JP’s Café tried on a couple of different hats -- including a beret and a sombrero -- in the past couple of years.
Originally, the Shorewood café was called John Pierre’s and featured a French menu. Then -- keeping the "JP" theme -- it changed to Juan Pedro’s, a Mexican cantina. Finally, in April, the restaurant took another stab at success with JP’s Café.
This time around the menu is more eclectic, featuring breakfast items -- served until 1:30 p.m. every day and ranging in price from $6.50-$8 -- pizzas ($7.50-$8), sandwiches ($7.50-$8.50), salads ($8.50-$10) and entrees ($10-$14).
Also, JP’s offers a variety of coffee drinks -- both in-house and to go -- as well as a full bar featuring tap and bottled beer, wine and mixed drinks. We found the extensive bar menu slightly superfluous because JP's is only open until 9 p.m. every night. (Then again, maybe Shorewood folks like their day drinking. Wink.)
The décor features wood floors, plenty of seating -- including an appealing outdoor patio in front of the restaurant -- and original paintings on the walls.
We would have liked the café and the restrooms to appear a little cleaner. The stained material on the chairs and the overlooked floors and restrooms were not quite up to par. We expected more from an establishment located in Shorewood.
Overall, we enjoyed our meals. The food was fresh and, for the most part, well prepared. The new tagline, "Just Great Food," seems to be slightly overstated, but just a little bit.
The roasted turkey club featured a generous pile of turkey, mixed greens, Boursin cheese, spinach, tomatoes and bacon inside a spinach tortilla wrap. The wrap is simple and flavorful, with the cheese adding the needed kick. It came with an unnecessary side of honey mustard, and a massive side order of pasta salad that wasn’t quite right. It was a little too oily and has way too many sun-dried tomatoes in it.
The chicken caprese sandwich was better, with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella on a grilled chicken breast. The sandwich was drizzled in Balsamic vinegar, and at first, my companion was surprised by the lack of mayo, but later declared it really didn’t need it because it was tasty as is.
The seasoned French fries were very good, and the portion is plentiful.
We also tried the Middle Eastern tuna salad, prepared with albacore tuna, tahini, cumin and lemon on a warm pita. This recipe has a very distinctive taste, one that’s palatable at first but gets a little intense halfway through. At first we thought tahini in tuna salad was a brilliant addition, but we questioned the sweetness after a few bites.
The menu features a variety of vegetarian and vegan items, especially their breakfast menu, offering vegan French toast and a tofu scrambler. The lunch and dinner menu has a veggie melt.
Manager Gosia Staczek says the menu will change quarterly and focus on seasonally appropriate meals made with in-season foods.
"We really try to listen to our customer’s advice and give them the kind of food they want," says Staczek.
JP's has many of the elements needed for a great neighborhood café, but something about the place is a little off. Perhaps it’s because it's trying too hard to be everything to everyone, and in the process, continues to suffer from an identity crisis.
Aside from aforementioned issues, we found the big Good Humor ice cream freezer in a corner a little out of place, as well as bakery items that appeared past their prime.
The service was great, but the food just wasn’t good enough for us to plan a return. Perhaps in six months, JP's will finds its niche and tweak a few minor issues. For now, it's most likely a convenient place to pop into for those living nearby, but not a destination spot for those living further away.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
