Simmer Cafe

See my video review
In my good experience at Simmer Café below.
I will going back again and AGAIN.

I have tried the Simmer Café twice. The first time was long enough ago that although I remember being solidly underwhelmed, it didn’t deter me from giving them another shot. I work across the street and love a good cup of soup.
I went to read their daily soup board and my interest was piqued by their squash bisque. With it being fall and a bit of a chill in the air I thought this would be a hearty warming fall soup.
I went in and confirmed that the squash soup was a butternut squash soup. I ordered and decided to only get a 8 oz. cup as that was priced at $ 4.50. I did see that it came with a roll so I hoped that would fill me up along with my «bisque.»
When I got back to my office I opened the cup and stuck in my spoon. It almost splashed onto my desk, as this «bisque» was as thin as water! Not at all what I would expect from a squash soup, or something called a bisque. I thought I would still give it a try. Perhaps it wasn’t the consistency I was expecting because it was listed as vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free. I took a bite and it tasted like salt. Not squash flavor, no seasonings of any kind, straight salt.
Despite the fact that I paid almost $ 5 for this tiny cup of soup, I was so disappointed, and it tasted so salty, that I threw it away. Thank goodness I had a backup lunch in the freezer. Never again Simmer. Never again.

The spinach and tomato omelet with hash brown combo was delicious. Decent size portions and great price.
The restaurant is a hybrid between fast food and sit down. This lead to some confusion on what to do with the plates and cutlery once I was finished. Overall this was a good brunch selection.

Was recently on assignment in downtown Milwaukee for the week. Ate here every single day. All I have to say is, «JFC the tomato basil soup is incredibly good.» Excellent depth of flavor, thick and creamy texture, and just the right amount of sweetness. I often would go back before they closed at 2 and pick up another 16 ounces for dinner. I wish I could say that I sampled more of the menu; but alas, I was hooked on the soup. Rolls provided by Rocket Baby come with the soup and are great dipping companions. If you’re downtown, give this place a shot. It would be a shame to see this one go.

I finally understand why people go to corporate chains. This may be a chain but it looked local (always opt local first). Starbucks was across street, after getting my coffee I regretted not going there. Coffee wasn’t good and Danish was stale. Service was nice.
Note to owner: Thanks Steve, responding to feedback. Customer satisfaction is half the battle, when running the business. It is appreciated, I’ll give it another shot when in the area.

What to say. I like this place a lot but it isn’t very healthy. I was a bit sad when I ordered a beef stew today and it was in a big plastic bag waiting to be reheated so not too fresh either. I try to eat a little healthier so I was deluding myself into thinking this was slightly okay. The taste is great in all items though, a little on the salty side.
I was also disappointed to see my omelet was made from some container called egg instead of an actual egg. In addition I watched them spray the sandwich with what looked like Pam butter spray instead of butter.
Don’t let my pickiness discourage you because everyone is really nice, the food tastes good, it just isn’t the scratch, freshness I am looking for. If I wouldn’t have seen the egg container, butter spray and plastic bag of soup i would give this four stars for service and taste.

I work downtown so soup and sandwiches are pretty common but this place, for what I paid, should step it up. The Soup of the Day was the Curried Lentil with Sweet Potato and Kale but I didnt taste any of that, except the overdone amounts of wet kale. The soup was a bland watery texture and the ‘curry’ taste was just a generic pepper hot. There were no lentils in it I could identify, they were a couple of chickpeas though, and there was nary a potato, sweet or not.
The Mango Masala panini sounded good but was a thin layer of mystery spread with spinach. And two pieces of toast. For $ 8. Yeah, that was that.
The side salad was OK but again, for $ 4, I can get that salad for half the price at the Market down the block but I digress. I only had 3 choices with the dressing, I got the caesar dressing, which was really a italian vinaigrette, which I hate. My salad became a greasy sensation, not my thing.
In summary, I tried it out once. I have many options for soup and sandwich in Downtown, this one won’t be one of them.

Really good!
Clean and friendly also. I had a spinach, tomato and cheese omelet with yummy toast from a local bakery. Reasonable prices too. Would recommend!

Yum! I just got today’s Meal in a Bowl – braised pork ramen – and once I threw in a few squirts of sriracha, it was pretty much perfect. It was warm, meaty, and comforting, as a bowl of ramen should be. I was very curious and tempted to also get the mango masala panini, but ultimately decided to save it for another time.
I’d seen the truck at events before but never tried it out; now I’ll definitely consider it whenever I see it out on the streets!

Very nice and clean. Helpful and friendly service. My wife and I loved our breakfast! We each had a spinach, tomato and cheese omelet. She had hot chocolate and I had a 16oz mocha. Both were amazing! We would definitely recommend the Simmer Café!

Soooooo cute. One of the best omelettes I’ve ever had. Super friendly service.
I had my food in under 5 minutes, and it was delicious.

Yum!
My eyes lit up when I read on their website that their «Meal in a Bowl» was Braised Pork Ramen. It was suitably delicious.
Came in around 11:45 on a Wednesday. We were the only patrons, which bummed me out, because the space is large, clean, crisp and friendly. Was happy to see it fill up a bit closer to 12:15.
$ 8.50 snagged me a 16oz bowl of that Pork Ramen and I felt it was worth every penny. Friendly employees, a cool, modern seating setup — I was pleased.
I will be back, to try a Panini soon enough.

Went back for lunch today with a friend. The panini special was the Muffaletta ($ 8.50)with Cappicola Ham, Salami, Provolone, and Olive Tapenade.
The panini was large! I probably could have been satisfied with a half combo. I’ll be set for the rest of the day. I loved the flavors, especially the spicy salami (not too spicy, just right) and the Olive Tapenade. Oh man! The Olive Tapenade really brought this sandwich home!
I selected the small Meal in a Bowl to complete my combo. This week it is Shepherd’s Pie. The potatoes had a great flavor and perfect texture, and the ground beef filling was more flavorful than what I remember tasting at County Clare (the Milwaukee restaurant and inn) a few years back.
My friend ordered the always solid Tomato Basil soup and loved it.
I also got to taste a sample of the Chicken Tortilla, so now I’ll be anxious to go back for it.
They’re open at 7:00AM, so stop in before work to grab breakfast and lunch to go. The containers keep the soups hot for hours!

Another restaurant that can be accessed through the skywalks! The access is via the Wells Fargo building skywalk over Water St. The Simmer Café is on the first floor.
We tried it for the first time today for lunch. I had the ½ panini and cup of soup combo with chicken noodle soup and three cheese and tomato panini. My husband had a large bowl of Wisconsin cheese soup and Rishi tea. The soups were delicious! The chicken noodle had the perfect noodle, broth, veggie ratio and great flavor. The panini was also really good flavor-​wise, but it was slightly over-​cooked and a bit small. Next time, I think I will just get a larger soup or try the meal in a bowl.
They also have a large coffee/​tea menu and breakfast sandwiches. They are open M-​F 7 am — 2 pm. I would like weekends, but it is understandable.
I love the décor! It is very bright with some high ceilings. The paint is bright. The tables have fresh flowers. The decorations are modern and slightly minimalist. Great environment to warm up with soup on a cold winter day, especially if you are already within the skywalks and don’t have to bundle up. :)