Refuge Smoothie Cafe
422 E Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53207
Refuge Smoothie Cafe Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
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Visit below restaurant in Milwaukee for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
422 E Lincoln Ave
Milwaukee, WI, 53207 - Phone (414) 616-1565
- Website https://www.refugesmoothies.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :6:30 am - 7:00pm
- Mon : 6:30 am - 7:00pm
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
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Kim J.
Great smoothie if you have 20 minutes to wait. I was really jazzed that this place was right along my morning commute so I threw 10 minutes in the meter, walked in and was the only one in the place. After waiting a few minutes to be created, I ordered. At this point two others had walked in. One ordered. The other was waiting to be acknowledged. I waited 20 minutes for my smoothie to be ready, came out and my meter was expired. I know that it's on me to fill my meter, but 20 minutes? I won't be back.
(1)Chrissy S.
I was first introduced to their bread through a farmers market. If you weren't early enough, they often ran out. My favorite bread is their olive bread. So savory and delightful. This bakery also offers fresh sandwiches (full or half portions). I love their tuna salad. It has thick chunks of pickles in it, not usually my favorite, but it tastes great with the tuna!
(4)Amy M.
I went in thinking that Wild Flower Bakery would still be serving food. No such luck. I got a wrap instead and I have to say it was awful. The avocado was hard and the meat tasted like it came from a packaged box. I have to say I did have a smoothie and it was really good, just don't get any food!
(1)Joseph W.
I'll pass. I was hungry and in the area, so I thought I'd give them a shot. I ordered an egg salad sandwich, an almond bear claw and a coffee. I'll give them points for the bear claw. It was just a little too sweet, but the texture was great. Flaky on the outside, soft on the inside and the perfect amount of almond. Not the best bear claw I've had, but pretty good regardless. I wish I would have gone to the gas station and picked up coffee. It's better there. And the egg salad sandwich, that thing is a mess, and I don't mean falling out of the sandwich mess. The bread? Decent. The egg salad? Not good. It has to be the blandest, most tasteless egg salad I have ever eaten. Try adding some mustard, or some celery salt, heck, even a little regular salt will do wonders. I've had better egg salad from vending machines. The lady working the counter was nice, but my order did take almost ten minutes for three things that didn't need heating. I could be a lot quicker. I probably won't be back for anything outside of maybe picking up some bakery, and even that might be a stretch.
(2)R H.
Bought a cherry danish and a cinnamon bun there today. The danish was ok, nothing to write home about... but the cinnamon bun was old and stale/hard/dry and I unfortunately only found out when I got home. On closer inspection the wrapper had a sticker with a date from 5 days earlier. Why do they even keep such old pastries in their shop? No one wants a cinnamon bun that's more than a day, or two old...
(1)Jules M.
I have stopped in this cafe a couple of times now. I am familiar with some of their bread which is available in local natural food stores. The bread is pretty good. The cafe is nice looking and features free Wi-FI. The first time I went in I tried a muffin and a mocha. Neither were great, not bad but not great. We picked up a bag of brownies from the day old rack for cheap and again- not great. I can bake better. I gave it one final try today and picked up four muffins. Meh. They were moist but really nothing vibrant, rich or flavorful about them. Really not that much different than Costco muffins, maybe even less flavorful. Staff is nice though and the seating in the back is pleasant.
(3)Chris B.
NIce little place to have a healthy lunch. WiFi was a bonus and the coffee was spot on.
(4)Rachel F.
Need some fruits/veggies, stat? Prefer them in an icy-cool, delicious blended format? Refuge Smoothie Cafe's got yr back, Milwaukee. This little spot on Lincoln/KK/the Bay View nexus is an awesome stop for a smoothie/something fresh + healthy. With lots of options named for local folks, you can choose from a "Will Allen" (my favorite, w/ spinach, apple, mint, kale) or any number of others. Prices are reasonable-ish and smoothies make for a great "I ate lots of Mexican food last night and drank margaritas and now I need breakfast or lunch but I feel kind of gross and should probably have some fruit and veggies" option. It's quick, convenient, and does the trick. Lowest sugar content = the Will Allen, just FYI.
