Photo Courtesy of Sandy Reitman
Grebe's Bakery
Any true Milwaukeean has heard of Grebe’s Bakery, but have you ever been to an actual family-owned shop? While I’ve made mention of the ever-growing West Allis restaurant scene, Grebe’s at 5212 W Lincoln Ave is what we call an OG of the neighborhood.
Established in 1937, founder Irene Grebe’s mission was “to bake like the housewife” for the locals in order to provide for her household after her husband was paralyzed. Now on its fourth generation as a family business, Grebe’s has been through many iterations since it all began in Irene’s kitchen. Today, you can find Grebe’s Bakery goods in many local grocery stores and at the Wisconsin State Fair.
While I have my endless lists of places I need to check out in Milwaukee, this one came about in a simple Google Maps search. The website mentioned they have breakfast and lunch food beyond their well-known baked goods, so I wanted to see what was up. Sure enough, there were ready-made breakfast sandwiches for anyone in a hurry, then a made-to-order deli counter with choices of housemade breads, Boar’s Head cheese and meats, and whatever toppings of your liking. And there are two options of soups, some chips, and refrigerated mayonnaise-based salads all of them ready to go.
Turkey Test
Obviously, I had to do my turkey sandwich test and it’s quite possibly the best deli counter sandwich I’ve had since Groppi’s stopped doing theirs. But it’s important to note that they offer hot and cold ham and rolls everyday they’re open (which excludes Mondays). I certainly wasn’t the only person inside ordering a quick and reliably good lunch on my break.
There’s nowhere to sit inside so this is a to-go mission only. And I couldn’t pass up the famous Grebe’s cruller, a pink sprinkle donut, and a Christmas cookie on my way out. The glass cases are filled with dozens of donut and cookie choices, some showing a bit of the holiday spirit. In the tradition of keeping it local, they also offer Ope! Brewing beers, Kemps milk products, Klement’s sausages, and Badger Ham in the refrigerators. Oh, and already made cakes ready for personalization are on display.
I’d imagine the lunch crowd is nothing compared to the breakfast scene, which serves Valentine Coffee alongside their made-fresh-daily baked goods. Like any good shop post-Covid there’s plenty of merch on sale to show your Grebe’s pride. But mostly, the counter was lining up with big to-go orders likely for surrounding businesses.
The best part of a local spot like this is the appreciation for the old way of doing things – beautiful neon signs, friendly customer service, wax paper bags for the sweets, and prices that can’t be beat in today’s inflation. Grebe’s Bakery is a real Milwaukee treat, no matter where you might be picking it up.
