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In Dining Briefs
centro café is Riverwest's newest eatery
centro café opened mid-June in Riverwest.
By Jason McDowell Twitter Feed
OnMilwaukee.com Reporter

E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Jason McDowell

Published June 23, 2009 at 1:50 p.m.
Tags: centro cafe, italian food, riverwest

Five years ago Pat Moore and Peg Karpfinger started work on an idea for a new Riverwest cafe. Their hard work finally paid off when centro café (artistically lowercased), 808 E. Center St., opened its doors last Thursday.

centro cafe specializes in Italian fare -- sandwiches, pasta and salads -- as well as a selection of wine and beer, with competitive prices within the neighborhood. Its interior is modeled after a cozy Brooklyn Italian restaurant.

The bar was constructed from old recycled doors and topped with marble. The walls are tastefully decorated with mirrors and recycled glass tiles.

Large windows swing wide open in the summer to provide an open air experience while outdoor street side tables complete the patio.



More Information ...
Centro Café
808 E. Center St.
Milwaukee, WI 53212

centro café is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

12 comments about this article.
Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by mgwitte on Nov. 4, 2009 at 8:47 a.m. (report)

Was there last night--loved it. Note! Cash only!!

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Posted by Andi on Aug. 22, 2009 at 8:32 p.m. (report)

I just ate there tonight with my entire family (8 people), and it was great! We filled the dining room, but the staff embraced us rather than make us feel like a burden. The food was super fresh (and came very fast!!) and sooooooooooooo great! Really affordable. Cash only is kind of weird, but oh well! What an awesome, refreshing, friendly, enjoyable experience! I am stoked that this restaurant is in my neighborhood and will definitely go back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

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Posted by cancankant on July 21, 2009 at 8:27 a.m. (report)

Does anyone know how many vegan items there are on the menu? I have read a couple of reviews that state that vegan items are plentiful, but with no menu online, there's no way to check that out beforehand. I travel to this area pretty frequently, so I'll probably take the chance on it. Glad I found out about the cash only policy in advance. That actually is a serious drawback. I know some places do this to keep prices lower, but it's inconvenient. I think as they become more popular and start losing customers because of it, the lack of a credit card machine will change. In a day and age where you can charge your cup of coffee at Fuel Cafe, they really need to accept credit cards. The last place I encountered this was when I was on vacation in New Orleans. Several of the restaurants were cash only and it really burned my butt. Maybe I'm spoiled, but when I saw "cash only" on a review, I somewhat didn't want to go there anymore.

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Posted by bjv2 on July 10, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (report)

My wife and I dined at centro this evening, and the food and service were both appealing. However, there is a major drawback to dining at centro: THIS ESTABLISHMENT DOES NOT ACCEPT CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS AS A FORM OF PAYMENT. Seriously this is the 21st f-ing century. I have not been to a cash-only restaurant in my recent recollection, and I earnestly to not intend to return to one in the future. Centro's objection to offering their guests a univesally-accepted form of payment is a significant obstacle to my patronage. Should you find yourself in the unfortunate predicament of lacking greenbacks, you are coerced into paying a $2.50 ATM fee to access cash. No other restaurant I have visited in recent memory has such a policy. I live approximately 100 yards from this restaurant but am unlikely to return unless centro joins the modern age by utilizing CARD TRANSACTIONS. Otherwise the restaurant is terrific, and I wish their proprietors the best of luck. Get a credit card machine.

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Posted by speakthetruth on June 25, 2009 at 5:09 p.m. (report)

i will only go to centro cafe if there is a dinner choice named after k.d. lang on the menu.

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Show me the other 7 Talkbacks
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