Fuel Cafe
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
22 Reviews for Fuel Cafe
I was worried I would feel out of place in a restaurant like this, as I'm not into the punk rock or hipster scenes, which is what this restaurant seems to be known for. However, I felt very welcome and enjoyed my time here hanging out with some friends. I tried a hot ham and salami sandwich, and while it was super tasty, the bread got way too crunchy in the oven and hurt my mouth. I'll try the cold option another time, as I would like to go back and try some of their other sandwiches.
This place had a hold on my heart for much of my teenage years (as evidenced by not one, but two hoodies and travel mug with Fuel's logo). I was there all the damn time, spending my money on double mocha's. How I ever slept soundly is a mystery to me.
I liked it at the time because I was into the punky-metal-ish scene and this place was very accommodating to folks like me. Bit by bit it became more...hipster-y. I walked in one day and the two bitches behind the counter made fun of my clothes loud enough for me to hear it as I approached the counter. Uh...thanks, assholes. I didn't go back for a long, long time after that.
I re-visited it early on a Saturday morning a 6+ months ago. The cheerful hippy-ish chick behind the counter made my morning with a coffee and blueberry muffin and nice attitude. Yay! Anyway, I'll go back again whenever I'm in Milwaukee and have the time.
If you ever want to see Milwaukee's largest gathering of dogs wearing bandanas, go to Fuel! Crust punks galore!
As with the Co-op and basically anywhere near Center, you might get spare changed by rich kids pretending to be dirty punk rockers, but don't let that deter you too much. At least I don't get glared at by the staff nowadays.
I used to go here every time I went to Mad Planet's long-dead all-ages night and feel totally cool and with it. Now I just stop in for coffee before work. Sadly, they close a lot earlier than they used to -- seriously, 9 PM? What happened to midnight, Fuel?!
It's a lot more pleasant to go inside since they went non-smoking, but you can still catch a whiff of the old days' L'Eau d'Onions-Smoke-and-Coffee-Grounds on occasion. Coffee is good, strong, and Alterra. Veggie chili is fantastic, always, and their veg*n soups never disappoint. Good sandwich menu and excellent selection of baked goods (bagels, croissants, desserts). Get a Fuel mug and cover it with band stickers for maximum Riverwest cred. If you don't like crust punks, go to Comet.
Fuel is the very best place for Center Street hipster-watching, without a doubt.
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
Cool (1)
I see lots of comments about smoke, but I'm sitting here today and don't see anyone smoking. Maybe it's a new thing and they don't allow it anymore. If they did, I wouldn't be giving them five stars and I sure as hell wouldn't be sitting here chilling right now.
Coffee: Excellent
Food: Huge ass bomb bagels, veggie chili, sandwiches galore
Vibe: Super chill, get the scoop on all the latest happenings around town, I love all of the motorcycle pics
WiFi: Free and fast.
Plugs: YES
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
This is a good coffee shop with really good sandwiches. It is a great place to people watch or just chill out and read a book or sketch. Everything's pretty cheap and its all really good. They also have some random local art and an odd assortment of local zines and weeklies. Good place and definitely a hub for Riverwest.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I usually just go here to get coffee and a Cheap 'n' Easy or day old pastry. Not growing up in Wisconsin, I did not get to spend those important high school and early-twenties years hanging out at Fuel. So I have no "history" with this place.
And I have never been much of a coffee shop hanger-outer in the regular sense.
I don't have a coffee maker now, and while I can make campfire coffee on my stove, I kind of don't have any coffee, either. I just go to Fuel with my [Fuel] mug [oh man I need a new lid, mine is practically held together with duct tape] and get my daily coffee, go on a little walk.
One day they gave me a punch card. Oh, I like punch cards! I have already redeemed one!
However, because I eat like a single person, I have tended to get a lot of sandwiches this summer, since I usually only eat half and save the other half for later. With Fuel having NEW AND EXCITING items on their menu, I have made a point to try a bunch out.
My favorites: The Cheesy Tomato [and sometimes the Buttafucco - both of which were longtime staples here, and still so hard TO NOT ORDER ALL THE TIME!], The Vacon, The BLT w/ apples, cukes and wasabi, The Happy Cow. I still need to sample the Sloppy Salami and I have yet to be starving enough to try the Spaghettini. The chili [weekends only] with everything is an excellent cold weather meal.
I like to use their free wireless sometimes, but the connection is pretty crappy and some days not worth the hassle.
I do like almost always running into someone I know here, and it's good for recovering from a hangover after a big show.
They applied for their liquor license this summer. A full remodel or just adding bier and brunch fancies?
I went there a couple years ago just before they started renovations it was so smoky, But the food was really enjoyed the food. There are alot of interesting people there you can just sit and people watch. Free wifi I am there.
Fuel is kind of a dive (not very clean), but that is part of its appeal. They seem to be sprucing their image up, (now non smoking) which is disappointing for me and especially my smoker boyfriend, but I can't blame them for trying to keep up with the times. The decor is slapdash and cool, and the food is really good. I love the cheesy toasty tomato sub. Delicious! Service is good and fast, despite a sign that proclaims they have "lousy service". The Fuel roast coffee is a special roast from Alterra, and I like it. I usually buy it to brew at home also. It is dark and strong. Free wi fi which is cool for those of you with laptops. Great place to read, hang out, or get a cheap dinner. Make sure to tip your barista! Also I like that they allow bands to flyer their shows. Great way to support the local music scene.
