A Walker’s Point mainstay for breakfast and lunch has shut its doors.
The National Cafe, 839 W. National Ave., announced its immediate closure on social media the morning of Dec. 11.
“It is with great sadness and utter heartbreak that we announce the sudden closure of The National Cafe, our beloved Walker’s Point breakfast and lunch spot,” the post read.
It’s been a difficult year for owners Angie Wierzbinski and Amy Plennes. The pair owned The Lafayette Place, 1978 N. Farwell Ave., which closed in April after three years of business. It could not reopen after a car crashed into the building in September 2024, destroying the restaurant’s main entryway.
The National Cafe’s closure announcement cited 2025 as a “painfully slow” year for the business.
“We kept hoping for a busy fall and holiday season that just never came,” the post read.
The National Cafe, a cozy space with bright windows, sold comfort breakfast and lunch fare with an emphasis on vegetarian and vegan options, including breakfast sandwiches, French toast, classic and chorizo burritos, panini and more. The Journal Sentinel named its vegan cinnamon roll a “best bite” in February.
The café opened in 2008 under original owner Michael Diedrick. In 2011, Diedrick sold the café to Nell Benton for $100. The deal was made under multiple stipulations, including keeping the café open six or seven days a week, staying open in the space under the same name for two years, operating as a nonprofit and more efforts to maintain the space as a community hub.
Benton ran the National Cafe until 2019, when she left the business to focus on her family and sold it to Wierzbinski, a longtime employee, and Plennes.
“We will miss working with our favorite people. We will miss the smell of crispy bacon and cinnamon rolls. We will miss the hiss of our espresso machine,” the post said. “And we will miss serving our beautiful and amazing customers with our brunch that was made with so much love.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The National Cafe has closed in Walker’s Point
Reporting by Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
