Café At the Plaza

Really cool place but the food is not up to the level it should be. The menu is quite interesting but after three visits for breakfast, the food served was luke warm and just flat on the flavor chart. My impression is that the menu is too wide for a kitchen that has limited space. Maybe lunch is better. All that said, the dining room is fabulous and I will check in from time to time to see if the head chef has made changes that reflect the reality of the kitchen that is there.

The food was okay… there were some interesting choices and the flavor didn’t disappoint. They get a plus for the baby Miller chaser with the bloody Mary. Waitstaff was the only downfall but low they did fall. There was a lot of staff – it looked like our waiter had 4 tables. Had to ask for coffee refills, minimal interaction. Super quick with the check.

I finally decided to try Café at the Plaza for Sunday brunch and it is now one of my favorite brunch places in town. The friendly waitstaff greeted with smiles from the hostess stand to the waiter at my seat.
I was seated at the bar with a great view of the kitchen, my mouth watering watching every plate that came out prepared looking better than the last. The production in the kitchen was pretty organized and everything was kept nice and tidy (perks of sitting practically in the kitchen-​you can see how the staff actually works).
I stared with the blueberry muffin of the day, which was perfect in all ways! It was sweet, with a nice crispy crumbly topping. I would highly recommend this as a starting treat, and it’s large enough to share. Next I had the breakfast burrito which was pretty good. It was a bit greasy, but that’s expected from the chorizo.
The order for a couple next to me got lost in translation so I overheard the waiter say that the particular order was on the house and they also were offered a muffin to share while they waited for their meal. I thought this was a nice gesture. A gentleman sat next to me at the bar and his food arrived before mine, so he jokingly made a comment to the waiter about why mine was taking so long, so my waiter apologized profusely and took the muffin off my bill, which I also thought was nice and totally unnecessary. Definitely a good gesture from the waitstaff who treat their customers right, but considering 2 incidents happened within an hour of each other makes me think they might have some ordering/​organization issues behind the scenes.
The waiters still took good care of their customers and the food was pretty tasty so I’d definitely recommend the Café for brunch.

Amazing Breakfast!
Friendly staff, great quality, good coffee and awesome setting whether you’re at the counter, out on the patio or in the main dining area.
Brunch drinks and great beer selection too.
Will definitely be back.

Café at the Plaza will surprise you with its elegance and cuisine. I was skeptical at first and reluctant to jump on the bandwagon. First impressions are everything here because it will hit you in the face with a 20s flapper style that is eye-​popping all around. I love the décor and it happens to be a favorite of my girlfriend as well.
One thing that I think will absolutely set us over the top is the patio. Just looking at the pictures makes me so envious of all that have enjoyed it for brunch. My initial fear after reading various reviews led me back to service. This was a non-​issue and service remained on point the entire time we were dining. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Benedict which ended up being OK. There was minimal if any smoked flavor to the salmon but I was cooked well and had a very nice salmon flavor. Overall, it was a pretty good meal but not exactly what I expected at the end of the day. For the significant other she tends to stick to classic eggs, hash browns, and her fix of pancakes. I think the only real complaint here is the level of grease used on the browns and eggs. Browns are nice and crispy on the outside and a little to greasy on the inside.
This will be a revisit for sure because of the patio that is calling my name and food that may have gotten a little away from the cook. I think this can be an easy 5 stars with a good experience coming this summer. More to come!!!

Good meal, good service, fine location. I had a basic 2 egg breakfast which was well prepared and tasty if a little priced. The coffee was strong and the bread was fresh. The menu offered a fine variety of dishes, standard unique. I would go again and recommend it to others.

