One Way Cafe

i’m not sure why this place has a rating of 4.5 stars. we went here after discovering the long brunch wait at café hollander. there was one cook behind the cooker using two burners to cook everything. service was slow. food was slow. food was also mediocre. we both got omelettes that we could’ve made at home. pretty disappointed at Unilocal reviews.

After reading the reviews, I wanted to go here. I went here this morning with my mom (I’m mid 20s, she’s late 40s) and we drastically lowered the average customer age by quite a few years.
The customers were cute — definitely regulars who knew the servers’ names and the name of other patrons.
The server was a little off (think Drama club in HS) but was pretty good.
1 coffee and then 25c a cup afterwards. A little weird but they had a good selection of coffee so I knew the extra cash was going to a good thing.
Food was good!
The atmosphere made the place. SO, so, so cute!

I went here for lunch today with a friend. It was empty when we got there, so the service was very attentive. There was some pressure to order quickly though.
It was a little awkward to be there with no one else. There were several regulars that came in while we were there and they seemed to be chatty with the owners which was fine and made it easier for us to talk.
I really liked my sw wrap and it was very reasonable. What I wasn’t crazy about was the small fruit garnish/​side. It was too small to be a side but more than a garnish. My coffee was kind of cold, but tasted okay.
I think I would get food from here to go but not sure I would eat in again.

Based on the favorable Unilocal reviews, I stopped here for my lunch break today. As I approached the counter, the cook, who I later learned is named Sandy, asked if I was needing lunch today. I said yes, and she replied, «We can help with that!» I wasn’t sure if I ordered at the counter or what, but the young guy there was so friendly and told me to feel free to take a menu to any table, so I could take my time.
I decided on a cup of cheesy broccoli soup and whole grain roll, which was huge and tasty. If that is the cup, I can’t imagine what the bowl would be like! There are lots of wraps and salads and plenty of vegetarian options, too. I love that they have a 3 pasta/​veggie sampler because I love variety. I chose that with the pesto tortellini, curry broccoli, and spinach rigatelli. These are all cold salads and they are fantastic.
I love that they have a small parking lot off to the side, because it can get really tricky otherwise in this area.
I noticed that there were a handful of regulars when I stopped by, too. Sandy knew all of them and there was friendly chatter every once in a while, but nothing that kept me from enjoying my book and food. The café is warm and cozy and so welcoming. I will be back and I highly recommend everyone check it out.

Upon looking for a small dinerish place for breakfast Sunday morning, Unilocal directed me here. I knew exactly where it was once I saw the address, but had never noticed it before. The owner actually referred to it as «wauwatosa’s hidden gem».
We walked in and noticed the few tables were filled, so we sat at a counter in the back room. A server came right over and gave us menus. We ordered juice. My orange juice was not from concentrate, in a small plastic cup. His was apple juice in a two-​sip bottle. The brunch menu was very small and simple — BYO omelet/​wrap, egg breakfast and oatmeal. I can’t eat eggs, so it made finding something substantial rather difficult. I ended up ordering the malted belgian waffle and a side of bacon. Turns out they only cook their bacon and crumble it for the omelet. I said no thanks to the side of crumbled bacon.
While I was frustrated with the lack of egg option and the lack of sides, it was a really cute place. Very small and quaint, and the owner was cooking on the one burner stove behind the register. She was very friendly and involved.
I would return here simply for the idea of the small café run by someone who cares. I think they could save a lot on overhead if they simply went to goodwill and bought mismatched cups instead of using plastic cups all the time.

Breakfast was on point. I got a menu omelette and they gladly gave me two filling options that weren’t listed (spinach and onion). She got the strawberry crepes. The service was good.
The would’ve gotten the 5^th star but for 2 small things.
1) I didn’t like the self serve coffee option (though the coffee was very tasty) or the fact you get 1 refill. If I go to breakfast befpre I’ve had a cup I’ll most likely want a 3^rd or 4^th cup and I don’t like the idea of paying for it in a café setting,.
2) The strawberries on the crepes were fresh (never frozen) however, they were mushy. I realize the need to do prep in a restaurant but maybe do the berries in smaller batches so they don’t sit quite as long…
We will return.

