For $17.95 the all you can eat buffet of Fried Cod Fish also featured baked Cod Fish and other food options as well. Arroz Gandules and pinto beans and chicken fajita and cheese enchiladas. There was also purple cabbage Cole slaw. The food was fresh and was very flavorful. My wife is from the Dominican Republic and is not easily impressed, but she was very pleased with the meal. My 8 year old ate for the price of $8.95. The Friday night fish fry starts at 5 Pm. If you arrive at 6:30 Pm they feature live music. Cafe El Sol Is located inside the UCC. The service was good from both the waiter and the cooking staff. Will definitely return again. read more

Finding Cafe El Sol is like a treasure hunt because it's in the basement of a community center. Trust me you won't be sad when you eat the food. We went for the Friday fish fry because we wanted something different. The only downside is that the buffet was the only available option. The options were plentiful and I really enjoyed how they prepared the fried cod. The breading was thin and had great flavor and was not bland. I think I got four pieces of fish! The rest of the buffet had some healthy options. There was as vegetable medley and rice, etc. You didn't feel like you were eating only fried things. They also had baked fish option but I didn't get to try it but my friends loved it! I definitely will be back for the fish fry buffet but want to try out their other options as well. read more

This is a rare find. It is a fusion of Mexican and Puerto Rican food. The food is excellent. They offer daily specials and "guisados". I had Puerto Rican pasteles and they were amazing. I've eaten there several times and have never been disappointed. Restaurant is affiliated with a school next door that is independently run and It supports the surrounding community and delivered meals to home bound during COVID pandemic. They kept restaurant staff employed. They have live music on Friday nights. I plan on checking it out soon. And to top it off the prices are so reasonable. Find it and try it out. read more

Looking for a unique Friday fish fry experience? Look no further. This place is great. It's in the basement of a community center, so the ambiance is, shall we say, unusual, but the food ...! I've never had Puerto Rican rice and beans with my fish fry, but it was delicious! The cabbage slaw was lime-y with a hint of jalepeño and I couldn't pick between the fried cod and the baked cod - both were incredibly tasty. They also had beef, pork and chicken, if fish isn't your thing. And the music ...! Last night, it was a 6-piece Latin jazz outfit called Latin Sound System and they wer terrific. Check their schedule on their Facebook page. It's an all-you-can eat buffet for about $15. Full bar, too. read more

Looking for a different sort of Friday fish fry? Here's your place, an oddly placed restaurant hidden in the basement of the UCC, a school and community center on the near south side, your meal won't be expensive and your money goes towards one of the best community based organizations and programs in the Midwest, so you can feel good about eating too much. Open only Mondays through Fridays, you should go a little early to check out the little art gallery upstairs, it's always interesting, same with some of the little history displays in the lobby area. The food is partly Mexican, partly Puerto Rican. Their breakfast and lunch is delicious, but the best part of the week is the Friday fish fry. There's no one there when it starts at 5 (not sharp), but that's when the fish (served buffet style, with rice and beans and a couple of other sides) is best, and you know you can get a table. Make sure you order a margarita before you start, and get a good Mexican beer to go with. The fried fish is unique, with Latin seasoning, they'll (eventually) bring you tortillas to go with, although it's all you can eat, be careful with that. Maybe it's just me, but when food is served this way, I eat one or two more pieces of fish past comfort. The fish that isn't fried is somehow even less healthy, as it is served swimming in butter, but it's even more delicious. Then at 6 or 6:30 (not sharp), some very talented musicians start playing, and I should have mentioned earlier, although the restaurant is in a school basement, the decor and ambiance is quite pretty, you'd pay twice this much if the restaurant weren't part of a not-for-profit community center. A couple of drinks and the fish fry comes to slightly over $30 for two, add the music, the friendly atmosphere, and I can't imagine a nicer Friday evening. It's an early Friday evening though, the music and food cease by 9. Parking is easy except during school hours (don't even try to come here by car when school lets out), there's a little neighborhood park right out in front with parking on the street on all four sides. Don't let anyone frighten you off by telling you this is a bad neighborhood, the couple of blocks surrounding this community center are pretty, old houses occupied by working families, and besides, there's a beautiful Mexican-Catholic grotto right next to the restaurant, so if you're a believer, that will protect your soul. http://www.unitedcc.org/index.htm read more

