Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Take-out
Vegetarian cafe with small seating area is part of the Riverwest co-op market. Offers sandwiches, smoothies, and baked goods. Food is vegan as standard but dairy can be added upon request. Cozy, non-smoking seating. Take-out only as of Sep 2021. Confirmed closed, July '22.
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733 E Clarke St (at Fratney), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 53212
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- Outdoor seating
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 31 Aug 2022 by lucerne07
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33 Reviews
First Review by ·X·
sydneybroccoli
Points +33
CAFE CLOSED - Edit
The Cafe has closed indefinitely. There are still some limited pre-made options available in the back fridges.
Read moreGuest
nahbud
Points +84
Best Vegan Food from a Vegetarian Place - Edit
Yeah. It’s weird that they aren’t 100% Vegan. However, they make probably the tastiest Vegan Americana food in MKE. They have incredible prices and the staff is incredible. It’s a little gross that they use volunteer labor rather than hiring staff but I can’t see their financials and see why they do it. Their smoothies and biscuits could use some reworking.
Read morePros: Mostly vegan., The food tastes great 95% of the time., Best vegan chocolate chip cookies in MKE.
Cons: No seating, but who cares?
Guest
rkunish
Points +195
Outstanding Breakfast - Edit
They have outstanding breakfast selections. I ate just about the whole menu one morning after driving up from Chicago. Friendly staff too.
Read morePros: Great food, especially the french toast.
Guest
stezeiger
Points +106
Tiny and mighty - Edit
Such a cute little restaurant with a co op attatched! I love going here before concerts. Good portions for the money.
Read morePros: Amazing food, Good service
Cons: Very small
Guest
gdwarner
Points +29
Best place for hippies - Edit
I love this co-op. It's easy to overlook, but if you do, you'll be sorely missing out...
Read moreGuest
Krystina
Points +259
Smallest bestest hippiest place - Edit
This is a tiny co-op grocery store with a tiny cafe inside of it. Their food is amazing, though. You can veganized everything on the menu. I eat here all the time and have never been unhappy. They only have four inside tables (more tables are setup outside when the weather is nice). You order your food at the cafe, they give you a ticket that you pay at the grocery side, then you return that ticket for your food when it's done.
Read moreTip generously because almost everyone in the kitchen is a volunteer! If you want to eat here but the tables are all full, you can get your food to go and walk it down to a nearby bar, the Riverwest Public House, and eat it in there (get a drink there, of course).
Pros: Inexpensive , Inventive dishes, Good quality
Cons: Small
Guest
plantingseeds
Points +478
Great start to the day! - Edit
Old time feel co-op. Simple little sit down area where we enjoyed coffees and waited for breakfast. I had the VLT breakfast sandwich. It was just right, juicy on the inside with tomatoes, Tempeh, spinach, etc. Crunchy grilled bread on the outside. Really good. My partner had a veg scramble with a side of cooked vegetables (which I had to steal), faux sausage patties, flavorful breakfast potatoes, and again with the nicely grilled toast.
Read moreStocked up on some snacks at the adjoining food co-op for our road trip in progress. I was impressed with the interesting selection of vegan options at both the co-op and café.
Guest
BaileyBoyle
Points +28
Delicious and quaint lil hub! - Edit
This spot is absolutely fantastic! All the entrees default to the vegan options which is wonderful! I got the breakfast burrito and a chocolate chip pancake! The burrito was packed and flavorful and the pancake was rich, especially doused in a dab of vegan butter! The staff was super kind and accommodating! Loved my visit!
Read morePros: Options default to vegan, Flavorful and diverse menu, Awesome kitchen and waitstaff
Guest
RavenousRabbit
Points +452
Cute place with tasty food! - Edit
Cool little co-op with an impressive amount of options offered in their cafe. Loved most of what we got. Ordered 4 different things. Would recommend tasting deli sides first... Got one that was super delicious and one that wasn’t so good. Overall great experience and we’ll definitely be back. Staff was friendly and there seemed to be a good amount of regulars there for lunch, who all seemed to know each other, which gave it a fun community, neighborhood vibe. Really appreciate that almost all their cafe ingredients are organic. That’s pretty hard to find. Prices were very fair, especially for organic.
