This Starbucks, on Downer Ave was my "third place" - the environment Starbucks encourages their team leaders to foster; the operative word being "was". I have been the first customer of the week during more halcyon times. I have even been customer of the week in Los Angeles, New York City, West Hollywood and Paris (France). This branch underwent a significant renovation and refurbishing this past. Unfortunately, the one thing that wasn't refurbished was the presence of the manager, Suzanne - an overbearing, unpleasant, incompetent (per her own partners) who possesses a racist and bigoted demeanour. I have been a faithful customer for 20 years and have seen a few changing of the guard. When Susanne arrived, with her arrived harassment and targeting - particularly towards Blacks and from others who don't align with her worldview (if one can, ironically, use the word, "world" which normally connotes a certain cosmopolitan and expansive character). She started harassing me from the start of her tenure. I even moved back to Europe. But when I returned, there she was. With all of her most dubious characteristics. And, importantly, with the harassment. Myself aside, I have personally witnessed her harassing others - forcing Black customers to leave. Even the partners made the same remarks on her foul personality. And a litany of online reviews. I suggest you read them: Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, to name just a few. I don't know how the district management can keep her on. I'd like to think that they are not aware but they will be as of today. I'm sure corporate would agree. And they too will know shortly of my egregious experiences. The other partners there are wonderful and always accommodating but because of her presence I have taken my business to a competitor coffee house chain. The café is located in what is known as Downer Village. But, unfortunately, there seems to always be that one odious and malcontent person. In this village, Suzanne holds that "honour". read more

I love Starbucks. They are known for a nice clean environment 99.9% of their bathrooms at all of there locations are super clean. This is the worst one I've ever seen. It looks like you can catch hepatitis C in your butt on this one. read more

I like the location, right next to Bosworth Books, you can take your coffee right in and find some quality reading. Otherwise this is a rather typical Starbucks, good espresso drinks, sometimes old regular coffee, and workers who do not like it when you want to sit down and drink from an environmentally responsible ceramic cup and saucer. They like customers who use disposable, and I guess I get that this is easier for them, but I'm an old guy who misses sitting down to sip espresso from a proper espresso cup and saucer and take a breather from the real world. I guess I can disappear to another time in place with the right choice of book next door. read more

Starbucks - Some of the baristas will serve coffee in ceramic non disposable mugs but you have to beg and insist. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Always had a good experience here, great drinks, service and ambiance overall! I do wish there was more parking options

While I'm married to a coffee snob who prefers more local fares... My tastebuds always love Starbucks. I'm pretty addicted to it. So I've been to many locations, and this location was the first one I came to since we moved to Miwaukee in 2010. Coffee is what I'd expect from most Starbucks, service was average. But overall, the place needs a little TLC. Furniture is old and unkept (not sure if that's the look they're going for? like a mom and pop's coffee shop by a university?), shelves have curtains on them instead of sale items, and bathroom needs cleaning. Seriously, this was the dirtiest Starbucks bathroom I've seen in a while. Bathroom also needs toilet paper holders rather than a roll sitting on top of the toilet... and a roll without a hole in the middle, so getting some tp to use means you're holding the whole wad... but that means the person before you also had to do the same thing. Sink needs scrubbing. Piping needs work too. Hot water trickles down and doesn't get warm at all. Inconvenient in Milwaukee winters. I'm hoping the bathroom wasn't a representation of their cleanliness in general, since of course, I got food and coffee... but it doesn't instill much confidence. I'm going to avoid this location for a while. read more

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Debbie on Downer! Earlier Friday morning, I had the most unpleasant aggressively egregious interaction with one of the barista's who may be a team leader at the Starbucks on Downer. My mom has been a lifelong customer of Starbucks all of her mugs, ceramics or plastic are Starbucks. I frequently go there for her because sometimes she is not able to get around for herself. The other day I purchased a sandwich and a drink, and I forgot to get the extra cups per her request so today she requested that I go into Starbucks and get two medium cups and two lids that is all. I approached a barista who was currently fixing an order behind the counter by the cappuccino machine. It was fairly loud so she could not hear my request initially as I started to repeat myself I was aggressively interrupted by Suzanne. She said "she's making something or fixing an order right now what did you need?" I explained to her that I would like two empty cups and two lids this is when she said in a loud voice "Do you have an order if you didn't place an order we can't give out cups." I said "My mom comes here all the time" before I could say anything else she loudly said "We can't/don't give out cups GOODBYE GOODBYE!" in a very loud, aggressive egregious rude tone. It was very embarrassing and unwarranted and coming from a therapeutic standpoint Suzanne did not seem to be mentally baseline. My request did not warrant such an aggressive and egregious response. By the way, I reiterate I was conferring with the other barista before rudely being interrupted by Suzanne. Help is hard to find, but you may want to rethink having someone who is chemically imbalanced working with the public. I am fairly levelheaded, but what if I was not! Suzanne never let me explain anything. Did you place an order now she explained loudly and dismiss me as though I was a derelict asking for change. Deeply disturbed by the interaction I completed my initial errand. Then went back to Starbucks to purchase a lemon loaf just to get her name and the store number and the cups that I originally came in for. I have already conferred with corporate, and I will continue to do so until I am assured that this issue has been looked into and resolved. read more

