Beans & Barley

Category:	Gourmet Grocery Store
Address:	1901 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA
Phone:	+1 414-278-7878
Site:	beansandbarley.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

A Private User

Damn! My friend from California flies into Milwaukee for a weekend and wants us to have breakfast at Beans and Barley before his morning flight. Now every time I see Nick hes increasingly becoming a typical vapid west coast "progressive" so Im never surprised by his choice of bars, shops, and restaurants when he comes into town for a visit. No, Im not some ultra right-wing voter but damn, this place stinks with rot-brained, beatnik, bleeding-heart, intellectual wanna-be, socialist, anti-independent, granola eating, Prius driving, wanna-be green, big brother, forever mired in academia, left-wing, no makeup wearing, fuzzy-chinned, jack-booted, transgendered, hes gay, shes gay, double espresso douche-bags. It was all I could do while scarfing down my surprisingly good vegetarian omelette not to push my chair back from the table, stand up, march over to the nearest wish-I-was-living-in-Europe waif-like "man", grab him by his adolescent beard, and choke the life out of him right there in front of his wanna-be-feminist-but-dont-really-know-what-feminism-really-is "girlfriend". Overall, the food was pretty decent, but pricey. I would definitely go back for the food, but I would next time ask them to hold the middle-aged, never married, no kinds, east-side living, life-long academic, earthy looking, got a whole heap of ideas about what everyone else "should do" but never have actually participated in real life myself, "ladies". After breakfast I took a stroll through the attached shop and marveled at all of the big waste of natural resource, foreign made trinkets this anti-commercialism, anti-sweatshop, free-trade, big new-age glass building had to offer. After casually pocketing several small, over-priced, "natural" pieces of merchandise, I decided they had nothing that I actually wanted to pay for and I along with my scarf-and-knit-hat-in-the-summer-wearing friend departed the joint. In the lot were no less than two parked cars with fading "Obama 08" bumper stickers. Good lord.

Elder JediMaster

The Black Bean and Sweet Potato burrito is a classic and regular order from me when I eat here. I tend to use this place more for groceries (mainly beer) than for the restaurant part, but I can say that I have not ever had a bad food experience here. Their beer is a little overpriced, as expected. They offer a decent mini-selection of higher end drinks (as well as some low end stuff). The price you pay is for convenience, which I take most of the time as opposed to running to Pick n Save or somewhere else. The extra dollar is worth it most of the time for me. I have not had anything personally from the deli but I always see a line and it always smells pretty good, so I would try it if I get the chance. Also, on a side note for the grocery aspect. They do carry some small fresh foods (like veggies, milk, and eggs.) They are similar to a Whole Foods pricing scheme, but mostly everything is Organic and/or local and all of it is certainly high quality. The eggs they have here are expensive but entirely worth it. I have had people tell me they can taste a difference in the dish just but the eggs that I used. I encourage you to try this test yourself. I certainly notice the difference.

Gabby Kailas

Let me start by saying I absolutely LOVE this restaurant. The cafe is always delicious and I usually have the same waitress who is phenomenal. What I wish was better was their deli/carryout area. I usually get something to go once a week, but after today, I think Ill just stick to the cafe or pre-made deli items. My sister and I stopped in around noon on a Sunday. It was pretty busy so we ordered to go. We were told it would be about 10-15 minutes for 2 sandwiches so we decided to look around. After 10 minutes we returned to the counter and patiently waited. After 20 minutes of staring at the people behind the counter texting and ignoring us, I asked how much longer our order would be. She then gave me a stark comment, "well we already called your name..." I was so confused... the girl who took our order mustve look over at us more than a couple times and never said anything! Also, Im sure people who order carry out and are waiting for their order peruse their store as well so to not call out the name a second time after 20 minutes is just bad customer service. Like I said, I love the cafe, but if you order carry out, dont depend on their customer service.

A Private User

Ive never commented on this section of Google before; however, when I saw that one of my favorite restaurants only got four stars, I knew I needed to defend it. I could not believe it when someone described the area as being filled with "hippie riff raff". Clearly, this person discriminates against people who are different from her/himself. I always find the people I encounter there to be especially friendly, actually.... and not really hippies at all, incidentally. If there is a young crowd that hangs out there, it would be more of the 20-something eco-chic hipsters, but honestly I see a fairly even mix between them and all the other age ranges and "types", many being middle-aged business associates. Also, when someone complained that they could cook tastier stuff at home, perhaps they are not appreciative of the freshness of their ingredients; maybe they fail to recognize how not adding additives or heavy, fatty creams or oils creates a pure, simple flavor. As far as I know, there is nothing artificial in what they serve. In addition, there is a great health food store attached to the restaurant.

Joshua Clements

My Wife and I and two friends visited Beans and Barley in May 2013, and were very satisfied. The menu is pretty large and full of healthy selections, including many vegetarian and vegan options - at a price so reasonable it is hard to believe. The atmophere is a open, natural and minimalist design with tons of great natural light. Coffee - bottomless cup of locally roasted coffee - very good. I enjoyed the Eggs Cubano - Scrambled eggs and cheddar served with black beans, salsa and warm flour or corn tortillas. Only $5.75!! The eggs was done just right with delicious shart cheddar cheese, and some of the best black bean Ive ever had. I chose the hot salsa, which really hit the spot. Five Stars. My wife enjoyed the Granola Pancakes - which was served with real Wisconsin Maple Syrup and Whipped Butter. The pancakes were great, especially with the real syrup and butter. Located in a cool neighborhood on the North Side, I would highly recommend Beans and Barley to locals or visitors - well definitely return!

A Private User

My girlfriend and I go here all the time. There are a ton of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu, but meat eaters (like me) have a bunch of great options too, plus the selection of fresh juices is out of this world. The food is very inexpensive, especially for being organic, and the attached deli and grocery store are our favorite local food stop. Its almost always busy, but the staff are very good and youll never wait very long if at all. The outdoor patio is a wonderful place in the summer. The atmosphere is definitely hip, but its also unwaveringly friendly and I cant imagine how any sane person could feel uncomfortable there. Bottom line, if youre looking for an inexpensive and delicious meal thats a break from the ordinary, look no further.

Robin Smith

Im sad to give such a low review because this shop is super cute but the customer service I received from the server was absolutely unexceptionable. Most restaurants allow you to take your drink from the bar to the seating area with out any issues, the bartender didnt seem to have a problem with it however the server made me feel like i was violating some law. I had to bring all my stuff back to the bar to finish my drink. It was 2 pm on a Wednesday, the seating area was barely half full. It was super awkward and uncomfortable. At that point I just wanted to leave but I finished my drink at the bar and went down to Beerline Cafe instead. You shouldnt make your customers feel stupid or uncomfortable, it was my first and last visit.