Whelan’s Coffee & Ice Cream — Restaurant in Oconomowoc

First time here. Came with a friend for lunch. The place is cute, with small-town charm. It’s a welcoming storefront on a street packed with other restaurants and small businesses. There are a few cafe tables out front. Lots of room inside: seating in the front on the lower level, more seating up a short set of stairs (where they have board games like chess and checkers), and another room in the back that can be reserved for groups (not sure if there’s a cost).

We arrived a little after noon. There were a few other people there. We waited a little while to place our order. The cashier/barista apologized several times as they were preparing other people’s orders. Once it was our turn, we got a warm greeting and plenty of help with our menu questions. Lots of nice choices for beverages and sandwiches. We ended up with a couple of chai drinks (one hot, one cold), a grilled cheese sandwich, and a chicken salad croissant.

Then we waited... and waited... and waited some more. It took quite a while to get the drinks and the croissant sandwich. Then it took another long while to get the grilled cheese. At one point I asked if they were still working on it (it had been so long that I thought they might have forgotten). They apologized again and explained that the griddle they were using (a panini press) just takes forever. We weren’t in a hurry, but I noticed some other customers who were visibly upset.

The Chai Latte was excellent, as was the Harvest Chai (an ice cream drink). The Chicken Salad Croissant was also very good — fresh, with a good amount of chicken and not too much mayonnaise. Nice, crispy textures. The Grilled Cheese was good, but the bread wasn’t very “grilled” (maybe a limitation of the panini press?).

We didn’t get dessert, but they offered a few small samples of the Chocolate Shoppe ice cream — very tasty.

Lots to like about this place, but the wait times were way...

I just went to Whelen's for the first time & I loved it! They have very good coffee drinks, ice-cream, sandwiches, soups, etc... I had a Chicken salad croissant, which they suggested since I didn't know what to try.... it was very generous & very good!! I had to use a fork at first because there was plenty of filling to eat before picking it up to eat. You also get fresh fruit of your choice; I had fresh sliced strawberries. You can pick something off the rack free with your meal, like chips, fruit snacks, or thick fruit bars. For my large cafe' latte, the croissant, strawberries & fruit bars, it was only $13.00, not bad!! Also, it's very nice inside, charming & a good atmosphere. The ladies working there were very personable. Wooden stairs towards the back take you to the upper level seating area; there is seating downstairs as well. Also upstairs there is a fireplace with comfy seating area. I will definitely go to Whelen's again! I highly recommend it, and it's a good place to take...

My husband and I have come here twice now. Best mocha he's ever had. I loved my Matcha. Best mint brownie I've ever had. He's enjoyed a couple different ice cream sandwiches. We love the atmosphere. We especially love the later hours: it's hard finding quiet coffee spots open later! We're not bar people, we're coffee house people and YES enjoy coffee late! I do have one complaint, however. That bathroom is seriously gross! The walls are gross. The sink is gross. There's a fake plant with 3 years of dust on it touching my knee when I'm sitting on the toilet. It's only one tiny bathroom and dirtier than a Mobile gas station. I just hope this isn't an indication of cleanliness from where the food is...