Read morePros: Almost all organic (98%), Good prices, Can pick up other grocery items there
Cons: Small space if you’re dining in
Guest
eveazc
Points +66
Bland Food - Edit
I was excited to eat here due to the food reviews however my experience was not favorable as other comments. I’ve been a vegan all my life and hoped I would like the food. However the Black Bean burrito smelled and tasted like pure cumin. The Phamous Philly didn’t include some of the ingredients listed in the menu such as grilled peppers and the sandwich was not flavorful. My family liked the Bi Bim Bop and TLT Breakfast sandwich in comparison to the other dishes we ordered however overall the taste for all the food was not as good as I hoped. The person taking our food order seemed irritated therefore I felt hesitant to ask questions. We bought drinks at the grocery store and the staff were very nice and very helpful. I would visit the grocery store again however not sure if I will eat the cafe. I try not to write reviews like this because maybe it was an “off” day. So maybe I will try this cafe again to give it another chance since many people loved the food.
Read morePros: Grocery store and cafe connected
Cons: Food bland , Cafe staff not as friendly as grocery store staff
Guest
MeganMcCrindle
Points +167
Soooooo delicious - Edit
This is a little corner co-op with a tiny, amazing cafe! Seriously come hungry because their sandwiches are legit. We had the philly and mock tuna with Mac and trees. So so so good. I can barely zip my pants.
Read moreGuest
SableStrout
Points +1262
Cozy, Small town vibe - Edit
I ate several meals here on a trip to Milwaukee and everything was good... the vegan rancheros, vegan BLT, and great local kombucha. I sat and studied here and the staff was so nice and extremely accommodating of vegans. The store being attached is so nice because you can grab some things you might need before you go!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Knowledgeable/friendly staff, Attached to a natural grocery store
Cons: Could have more seating
Guest
Skyzieboo
Points +3507
Sooooo much food - Edit
We went for breakfast before a four hour drive home and honestly it put us in food comas. The 'half portions' does not mean they are small!! The biscuits and gravy in particular were amazing!!
Read morePros: Yummy food!!, Big portions, Lots of options
Cons: A bit expensive , Not very large
Guest
esther802535
Points +332
favorite restaurant in Milwaukee - Edit
By far my favorite place for vegan food in Milwaukee. It's always incredible with great service. They also have the best coffee.
Read morePros: lots of vegan options , friendly staff , anodyne coffee
Guest
Paigesterrs
Points +39
My Favorite Place in The Entire World - Edit
I'm fairly certain the employees probably recognize me now as the woman who always orders breakfast bagel. I usually order the vegan version of a breakfast muffin on a bagel and Oh. My. God. it is unbelievably good every time. I kid you not, I've probably had this sandwich at least fifteen times so far this year. It's also only $5 which.. what! Really filling, really delicious and really cheap! I don't know why anyone would ever go anywhere else.
Read moreI've had the pancakes and YES. I tried the pancake when I was newly vegan, and I can say with complete certainty that it is the best pancake I've ever had. The pure maple syrup takes it from 'heaven on earth' to 'I've died and gone to heaven'. You can either order one pancake or two. Please trust me when I say that one is enough. One is usually more than I can even eat. Sadly I've only gotten the pancake a couple of times because the sandwich is so delicious, and keeps me full and energized all day. Whereas pure maple syrup has always left me a little cranky. :( Definitely get the pancake at some point, though! Completely worth the crash to try it at least once.
Before I talk more about food I should mention that the restaurant area is fairly small, but there is usually plenty of seating outside. Although, that doesn't help with the colder months, I suppose. The ordering system is also slightly tricky. You order at the cafe, then take your ticket and pay in the grocery store, then take your ticket back to the cafe. It's slightly intimidating at first.
Okay more about food.
