Hangout MKE Café & Lounge Co. (1819 N. Farwell Ave.)
Hangout MKE Café and Lounge (1819 N. Farwell Ave.), one of Milwaukee’s newest cafés, peeks above the sidewalk. Once down the steps at the entrance, the lounge reveals itself as an industrial-looking room with gray concrete floors and white walls. There are splashes of color in the form of bright orange and purple chairs, a teal carpet and one green-stained wooden wall.
Lights in glass globes hang over a sizeable bar, showing off the Hangout’s formidable drink menu, with virtually every type of coffee you could think of. There are of course ordinary items like espressos and cappuccinos, but specialty drinks like a peanut butter cup mochas or blended snickerdoodle lattes abound. All the specialty drinks are layered high with thick rich piles of whipped cream and special treats and sauces, like delicious spirals of buttery caramel, cinnamon sticks and salty pretzels, all artfully displayed in clear glass cups and mugs. Along with this, the café has a build your own s'more bar that the staff will toast for you, as well as breakfast essentials like egg sausage sandwiched between your choice of bagel or English muffin.
On a recent visit, a bluegrass folk duo climbed on the stage and started strumming some classic tunes on banjos and mandolins. More customers started to file in, as the sun went down, and took seats around the various tables and on black couches. Point being: choosing a drink or dessert from the versatile menu isn’t the only thing to do at the Hangout. Next to the bar are shelves filled to the brim with all manner of board games, with everything from Monopoly to Exploding Kittens. Along with foosball and ping-pong tables, the café also boasts a number of jumbo premium games like a giant pool table more akin to soccer, a massive Scrabble game covering a part of the wall and more. After the band took a break, a banjo player from the audience asked one of the musicians if he could join in after plucking a few notes; before long, he was up on the stage, almost if he was just late to the gig, and the music continued.