This is a quick and busy Starbucks that is quite engaged with the surrounding community. The baristas are friendly and make an effort to get to know you and your name. My orders are consistently accurate and easily ordered through the Starbucks app. The staff has done a wonderful job at making safety with required masks and hand sanitizer available. There are also masks in the doorway if you happen to forget your mask. read more

Starbucks - Drink of the day! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Staff is not friendly. I stopped to pick up mobile order at this location at 5:20 pm on 8/8/24. I said Hi - barista looked at me and said nothing. After grabbing my drink I said Thank you , and heard nothing. The beverage was good, though. read more

I like this Starbucks. Quiet, but not too quiet. Very much a neighborhood Starbucks and I like how they've got tables outside on both sides of this corner. Perfect for sitting with the laptop (or the book I just bought from Boswell's!) in the breeze waiting for the sun to set. Oh yeah, and the baristas are the usual friendly Starbucks type. read more

Starbucks - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The worst Starbucks I have visited. They don't take time to write down the name of the customers on the drinks. Of course, it is going to happen that some customers may pickup the wrong orders. After discovering the mistake, they treated the customer still waiting for their drinks as if the customer was at fault. Not a single apology. Wow, just wow... will never return to this store. read more

Starbucks - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Got lucky today with Cate as my barista! Not only does she make the BEST drinks (she's a d*** professional), but she's always in the best mood! She remembers my name, and she always seems so happy to see me. This location always leaves the best taste in my mouth, literally and figuratively. Thanks again Cate read more

I come to the Downer Starbucks twice a week as I commute into Milwaukee early on those days. The moment that I step foot in the building I am greet by my first name and they are always so happy and friendly. On top of that I no longer have to order anymore, unless I want to add to my normal order because the employees here are amazing enough to remember who you are and care enough to remember your order. It is always nice to see bright smiling face at 5:45 A.M. That is just not something that you get anymore these days. Thank you to everyone for being amazing human beings and wonderful service industry representative. I want to add a special shout out to Naomi for being the bright shining face that keeps me coming back. Thank you for being extra amazingly awesome!!! read more

Clean, well-lit, friendly staff. Sometimes they're chatting with each other when they should be attending to customers, but that's hardly a huge issue. The interior is really nice with lots of blond wood and tons of seating. I usually hit this one super early in the morning and there is rarely a line. I can't say whether they get names right or not because my name is super common and no one ever messes it up. The fact it's bookstore adjacent is a nice perk. read more

A wonderful neighborhood starbucks store... like they used to be. Its not very large, but a great place to hang out, read, chill, etc. Be sure to check out the book store next door! read more

Always clean and friendly staff. Bonus that there's a book store next door which gives me time to browse new books. Very happy going to this Starbucks can't get enough read more

Starbucks - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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This is my neighborhood Starbucks. Great staff. Great drinks. Great people. I brought my kids here when they were little one month old shavers. Weaned 'em on coffee. Now they beg to come with me ;-) I enjoy seeing others doing the same with their kids. This is the Starbucks that turned me into a fan. I remember when I spent a fall in Milan how disappointed I was that they didn't have a Starbucks, especially since the original idea for the Stabucks style coffee house came from the Milanese coffee shops. I missed the mocha lattes. I had my wife send me the mocha powder. It took almost five months to arrive. My friend enjoyed it after I had left :-) Never, ever label something as from Starbucks when you ship it to Italy ;-) There are great coffee houses in Milan, but I'd put my neighborhood Starbucks up against any of them. read more

Starbucks - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Every time I come in here this place is spotless and the employees are super friendly. As a matter of fact, one of them bought my drink!

My partner and I did not have a good experience with a barista at this location. He was rude from our first interaction- making rude comments at every point in the transaction, from us inquiring about happy hour, ordering, and even when we paid. He even mocked me for not specifying what size drink I wanted up-front. I rarely leave bad reviews but I have worked in customer service myself and I would have never spoken to a customer like that. I am hoping management addresses his customer service skills so he doesn't continue to offend other people. read more

Starbucks... chain! I hate to love it! This Starbucks is located very close to where I live. I love being able to walk here in the morning, grab coffee, and stop in after to Boswell Books. Great people work here. There are many times when I have come across an angry barista, however yet to find one at this location. This is a great place to study, relax, and just catch up. I would suggest going here because there seems to be always a place to sit, obviously DELICIOUS coffee, and especially nice staff. If all else fails and you don't like coffee or nice people....they play great music! read more

Y'all need to get together and teach each other how to make a vanilla sweet cream cold brew some times it's fire but more then half the time this shuts week sause, I'm being petty sorry but for real though read more

I love this place so much they even have a pride flag and they're so nice and they make my heart happy.

