Fuel Café

This is my all time favourite coffee shop. Bikes, java, sammiches, el rey processors, a little trashy, and a lil BO scent. All of these components make me feel at home here. A wide range of folks, all kinds of things. The coffe beverages are sturdy. My personal favorite is the sweetened Iced Capp in the summer. The sandwiches and burritos all delicious. Not gourmet, but that isn’t why you go here.

Vegan VLT sandwich is one of my favorites here. In the heart of Riverwest and close to the 14 and 15 bus lines. Good place for coffee, lunch, or enjoying a hot chocolate with friends. Outside seating when weather permits.

I’d give my left nut to get such a great boho hangout café such as this where I live in Chicago. I have spent hours here over the years hanging out, eating, sipping, reading, chatting. Excellent arty sandwiches, arty staff, arty coffee beverages, arty graffiti in the men’s room… I enjoy Milwaukee even more due to the Fuel Café!

As someone who looks for and enjoys a good vegetarian friendly lunch, this place is a solid option when in Milwaukee.
Their sandwiches are good, and personally I really like the hero roll they use in their sandwiches.
Their Mexican fare is also solid.
Honestly, this is just an all around solid place to have some lunch. It is, however, primarily a coffeehouse. So keep that in mind.

The pesto melt add meat is an all time favorite of mine. Comes with seasoned tortilla chips which are fabulous in themselves but if you dip the sandwich and/​or the chips in a side of the aioli makes them that much more
Awesome! It’s a great place to do homework and study at.

Absolutely love this place! One of the only places left on the east side that feels authentic, neighborhood, bonified and punk.
I have no idea how they make money, because they have the lowest prices ever! My double Americanos are $ 1.75??? Yessir! The muffins are fire!
They can come off as a bit edgy, but they’re always nice to my daughters and I. They hook her up with a glass of milk.
There’s lots of smokers and… bums, but don’t be scared. Just think: the whole east side used to be like that

Easily my favorite coffee shop in Milwaukee, and one of the parts I love most about living in the Riverwest neighborhood. I’m a big fan of the breakfast sandwiches, the happy cow sandwich, the Cuban sandwich, and their soups. The absolute best soup is the mushroom Brie bisque because uhhh duh. After I ordered today I noticed that they have hand pies from honey pie available now, so I’m looking forward to giving that a go another time. As for coffee drinks I’m a café au lait kind of gal but I’ve also enjoyed their ice cappuccino (my summer treat).

I really love the vibe this place puts off as a coffee shop in riverwest. Although, I must score it as a sandwich spot because that’s what I use it for. This is a perfect little nook in the community. Tonnssssss of locals prefer this spot over big brother Colectivo. Most patrons come in and enjoy a good read with a cup of coffee.
For me my experiences have been less than successful. In this proper order: 1. Stand in front of the register for 5 minutes while employees perform tasks in the back. 2. Employee comes and stares at you with no words, producing awkward silence. 3. Take matters into my own hands and order. 4. Order what truly are good sandwiches in my opinion. 5. Pay and get the hell out of there with a good sandwich, zero words, and chips that have no true purpose.
I love your sandwiches fuel but good god, get some different chips and engage in a little customer service.

Great Riverwest spot to come in and hang or just pass through for a quick coffee on the go. I’m a fan of the sausage egg and cheese english muffins, but give yourself a little time to wait if you’re not eating there. There’s also a pretty solid selection of sandwiches and paninis, and as of a couple months ago (to my observations) began offering Honey Pie muffins and other baked options.
The «Lousy Service» sign out front is an expression of Fuel’s grunge/​biker/​punk-​rock aesthetic rather than any sort of business model in practice, so don’t let it throw you off.
As far as utilizing Fuel as a place to complete work or focus on studies, it’s not the best spot. That is, if you’re like me and tend to seek out quieter spaces for getting things done. Typically in the mornings the music will be at a lower volume and much more chill, but it’s inconsistent throughout the day because it isn’t kept within as narrow of confinements as other coffee shops; where music is always at a level or timbre that’s meant to be background noise/​ambience.

Loved my visit to Fuel Café in Milwaukee. The style of the coffee shop was unique and welcoming. The barista was pleasant and eager to share her recommendation. If you find yourself at the Fuel Café, I would definitely recommend the peanut butter coffee. I wish we had a place like this in Cleveland.

Fuel is everything I love in a coffee shop, free of pretensions coffee drinkers, great coffee, and good food. Almost always get their sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Three bucks and pretty good. I love the décor or place, a little edgy, nice taste in artwork, urban atmosphere.

Fuel Café is sandwich heaven. This place lies in the heart of the Riverwest neighborhood and is right near our home. We love to eat here when we need something fast and delicious. Sandwiches come hot or cold, your choice. It’s a solid dive to slide into and get your hunger fix satisfied.

Awesome Café! We had the most delicious sandwiches. Love the handmade chips and the hipster atmosphere. Could see myself hanging out there on my laptop for lunch if I lived in Milwaukee. Love all the cute merch too

I don’t often hang out in riverwest, but when I do, it’s at places like this. Cute little coffee shop. Lots of seating, unassuming and friendly. What more can you ask for?

I love fuel café. Been coming here for years. I love the comet café connection. I love them too.
But fuel gets more of my businesss, because my friend FREEZE DEVELOPMENT has a radio show next door Monday nights and it’s also double punch card days on Monday. Win-​win
But the people who work here kick ask. They make me feel so welcomed.
I really like the atmosphere and décor too. Especially the lousy service sign. classic!!!

