Baya Bar Opens First Milwaukee Cafe
New acai cafe is chain's first in Midwest, offering wellness-focused smoothies, juice, snacks and more.
Baya Bar, 2220 N. Prospect Ave. Photo taken April 8, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Baya Bar, a New York-based acai chain, launched its first Milwaukee location April 5 at 2220 N. Prospect Ave.
The new cafe occupies a ground-level retail space at Contour Apartments, offering a health-focused menu of açaí bowls, smoothies, juices, coffee and snacks.
On opening day, a line of customers stretched down the block in front of the cafe, drawn by the promise of a free smoothie bowl and tote bag for the first 75 orders. Giveaways including Summerfest passes, yoga supplies, skin care and more also helped promote the launch.
Business partners Taylor Owens and Susan Weinberg Richheimer are behind the new cafe, which fills the space formerly occupied by Kwench Juice Cafe. Like its predecessor, Baya Bar offers made-to-order items with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, as well as superfood add-ins like goji berries, flax and chia seeds.
Acai bowls, made with the purple, antioxidant-rich Brazilian berry, are available with a variety of toppings, including sliced banana, granola, coconut shavings and Nutella. Baya Bar also offers bowls made with pitaya, or dragon fruit, and coconut.
Smoothies come in flavors like Mango Tango, Banana Strawberry and Kale, along with more filling options such as Mocha Muscle, which features peanut butter and whey protein.
The cafe also offers a selection of fresh-pressed juices, wellness shots and coffees, along with small bites like oatmeal and toast spread with avocado, peanut butter or Nutella.
Most orders are packaged in plastic for easy grab-and-go, though customers are welcome to dine in. The cafe features a handful of two-top tables and three additional seats along the front window.
The new Baya Bar is a first for both Milwaukee and the Midwest, serving as the chain’s debut location in the region. Founder and CEO Bill Loesch started the company in 2016 after leaving his job on Wall Street. The concept took off quickly and now includes more than 30 locations across four states, with plans to expand into Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Baya Bar is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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