Black Locust Cafe

$10–20

I am in town for on day and found this coffee shop on the recommendation of my hotel. I am so glad I did. The earthy atmosphere was just was I was looking for, and the food and chai is delicious. I sat in the courtyard, listening to the birds and soft relaxing music. It was perfect.

I don’t leave reviews often (like really ever) but this was not fun in any way. Wayyyy overpriced, ten dollars for a crepe with a bit of nutella and six slices of banana. Staff were curt and honestly kind of rude. The food was partially cold (the biscuits were cold and dry but the gravy was warm??). Both food and drinks were mediocre, you could get better at ma u0026 pa breakfast diner. The only pro I can find is the mural inside, which is dope. If you want mid overpriced brunch near the capitol with grungy vibes - perfect place.

Located in a crazy lil' space on East Washington, Black Locust never ceases to amaze. Vegan and omnivore friendly. The vegan biscuits and gravy were the best I've ever had. The porridge is to die for

Go-to breakfast in Madison. Savory Rice Porridge and Jian Bing Crepe you won’t find at other city breakfast spots. Classic breakfast options are solid too, and coffee is consistently good. Staff maintain a great atmosphere.

$10–20

$10–20

$10–20

$10–20

Nice chill cafe u0026 brunch spot. Brunch items are tasty; Level 5 donuts are superb (though there is a better place for crepes). Super friendly staff u0026 and a happy vibe make it worth coming back to.

This place confounds me. What a great location for a restaurant. Wonderful courtyard for outdoor dining and a night time cocktail. Party lights are strung around the space creating a festive vibe. Ivy is starting to cover the exposed brick walls that surround the space. And most importantly, they have excellent food. And yet every business that I have visited in this space has struggled mightily to deal with the indoor/outdoor layout. Inside the flow is just awkward. You place your order at the counter and then it's hard to know how to get to the outdoor seating area. Eventually you pass by the kitchen server's window and find the door to the outside. Once seated in the back of the courtyard there is a view into the window of what must be an interior private office that is covered with random junk. If coming into the courtyard from the side walk entry you will see stacked up bike racks bike racks off to the side. Around the corner is an unused courtyard bar that is surrounded by junk. It's all a feng shui nightmare. Still, as I said, the food is excellent. The ingredients are all great quality. We came for a late breakfast/early lunch. I had a tuna melt (I know, but I have a thing for tuna melts). It was very tasty. Loved the bread and the melted cheese was perfect. My wife had the avacado toast. It had a lime marmalade that at first brought an interesting flavor but ultimately proved to be to overpowering. Less would have been more in this case. Inventive. We shared the rhubarb compote crepe. It's was excellent though it came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that turned it more into a desert than we wanted it to be. My wife loved her ice tea. That's a big deal for her. The coffee was just what I needed. Overall, I really like this place. They just need to deal with the details of the space. Clean it up. Work on the flow. Put things in their place and draw some blinds.

$10–20

Suuuuper cute ambience! I’m a lover of anything herb forward and the rosemary latte is arguably the best latte I’ve had in Madison to date. They also sell the Level 5 vegan donuts which are always dynamite. If you’re in town for only a couple days, this is one that should be checked off your list.

Exactly how you like it. Great variety to the menu. The Miel coffee was so great I went back the next day. Super helpful and friendly staff. Loved the power bowl breakfast and for something more savory, the jian-bing was amazing! Even the regular brewed coffee was great.