By Tammy McCubbin

Riverwest Co-Op Grocery & Café

733 E. Clarke St.

414-264-7933

M-F 7-9/ Weekends 8-9

Riverwest Co-op

Rating:  4 forks!        

Cuisine type: Miscellaneous organic dishes

Price per entrée: $4.50-$7.50

Attire: Casual

Reservations: No

Payment: credit cards accepted



        Nestled in the heart of the Riverwest neighborhood lies a convenient grocery store.  Within that grocery store lies a pleasant organic café that seems to blend right in with the neighborhood.  The Riverwest Co-Op Grocery & Café, located at the intersection of Fratney St. and Clarke St., has been serving the neighborhood since 2001.  With a diverse menu, ranging from veggie burgers to vegan burritos, the Riverwest Café is a pleasant surprise.
        Seeing as though the Riverwest Co-op is a cooperate, there is no central owner, either is there one main chef.  The Co-op is volunteer run and each member equally contributes to the operations of the store.  Free from corporate ties, the co-op seems to have a light, care free feel surrounding the store, which seems to reflect through the diverse clientele.
        Aside from the uplifting atmosphere, the quality of food meets, and exceeds, expectations.  Appearing to beat the trend of environmentally friendly services, the co-op now seems to be setting the standards for organic cuisine.  With a menu that is reasonably priced, for a heaping quantity of food, the most expensive thing I could find reached $7.50.  There are also options of readymade sandwiches and cold pastas which are also reasonably priced.
        After a late night, I recently woke a little late with a yearning for a hearty breakfast.  Good for me, the Co-op is only two blocks from where I live, and serves breakfast till 11am on the weekdays and until 2pm on the weekends.  Entering the very small café that only holds five tables, there is outdoor seating to accommodate the lack of space, my father and I found a small two seat table that looks out the wide window.  Decorating the walls are paintings by local artist that are for sale, which adds to the laid back ambiance of the café.  
        The building itself is an obvious classic.  According to their website, www.riverwestcoop.org, the building was built in 1904 and has been a vital part of the community ever since.  From the outside, the old brick building is lit up with an original Schlitz beer painting, which is reminiscent of the days when the building used to be a Schlitz Tied House .  Outdoor seating, which is regularly packed, welcomes customers to the café.
        The inside is more welcoming with the natural wood floors and brick walls.  The old garage where the café resides is bright and pleasant.  A huge garage door has been converted to a window which allows plenty of natural light pour in and for table plants to grow.  Though the café is small and is often crowded, it never feels overwhelming.  
        Trying to satisfy my huge appetite, I chose a traditional Korean dish called Bi Bim Bop ($5.50), a slice of banana bread (miscellaneous price by weight), and a Green Banana smoothie ($3.25).  The Bi Bim Bop, which is a dish of mixed vegetables on a bed of rice traditionally served with beef, was offered with tofu or fried egg instead.  The completely vegetarian dish was popping with spicy flavor and there was definitely a heaping amount.
        The banana bread and the banana smoothie were also delightful.  The smoothie was extremely thick, smooth and creamy, and crammed with natural banana flavor.  The green banana smoothie can be made with dairy or soy milk.  The banana bread was nothing out of the ordinary, just regular banana bread.   Though average, the ingredients are all natural and fresh.
        Yes, the food is amazing, healthy, and reasonably priced; the wait to get the food is another story.  I waited over a half hour, and the café was not even busy.  Three cooks appeared to be vigorously producing orders, that after a while I thought my ticket was misplaced!  Though the wait was overly long, the atmosphere definitely compensated.  People watching alone in the café is worth the visit.  Just remember, Riverwest Café perfects the art of slow food.
        Along with the food being slow, there isn’t much customer service in the café section.  The café is so small, and the three chefs in the open kitchen are often busy, that it is really hard to feel the whole customer service aspect.  When the food finally arrived at the table, the server/chef did not ask further questions to make sure I was satisfied, or needed anything else with my meal.  Luckily, the food was great, because as time passed the café became more crowded and I doubt I could have gotten close to no service.
         Connected to the café is grocery store which serves all organic, natural produce and assorted items.  While waiting for the food, the grocery store is always an interesting place to roam around.  Amazingly, the store holds a lot of stock even though it is fairly small.  There is almost so many things in the store that it is almost claustrophobic.  But don’t worry, if there is any particular healthy or local item that you are searching for, chances are the store will have it, aside from meat of course.  
        The service in the grocery is a completely different story.  Here, the customer service is friendly and heartfelt.  If one is not sure of an item there is always someone there to help.  The volunteers know about all of the products, and are willing to share their knowledge.  The store also is not a hectic and jammed as the café, so it serves as a nice break from the bustle.
        The Riverwest Coop Grocery and Café is a must try.  If one is looking for an authentic, Riverwest experience that is also healthy and helps the community, this is the place to try.   I am confident to say that one will not regret the experience or the food.  One suggestion, do not go if time is an issue.  Allot at least an hour and a half to the experience, because the service of the food alone will take up most of the time.