Alterra Cafe At the Lake   

Located at the foot of Lafayette Hill in the historic Milwaukee River Flushing Station, Alterra on the Lake offers city dwellers a vibrant and casual setting to gather with friends and enjoy a warm cup of java. Built in 1888, the facility still houses an enormous water pump that moves 500 million gallons of water per day from Lake Michigan into the Milwaukee River. Orders for macaroons and biscotti, homemade soups and salads, hot panini grilled sandwiches (like the fried eggplant panini made with pan-fried eggplant, grilled red peppers, smoked mozzarella, sun-dried tomato tapenade and goat cheese spread), cold sandwiches, traditional espresso drinks, specialty coffee drinks and smoothies can be placed at the recycled, 200-year-old pine counters that the staff scurry about behind. Cozy with its Cream City brick interior, wood plank flooring, tall arched windows and creative waterwheel sculpture, this 1,700-square-foot coffeehouse gets extremely busy on weekend mornings. -- Rachael Liska