My wife and I have been to café at the plaza at least 5 times together in the past year. It is one of our favorite places to go for breakfast, and they normally do a great job. We went to Mass with my parents downtown and wanted to go to brunch afterwards — knowing that Café at the Plaza is typically extremely busy, and that it was prime time for brunch (10:30am Sunday morning), we knew we would have to likely wait.
I tried to call ahead to see if we could put our name in. A man answered and I asked him for the wait time for a group of 5. He was extremely courteous and said he would check with the hostess — he shared it would be roughly 45 minutes to an hour, which we expected. He said he’d put my name on the list and to show up as soon as we could. We would have gone to Simple Café instead if I was unable to put our name in, since it is closer to our apartment, and would have a shorter wait.
When we arrived 20 minutes later, I confirmed with the hostess that she had my name on the list. She glared at me and said «we don’t take reservations, so no, I don’t have your name.» I explained that I had literally just gotten off the phone with a young man who assured me I was able to put my name on the list, and that the only reason we came was because of that. She scoffed at me and glared like I was an idiot.
I should pause and say this: I understand there are long wait times on Sundays, and was well prepared to accept a simple «oh my gosh, so sorry, yeah not sure who you talked with! You’ll probably still have a 45 minute wait but we’ll try to turn a table over quickly for you guys. Can I get you any coffee while you wait?»
…you know, literally the thing I’m sure a hostess is paid to do in a situation like that…
What I got instead was an eye roll, a scoff, and a horrible attitude like I somehow should have known better. Listen, I’m not at fault for being told I could put my name on a list, and a simple friendly smile and apology would have made up for it.
So anyways, we had to ask for some cups of coffee 15 minutes later while we waited, since they didn’t offer. While the grumpy hostess got coffee for us, the young man who I’d spoken with on the phone ran up to her and said «oh my gosh, did you get the name of X? They called over an hour ago and I said I’d get their name on the list!» (He didn’t know I was standing in front of him initially). He then said «We’ll comp you those coffees and see if we can put you above on the list» (which is what the hostess should have done)
Again, instead of apologizing or laughing and being friendly, this incredibly rude hostess turned to him and yelled «they are going to have to wait just like everyone else! NO! We don’t do that!» in front of me, and another group of people. He turned to me and apologized.
While still standing there, a group of two came to the front to ask the wait time. The hostess told them «an hour and a half», and then turned to the kitchen guy and said «I’m trying to remove the wait for you guys». No more than 2 minutes later, another group of 2 came up to her and asked about the wait, and she said «For 2? No more than 20 minutes»
I’m sure there was a method to her madness, but honestly, it was just very off putting. The other couples who weren’t a part of our group of 5 who were standing there gave frustrated looks.
We waited patiently for over an hour, and there are multiple groups of 4 who arrived after us who were seated before us. At this point it was clear that the hostess was for some reason holding a grudge against us.
When it was finally time to be seated, she yelled our name across the lobby (she was obese, so I imagine walking across the lobby to get us wasn’t in her repertoire). We got up to her, and she said «the wait is probably still 20 minutes in the dining room, but we have those two tables in the kitchen you can sit now if you want» We elected to do that.
We arrived at the tables, and I asked her «do you want us to put these together?» She looked at me like I was an idiot, and scoffed saying «well yeah, there are 5 of you and this is a table for 4!»
…I should explain the two tables are different sizes, vastly different heights, one had a table cloth, one was just a chrome small table. Like, they didn’t fit.
After trying it her way, we decided that it made no sense for one person to sit at this small table across from us, so we just crowded 5 around a 4 top table. My mom got up to ask her if we could just wait an extra 10 minutes to sit in the dining room, and she told us no at this point.
Once my mom returned to the table, I could see the hostess waving her arms, pointing at our table, scoffing, making fun of us, and complaining to another hostess about us. If I owned the Plaza, I would be embarrassed and appalled at the way she treated us.
The saving grace, as always, were that the food was fantastic and the waitress we had was incredibly sweet and attentive.
She needs to be fired. She is awful

While parking in the area is tough, food and environment were great. We had a group of 8 and they fit us in on Valentine’s Day at around 10am with no problem. Service was responsive. Will go back again.

Milwaukee has some amazing restaurants that fit any appetite and budget. With that, it can be hard to decide on where to go when you want to find that best breakfast spot. I consider myself a foodie, and Café At the Plaza is my absolute FAVORITE spot for breakfasts.
Everything from the menu options, to the décor, and even the outside courtyard, that has the most beautiful ivy crawling up the walls, shows they take the utmost pride in what they do.
The lunches are amazing too, and they even offer dinner service during the summer with live music in the courtyard on the weekends. See their website for more details on that.
If you are looking for that quaint, old country charming atmosphere with the best food around, look no further.