(4)Joe P.
Descriptive phrase: fresh, unique cafe. Refuge holds down one of the crowded corners of KK/Lincoln/Howell, serving up baked goods and wraps and smoothies. We were the only people there on a Saturday afternoon, but it seemed like a nice little cafe to sit and have a fruity drink. I ordered the Wonderful Wrap ($6) and Tom Schiltz smoothie ($4.75), both fresh made in front of me. The smoothie, with pineapple, orange, mango, and papaya, was fruity and sugary and tasty. My wrap was made with turkey, pepper jack cheese, red peppers, carrot strips, and chipotle mayo. It all mixed well together and was served with baby carrots. Again, tasty and fresh, but a bit smaller than what you could get nearby. I liked Refuge Smoothie Cafe, though I'd probably only come back for a smoothie or a baked good.
(3)Carrie G.
This was one of the only local places in the neighborhood when I moved to Bayview many years ago. And it's gone through a few different identities over the years, the most recent being only a couple of months old. And I'm hoping my frequent morning visits are indicative that they are on a very good track. The most significant improvement, other than the fantastic and much needed cosmetic upgrades, is the addition of Refuge Smoothies to their menu. Mere words cannot do these tasty concoctions justice. And nothing you can make at home is most likely going to be as flavorful and delish. I'm working my way through the menu and so far I like what I've had, and am excited to try the rest before I crown a favorite.They are certainly a great way to start your day. And if you are a more traditional breakfast eater, their sandwich menu is bound to have something for you. My preference is the B.E.L.T: Bacon, eggs. lettuce, tomato, and avocado on toasted multigrain. Their house made bread makes for a great base that just gets better with fresh, quality ingredients. If it's lunch you are in the market for, there are many traditional sandwiches to choose from. And I never go wrong when mine is a grilled cheese with tomato and avocado. There are also a few standard salads that I have yet to try. And soups are pretty fantastic too. The website indicates the daily offerings which are served by the cup, bowl or a cup and half sandwich combo. I was also very happy to see they are are serving up some local love by adding Rishi Teas to their menu, there is never a bad choice in that repertoire. With so many food and beverage options within a mere 100 or so yards of their front door, I'm really happy to see Wild Flour roll up their proverbial sleeves and fight for a place in this very competitive market.
(4)Malina L.
my standards are high when it comes to quality, portion size and such. I wasn't too impressed with this place. Tables were sticky , atmosphere wasn't great, they didn't even have napkins when I asked she offered me brown hand towells. They weren't stocked on bakery. Zero options. Not that I wanted any. The customer B4 me couldn't have what he ordered cause they were out of mango. And when I ordered mine she had to check first to see if she had all ingredients in stock. The customer service was the only plus to this place. My wrap was fresh and tasty, served with a side of baby carrots which I can't eat so other options would have been nice. Small portions. Eh, I'd give it another go down the road. They said they no longer had accounts with wild flour bakery and we're in the process of looking for a new bakery vendor. Just my 2 cents :)
(2)Ruth B.
The food was yum! The service could of been a bit more live but overall the prices and the taste was delish!
(4)Emma L.
I work near Wildflower and have been eating there occasionally for the past 5 years. It has gone slowly down hill. Today was the worst yet. For starters it looks run down and dirty. They still have St Patty's day cookies in the case and it's the 28th. Gross. And how does it take 10 minutes to make a cold sandwich with no one in the place. My sandwich was fine. But for $7 you don't even get a bag of chips. Unfortunately there are so many better options in the area, they have not kept up the place and don't seem to care.
(1)Marc R.