A coffee house the way it should be. No pretense. A little gritty. No fancy drinks. Just straight forward coffee in a comfortable atmosphere. If I lived in Milwaukee, this would be one (of maybe 3) go to coffee places for me.

I went to Fuel recently and the food was incredible, as always. The Riverwest hipster vibe was in full force. The past couple of times I have gone to Fuel, the front sidewalk by the door has had people either openly smoking weed or heavily under the influence of other drugs making rather obscene comments. The staff don’t seem to care that these people are harassing their customers. Also, the last time I went, I was charged 50 cents to add Siracha to my grilled cheese artichoke sandwich. Seriously? the sandwich was great, but what would have been greater is to not be charged 50 cents for something that is as readily available as ketchup.

Fuel is one of my favorite Riverwest hangs. If you are new to the neighborhood and need to get a feel for what it’s all about, this would be my first recommendation.
The food is simple and tasty. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten anything other than the tacon (turkey + bacon, AND it has green apples and sriracha mayo on it!). They serve El Rey chips with their sandwiches, and honestly that is my favorite thing about this place. I’m hungry thinking about all of this…
The neon sign in the front window proudly proclaims you will encounter «lousy service» here. I mean, when you’re so upfront about it, I can’t really complain. I’ve had worse service at other establishments. Maybe they’re working the whole «let’s bring your expectations down so you’re pleasantly surprised» angle.

I and several of my caffeine-​addicted colleagues have discussed it and we all agree: The americano sucks, but the brewed coffee is great, probably the best you can find in Milwaukee, especially for the price.
I finally tried the Kevorkian Krush the other day, and it was perfect. It’s got 4 shots of espresso so I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet enough, but it had just the right amount of coffee, chocolate, and sugar. If I’m every on death row, I know what my last meal will be.
The chili is vegan, but tastes exactly like Wendy’s. They’ll add sour cream, cheese, onion, and noodles for free if you ask for it, and it also comes with bread and butter, which is a ridiculous deal since a cup is like $ 3.50.
Infinitely superior to Alterra.

Good coffee, unique espresso drinks, cool laid back vibe, and helpful staff. For the $ 6.25 you receive a huge burrito and a butt-​load of what seems to be homemade Doritos with a kick to them? Not sure, but they are da da decent. The coffee I had the night I decided to go was definitely was a light roast so it was easy to chug, had chocolate and berry notes. Very pleasant on the tongue… YES YES.
Little tip when you order, do not eat the burritos/​chips with black coffee. The warm coffee and «Doritos» do not go well with each other. The woman at the counter was very helpful and gave us some suggestions. My girlfriend got the «Peanut Butter Cup» which she enjoyed, but was really really sweet and couldn’t taste too much of the espresso.
Oh, and we were greeted by a homeless man at the door who said «god bless, could you spare some change…» First time I have ever gone to a coffee shop where they have a hostess!

Fuel service and food really does suck. They honestly do mean it with the sign in the window that says lousy service. I had the girl at the counter literally in my face trying to convince me the food was prepared as was listed in the menu when it was not. If you’re a customer you definitely are not right at this place.

Love this place, good coffee and small sandwiches. I even buy their coffee beans.

I’ve been to Fuel a handful of times, all for various reasons. I’ve had lunch, met someone for coffee, and had a beer while waiting for a table at Centro. Every time has been nothing but perfection.
I forget what I food I have had from Fuel, but I recently discovered that they have $ 4 burritos on Wednesdays, which seems too good to be true, so I will have to check that out for myself.
The last time I was there was to do some homework. I had a pint of the house coffee, a bottle of Lakefront’s Fuel Café, and busted out some work, all while the entirety of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album played. Any place that jams out to that album is alright by me.

Really rad, coffee house/​café! We spent the day working from here and the staff was super nice! We had a couple coffees and some Vegan Chilli! The Chilli was huge and came with a very large piece of bread for 4 bucks! They even can add Vegan sour cream as well!
The coffee was excellent! And I love that it comes in a glass pint glass!
When we arrived they were cranking a Van Halen record which was slightly distracting but as the day went on and the staff changed it moved towards the Beta Band world, which was perfect!
All in all a rad place to spend an afternoon, just wish it was a bit warmer so I could have sat outside in the sun!
Monday I was back for more and had the Fat Vegan which was amazing!

I have to give this place props for being seriously PROMPT with my morning coffee orders. I come here in the morning before work if I realized I ran out of coffee last minute and will leave my car running on the side of the road as I order a coffee, a Odawalla and a spinach wrap to go and I am in and out in seconds. My car didn’t even have time to get toasty for me.
Besides that compliment I felt compelled to share, the place is also a great local hang out. A friendly, down to earth mixed crowd coming to study or work or socialize or get weird and write strange things on the bathroom walls. The music is unpredictable which i love. One minute it might be kinds Sigor Ros-​ish sounding and later on it will jump to some pretty intense metal. Also the staff is unassuming and to the point. You wont get the friendliness of Colectivo necessarily, but that’s alright. Be yourself. All in all, a good spot. The sign out front says «Lousy Service». Don’t believe them.

Fuel is becoming an almost weekly go-​to for takeout this winter. Most of it has to do with my new addiction — Mexican hot chocolate. They’re consistent with their food so it’s really nice to grab sandwiches for a weeknight supper when we (oh, who am I kidding) Dan, doesn’t want to cook. I’m such a creature of habit that I still always order the Garden of Eatin’. It’s healthy with tons of veggies and whole grain bread, but it’s got a spicy sauce AND jalapeño cream cheese to keep it interesting.