I really struggled with 4 or 5 here.
The food is great. The service is great. It’s a nice little off the radar joint for brunch here in Milwaukee. There is just something missing.
Don’t get me wrong. I go here frequently enough. It’s a great breakfast. From the biscuits and gravy, to the breakfast Burrito to the Poutine everything is quite good. The menu is small to average in size but offers enough diversity for you to mix it up. Always a good thing.
I have interacted with the staff often. The host/​hostesses have been excellent, the waitstaff varies from good to excellent. The price is very reasonable for breakfast. I am not going to add anything that people haven’t covered. Joanna T’s review brought me in and I find it is spot on.
Looking for something different? Check this place out. Fills you up without hurting the wallet

Fabulous and delicious breakfast. They offer classic staples on the menu and a few things with a twist. And the coffee is great!

It was a weekend morning and we wanted breakfast. We had attempted to stop here before for some reason it just didnt work but today it did. Winter parking was quite a pain but I was able to find a spot. We were sat right away even though the place was a little busy.
The waiter was very accommodating and made sure that he came back around a few times without being overbearing. The interior is very old school diner. The actual dining counter is attached to the kitchen in the front of the dining area. The rear dining area reminded me of something like a banquet.
We settled in on pancakes and hash browns and a platter with eggs, french toast and your choice of bacon or sausage. We substituted the bacon for chicken apple-​wood smoked sausage.
Everything came out right away. The food was on point and the prices were as well. I didnt care for the sausage to much. Im not a fan of ground chicken, ground turkey yes but not chicken.
I would come back for sure. I saw some pictures that they have a patio of some sort? I would like to be able to eat here, outside in the summmer as well. I am sure that it is a sight to see.

My friends and I were visiting Milwaukee for the weekend and decided to stop here before walking over to the museum. We were seated at the counter where we could see all the food being made. I loved the old-​school style with tiles everywhere and spinning high chairs.
The menu consisted of typical American breakfast foods, but there were so many options it was hard to decide what to get. Two friends ordered classic eggs breakfast, another ordered a breakfast burrito, and I settled for pumpkin spice pancakes.
I tried a little bit of everyone’s dishes and everything was great! The pumpkin spice pancakes were huge and the streusel topping was a nice touch.
The service here is also amazing. I constantly had my coffee cup refilled. Furthermore, when Aaron took away my pancakes after I said I was done, and my friend later said he would’ve finished them, Aaron was so kind to get him some free pancakes to go. So kind :)

We decided to try this restaurant for a mid week lunch after discovering their delicious food at Unilocal’s 2015 Battle of the Chefs at Best Place.
The café is off the lobby of the main hotel, with no separate entrance. It felt a little odd to walk by the hotel check in desk, but no big deal. They have a neat little vintage diner on one side that is straight out of 1950. There is also a small 15 table dining room for more intimate meals. Very classy.
The menu is largely conventional with a few unique items. But after enjoying some specialty dishes, I’m sure they bring their excellent execution and finish to those conventional dishes. We ordered the breakfast poutine, the flatbread, and mimosas. The poutine. ERMAHGERD. Delicately crisp waffle fries smothered with chorizo sausage gravy, perfectly poached eggs, melty slightly burnt cheese curds, and avocado cream. Gluttonous deliciousness on a platter. Guaranteed 20 minutes of bliss and 5lbs on the belt line. The flatbread was an interesting flavor combination. The sweet of the squash plays well with the salty bite of the prosciutto and the finish of the Brussels sprouts. The only critique was that the prosciutto could be sliced thinner to make it easier to bite.
This place is a hidden little gem that we’ll come back to when in the mood for a decadent taste treat.

Still five star worthy and then some…
CatP still rocks MKE when it comes to brunch, ambiance, and that magical patio…
Plus a remodel and dinner service (check website for availability).
I love this place so so dang much. The food is incredible, the people are super friendly, the vibe is art deco old-​school AND its comfortable and you can’t beat ‘em for brunch. Love!

