Kinship Cafe Boasts Stunning Space, Tasty Meals

Kinship Cafe. Photo taken March 10, 2025 by Cari-Taylor Carlson.

You will not find a more stunning space for breakfast or lunch than the Kinship Cafe that opened last November in the former Gimbels department store on MLK Jr. Drive. It is now the ThriveOn King center after an inspired renovation created a community hub, including this cafe, where everyone is welcome to visit, have a meal, and stay awhile. In the area around the café, you will see several places to sit, many tables, a large enclosed meeting room, and a stage ready for future events.

You enter the building via the original wooden revolving doors, one of many historic features that were retained, adding some old Milwaukee charm to this spectacular communal space.

When you come for a meal, look for the menu posted on the chalkboard behind the counter. The first thing I saw was That Tandem Sandwich. It tweaked a memory of a chicken sandwich and of course, it would be That Chicken Sandwich, because Caitlin Cullen, the owner of the former The Tandem known for its amazing chicken sandwiches, is the person behind the operation of Kinship Cafe.

That Tandem Sandwich lived up to my memories: it was a crusty breast on a toasted bun topped with slightly sweet house-made pickles and a spicy sriracha aioli.

My companion was taken by the selection of bowls which included a Tofu Bahn Mi Bowl, Grilled Chicken Caesar Bowl, and the one she ordered, the Mediterranean Grilled Salmon Salad. In this bowl, the spinach was topped with a large pile of roasted beets, grated carrots, feta, grape tomatoes, red onion, and just off the grill, the salmon. It also had a tart house vinaigrette and a few marinated chickpeas. She paired it with a cup of the daily soup, Italian Meatball Soup, which was almost enough for a complete meal by itself.

I took a Southwest Veggie Bowl home for later and had enough for two meals. It was loaded with roasted veggies, brown rice, and black beans which I coated with its spicy dressing.

You can also build your own bowl. First you choose a base: kale, spinach, a spring mix, rice, or quinoa. Then you add any, or all, of the daily topping. If you wish, add a protein, chicken, salmon, or tofu, for an additional charge.

A week later I came back with two friends and that day Cheesesteak Madness was the daily special. After one bite, my companion exclaimed, “If I were to name this sandwich, I would call it, ‘Loaded with good stuff.’” And it was. Thinly sliced and very tender ribeye was combined with sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a toasted Hoagie. The oozy homemade Cheez Wiz made it a messy delightful take on a Philly Cheesesteak sammie.

The Spicy Thai Curry Chicken Soup lived up to its spicy name and the Grilled Tofu Bahn Mi had plenty of heat from sriracha aioli. It was a classic Bahn mi made with grilled tofu instead of pork and included pickled cucumber and shredded carrots layered in a grilled baguette.

The Mockery Chicken had the same house made-pickles as That Tandem Sandwich but the filling and the bun fell apart when I ate the sandwich. I liked the flavors of the pieces that I picked up and ate with my fingers.

From 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. they serve hot breakfasts. You can choose from: The Farmer’s Favorite, house-made pork sausage, fried egg, American cheese, and tomato jam; the Space Jam, the same as the Farmer’s minus the sausage; the Impossible Sammy with an impossible patty and an egg, jam and cheese; a Sweet Potato Burrito; a Berry and Yogurt Parfait; and the Faux Rizo Burrito made with walnut chorizo, fajita veggies, black beans, avocado, and vegan cashew ranch dressing. This is not a menu written in stone so be prepared if something on the menu has been added or deleted.

You might not want to leave without something sweet so head over to the pastry selection where you will see the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie. It had so many chocolate chips that every bite was like a bite of a giant chocolate bar coated with brown butter dough.

Everything at Kinship Cafe is made from scratch and you will know this is true as soon as you taste the food. You will also see that everything on the menu, except maybe the pastries, speaks to healthy fresh ingredients and this is one of many reasons to visit the café for a meal.

On the Menu

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• Location: 2153 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
• Phone: 414-301-1478
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon-Fri
• Neighborhood: Halyard Park
• Website: https://www.kinshipmke.org