The Phamous Philly is delicious. I'm not sure what vegan cheese they use but it's the best vegan cheese I've ever had. My only complain about the Philly is that you don't really get a lot of food for $9. This would be easily solved if it came with french fries!
My sister ordered the Notorious BBQ and I tried a bite of hers. It's simply okay. Slightly boring. I wouldn't ever order it for myself, and I think she agrees that she'd never order it again. Simply because all the other food is delicious.
The VLT is delicious but I am a sucker for any VLTs. The one here reminds me the most of how it was by my mom before we both became vegetarians.
I'm realizing that I should be trying everything they have on the menu. If only everything I've had already wasn't so darn delicious!
ALSO! This is important. If you see the vegan chocolate chip cookies, BUY ONE! They don't always have them made but SO GOOD.
Pros: Amazing Food, Good Bang For Your Buck at Breakfast, Everything
Cons: Slightly Small (but it adds to the charm!) , Ordering System is Slightly Confusing
Guest
JohnGardner
Points +646
Award winning chili! - Edit
Both the cafe and the attached shop are worth a visit. Small and friendly, it has a very neighborhood vibe. The kitchen is TINY, and food comes out slow but it was worth the wait for me. I ordered the tempeh reuben before I noticed their proud display of six or seven "Best Veggie Chili" cook-off awards. The next table over had a lentil dal which they raved about. Flavor Cycle will deliver from here by zero-emission bicycle, one of their riders took an order out while I was there.
Read morePros: Award winning chili
Cons: Slow
Guest
IzabelaRabe
Points +28
This place could use some improvent - Edit
Our food was very tasty, but the service was very slow. It took one hour to get three sandwiches and two drinks. The server checked with us twice during that hour period to make sure she got the order right, which is nice but one would hope she would get it right the first time around since our order were simple menu items. They did offer us a complimentary muffin once we pointed out our wait time.
Read moreGuest
DairyStateVegan
Points +52
Speechless - Edit
Seriously speechless. I went there with a friend for dinner and it was SO good that we went there for breakfast the next day. Every single thing we ordered was exceptionally phenomenally FANTASTIC :D Also, the chocolate chip cookies they have packaged on top of the deli case are the BEST choco chip cookie you will ever eat. Countless vegan options, super unique layout, great parking, and cute market next door. Staff wasn't good, but I care less with food this amazing.
Read morePros: Menu options, Unique layout, Prices
Cons: Unfriendly staff
Guest
gaylef58
Points +72
yummy - Edit
Loved the atmosphere.
Read moreEating vegan can be a challenge, wish there were more of these restaurants around the country. Tried the pancake: dessert for breakfast!
And the co-op fun in healthy food shopping!
Guest
Mpveg
Points +334
diamond in the rough - Edit
A cozy neighborhood store with a cafe in the back. Loved the food and the casual laid back vibe. Shopped a bit at the co-op after brunch-lots of items to choose from for a smaller location. We will be back!!
Read moreGuest
JesseIves
Points +133
Great co-op cafe - Edit
It's always great arriving at a place and seeing a sign in the window apologizing for the price increase (it's still cheap) so that they can pay their workers a more fair wage. They also offer an "all gender" bathroom, don't worry skittish folks, it's 1 toilet in a room. As for the food, we got breakfast and everything was flavorful and delicious. Looking forward to grabbing some lunch fare soon. It is a very small space, but the co-op public house down the road serves their brunch on the weekends.
Read morePros: co-op, fare wages, good food
Cons: small space, minimal menu
Guest
ToddLeech
Points +17
Vegan - Edit
This is a totally biased review but I think this is one of the most honest restaurants I've ever worked for. Grills that have never touched meat, cookware that has never touched meat - a true vegetarian kitchen. Local farms supported from the large CSA farm I work for to small neighborhood non-profit operations. And everything is affordable and tastes great.
