When career bartender Jeff Kinder was pondering the kind of business he wanted to own and operate himself, his ideas didn’t fit the standard tavern mold. For one thing, Kinder wanted a place where someone who works into the wee hours, as bartenders do, could still get a breakfast sandwich.
He drinks a lot of coffee, he says, so he wanted to have that, too. In the end, Kinder’s 6-month-old, eclectically charming Haven Cafe is, he says, “like your living room when you don’t want to go home yet.” Here’s a closer look at four recent-ish examples of the third space redefined:
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
SereniTea Lounge
2569 N. DOWNER AVE.
On an early fall Friday afternoon, the wind brought in a gaggle of preteen girls for boba tea, which they slurped while sharing gossip at the modern cocktail lounge-like bar. The teahouse serves many flavors of fruit tea and milk tea, smoothies and ice cream drinks. I ordered a pot of hot Earl Grey and sat at a table next to the window, watching the steady foot traffic on Downer, a few doors north of Boswell Books. The ambiance seems more sophisticated at cocktail hour, when I trade the tea for a crisp, refreshing herbal gimlet. SereniTea makes classics (Manhattan, negroni) and modern twists (hibiscus Cosmo) and offers wine and sake, too. Mon-Sat 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Station 1846
215 W. BRUCE ST.
Named for the year Milwaukee was founded, year-old Station 1846 bills itself as a coworking space and happy hour destination in a converted mechanic’s garage. Owner Meghan Miles, who uses the space as an HQ for her City Tours MKE business, softened the warehouse bones with plush furniture, plants and warm lighting. The garage doors can open for an indoor/outdoor vibe. The salted maple latte is lovely, and I recommend the spicy margarita. The small menu includes charcuterie boards, pizza and Milwaukee Pretzel Company soft pretzels. And oh, yes, happy hour deals. Mon-Tues noon-10 p.m.; Wed-Thurs, Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m.-1 a.m.
Haven Cafe
1201 N. VAN BUREN ST.
“Welcoming, all-day entertainment” is the motto of this bar-meets-cafe-meets-sandwich shop-meets-general place to hang out. You have to pass the cafe counter – where big cookies, hot mochas, hash brown patties and pastrami hoagies all tempt the waistline – and a bunch of long communal worktables in the airy main room to get to the cocktail bar. Owner Jeff Kinder is likely to be the person manning it, and most of his specialty cocktails can be made nonalcoholic or with 5 milligrams of THC instead of a spirit. Kinder is slowly opening up this space to more things, starting with DJ dance parties and a vinyl brunch. Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-midnight; Sat 9 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sun 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
Virtue Coffee & Valor Wine
1234 MILWAUKEE AVE., SOUTH MILWAUKEE
With its old tin ceiling, this coffeehouse-wine bar-casual restaurant feels refined and historic. Since opening in May, it’s become a meeting place for South Milwaukeeans to get their morning latte or hot Rishi tea. Virtue serves breakfast all day (good bacon and spinach quiche) and salads, flatbreads, sandwiches and pot pies for lunch and dinner. The Valor side of the business centers on winery “pop-ups” – spotlighting a different Midwest maker for a few months at a time. Recently featured were the reds, whites and rosés from Door 44 out of Door County. Mon-Wed 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thurs-Sat 7-10 p.m.; Sun 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
