Fuel Cafe - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This past weekend, my buddy Joe (@yamaha_joe) and I took a trip out to Milwaukee for our first Mama Tried Show. While in town we felt that it was pretty obligatory for us to get lunch at Fuel Cafe. I’ve never been one to rate or review any kind of restaurants or anything of the sort, but I liked this place so much, I felt as if it would be easy enough to explain the impression it left on me.

We parked around the corner and walked over to the entrance. At first sight it was a good sized cinderblock building, nicely painted with a wood and steel facade. In large letters Fuel was painted on the side of the building. The patio was closed but there was a fire pit and outdoor area that must be wonderful on cool Milwaukee nights.

From the second we walked in, my eyes continued to wander continuously around the establishment. From motorcycles to vintage photos, helmets, posters, and stickers spread around, the decor was tasteful and alluring. Unlike most, for lack of a better term, “themed” establishments, you can tell there was heart and soul invested and not just someone that hired a picker to find them the decorations. These were personal and each piece hand picked. The wait was reasonable for the demand from such a high impact weekend. We waited about 20 minutes for a table which was fine by me. It allowed me the chance to get out my camera and capture some of the atmosphere in the joint. The bar was busy and the lighting was incredible with a large red marquee style FUEL up on the wood paneled wall, bright yellow host station, colorful plants and decorations all about. The chairs were repurposed dining room chairs placed on steel frames at dark wooden tables. Even once we were seated I couldn’t help but turn around in my seat and continue to gaze around in an attempt to soak up every square inch around me. The bar was busy, and each table was full of smiling and joyful patrons of both the biker variety, as well as everyday people. Our waiter brought over water and asked us for drink orders as we looked over the brunch menu that was placed on the table by the host. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I ordered a coffee anyway. The meals were perfect from the menu descriptions, to the presentation, to the taste. It was delicious. The prices were more than fair. It was more upscale than the rest of the meals we had throughout the weekend, but not over the top.

I would recommend Fuel Cafe over and over to any person traveling to Milwaukee. Take the time and grab a bite or a coffee, pick up a magazine, sticker, t-shirt, or flier for an upcoming event. Fuel Cafe definitely seems like a staple for the motorcycle community in Wisconsin.