Cafe El Sol is sensational! Their Friday buffet has a wonderful lemony coleslaw (or salad) along with Puerto Rican or white rice, shredded pork, fried and baked fish, chicken, and several other items. This buffet is all you can eat and costs less than $14. Frozen margaritas are delicious and relatively inexpensive ($6). The frosting on the cake however is their live entertainment featuring great Milwaukee LatinX entertainment who were astonishing and a great treat! read more

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I ate there last night with my daughter and granddaughter, after a program at the Latino Arts Center. I read the yelp reviews which say the buffet is small--which it is--but I don't see that as a negative. The food was really good! I especially liked the cabbage slaw with cilantro and a very acidic vinaigrette. Yum! The "pork stew" was delicious and even the chicken quarters were great. I had some Spanish rice, as well. And the salsa was spicy, but not overpowering. Yum! My only complaint was the service was confusing. We wanted to order some margaritas, but couldn't figure out if we had to go to the bar, or if there was table service. The waitress was at our table for water several times, but never asked! Someone finally asked my daughter as she was on her way back from the buffet. Kind of weird. But the margaritas were tasty! The music was fun, but a little loud for talking. But all in all a good meal. I will come back! read more

I have been wanting to try Cafe El Sol ever since reading in the Milwaukee Journal about what a great fish fry they have on Friday nights. I was super excited to try it out when coming up to Milwaukee to take a friend to dinner. Similar to what another reviewer said (I wish I'd have read these reviews before going, but I took the Milwaukee Journal at their word), I took a look at the buffet style fish fry and was like, "You're kidding, right?" They have no regular menu items available on Friday nights. Overly shredded lettuce with a few random other vegetables here and there; some plain white rice; plain pintos; some carnitas; chicken thighs; some version of Spanish rice; some broiled fish and at the end of the buffet line, a bin of fried fish that looked like it'd been sitting there for an hour. Everything was cold. I tried a bite of the fried fish and it was stale and chewy, difficult to break apart with my fork and knife to even eat. I barely took more than two bites of anything on my plate. My friend tried a bite of his fish and didn't eat any more of it. The best thing there was to eat on the entire table was the tortilla chips and salsa, and even that was meh. Sigh. The service was pretty sparse. If they offer other drinks besides water I would not know because they never asked to take a drink order. They did ask a couple of times if everything was okay. My friend and I decided not to complain and just enjoy our conversation and pay $30 + 15% tip for a lesson learned -- to read Yelp reviews of a place before heading there. I threw in an extra star just because I don't want to be mean, and since I didn't give them an opportunity to comp the meal. As we left and made plans for a next time, my friend said next time I make the drive he'll take me to Guadelajara instead. read more

Milwaukee's got plenty of great Mexican restaurants. But Cafe El Sol is something different. It's a Latin restaurant. It has great Mexican AND great Puerto Rican, the latter more hard to find in Brew City. Cafe El Sol is located in the basement of Centro de la Communidad Unida, otherwise known as the UCC, a community center on Walker Square that features a school, health clinic and other services. Cafe El Sol is a money-generator for this great organization. So, not only do you get authentic, top-notch Latin food, you're helping support one the most important non-profit organizations serving Milwaukee's Latino community. read more

Oh wow... Cafe El Sol is definitely a hidden gem of Milwaukee...turns out there are quite a few of 'em in this small big city of ours. I recently visited this medium sized cafe -- located in the basement of the community center -- for their Friday fish fry, which was described by fellow Yelp-er Jessica O. as a "fish fry with a twist!" For just under $12 you get an all you can eat buffet which includes salad, rice, refried beans, baked fish, and some of the most delicious, tender fried fish I think I've ever had -- seriously yum-tastic. The fish flakes away ever so slightly and combines well with rice and beans in a (provided) warm flour tortilla! The service was polite and as accommodating as service for a buffet can be; the waitress was especially nice towards the baby of my dining companions. What makes this place even more unique is the live band that apparently plays every Friday evening! Last Friday's selection was a duet with keyboard and bongo -- hearing a Latin-themed instrumental version of "Jingle Bells" was a nice touch. It wasn't too crowded either, which definitely cut down on the noise level, but I imagine on a nicer night we might have waited quite a bit for a table. I will definitely return to Cafe El Sol and highly recommend you visit as well! read more