You know when you see «historic» & «charming» in the write up for a hotel and get there and realize that’s real estate code speak for «kinda run down and creepy»? I mention that because that is NOT how the Plaza hotel is. Its the real deal.
For about ten years I lived across from this lovely little art deco building, and had the pleasure of looking out to see its red and cream brick, gold flourishes, owl statues around the rooftop, and blooming window boxes well into November (one year, anyhow). Oddly, in all my years there, I never managed to traipse across the street and check out the Café at the Plaza. With the Unilocal happy hour, I finally got to experience this space.
The inside is sort of 1920s and 30s art deco (neoclassical borders) meets 1950s luncheonette (there’s a giant lunch counter with seating in the middle.)
We sampled a number of food items here, from delicious little buttery sliders to guacamole & pico de gallo (nice and chunky) to cute little glistening grilled cheese sandwiches topped with a dollop of tomato jam.
For dessert they brought out some delicious brownies and macaroons. Not «le macaron» as in Laduree. These were proper old fashioned coconut macarooooons. Nicely browned, sweet and delicious.
They had a number of wines, cocktails and beers on special for happy hours. I tried a purplish fruity gin cocktail — $ 6 and delicious.
The courtyard always looks enchanting for breakfast, but in the evening, as the sun sets and tiny strings of incandescent bulbs come on, it becomes a magical place.
Its one of those places you might never know is there if you don’t go exploring, but its definitely worth the effort.

I think this place is hit or miss with brunch service. When it’s crowded, the food is a bit rushed and service is slow. When it’s not a rush, the service and food is awesome! Problem is, most people come on weekends for brunch and it is just a madhouse.
So far I’ve had the corned beef hash (just ok), the biscuits and gravy (amazing!!), and the salmon eggs Benedict (amazing!!). I’ve also tried from friends’ plates the omelet (very good!) and the scramble (eh, would give this a miss). The star, however, is the chive hashbrowns. How they are so perfectly cooked I do not know, crispy on the outside and melts in your mouth goodness on the inside.

This place is spectacular. The service can be a little spotty but the food more than makes up for it. If you want to get outside plan on a wait unless you get there before 9 am. They do open at 7 which is early than most breakfast joints in MKE.
Favorites: Lemon Poppy-​seed pancakes w/​Blueberry compote! Also the breakfast poutine made w/​herb café potatoes instead of waffle fries! OMG so Good!
All in all really good spot to go chillax and dine!

It took me nearly two years of living in MKE to find this tucked away spot. What attracted me to this spot was the décor, as it transports you back in time.
I tend to frequent brunch spots in the MKE area with a close friend of mine. Because we tend to share a similar taste in food, we came to a similar conclusion on this spot, reflected below.
We ordered the veggie benedict and the cinnamon roll french toast. While we both enjoyed the flavors of both dishes, there were a few drawbacks. With regards to the veggie benedict, it was misleading to have labeled it a «benedict» as it was not served on an English muffin. Rather, it was served on a bed of seasoned potatoes. While I commend the café for trying to constantly innovate their menu, this was a misleading deviation from standard benedicts one would assume would be served for brunch. Instead, the dish ought to have been titled a «scrambler.» In addition, the egg itself was very poorly prepared and very flimsy.
Common sense would dictate that a kitchen should not serve burnt food EVER. Unfortunately, the bottom of the french toast was burnt. The cream cheese and the glaze were able to mask the burnt flavor, but they were unable to fix the toast’s texture.
That said — both dishes did have excellent flavors. The ingredients of the veggie benedict complemented each other very well; notable ingredients driving the exceptional flavor were the herbs and the tomato jam. I do have to say, I do appreciate the café NOT using a cinnamon roll [itself] as the basis for the french toast. Many brunch spots that I have visited use a standard cinnamon roll as the base of their dish. At this café, the french toast infused all the key flavors of a true cinnamon roll without actually relying on a roll. The magic was in the honey cream cheese and the cinnamon-​cardamom browned butter glaze.
An added bonus to this brunch experience was the outdoor seating. It evoked a very East Coast vibe [without the cost]. The dishes were very appropriately priced.

