By Maureen Post Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Sep 10, 2008 at 9:19 AM

In one form or another, the café now called Le Cakery has served lunch in downtown Elm Grove for years. Previously called the Chocolate Swan and known for incredible éclairs, Le Cakery's new owner hopes to continue the small café tradition for years to come.

The initial improvements in service and Eastern European touches of new owner Hakan Hare bring a refreshing vibe to this established Elm Grove eatery.

Le Cakery's small, quaint lunch café serves a handful of sandwiches and salads including a soup of the day and daily specials. Lunches are sizable and fresh but what patrons really come for is the desserts.

Le Cakery's in-house bakery perfects everything from full wedding and birthday cakes to petite lemon bars and decadent brownies.

Éclairs made from the original world famous Chocolate Swan recipe continue to pull customers from around the city. Tasty éclairs, fresh eats plus new, improved service give west siders more than enough reason to return.

Maureen Post Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Maureen Post grew up in Wauwatosa. A lover of international and urban culture, Maureen received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After living on the east side of Madison for several years, Maureen returned to Milwaukee in 2006.

After a brief stint of travel, Maureen joined OnMilwaukee.com as the city’s oldest intern and has been hooked ever since. Combining her three key infatuations, Milwaukee’s great music, incredible food and inspiring art (and yes, in that order), Maureen’s job just about fits her perfectly.

Residing in Bay View, Maureen vehemently believes the city can become fresh and new with a simple move across town.