Photo courtesy of Haven Café
Haven Café
Haven Café
A coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night, Haven Cafe is situated at 1201 N. Van Buren St. Opened in May, the establishment joins the bustling culture of Milwaukee’s Lower East Side, situated between Milwaukee School of Engineering and Brady Street. Whether you are getting work done with a cup of coffee or grabbing some evening food and cocktails, Haven Cafe provides an ideal atmosphere all day long, open Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to midnight, Friday 7 a.m. to 1 a.m, Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to midnight.
Photo courtesy of Haven Café
Breakfast - Haven Café
Hashbrowns, coffee and a breakfast sandwich at Haven Café
On the menu, Haven Cafe offers a myriad of traditional coffee and tea drinks including seasonal options, made with Stone Creek Coffee. Customizable breakfast sandwiches in addition to giant cookies, banana bread and yogurt parfaits are served for breakfast, some of which are sourced from Midwest Sad and Bakehouse 23. Soups, bowls and sandwiches are available for lunch and dinner, with hoagie cubanos, chihuahua cheese quesadillas and peach goat cheese bowls being just a few offerings.
At the bar, manager Cameron McKenzie oversees the cafe’s cocktail menu, which features spirit-free as well as THC-infused options. Current favorites include the Heat Mirage, a hot beverage consisting of tequila, raspberry, lime, grapefruit and salt, as well as the Milwaukee Slide, a concoction of vodka, cold brew, dark rum, rye whiskey, coffee liqueur and Amaro Siciliano. All fruit syrups are made in-house, with some ingredients brought in from Bittercube. Tap and domestic beers plus a few wines are available too.
Coffee at 7 P.M.?
Owner Jeff Kinder had previously worked between Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, The Estate and At Random for a decade. When he decided he wanted to open his own place, Kinder envisioned somewhere people could spend all day at. “Most of my bar hangs are pretty cocktail heavy, but they’re neighborhood spots as well,” he says. “Places these days try to pinpoint peak hours to push people through their specific experience, but here, there’s no server telling you that you have to get up from a table.”
Kinder observes that younger generations do not drink like older generations do. “That’s why I wanted to do the coffee side of things as well, because you can’t get a cup of coffee after 7 p.m., it seems.”
When he acquired the newly constructed building, Kinder appreciated its large windows bringing in lots of natural light. He populated the space with plants, hanging pendant lights and comfortable seating, adorning it with a color scheme of green, yellow and burnt orange. Large tables in the center of Haven Cafe can easily accommodate group gatherings, while an area off to the side has couches and coffee tables, giving a cozy living-room feel. There is also the bar in the back and outdoor seating up front, so customers have many choices of ambiance.
“I wanted a brighter and colorful space because I was so used to being in such dark environments for a long time,” Kinder says. Beyond its day-to-day operations, Haven Cafe is available for catering as well as private parties.
Haven Cafe hosts special events week by week like crafting and board game nights, food pop-ups, DJ nights, clothing swaps and live music. Throughout the month, karaoke hosted by Kristaleen Hernandez is every first and third Tuesday, comedy open mics hosted by Thomas Francis are every second and fourth Tuesday, and opera with Julianne Perkins is every third Tuesday (preceding karaoke).