This place is just wonderful. Quaint, cozy, exceptional food and even better service.
My husband and I wanted to try a new spot for breakfast, and One Way Café popped up as the best rated near our location. I have been through Tosa Village a thousand times, and somehow, I never knew this little gem was here. Tucked away behind a hardware store, there is ample parking and a storefront with a few tables outside.
The breakfast menu is small, but with plenty of variety. Both the portions and the price are small — which I enjoy. I don’t feel the need to stuff myself with twelve pancakes plus bacon plus eggs plus toast plus hashbrowns. Blech. I ordered the strawberry crepes — which come with two in an order, for about six bucks. All food is made right behind the pastry counter, on two tiny burners. My crepes were delicate with crispy edges, with sweet tangy strawberries and delicious dollops of real whipped cream.
My husband’s quiche of the day was also delicious. Tomatoes and spinach and feta with a side of fresh fruit. My son loved his french toast, and there were plenty of toys and things for him to color so that my mister and I could enjoy our breakfast.
We’ve recommended this spot to three of our friends, and gotten great feedback all around. The lunch menu looked delicious as well — we will be back soon to try it out :)

What a nice location! My partner and I had a late Sunday brunch here at the outdoor tables with our dog. The owner came out and greeted us and our dog before our meal and was quite personable. We both had omelets and lattes and it was a satisfying portion for the price. They offer leeks as an omelet filling, which was a pleasant surprise. Leeks are underappreciated!
The menu is fairly small and mostly sandwiches and salads aside from the breakfast options. I heard good things from the table beside us about the homemade soup, so I’ll have to try that next time.

Stopped in with my dog after obedience training on a Sunday afternoon. Was very pleased to dine-​in with my puppy al fresco!
Ordered an omelet with ham, bacon, and sour cream leek (!!!). It was absolutely delicious. I want another right now. I chased it down with a delicious caffe latte which was also delicious.
Service is great, I can definitely tell this is a close-​knit small business where everyone just gets along very well.
I will definitely come back here when I’m in the area next. That omelet, oh my god.

My wife and I decided to stop in here after finding out the wait was 45 min at Café Hollander for brunch. I really wanted to like this place more than I did since I always appreciate the out of the way places and the reviews were all good. We ordered the omelette without the roll since were gluten free and the waiter said he’d give us extra fruit on the side. Food came and there was about 5 small pieces of fruit. I ordered another oj which the waiter forgot about until we were paying. The omelette was good not great and the side was small. They should consider looking into serving bloody Mary’s or at least virgin ones if they dodn’t want to pay for the liquor license.

This was my first visit, but it was very positive. I was impressed by the food (of course), the atmosphere, the personable help (both the cook and the waiter were very pleasant) and the reasonable prices ($ 20 for two, including dessert). Its quality was very appropriate for small downtown Wauwatosa, which has several top notch establishments.
On this Monday, my wife and I dined from 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM. Having a sweet tooth, I had the strawberry crepes, which were perfectly prepared and very flavorful. That was a good decision! They were so light that I decided to follow-​up with the daily soup — chicken tortilla (I know — this was an unusual transition from strawberry crepes!). The soup had a nice flavor, an appropriate consistency and was served at the perfect temperature. The soup was not as good as the crepes, but it prepared me for dessert (I told you that I have a sweet tooth!)…
For dessert, everything looked good, but I chose a chocolate peanut butter cup. Sorry for not knowing its formal name. I normally don’t choose peanut butter desserts, but the cook recommended it. Another good decision! I loved the very smooth, flavorful filling.
My wife chose the walnut chicken wrap. With large chunks of chicken and other fresh ingredients, it looked very appetizing. It was sliced in two. Normally, she would would have eaten just one of them, but today she ate both halves and never offered even a small piece for me to taste. That was high praise from my wife!
Overall, this was a very nice experience — a small restaurant with plenty of seating, beautiful artwork, old brick walls, excellent, freshly prepared food, good, pleasant service, Wi-​Fi. During our visit, only a few customers showed up. Stop by and help this restaurant thrive.

I love this place. It is such a relaxing place to eat. Free WiFi is available. They serve breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, they serve items like Omelets, Quiche, French Toast, Morning Buns, Strawberry Crepes, Organic Oats, Parfait (low fat), Malted Belgian Waffles. (Walnut chicken, Balsamic Chicken, Spinach Rigatelli, Curried Broccoli Salad, Asian Broccoli Slaw, Cheese Tortellini and various sandwiches like Homemade meatloaf, Italian beef, turkey melt, Burrito of the day, chicken caesar wrap, Walnut chicken wrap, SW Wrap, egg salad sandwich and grilled cheese. This is a great place to meet with a bunch of friends or by yourself. You can really relx here. No rushed restaurant type atmosphere here but service is excellent. It’s also an art gallery. The coffee is great.

Plenty of parking (but not at 10 AM Saturday mornings). Friendly service. Coffee was good. And they have a comfy lounge area in back, with a previously read NYT paper available for perusal. I also noted they do not have the loud Starbucks-​type music playing.