Great staff with great drinks. Always met with a warm hello and a smile. You can really tell the bariatas are working hard through all their shortages and are very patient with customers. Thank you Downer Starbucks! read more

Location, location, location. This is one of the keys to Starbuck's success, along with attention to, and predictability of service, quality, cleanliness. The best independent coffee shops often exceed in each of these areas, but the one thing Starbucks generally has going for it is location. This place is a prime example. Located on Downer, with a doorway to perhaps the best independent bookstore (Boswell Books) remaining in Milwaukee, this Starbucks has a really nice feel to it. It is small, somewhat cramped, but has a really nice vibe. It is on a corner, so there are windows on two sides, giving it a more open feel, despite the limited floorspace. It is predictably Starbucks clean, with excellent service and predictably average espresso. But the vibe is really good, relaxing, unhurried, they are attached to Boswell, just up the street from the Downer Theater, hence the four stars. read more

I add more shot of coffee in order but nothing changed...probably the worker was forget it, i believe but i can tell it's coffee not tea lucky me read more

The staff here were very friendly and very accommodating to my custom drink order! Better yet, they had the supplies to make it!! Some locations stopped making my favorite drink a long time ago! Kudos-Downer Ave! read more

Pros: Friendly staff, neighborhood feel, and a mean vanilla cappuccino. Cons: Not enough places to park my car or my butt. read more

Yummy mocha's here! Skim no whip! Very comfy atmosphere! I love the neighborhood that this location is in. I wish that they had more of the big plush seating read more

Starbucks - Yummy mocha! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Nice staff. Connected to Boswell books. Faces the SE on Downer Avenue so you get morning sun.....somedays.

Pros: got my order right. Cons: I was not greeted when I walked in and there were multiple employees and no one in line, eventually they mentioned they would be right with me, then I had short service from a male employee who seemed annoyed that I had decided to spend money there. He made me feel very rushed even though there was no one in line. No smile either. I can usually count on friendly service at a Starbucks but not this one. read more

Received unfriendly service from three people in one visit today, on my way to the great bookstore next door. First, I waited awkwardly at the front register to be acknowledged, even with several employees near. My drink (a plain latte with no modifications) was made incorrectly (with some kind of syrup). I politely returned it for a remake with no apology or concern from the staff. I had to wait awhile for the remake (even though Starbucks policy says remakes jump to the front of the drink queue). At the hand-off plane (both the first and second time) there was no thank you or acknowledgment. They didn't take my name for the order like they're supposed to. Several partners also seemed more interested in talking with each other than working. I hadn't been here in a few years, and received unfriendly service then. It seems not much has changed. Full disclosure: I've been a Starbucks partner myself, so I know what good service looks like. This isn't it. Do yourself a favor and visit the beautiful new Stone Creek across the street. Service has been great there every time. read more

I was very disappointed with the service at this location. The baristas were unfriendly and at point when I inquired about which beverage was mine (it was not called out) was rudely told to check the code on the side of the cup. It does not take much to be cordial towards customers. I plan on taking my business to local options such as Roast and Colectivo. read more

I'm totally all about independent commerce; but, jah! Turning coffee into pastry is ART, my friends; and Starbucks is the Leroy Nieman of whatever term is used to describe THAT! read more

This is one of my favorite Starbucks locations in the city. The staff is always friendly and quick to make your drink. Parking is really the only negative, as it's fairly limited to street parking in a crowded area of restaurants, shops, and residences. However, it's a great place to grab a cup o' joe while waiting for a movie at the Downer or for your name to be called from the Pizza Man waitlist. The space itself isn't the largest of Starbucks stores, but there's still seating room as well as the option to wander into Boswell Books with your coffee. Coffee + books = one happy camper. read more

Baristas were nice enough, and the coffee was as good as always, but the inside appeared dirty at 7:30am? Also, no stir sticks, and no sugar in the raw? What? I ordered a sandwich and it was put in the bag so carelessly that I had to reassemble it when I took it out. This is Starbucks! That just shouldn't happen! Get it together people! read more

Yikes!!! Flies all over the place where they keep all the sandwiches and pastries. DO NOT EAT THEM!! You might be eating their poops. WAR OF FLIES. It happens often. read more

In general I enjoy going to the place, it's right by my apartment, easy to get to, just very convenient. This morning me and my roommates went to get coffee and breakfast when the guy taking our order, (we think his name was Thomas and he had a sleeve of tattoos and we were told he was a shift) he was a massive jerk, very condescending and felt the need to remind us he worked there. Everyone else was very very nice and in general I'd give this place a five star rating but today not so much. read more

This is the best Starbucks out there. The only problem is one of the workers there, the one i got today, was a disaster. Ian is terrible. Attitude up a storm. If he gets fired, this Starbucks will be, by far, the best! FIRE IAN read more

Relatively quiet neighborhood Starbucks most days that can get busy during peak hours or when there is an event in the area. Overall though, a great spot to get some work done with friendly baristas. Most of the seating inside includes high top tables with only one larger standard height table, but there are several standard tables outside as well for nice days. As some have noted, parking can be tricky during busy times but usually street parking can be found. read more

I like the overall atmosphere at this place. I live close by and it is convenient for studying. The workers are always very friendly and quick with orders. I also LOVE that it is connected to a bookstore as well. read more

I love this Starbucks location. The staff is always so friendly and the drinks come out incredibly quick! Love the renovations they did, there's always plenty of seating available. Can't say enough good things about this location. read more