Wantable Café
/123 E. Walker St., Milwaukee
I walked by the Wantable Café countless times and wondered what it was all about—a block down this little side street off S. 1st Street. I pictured it as… maybe café… maybe not open—who knows. Kept forgetting to look it up. So… finally walked over and stopped for coffee. I’m shocked when I enter—it’s huge, lot of people, but so big it’s not remotely crowded. A lot going on—various types of meeting space—but then, an entire business. I looked up “Wantable”—“Expert Personal Stylists”—which still means very little to me—so I’ll chalk it up as something for young people—probably not for someone like me whose entire wardrobe consists of castoffs. They have quite a building here—I can’t tell if it’s a renovated warehouse or built to look like a renovated warehouse, but it’s big, airy, warm, pleasant. The café part is a: “Hub for creators, innovators & entrepreneurs”—that describes me, right? There’s a lot of food—and even though I wasn’t going to eat, the half Cobb salad sounds perfect. The espresso is wantable. Plenty of open tables, but I sit at a highchair at the bar—to observe the goings-on at the café counter—which is pretty happening. A guy sitting at the bar drinking white wine at noon, on the phone arranging hotel rooms, adult entertainment, and brisket. People are working on laptops, of course—but it’s nice—there’s a mixture of alone people, group meetings, and couples. The place could be a lot busier—but it’s nice for me—it’s lowkey and comfortable. The bathrooms are clean and nice and there’s a couple of totally private toilet stalls, like you rarely see (sometimes in hotels)—the downside of that is people could be camping out there for days.
1.18.23