East Side Getting New Açaí Bar and Cafe
New York-based Baya Bar plans to open its first Wisconsin location on Prospect Avenue.
Site of future Baya Bar, 2220 N. Prospect Ave. Photo taken Aug. 21, 2924 by Sophie Bolich.
A new destination for smoothies, snacks, açaí bowls and more is headed to Milwaukee’s East Side, and making its imminent arrival known with hot pink, floor-to-ceiling signage.
Baya Bar, a New York-based chain, is coming soon to Prospect Avenue. And if you think the signs are colorful, wait until you see the menu.
The health-focused restaurant serves a fruit-filled menu of fresh juices, smoothies and frozen açaí bowls with toppings such as bee pollen, granola and peanut butter. For a more substantial meal, Baya Bar offers oatmeal with various toppings and toast with seasoned avocado or fruit and nut butter.
The cafe also stocks bottled juices and super shots made with ginger, oregano extract, wheat grass and other super foods.
Bill Loesch, founder and CEO of Baya Bar, launched the business in 2016 after leaving his job on Wall Street. The concept, centered on Brazil’s fiber and antioxidant-filled açaí berry, found quick success and now operates nearly 30 locations across three states, with expansions planned for the Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Wisconsin markets.
The upcoming Milwaukee location would replace Kwench Juice Cafe at 2220 N. Prospect Ave. The previous business, also a chain, opened in 2022 under franchisee Lilah Calhoun.
Calhoun announced the cafe’s closure in April, after just under two years in business. At the time, she also shared plans to open a new location in Florida.
Baya Bar has not yet applied for a food dealers license at the address, though city records indicate there is an occupancy permit pending at the location.
The 1,030-square-foot cafe space is situated at ground level of the Contour Apartments, an 88-unit building constructed in 2019. FedEx operates in the adjacent retail space.
Baya Bar typically designs its locations with a tropical theme, curating a “colorful environment with good music and its signature palm trees” in order to “convey a suitable sense of repose,” according to the business’s website.
An opening date for the Milwaukee location has not yet been announced, though the cafe already maintains an active Instagram page.
A representative of Baya Bar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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