Madison area's Grace Coffee Co. is planning to open its first Milwaukee location in the Third Ward
Grace Coffee Co., which has several Madison-area locations, is planning to open its first Milwaukee cafe in the Third Ward early this summer.
Co-owner Carlos Falcon described Grace as "not your typical coffee shop," but rather a mix between a coffee shop, bakery and restaurant that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch.
Falcon got into the coffee industry as a teen in a place where joe is very well-known, the Seattle area. In 2019, after moving to Wisconsin, he started co-opening Dane County coffee shops left and right.
Here's a look at Grace's new Brew City cafe, including its menu and space, as well as the business' history and future plans.
Grace Coffee Co.'s drinks and food
Grace's Milwaukee location will offer just about every specialty coffee drink, Falcon said, such as lattes, cappuccinos and mochas, as well as cold options, including iced lattes and iced mochas. There will also be seasonal offerings.
Grace has its own roasting facility in Middleton and is considering opening another in the Milwaukee area within the next couple of years, Falcon said.
The new shop will also carry loose-leaf tea from Art of Tea.
Grace will serve up made-to-order breakfast and lunch sandwiches, croissants and wraps that come with a side of either greens, potatoes or deep-fried cheesy hashbrown bites. There will also be breakfast bowls, steak and eggs, breakfast tacos and tostadas, quinoa bowls, salads, and a variety of avocado toast options including with eggs or featuring street corn.
For patrons looking for something on the sweeter side, there will be French toast, crepes, parfaits, overnight oats, and açaí bowls that feature berries and granola made in-house, and can be topped with honey, condensed milk, Nutella or peanut butter. Pastry offerings will include a variety of croissants, scones, cakes, Danishes, muffins, cookies, cereal bars and breads.
"We proof and bake in every single location daily," Falcon said. "That way, we're guaranteeing fresh product every, single day."
'Trendy' space with indoor pergola, faux lemon tree and photo op
The café — located in the mixed-use development at 102 N. Water Street — will have a "very trendy," yet "inviting" aesthetic, according to Falcon.
There will be an indoor pergola with flowers falling from it, an 11-foot-tall faux lemon tree with small French tables around it, and a photo op featuring light-up wings, he said.
The interior will feature green and navy blue velvets, and a black granite counter. Grace plans to have a variety of seating options, including couches, booths, tables with chairs and bar seating, as well as outdoor.
Falcon said he wants the space to be accommodating to customers, whether they're doing work, hanging out or dining in.
Grace Coffee Company's history
When Falcon was at 17, his sister got him a job at a coffee shop connected to a restaurant she was working at.
"I just loved it from that point on," Falcon said.
He said he worked for several coffee shops in Washington state before deciding to move to a market where he could more easily open his own. He also wanted it to be somewhere with more snow (Yes, really).
"I was just trying to be able to accomplish some goals in my life, and sometimes in Washington, it gets really hard to do that for how competitive the industry is," he said.
In 2019, Falcon co-opened the first Grace, on State Street in Madison. Since then, six more locations have followed, in Middleton, Sun Prairie, Verona, Cottage Grove and two others in Madison. The original cafe closed its doors in 2022.
As the business rapidly expanded, it racked up health code violations at multiple locations, according to several media outlets. Falcon told the Journal Sentinel that Grace has since hired someone who goes through each of the shops to make sure they're up to par.
The Grace crew is currently in the process of opening two more Dane County locations, Falcon said.
"Milwaukee is our next step, the next big city we're trying to bring our brand into," Falcon said.
Within the next three years, Falcon's goal is to bring several Grace cafes, most with drive-thus, to Milwaukee's suburbs.
Falcon said the biggest reason he's remained in this industry is the people.
"When you have done it for so long, you just love talking to people, meeting new people," he said. "Being a barista, it's kind of like a daytime bartender, in my opinion. You start building a relationship with your customers. They come in and start telling you (about) their day, what they have to do, or if they're good or bad ... It's sharing the love of coffee with other people."
Grace's tentative Milwaukee opening date, hours
Falcon is aiming to debut Grace's new Milwaukee café in the next month and a half or so.
When it opens, Falcon anticipates that its hours will be around 7 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. daily.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Madison's Grace Coffee Co. plans Milwaukee Third Ward location
