New cafe and bar Interval will bring craft coffee and cocktails to Milwaukee’s Lower East Side this fall when it opens at the former site of Pleasant Kafe Coffee Shop & Wine Bar.
Originally built in 1900, the two-story 1,950-square-foot building, located at 1600 N. Jackson St., had housed the cafe for over three years before it shut down in March.
Ryan Hoban, owner of Milwaukee-based Pilcrow Coffee LLC has teamed up with local entrepreneur Steven Westerhausen and local chef Travis Cook to open the new concept. By day Interval will serve Pilcrow Coffee, along with breakfast and lunch options, and by night it will serve small plates and craft cocktails.
“Our hope is to curate a space that cures any craving you may have wether it’s your morning latte, lunch, dinner or a night cap with approachability at the forefront of our minds,” Hoban said. “We aspire to be a space where you can take a break from the day to day activities and enjoy yourself in whatever capacity you wish.”
Hoban will head the whole concept as well as its coffee program, while Westerhausen, who also owns Milwaukee-based hospitality consulting company Low Key Hospitality, will run its cocktail program, and Cook will head its food program.
Interval will be open daily for breakfast and lunch until 3 p.m., reopening at 5 p.m. for dinner and cocktails.
The space is currently being renovated, but should be ready sometime in September, Westerhausen said.
Prior to housing Pleasant Kafe, the building housed Dentice Bros. Italian Sausage. It had sat vacant for more than 10 years before it was purchased in and renovated in 2013.
