A new cafe is underway at the former Sabrosa space, 3216 S. Howell Ave., from the owners of the former lower east side tavern Cafe Brucke.
Business partners and spouses Chrisa Lorch and Jerry Patzwald bought the Sabrosa Cafe building in October 2024 and plan to open Swan Song by the end of this summer. Sabrosa, a popular Bay View brunch spot, closed in September 2024.
“It will be our sort of swan song. We chose the name because it will be our final performance before retirement,” Lorch said.
She said a few years ago she became nostalgic for the time when they owned Café Brucke, 2101 N. Prospect Ave., which the couple owned from 2004 to 2010.
“People still come up to me and say, ‘I miss your place,’ and I start crying,” Lorch said. “That’s the kind of thing that makes me want to do it again, hearing a person that I don’t really know genuinely conveying that they love that experience, and I thought we could recreate that in another neighborhood.”
Both Café Brucke and Sabrosa Cafe & Gallery were known for their art displays. Lorch said Swan Song will carry on the tradition from both.
“What we’re thinking is still fluid, but the overall idea is to be a conversational, art-focused place,” Lorch said.
Swan Song will be open in the late afternoon and evening, serving espresso and coffee drinks, alcoholic drinks and nonalcoholic drinks. Lorch said the food menu is still in the works, but she plans to have casual, shareable plates.
Lorch said the Sabrosa space was a near-perfect fit for what they were looking for.
“We were pretty open geographically within the city. When this came up, and it had been open as a restaurant, we knew it’d be the right fit for our concept,” Lorch said. “When we had Café Brucke, the setting, ambiance, vibe, the whole feeling of the space was something that neighbors really enjoyed and responded to. I’m hoping to have that same thing with our new neighbors at Swan Song.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New cafe from Cafe Brucke owners planned for former Sabrosa space in Bay View
Reporting by Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