Café at the Plaza is an under the radar contender for some of the best brunch in the city. It doesn’t have the hipster cachet of Comet, the skyline views of Roots or the ages-​long waits of Blues Egg. So what do they have?
To start — a gorgeous vintage atmosphere. The Plaza hotel was built in the mid-20’s and the original Café was a tearoom for the ladies. There’s lots of original Art Deco charm — think decorative plaster and great tile floors. There’s also a 50’s diner space with counter seating and a lush patio. Sadly, it was drizzling when we visited so we stayed inside.
Second — friendly staff. We were taken care of promptly and checked on by several staffers. The hostess was especially nice.
Third — a great menu. There’s the classics but plenty of creative things if you feel like trying something new. Breakfast schnitzel, anyone?
Most importantly, the food was very good. The Mister couldn’t pass up a breakfast schnitzel and was rewarded with a crispy cutlet served over homemade spaetzle with bacon and onions. He said his eggs could have used some seasoning but really liked everything else. I went with biscuits and gravy which was above average. My over medium eggs were perfect and you could tell that the gravy was homemade — it was chock full of sausage chunks. My nitpicks would be that I would have liked to see the gravy a bit thicker (too runny IMO) and the biscuits were a bit cold as if they’d come from the fridge. The hashbrowns here weren’t my favorite — very crunchy on the outside (almost burnt) but I know others like them that way.
I thought the prices (most dishes in the $ 9 – 12 range) were very fair for the quality. Parking is going to be hit or miss just because of where they’re located — I didn’t see a dedicated lot.
Overall, I was impressed. Café at the Plaza is way more low key than some of the other brunch «hot spots» but they’re turning out creative, tasty dishes. I hear evening small plates are in the works — definitely planning to check that out!

I love this place! Whenever friends are visiting over a weekend this café is often their request for brunch. I especially recommend it during the summer months. They have an absolutely beautiful outdoor courtyard area. The café itself is very unique. You can either sit at the breakfast bar counter and watch food being cooked, or dine in their dining room. The food here does take a bit of time to be prepared but I’ve never had anything I didn’t like. Most recently I had the plaza pleaser with a side of chive hash browns and it was delicious. I once dined here with a friend who ordered a Bloody Mary and felt it was a bit weak. The staff was super friendly about it and promptly made her a new (and stronger) drink. Give it a try, you’ll love it.

Thank you Rachel F…
For making it so I can’t get hash browns anywhere else in Wisconsin.
WHAT THE HELL IS IN THOSE THINGS?
I think the stars just simply aligned to make for pretty much the best breakfast experience I’ve had in a long time, and here’s the thing, I had eggs, hash browns, a toasted muffin and avocado. It wasn’t revolutionary or out of the box! It was series of a la cart items I cobbled together! And they were damn good. I love this little place and can’t wait to return and order an item they actually have on the menu, but until then, I’ll be dreaming about you CATP.

We have been to café on the plaza many, many times, and I cannot believe that I have yet to write a review! So allow me to remedy that situation anon.
My absolute favorite part about Café on the plaza, aside from their stellar and unpretentious yet delicious food, is their open kitchen and the more diner aspect of half of the eatery. You can choose to feel like you’re in a diner or a classyish restaurant — like a Choose Your Own Adventure story, but for brunch.
Everything we order is good. They have great benedicts, which is always a major draw for me. And their service is excellent — the people who work there are just really nice!

Hmmmm I must say both times I have been here service is poor. So slow on the coffee refill. Cold cold muffins. I didn’t even know they had a drink menu since nobody offered?!
So today, Why, why, why would you even serve me black pancakes? See my picture posted. And then you don’t even ask how everything is??? Like charcoal my friend, like charcoal. I ate the one good looking pancake and the server really should have guessed that something was wrong with the rest since I left it. All that happened is I hungry.
On the plus side. My father eats vegan and they give you a really nice portion of oatmeal cooked in water with fruit, nuts.
And the good looking pancake was terrific.

OM NOM NOM.
Café at the Plaza kills it with their brunch game. I wonder why more people don’t talk about this spot, but thats ok, maybe we can keep it our little secret. I love the area it is tucked into, easily accessible downtown without the busy downtown feeling and the building has so much charm. The café is cozy, service was friendly. I love that when you sit at the counter, the kitchen is right in front of you, nothing between you and all of the delicious food and coffee coming to you. Old school diner feel and I loved it. I have a feeling that I will be coming back to this spot at any chance I get. which could get dangerous.
Nothing but newfound love for the Café at the Plaza.

Café at the Plaza is a great little place for breakfast or brunch! I like that they’re open early. We came around 10:00 and only had to wait a few minutes for a table. Parking was easy to find right out front and on Saturdays you don’t have to feed the meter (2 hour limit). There is counter seating and patio seating.
I tried a Bellini and the vegetarian eggs Benedict. They were both great and reasonably priced. The portion size of the dish was perfect. It says it came with a vegetarian substitution for prosciutto but mine didn’t have that, but it’s my own darn fault for not saying anything. I was too busy enjoying the patio and the company of friends. I had a bite of my friends’ truffle eggs and they were really good. I’d come back here again for sure!