When in Riverwest, I want to go to the Fuel and have chili. Seating outside in good weather. Lots of alternative atmosphere.
I always hit the Fuel Cafe when I'm in Milwaukee. I've been going there for about 11 years. It's definitely one of those laid back bohemian type coffeehouses--no Starbucks here! Coffee is good and strong and their sandwiches are tasty. You can just spend a couple of hours chillin while reading or just watching the colorful people of the Riverwest neighborhood pop in and out.
Just your typical coffee joint with the requisite collection of local weeklies and zines to read whilst getting the all important caffeine injection.
I have to give Fuel three stars though because young Milton worked here--young Milton was the feller who years ago, gave me a baggie of dirt and grass collected from Jeffrey Dahmer's pad.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Good coffee, and lots of second hand smoke. The "samiches" are decent.
It's almost worth moving back to Milwaukee for this place. I don't understand why a place this great hasn't spawned replicants* all over the US.
I'm really surprised there isn't a Fuel 2 in San Francisco. I guess, that's Zeitgeist, only Zeitgeist is a bar.
*Is this testing whether I'm a replicant or a lesbian, Mr. Deckard?
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Really good food, esp the veggie stuff, and good reading material to pass the time, but the drawbacks are as follows: Milwaukee hasn't gotten hip with the smoking ban yet, so I spent a lot of time coughing and stinking later like gross smoke. And there was Petey the Punk, or Hardcore Petey, or whatever he wants to be called, who annoyed us for hours. Nice enough guy, but annoying.
The staff was friendly, patient, and helpful. The chili (served only on weekends) was amazing. Coffee and tea have both been fantastic. Fuel is a great place for people watching and leisurely studying. I'll definitely return.
I'd give my left nut to have such a great boho hangout cafe like this where I live in Chicago. I've spent hours here over the years hanging out, eating, sipping, reading, chatting. Great arty sandwiches, arty staff, arty coffee drinks, arty graffiti in the men's room... I like Milwaukee even more because of the Fuel Cafe!
Cool, unpretentious and comfortable, this cafe is a great place for a pitstop, whether you're toodling around town on your bike, just looking for a place to relax and read, or hoping to grab a bite on the way to a show. The drink and chow menu is fantastic, and the staff can be friendly and helpful. They certainly do much more marketing than the average cafe, but that's because they're much better than the average cafe. What you'll find at the Fuel: a vast coffee/tea/espresso menu, great soup and sandwiches, bakery items, juice, great music on the stereo and ashtrays on all the tables. What you won't find: soccer moms or beignets.
Four lattes a day at this place got me through Linear Analysis and the Church/Tarski theorem back in my college days.
Ah....my college days....
Though its name forewarns you of the smoke-plumes that will inevitably accompany your meal, this much-loved Riverwest caf is still a good place to fuel a hungry appetite. What's more, it offers what far too few Milwaukee eateries attempt; a menu that contains as many vegetarian options as it does meat, with even a couple of vegan items thrown in for good measure. Their vegetarian "Buttafuocco" ($6.75), an amped-up version of their toasted cheesy tomato sub ($6.25), is served on delicious bread from Broadway Bakery and filled with mozzarella and provolone cheese, tomato and red onion topped with mayonnaise, Italian herbs, lettuce and olive oil. Italian giardiniera peppers from Glorioso's give the sandwich a zesty zing. Though best avoided by anyone sensitive to spices, it is delicious and filling without being heavy, and like all of their made-to-order sandwiches is served with a side of El Rey chips.
Read entire review at:
www.express-milwaukee....
This has to be the best coffee shop in the Midwest. great mix of people ... very laid back.... iinexpensive eats and great a great coffee, they also have a good vegetarian offering.
Lots of gearheads and vintage motorcycles... You can also buy some of the Fuel cafe apparel... i love their hoodies and mechanic jackets.
This guys also organize a 4Th of July yearly TT (motorcycle tourist trophy race) from Milwaukee to Minneapolis
really good coffee.
really good food.
really good employees.
casual atmosphere with a punk and art edge to it.
I was trying to kill some time and was in there for close to 2 hours. Met some cool people and got a recommendation on where to get a good tattoo (turned out it was a shitty place, something I found out a little too late) but a cool laid back place.
Loved fuel when I lived in Milwaukee, great eats, good coffee and an easy location.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
My Cafes
for coffee, talking, seeing people, reading, or… -
My Wisconsin- an Illinois…
I'll let you in on my favorite places in Wi, but… -
mmmm....food i like to…
here is an ongoing list of places i like to eat at… -
Unexpected Vegetarian
Unexpected vegetarian options at place one would… -
Viva Riverwest!
My neighborhood's good, bad, and resoundingly…
Hot and New
- At Random
19 reviews
Milwaukee, WI
- The Spice House
10 reviews
Milwaukee, WI
- Rochambo Coffee & Tea House
7 reviews
Milwaukee, WI
- Bryant's Cocktail Lounge
5 reviews
Milwaukee, WI
- A Renaissance Book Shop
2 reviews
Milwaukee, WI