Coffee is always a priority for me and although I usually drink it at home, finding good coffee shops to work or meet people is just as vital. I remember a time in the 1990s when coffee shops began to appear on the urban landscape. My feelings about them have moved from being indifferent when they first appeared to now finding them an integral part of the city. Lots of people write about the coffee scene better than I will–you can find them online and one of my favorite takes on the Milwaukee coffee scene is Cafecito414. Reddit has a good thread at: Beans and Shops (and lots more threads).
The “big name” shops are here. If you are looking for that familiar drink that you can find in other cities and airports, the drive-thru is waiting for you. For me coffee is something different. I want to stop for it. I want to sit down. I want to be in a pleasant space. I want to be with someone or pause to read, reflect, perhaps work. You may remember that one of the things I liked about Iceland was the coffee culture of sitting down, enjoying the moment and the people you are with, as well as the coffee. If you are like me, Milwaukee is your kind of town.
Drinking at the Source
Knowing that your beans are being roasted in the same building (or just next door) adds to the experience. I’m often struck by that wonderful ground coffee aroma as I walk into one of the roastery locations. At some, like Colectivo, you can hear the roasters and see the process as it unfolds and the roastery is part of the action of the shop. I like the Colectivo on Humboldt because anchors one of Milwaukee’s most creative and close-knit neighborhoods. The Anodyne Coffee Roastery is another favorite. The building has had other lives as a construction general contractor shop and a stage and scenery equipment company and has been redone beautifully.
Using the Built Environment
Most of my favorite spaces haven’t built new buildings that reflect “branded spaces.” They have taken the already built space and adapted it for use as a coffee shop. You might not think much of the Stone Creek Roastery and Coffee Shop until you dig a little deeper. It was designed by a young Daniel Burnham (who knew?) in 1888 and served as a warehouse, radio parts manufacturer, hosiery business, and antique dealer. It’s one of my favorite places to catch a cup of coffee before taking the train to Chicago.
There is nothing like a warm afternoon with cool Lake Michigan breezes on the patio of Colectivo at the Lakefront. This was originally a pump house that moved fresh water into the Milwaukee River from the lake. As needs changed, it sat idle until it was restored and became a coffee shop and lakefront destination in the early 2000s. Sitting out for coffee is a thing here and across the city
Other shops anchor neighborhoods or key locations. Discourse Coffee moved into the 88Nine building in the past year. This location is at the heart of the changing, cooler, and increasingly interesting Milwaukee vibe. The old J.C. Busch building was built in 1953 as a small manufacturing shop. It shares the space with Radio Milwaukee, which supports and hosts local musicians and live performances at Studio Milwaukee. The Vendetta Coffee Bar (what a great name!) has several key locations. Pilcrow Coffee roasts its beans and serves up great coffee in the Brewer’s Hill neighborhood. I have found myself spending more time at La Finca on the South Side.
Small Shops, Big Coffee
Not every great coffee shop has a historic repurposed building. Some are just shops you find along the way—tucked in neighborhoods and along bus routes. Some are simple buildings that hold great coffee and conversations. Others are tucked inside places where people live and work.
Some are on the move as coffee trucks and wagons like Elevate Coffee and Ay Chihuahua.
And sad to say some good places that have gone away including the Riverwest Co-op, Interval Coffee, Fuel Cafe, Coffee Makes You Black, and Coffee Trader.
Coffee and . . .
Coffee after going out to dinner, the theater, or a movie is a common thing, and many of these spots are located near those venues. One of the more pleasing things I’ve noticed recently is the number of Bublr Bike stations located near shops. Milwaukee continues to build a greater bike-friendly infrastructure. Bike access is becoming easier all over the city, and these stations near coffee shops make it easier to take a ride down the Milwaukee River, the lakefront, or through a neighborhood to these hubs.
Maybe that’s why I keep returning to these spots. The slower pace, the warmth of a mug instead of a disposable cup, the easy conversations that happen when you stay awhile. These are the places where Milwaukee feels most human—rooms where people gather, pause, and connect. In a busy world, sitting down for coffee becomes its own small act of paying attention. Below is a non-comprehensive list of “Milwaukee” coffee shops—large and small, historic and new—that offer those kinds of moments. I’ve not been to all of these–so not all of these have been “field tested.” Enjoy!
| Alderaan Coffee | Imperial Coffee Roasters |
| Alterra Coffee | Jas Coffee LLC |
| Anodyne Coffee | Java Experience Ltd |
| Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co | Jim Falk Corp Coffee |
| Avenue Coffeehouse LLC | Kesha Coffee |
| Better Together Cafe | La Finca Coffeehouse |
| Boba Teahouse | Milwaukee Coffee Peddlers LLC |
| Broad Street Coffee Co | Mount Meru Coffee Project Inc |
| Cafe Espresso | Oakland Cafe |
| Canary Coffee Bar | Outwoken Tea LLC |
| Casper Coffee & Vending | Paradise Roastery |
| Charleston Coffee Co | Pilcrow Coffee |
| Coffee House | Qahwah House-Milwaukee |
| Coffee Wizardz LLC | Ralph’s Coffee Bar |
| Colectivo Coffee | Roast Coffee |
| Comet Cafe | Rochambo Coffee & Tea House |
| Cuppa Tosa LLC | Serenitea |
| Daily Grind Coffee | Serenitea Gourmet Bubble Tea |
| Deco Cafe | Sherman Perk Coffee Shop |
| Diaspora Tea & Herb Company, LLC | Stone Creek Coffee |
| Dream Lab | Swaye Tea |
| Elite Boba Mke | T Ec Foods |
| Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea | The Coffee Bean |
| Fava Tea Co | Urbal Tea Cafe |
| Fuel Cafe 5th St. | Valentine Coffee |
| Grace Place Coffee | Vendetta Coffee Bar |
| Hawthorne Coffee Roasters | Vida Coffee |
| Hillside Coffee House LLC | Vitalitea LLC |
Above 63 
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