The Adventure

For my birthday last year, I took a massive Northwoods Wisconsin road trip. Visited just over 30 coffee shops in 3 days.

On that trip, I visited Northern Perks and drove past Braise North…but I didn’t realize this shop was going to be closed and the visit had to be rescheduled.

That return trip occurred towards at the end of 2025. I had just finished checking off coffee shops in Madison, WI and had one extra day on my schedule. Instead of spending the following day touring the city, I thought that it would be fun to attempt a crazy road trip to knock this one off my list ahead of schedule (for backstory, last year I traveled all over Wisconsin to complete the Venture Wisconsin Coffee Passport in one year).

Anyways that morning, I woke up later than desired. I had spent most of the night walking around State Street in the snow, with my camera taking photos (Here’s one and another from that night if you’re curious). Anyways, I packed up my suitcase, grabbed a quick breakfast from the hotel lobby, and hit the road around 8:00AM.

It’s important to note the key factors that stood in my way. There’s roughly 185 miles between my hotel in Madison and Lakewood. It came out to just over 3 hours of driving and the fact that this coffee shop was only open from 8:00AM to Noon…made me question the reality of this trip. A few hours may seem like a lot of time to some people, but when you are driving almost 200 miles…anything can happen. That is an incredibly short period. One emergency, construction detour or some heavy traffic would have caused me to miss that window.

I was praying nearly the entire drive that I wouldn’t hit an animal or pop a flat. Literally anything going wrong would go against the plan. The closer I got, the more tense I was. What if they decided to close early? I would have driven nearly 200 miles for nothing. So I pulled off, called their business number. Someone answered, but I didn’t have great cell service and couldn’t figure out what they said. I basically just asked if they would be open until noon, which they said yes, and I explained that I would be there cutting it close to the end of their day. 

From the writing of this post, you can see that I made it. Barely. They started closing down for the day while I was ordering. But after explaining to the barista that I drove nearly 200 miles today specifically for their coffee shop, she was very happy, warm and welcoming. She explained that I could still order, to take my time and to excuse her as she started to put things away and close up shop. My personal guideline for these trips is that I need to order something at every location…and I’m very thankful that she was willing to accommodate me.

First Impression, Atmosphere & Experience


Let’s just get this out of the way. Braise North is stunning. Founded by Dave and Becky Swandson back in November 2023, they repurposed an old church and styled it with a rustic farmhouse feel. Large pointed glass windows, wooden furniture and a wooden bar. The barista explained to me that the photographs on their walls were taken by Dave & Becky, from their many travels over the years. If and when I ever open up my own coffee shop one day, I would like to do similar with my own decorations! 

On Friday and Saturday evenings (seasonal), this same space is used for a reservation-only wine bar with rotating small plate dishes. Saturday and Sunday Mornings (year-round) is when the coffee shop & bakery gets to shine. They lean on small-batch Wisconsin roasters and their syrups are house-made. 

In my research after-the-fact, I found that Dave Swanson is a four-time James Beard Foundation “Best Chef: Midwest” semifinalist. They have a restaurant and culinary school in Walker’s Point, WI (just south of Downtown Milwaukee). Becky also has many childhood memories in the area (coming to Lakewood since she was an Infant) so it makes a lot of sense why they built this coffee shop here. 

All in all, this is the kind of coffee shop that is hard to stay away from, with its impressive culinary background, community roots, and its beautiful ambiance. Definitely add this location to your next Northwoods Wisconsin trip! 

Austin’s Choice

They had this lovely homemade Apple Pie Latte (Apple Pie is one of my favorite deserts). Would 100% recommend you to try it!!  

Additional Information

For more information about Braise North, you can check out their Instagram and website. You can also check our their sister restaurant / wine bar in Walker’s Point, WI: Braise.

To see the more of the interior and experience, check out my Instagram post!