I had heard great things about the Friday night buffet that Cafe El Sol offers so when invited to go with friends, I was excited to check it out. Had high hopes based upon their raves and sure, I could go for some Mexican food. The joint was hopping and the parking was sparse but managed to park within a block so that was cool. They offer a live band on Fridays but apparently this particular night they were not doing it due to a concert upstairs. We even asked our waitress about it and she insisted there would be a band - oh well, guess no one informed her either. So I walked in, excited for this hyped up buffet and I took a gander over at it and just got this sinking "you gotta be kidding me" feeling. I truly believe it was the smallest version of a buffet type setting I think I have ever seen. There was a bin of shredded lettuce (salad), a bin of white rice, bin of beans, bin of beef stew which was hard to find much beef in it and a bin of pork with some pepper sauce. At the end of the line there was what was to be a tray of baked fish and one of fried fish. I say "what was to be" because they seemed to have had a shortage on the baked fish all night and when they finally brought it out, there was a line around the block waiting for it. The whole time we were there I think they only brought out one batch each of fish and when it was gone, there was a looooonggg wait in between. The fish was really good. Nice big thick pieces of cod or haddock, not sure which they use but it was tasty - when it was fresh and hot. All that being said, overall it was really not a place I would wish to run back to. Service was not the best and I didn't feel it was worth the $10 or so for the buffet that didn't have much to offer and long waits for the main entree. I was let down there wasn't more Mexican food to choose from. read more

I had never eaten here before and some friends of mine wanted to meet up. It is located inside another building and is a tad hard to find if you have never been there before. The bar area is small and they don't have a lot of options in terms of drinks. I went on a Friday night for their fish fry and I was disappointed when the fish fry ended up being a buffet and the fish was crispy at all and the tartar sauce was not good. The rice and beans was excellent, though. They had good live music and a dance floor. They were starting to close as we were leaving around 930pm. It was around 113 bucks for 6 of us. I don't know that I would go back for a fish fry but I would be willing to try their other food. read more

Want to eat a nice meal in a unique atmosphere and feel good that you are supporting a good cause? Then look no further than Cafe El Sol. The menu has both Mexican and Puerto Rican items, and I everything has been solid. I love the feel of this place and it gives me the opportunity to practice my awful Spanish. read more

In a section of Milwaukee where there are several authentic Mexican and Latino restaurants, Cafe El Sol leaves a lot to be desired. The quality and presentation of the food was disappointing, although the staff were very friendly. Compared to other neighborhood restaurants, it is unlikely that I will be giving this restaurant a second go-around. read more

Well I would give 5 stars for ambiance of the hidden little restaurant but 3 stars for the food. The baked and fried fish is tasty on the Friday night buffet but other items such as the chicken mole, rice, and beans are pretty bland. I have gone at lunch hour and had pretty good service then I dined at dinner and it was a long wait but the bossa nova band kept us occupied without any worry. I think this place is definitely worth trying out. Some of my friends loved the buffet but I was a bit more discriminative as I am a huge fan of Mexican and Puerto Rican food and really felt like they could have been a bit more generous on the seasonings. I will go again for the art gallery upstairs, music, appetizers, and margaritas. read more