Are you in the market for a really cool bakery with dudes who will say "are you sure?" when you are grabbing a loaf for a dinner party? If so this is your place. I walked in here looking for a loaf for a dinner party, and almost ordered the wrong thing. The server guy was polite and helpful, and took the time to talk to me about what sort of loaf I wanted to bring as a guest. How cool is that? Professional. Great sweets, amazing people, and a real Bay View gem.
(4)Danielle I.
:) I had the best HoneyBee latte ever here. Its just a lattee with honey but she went above and beyond and hooked me up with delicious whipped creme and spices. Yum! I had lunch here today the sandwich was what you expect from a bakery/cafe it was good no complaints. They are always low staffed though so dont expect super speedy service. Good thing the atmosphere is chill enough to sit and stay awhile. :) im sure i would go back no problems with this place.
(4)Scott S.
Gettin down with locally owned establishments.
(4)Pete P.
I've heard good things about Wild Flour, but we stopped for lunch on a Saturday and after waiting close to five minutes before an employee even acknowledged us, a guy comes in, plops his sandwich down on the counter and says it was wrong, but doesn't have time to wait for a new one. Not a great start... The food was good, but we ate in a bit of a hurry, probably because it was a good 25 minutes between ordering and getting our food. This was on a day where the place was more than half empty. I'm going to chalk it up to a "bad day" and maybe there were understaffed, or there was some other issue, so I'd be willing to give it another chance. Like I said, the food was good, but the waiting was the hardest part.
(2)Jennifer R.
Stopped in to get a smoothie this morning. It was delicious! With so many choices, I didn't know where to start. The cashier gave me a few samples to help narrow it down and I landed on the Diane. AMAZING mango and banana goodness to start the day. Well done!
(4)Doug Y.
Visited the location in east Troy several times. Like the soup but the $6 size is a little skimpy. Quality good but not a very good value. Good staff. I always look to the left when you enter for half price day old!
(3)Ashley W.
Excellent bread, decent bakery, and OK prepared sandwiches/coffee. Go on bread day and stock up, it freezes well too! Their garlic bread has actual cloves of garlic in it. Pop that in the oven for 10 min and your house is smelling delicious.
(3)Joseph S.
Totally meh. Stopped in last week for a quick bite. Didn't get it. Bite, yeah. Quick, no. Dude at the counter kept jaw jackin' with somebody who must be a friend of his while myself and other visibly frustrated customers shared the "WTF?" look on our faces. Simple cold sandwich took 10 or 12 minutes with only 1 or 2 other orders in front of mine. Got the Herbivore, which promised hummus. They were out of hummus. Bummer. Ok, I still wanted something quick and veggie so I stuck with it anyway. Asked for a dijon or brown mustard. "We have yellow mustard". "Like French's?". "Yeah". Uggh. Really? This isn't a hot dog joint, Bud Bundy. The sammich came on a dry, bland Italian bread. It was small. It didn't satisfy. It was still $6. For that price you better include couple of side options. Weird vibe in the place overall. Got a few looks like I didn't belong there or something. Bought their Country French Sourdough from the co-op. Dry as a bone. Leathery. Plenty sour, not much else for flavor. I honestly can't recommend any of the places on the corner of KK/Lincoln/Howell besides a certain Mexican spot. Add Wild Flour to the list of reasons to keep truckin' down the road.
(2)Shane H.
I've been here a few times in recent weeks, since I basically live next door now. I tend to get a coffee and a muffin. The bakery is delicious. The coffee is okay. One time the coffee was not at all good. They have a menu of breakfast and lunch sandwiches which I haven't tried yet, but they sound pretty tasty. The atmosphere is sorta...grandma's farm kitchen? It's cozy. Staff is nice, so that's always a plus. This is my least funny review ever.
(3)Cory Z.
