Mill City Vegan Visits Milwaukee

Mill City Vegan has just returned from a few days in Milwaukee. We've enjoyed a number of visits to the Brew City over the past decade or so, and we've seen this city become more vegan-friendly all the time. Here's a rundown of our vegan experiences on this trip.

Shortly after checking in at the downtown Hilton and visiting the Domes on Thursday afternoon, we made our way to The Classic Slice in the Bay View neighborhood. We visited this place on our last trip to Milwaukee and found it to be worth a return trip. Of the three speciality vegan pizzas listed on the menu, we chose the Mediterranean, which includes olive tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and vegan sausage.  Yes, they have vegan cheese! After finishing the 16-inch "medium" pizza, we felt like we might not eat for another week (or that we should head straight to the health club next-door).

The Mediterranean at The Classic Slice

Friday morning we decided to go with some simple baked goods for breakfast. We headed back to Bay View, which seems to have become the center of vegan culture in Milwaukee.  Sven's Cafe had a few vegan baked items, which I think are from East Side Ovens.  More on East Side Ovens in a bit. Sven's is nice, but head elsewhere if you're looking for a full vegan breakfast.

Friday afternoon we went to the Comet Cafe on the East Side. This place always seems to be very busy, but it's worth waiting a bit for a table, in my opinion. My personal favorite is the vegan gyro. After a single bite I realized it would be far too messy to eat with my hands and proceeded with fork and knife in-hand. It's a great mix of seitan, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber dill sauce.

We returned to the East Side for dinner at Beans & Barley, which is both a restaurant and natural foods grocery store. While they don't have a huge number of vegan options, my wife and I both really enjoyed a vegan black bean burritos. We like stocking up on a few goodies at the adjacent grocery store when we eat here.

Saturday morning we once again decided to skip a full breakfast. We had good reason this time. On Saturday mornings the wholesale bakery East Side Ovens (again in Bay View) opens their doors to the public. We went crazy here and spent 25 bucks on baked goods. We should have enough baked goods for the week. It's hard to control oneself at a completely vegan bakery. Let's see if I can remember most of what we picked up...cinnamon rolls, cookies, pie, carrot cake, and some dinner rolls! Everything we've made it through so far has been fantastic.

Before visiting Milwaukee, you must check out Vegan Milwaukee for a wide variety online resources, including a great list of vegan-friendly restaurants. And be sure to like them on facebook. While in Milwaukee I received a facebook update from Vegan Milwaukee that identified where and when to catch up with the all-vegan food truck that made the trip up from Chicago for the day. We caught it at its first stop at Kinnickinnic and California. There were at least a dozen people who lined up in the cold at the first stop. I got the Chicago Cheesesteak and my wife ordered the Carolina BBQ. Both were hot and delicious and a great way to wrap up our trip before heading back across the state.  I'm already looking forward to the next visit!

Vegan food truck!