Completely Chaotic Operation I heard positive opinions about Cafe El Sol for some time and wanted to check out their Latin twist on the Friday Fish Fry. We walked at the UCC at 7:30pm and couldn't find the cafe - we were told to take an elevator to the basement, which we did. The dining area isn't huge and looking at the small buffet area I immediately thought "that's it?". We ventured to give it a try anyway. The waitress sat us down, we were served chips and salsa, and she asked if we wanted anything to drink. My girlfriend stuck with water and I ordered a beer. My companion and I couldn't have much of a conversation at first because the live band was too loud. Thankfully, they soon went on break. So we dived into the buffet. There was very little baked or fried fish left. We took the scraps anyway. There was also pork, chicken fajita (I didn't see the tortillas until later), refried beans, white rice (why no Mexican rice?), and generic salad. The baked fish wasn't hot nor the pork or fajitas. About 2 minutes after we started eating more baked fish arrived - we went up to get some fresh stuff and it was much better. After finishing up my plate, more fried fish arrived at the buffet. I still didn't have the beer I ordered - I told the waitress and she promised to get the beer right away. I grabbed some fresh fried fish and it was quite good with a crispy coating. We had to ask the woman who we thought was in charge about desert since our waitress never offered. We had a flan and fried ice cream. Both were good. Overall we both thought the food tasted great, but needed to be hotter. The buffet area needs more constant attention than the staff gives it. BTW - I never did get my beer. When the check finally arrived (we had to ask for it), guess what was on it? You guess it... the Phantom Beer! I paid cash just to get out of the place in a timely manner because it appeared using a credit card was a major ordeal - it looked like they manually write down credit card information on carbon forms. My girlfriend left a 20% tip on the table. My reply was "Really?!" - especially 3 minutes later after we were back upstairs where she summed up the experience perfectly: "The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at that place". I'm sure we'll be joking about our experience for some time. Tasty food when hot, but they need to get their act together. read more

My girlfriend and I saw the Chef and restaurant featured on the news last night as an exciting ethnic place to have a different fish fry, so we gave it a shot. The fish was good, but the line was long to get some. They also ran out of rice and people had to wait a while for more. Tip - don't sit in any of the tables next to the buffet - just too busy. Very disappointed that the margaritas were overly sweet and served in a plastic cup. No thanks. There was no server, at least for our table. We were seated, told about the buffet, given our margaritas and never had anybody stop by, even to drop the check. Live music was nice. Overall though, probably won't t go back. Sorry. read more

I am sorry to say my family and I were very disappointed in Cafe El Sol on a recent visit. We truly are not critical people and willing to overlook a few flaws expecially at a place that represents itself as a community center. My wife is Mexican and wanted to see the Day Of Dead exhibit. We decided to have dinner while in the building. What a mistake. We were the only customers in the restaurant which should have been a clue. As my wife said if the community doesn't support its own community center restaurant it may be a problem. We placed an order for 4 different entrees and an appetizer. After waiting nearly 10 minutes the waitress came out to say one entree wasn't available. We went with another, easy enough. 10 minutes later she came again to say another entree wasn't available. Fine we ordered something different. Again we were trying to overlook problems since this isn't a "typcial" restaurant. Finally after another 15 minutes (35 total) the entrees came out. There wasn't one thing between the four plates we considered edible. My breaded steak dish was burnt beyond recognition. My wife's Carne Frita was a plate of cold very rubbery pork chunks. My kids ordered tacos and gorditas. Neither of them were edible. Honestly if two hungry teenagers don't eat the food it has to say a lot. All of the side dishes (rice and beans) were cold and flavorless. About 5 minutes after the entrees were delivered the waittress came out with our appetizer. She set it down and walked away. It too was cold and unedible. My sarcastic teenagers made a comment about the "authentic Mexican meal" and asked if we were stopping at Taco Bell on the way home. We left the plates nearly full of food. When asked if things were ok I replied no and explained the problems. The waittress (about 16) seemed confused to what to do. Since she was the only staff we saw at any time in the restaurant I didn't bother pushing the issues too hard. I wrote it off as a lesson learned. Next year the vist to the Day Of The Dea exhibit will be celebrated with meal at a restaurant other than the community center I am sorry to say. We are all for supporting local agencies such as UCC, but I'd rather just make a donation (as we did at the exhibit) than go through the pretense of a horrible meal. read more