Read morePros: Vegan, Local, Honest
Cons: Small
Guest
KatieB
Points +449
Disappointing, Vegans double-check food! - Edit
So, I took my mother here for a late mother's day lunch, but the food and service were both greatly lacking. We ordered vegan versions of the Philly and Tuno sandwiches, and got the potato soup as a side. The soup came first, but it was badly burned and tasted like charred cast-iron. The sandwiches came after a long wait, and the first few bites were great until I realized we had been served dairy cheese. We alerted the chef, who came out and used his bare hands to pull apart our sandwiches to check the cheese. He declared that mine was real cheese, but my mother's was vegan. She asked him to please make sure, and he then told us that both were dairy. It's upsetting enough that we were served dairy when we specified we wanted the vegan cheese, but they are very lucky that we didn't have a dairy allergy. He made new sandwiches for us, but neither were crispy like the first had been, and the Philly had a lot less veggies on it. They played loud music (with a little screaming) that I would have been fine with, but made my mother really uncomfortable, mostly because of the volume. It was about 1pm, so not evening. During our meal, someone also started vacuuming the floor, which was really loud and made it difficult for us to talk. I will likely give them another chance at some point (I really want to support Veg restaurants) but I was very, very disappointed with this visit. I would have given this a 1-rating, but the minimum rating allowed for a vegetarian restaurant is 2.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Thursday May 16, 2013
Edit: The manager did reach out to me after my review, which was very encouraging. I would give them another try if I was in the area.
ToddLeech
Thanks for the input Katie, all of the issues you mentioned have been addressed and I hope you'll give us another shot.
Read moreAll items in the cafe are now made vegan by default unless dairy cheese is requested. Our staff has seen your complaints and will not make the same mistakes again.
Guest
ShidahB
Points +13
Love it!!! - Edit
Great food, great portions, great service!!!
Read moreGuest
tauberl
Points +472
One of the best - Edit
I absolutely love the Riverwest Coop Cafe. They have amazing sandwiches, soups, sides, brunch items, and the huge chocolate chip cookies are delicious. I've taken many non-veg family and friends here and everyone always enjoys the food. The place itself is a little small, and sometimes the service can be...relaxed (it's often staffed by volunteers in addition to paid staff), but any wait is worth it - the food is that good! I've been to vegan/vegetarian restaurants all over the country, and really do think the food here is some of the best.
Read morePros: Excellent food, Reasonably priced, Good sized portions
Cons: A little small
Guest
steveveg
Points +2276
Casual vegetarian & vegan - Edit
This unpretentious place is beside a co-op grocery store. The food, partly presented in a showcase, was quite good. I had the Phamous Philly made with seitan - it was very filling and tasty. All items could be made vegan.
Read morePros: Any item can be made vegan , casual
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2369
My 500th Happycow Review! Co-op's rule! - Edit
I found myself in Milwaukee on my way to Madison for a wedding. I decided to stay a few days and explore the city at the beginning of summer. Milwaukee is an amazingly beautiful city this time of year. My first stop off the plane was Riverwest Co-op. Being my first time in Milwaukee I was a little nervous about the neighborhood, but quickly realized it was lively and diverse young residential area. The Co-op itself is small, but packs an ample selection of items, frozen and fresh. The cafe has a great selection of vegan items. I'm a oil-free vegan so its really hard to find healthy vegan food where ever I go, but the staff at Riverwest are so kind and understanding! Usually vegan restaurants scoff at me and hang up the phone! Riverwest made me the best sandwich I've had in years! The bread was wonderful and toasted w/o oil. It was actually a menu item, some kind of super veggie sandwich, but we subbed out the fatty bits, went with a spicy mustard for the sauce. I wish I would have ordered two of them I ate it so fast!
Read moreThere is a nice small sitting area with tables to enjoy your food there. Bottom line is that you can't beat Co-ops! I've been finding wonderful Co-ops all over Wisconsin this week!
Pros: great sandwiches, helpful staff, co-op
webmaster
Hooray!!! Thank you Gr8Vegan for all your honest and trustworthy reviews!
Read moreKeep them coming. :o)
Guest
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