We've stopped in for breakfast on occasion. In short: I'd love to rate this place higher, but it dawns on me that I avoid them due to the hassle. For the price, they should really work on being a bit more prompt. Getting a cup of coffee or a refill shouldn't take 5-10 minutes but often does. The good: This place has excellent bread. If you can score day old it's even a pretty good deal. It's a bit expensive for their same day stuff. The bad: Horrible setup / line control. The line moves slowly and they don't really have the whole get orders taken thing down. We've waited in line for well over five minutes plus just wanting a coffee for the road and a loaf of day old bread. They almost always have more than one person working, but rather than taking orders and then getting drinks and such out, the order taker makes the frou frou coffee drinks and cuts bread while others wait in line to order. Their cooked dishes are not bad, but they're very slow. The wait for food coupled with the wait in line has me rating this place at 3 stars. The funny: This place has some horribly cliche flower photographs for sale on their walls. I love interesting art and kitsch on walls, but it's so bad here I laugh every time.
(3)Katy G.
had this written for the wrong location before: We stopped here for the first time after getting a sweet Groupon ($15 for $7), and I am psyched we were able to try this awesome place. We stopped in for a Saturday lunch--the cranberry bog and the grilled cheese. Both were delicious, and I gotta say it was pretty much the best grilled cheese I've ever had. The cases were full of lovely looking sweets, and they had a shelf full of jams, jellies, dipping oils, and specialty items like a spinach & artichoke dip. It's cool to see how much they work with other local businesses in this regard. We'll be back for sure!
(5)Marshall L.
My wife and I randomly came across Wild Flour while we were killing some time in Milwaukee en route to a wedding in Lake Geneva this weekend. Having never been to Milwaukee before, we tried to do some searching to find a neighborhood that might reveal some gems before heading on our way. That search put is in the Bay View neighborhood, which wasn't quite as interesting as I thought (maybe we were just in the wrong part of Bay View, but still...not as cool as I was expecting). Anyway... We come in to find a sign informing us that due to some sort of machine malfunction, no espresso drinks are available. Serious bummer. You can't seriously judge a coffee place unless you can see how they pull a shot of espresso. My next choice was iced coffee, but again, due to some problem, no iced drinks either. I had the regular coffee, and it was so-so. If you can drink a place's coffee black and it's good? You're golden. If you find yourself having to pour in cream and sugar, then you start to get into trouble. My wife ordered one of their breakfast sandwiches, and I had a scone. Even though she said the sandwich tasted good, it was still overpriced for basically being served on packaged bread that appeared to come from a grocery store. This place is part bakery for crying out loud...their sandwiches should come on amazing bread. What gives these guys a 3 instead of a 2 was my scone. It was fluffy and moist, not the dense hockey pucks that a lot of places serve. One of the best scones of my life, hands down. I wish I had the chance to review these guys based on the merits of what I actually wanted to order, but that sadly wasn't possible. Hard to tell if I'll be through Milwaukee again, and it's probably 50/50 at best that I'd go here again if I am.
(3)Christopher H.
I've been here many times and every time I've had: 1. Friendly service 2. Excellent food 3. Free WiFi 4. What else do you need? Well one thing would be more chips or sides for sandwiches. But everything is really good here. I will always be a regular.
(5)Frances L.
The best muffins in BV
(5)Nicholas W.
Stopped here on my way through Milwaukee once and I plan to make it a habit.
(4)Anthony C.
Love it! Anytime I go to Milwaukee I will go to this place. Veg and Vegan friendly!
(4)Jessica P.
