Last summer, we brought you the news that Valentine Coffee Roasters would be opening a new cafe at 3124 N. Downer Ave., in the recently restored building along the eastern edge of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus.
Just nine months later, the cafe has officially opened its doors, offering a menu of coffee and espresso drinks, pastries and a cadre of breakfast and lunch offerings. In fact, the East Side Cafe softly opened on Thursday, May 1 and it’s already attracting a combination of students and local residents.
The cafe presents with clean modern lines in a palette of soothing greys and blue, which pop against the historic cream city brick walls.
Art showcases photography depicting coffee growers with which Valentine maintains relationships, while wall shelving displays live plants and stacks of books, a nod to the cafe’s location near the university. Co-owner Joe Gilsdorf says that additional art will be added to the cafe’s northern walls in the weeks ahead.
Seating is available at low tables set against banquettes on the southern wall, a high top community table at the center of the cafe and bar-style seating against the cafe’s near floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the Arts Center and theater buildings at UW-Milwaukee.
On the menu at the cafe, guests will find a full coffee and espresso menu, including seasonal offerings like the Blackberry Basil Shaken Espresso, Strawberry Latte and Elderberry Hibiscus Arnold Palmer with spirulina…