One Way Café and Gallery is a quirky little coffee shop/​café in the heart of «the village» in Wauwatosa, right nearby the hardware store. The inside has a cozy feel and features changing art exhibitions. There are a couple small café tables in the front of the building, but don’t expect to sit outside if you’ve got more than just a couple people.
The food and coffee that I’ve tried have all been delicious, and they were super welcoming of my daughter (bringing over a big bucket full of toys for her to play with at our table). This seems to be a place with a lot of regular patrons, but I can’t stress enough how welcoming and friendly they were to us non-​regulars when we were there. Another bonus– In this world of uncertain coffeehouse internets, they’ve got free WIFI.
I’m looking forward to long walks in the summer with One Way Café as our destination!

Today I’m having the Smoked Turkey melt with provolone… quiet in here today.
nummy as usual… maybe I should wait until I’ve tried everything and then write one review…

Why did I not wander into this cozy café sooner? I feel like I have missed out on so many different specials, burritos of the day, and baked goods. I have to make up for lost time. Today was the first time I tried One Way. I wanted to try a new place for lunch, and as a foodie, was researching places the night before. I perused the menu online and liked what I saw. The burrito of the day sounded intriguing, especially since it is always changing, so I opted for that. Today’s was BBQ pork with green peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese. I ordered mine without cheese, and it didn’t make or break it. The burrito was soooo good without cheese. I wish I had their recipe to the pulled pork, because it was sweet & tangy, as well as juicy. The café owner had cut the onions and peppers in back, and brought out the fresh ingredients to the front, where she prepared the burritos on a portable burner and sauté pan. These were tasty treats wrapped in tortillas. As sides, I ordered two salads – asian slaw and curry broccoli – and both get some big thumbs up. The curry broccoli salad had wonderful sweetness from the golden raisins and dried cranberries. There was a light dressing of creamy curry sauce that was subtle, but brought the right amount «zing» to make it an amazing side. I purchased the last square of carrot cake, but ran out of room after consuming the salad and burrito. I would normally save half of a meal for the following day, but this was way to good to torture myself with a waiting period. I had to have it all. Well, except for the cake. That delightful looking square of shredded carrots, walnuts, and a thick layer of cream cheese will have to weather the storm of today and hold out until Wednesday. I just wonder if I can hold out that long. I know I will have a difficult time waiting for another meal at One Way Café. I already told my fellow diner from today that we would be trying breakfast there as soon as possible. I cannot wait!

My friend and I stopped in today after morning for a little get together. At first I was not sure what to expect. When you walk through the doors you are greeted with a very eclectic décor of older wooden tables and chairs and a cream city brick wall on which paintings hung. Two over stuffed chairs for those who would like to sit with a cup of one of the 6 coffees offered. The menu was simple yet sophisticated. I had a hard time choosing between the Morning Bun French Toast or the Omelet made with your choice of three scrumptious filings. I settled on the Omelet with herb tomatoes, Swiss and onion. I think I chose well. As I sat with my coffee waiting for my breakfast I was soon taken in with the woman who took our order (you order at the counter). She not only took our order, answered the phone and made sure everyone was happy, she was making the food! I felt like I was in my Grandma’s kitchen, such a warm and comfortable place. Okay now to what the omelet was like… shall I say a little slice of heaven on a plate. Cooked to a perfectly toasted outside with the Swiss all melty and warm inside and wrapping itself around the tomatoes and onions. I think my mouth is watering just remembering. I would go as far as to say that it was in fact the Best omelet I have ever had in any restaurant! Along side the omelet was a generous helping of fruit and a french baguette. All this with a cup of coffee was under $ 10! Of course I left a nice tip as well. I will be back that is for sure. I would love to try the lunch menu next!

I so LOVE this gem in Tosa Village. I have been going here for years. This café has a small seating area outside and inside, you can sit in the front or back. Be sure to stop and admire the art on the walls, because it is also a gallery. They have a made to order hot breakfast, freshly made bakery/​desserts, or your choice of homemade salads (pasta, fruit, vegetable, tuna, chicken, etc). They offer teas, coffees and juices. I have to say, their chicken salad is the BEST!!! I usually order the three choice platter with chicken salad, fruit salad and broccoli salad. It also comes with a freshly baked roll. Of course, you can choose whatever three items you want from the case. But whatever you do, order the chicken salad! The staff is very friendly and helpful. This is a greta place to go and hang out with your laptop to get some work done over breakfast or lunch. It is also fun for people watching.
Open Daily 7am — 4pm Weekends 8am — 4pm