I've lived next door to Wild Flour for almost five years now, so I've been a customer more times than I'd care to count. Usually it's for something quick like a bottle of water or muffin, but I've had sandwiches, coffee items, and other baked goods as well. I really really want to like this place. I do. I like rooting for the underdog. The time has come for me though, to abandon Wild Flour. I gave it two stars, only because I feel kinda bad giving it one. Maybe one and a half would be more accurate. Other reviewers have really nailed it when it comes to the problems that exist with WF. The products are totally overpriced and only so-so. I do like the muffins, but would never spend the $2+ on one. Day olds are only $.75, that's what I get. Other baked goods I've had, such as brownies and cookies, were dry and tasteless. There have been times I've ordered coffee, iced and hot, where it was terrible. How do you screw up coffee? They manage to find a way. The quality of the coffee you get depends on the employee making it. Once I ordered a smoothie off the menu. I don't think the guy knew what he was doing. I managed to choke it down because I paid $5 for it. Another problem a reviewer mentioned is the quality of service. Plainly said, there is none. There is absolutely no system taking place. On a busy day -- and I use the term "busy" at WF loosely -- there will be two employees, but both making food and/or beverages rather than one person on the register for quick sales. Also, they don't acknowledge you even walking in or standing there. I've walked out of there several times when all I wanted was a $1 soda or water and no one would help me or even acknowledge my presence. They always seem to be scrambling when it's not busy at all. Where is management? And speaking of employees -- not sure what's going on there. One guy had grease and dirt underneath his fingernails. It was gross. So after almost 5 years, the time has come for me to stop patronizing WF. That's a pretty heavy statement since I live about 100 feet away.
(2)Alicia M.
This is such a great little neighborhood bakery! The owners are incredibly sweet people and all the people who work here are very friendly. This place is a few blocks from my house and I love to walk here for muffins and yummy sandwiches. The prices are reasonable and if you check out the shelf of day old bread you can get some awesome deals! The cookies are to die for. Wild Flour products are very popular at farmer's markets all throughout northern IL and southern WI so it's quite a privilege to have this place so conveniently close to my house. You should definitely check them out!
(4)Candyce P.
What a cute little place! They have a great selection of bakery items and a small lunch (sandwiches) menu. We sat in the cafe section for a lazy Sunday afternoon cup of coffee and pastry, and took a bottle of peach jam to go!
(3)Damon R.
Refugee Early morning.. I missed my routine morning smoothie at home. I needed something so im in Bay View daily and i have seen this place but never stopped because i usually make my own smoothies. I got there not to long after opening. I ordered the smoothie with Kale, Apple, Mint, and Pineapple. The names for the smoothies is genius never mind the fact I have the slightest idea who they are if they are anyone at all ! The woman who waited on me was really nice and really accommodating. This place is pretty awesome. You buy a large smoothie and you can get your dog a smoothie. Any place you can take your dog and its not looked upon as bad is good with me! The prices were respectable and they even have breakfast sandwiches and wraps for lunch. The colors are bright and there is a small seating area towards the rear. Its really welcoming and so are the staff. I enjoyed my smoothie and you decided to drop in im more then sure that you would enjoy yours as well.
(5)Dani J.
Recently tried the Seven Day Smoothie challenge. All of the healthy blends have names of Milwaukee community icons. I like the Will Allen with kale and I also choose to mix my own once in a while - plus a multi-vitamin boost. The now have a Doggy Smoothie - peanut butter and a treat for our furry friends!!
(5)Daniela C.
I've stopped by here several times since it switched from Wild Flour Bakery to Refuge Smoothie. There is a huge sign on the side where the mural is asking Bay View what they want to see there. How can I nicely tell the place that I would really like it if they kept the Wild Flour mural? The smoothies here are great. They have two sizes and are moderately priced for what you get, especially considering that they aim to be meal replacements (as told to me by the guy behind the counter). I really love the Will Allen and find it energizing, especially after a work out. They also have something called smoothie week, where you can have one smoothie a day for seven days for a set price (the price itself changes, but I have always found it to be a great deal). Food wise, I find it hard to justify eating food here when you've got Colectivo and Lulu across the street with great breakfast and lunch options. Maybe cold sandwiches are for some people, but I will avoid them when I can. They have a very limited bakery selection and no longer carry loaves of bread, nor the rhubarb muffin I loved so much. The service is a little slow, especially on weekend mornings and I feel that they would benefit from two employees behind the counter during those busier periods instead of just one. I really do enjoy the smoothies and will continue to come here purely for that enjoyment.
(3)