On Friday nights, Café el Sol, located inside the United Community Center, 1028 S. 9th St., comes alive with Latin music and an all-you-can-eat fish fry dinner buffet.

Musicians perform every Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. as a part of La Peña, a weekly series featuring local and regional musicians. The name comes from a Spanish tradition of travelers gathering to share music, dance and stories.

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What sets Café el Sol’s Friday fish fry apart is its Latin-inspired menu. Alongside fried fish seasoned with traditional Latin spices, the buffet includes Puerto Rican rice, enchiladas, grilled pork, a house-made coleslaw flavored with lime and cilantro and other foods.

Enchiladas sit on a serving tray.
Freshly grilled fish and vegetables are included in the buffet.
A fresh salad ready to be served.

The Friday night all-you-can-eat dinner buffet costs $17.95. Reservations are encouraged due to high attendance.

Latino Jazz performs while people eat at Café el Sol on Feb. 6.

Lucero Olivas, the restaurant’s manager, has worked at the United Community Center since 2006. She became manager of Café el Sol three years ago after moving up through several positions.

Lucero Olivas, manager at Café el Sol, poses for a portrait in the dining room.

She said the combination of food and live music helps create a welcoming atmosphere while giving local musicians a platform.

“The reason for the live music is to serve as a stage for many local groups who don’t always have a place to demonstrate their talents,” Olivas said.

Robert Martin, with Latino Jazz, sings and plays the keyboard.
Robert Martin Jr. performs with his dad.

The kitchen is led by head chef Maria De Jesus Herrera, who has worked at Café el Sol for more than 30 years. She began as a substitute chef and worked her way up, never expecting to stay long, but finding a sense of community in the restaurant.

Maria De Jesus Herrera, lead chef at Café el Sol, poses for a portrait.

Café el Sol serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and specializes in Puerto Rican and Mexican cuisine. The restaurant began in 1983 as a pilot program to train unemployed youth in food preparation, cash handling and customer service. 

“We wanted to do something to have more community,” Herrera said. “We decided to have the buffet with live music, so the community would know that we are here, and they started to respond.”

Maria De Jesus Herrera, head chef, batters fish in the kitchen.
Freshly fried fish coated in homemade flour and seasoning mix ready to be served.

Today, it continues to serve as a gathering space while introducing non-Latinos to Latin culture through food.

“The atmosphere is very pretty,” Olivas said. “Once you try the food, you won’t believe why you didn’t come sooner.”

A full plate, including fried fish, Puerto Rican rice, salad and coleslaw, from the dinner buffet at Café el Sol.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a photojournalist as well as a Report for America corps member and Catchlight Local fellow. Before coming to Milwaukee, he spent two years as a photographer at one of America’s oldest daily newspapers, The Blade, in Toledo, Ohio. Aguilar grew up in the Chicago suburbs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from DePaul University and his master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism.