7 Hills to open bistro-style restaurant in Platteville

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — A Dubuque-based brewing company plans to expand its reach further in Platteville with a new eatery.

7 Hills Brewing Co. plans to open a bistro-style restaurant, Beastro Se7en, at 45 N. Second St. The space was previously the home of Gina’s Whiskey Lounge.

“We saw a need in Platteville,” said Mark Hauder, 7 Hills Brewing Co. chief of operations. “We’ve gotten to the point where we can’t even seat everybody in the brew pub for dinner, so there is a need for something like this.”

Beastro Se7en marks 7 Hills’ second location in Platteville. 7 Hills North opened in September 2021, at 92 N. Main St. The brewing company’s Dubuque facility opened in August 2017, and 7 Hills West opened in Dyersville, Iowa, in August.

Hauder said the name of the new location ties into both the restaurant’s menu, which will include smoked meats, as well as the 7 Hills brand and logo.

Work is underway at the new location, which Hauder said officials hope to open sometime this spring.

“Our goal would be to open before graduation (for University of Wisconsin-Platteville on May 13),” he said. “We see good things at the brew pub with crowds around homecoming, graduation.”

Platteville interim City Manager Nicola Maurer said 7 Hills’ liquor license application for Beastro Se7en was approved at a recent Platteville Common Council meeting.

“We’re very excited 7 Hills has chosen Platteville as its location for their first fine dining facility,” Maurer said. “We’ve enjoyed having 7 Hills on Main Street, and we hope they will do well as we do all new businesses in the city.”

Hauder said the bistro initially will be open in the evenings for dinner, though 7 Hills staff are discussing eventually adding lunch hours, as well.

The eatery will seat around 50 to 60 people, with a goal of offering a more intimate setting for smaller groups, Hauder said.

Tony Furlin, 7 Hills’ back of house director, said the menu for Beastro Se7en has not been finalized yet but will include salads, appetizers, protein and pastas.

“It will be a smaller style of menu, not a big multi-page menu,” he said. “… We’re trying to be a happy medium, above the brew pub but not quite white linen, $100 entrees. We’re trying to be that sweet spot in the market.”

Hauder said the eatery also will offer four beers on tap, bottles of craft beer, top-shelf liquor and a selection of wines.

Over the past few holidays, 7 Hills’ brew pubs have offered several dinner options, such as prime rib, to test the bistro’s concept out on customers, Hauder said.

“It’s getting to the point where the menus at the brew pubs are getting too large, so now we can put it on the menu here,” he said. “It’s kind of like you can get a burger and a beer at the pub and then a steak and glass of wine here.”