing has honestly been a story of struggle and survival and just working with what you’ve got,” Skhoukani concludes. “But it’s been a vibe.”

The Gallery Food Hall is open Monday through Wednesday from 4pm to 3am, and Thursday through Sunday from 8am to 3am with in person or online ordering available.