Visit these four coffee shops you’ve probably never been to before.
Last semester, in a desperate attempt to romanticize our Madison lives, one of my best friends and I made a pact to try a new coffee shop around the city each week. As two college students burdened with essays and exams, we wanted to find new study spots and fuel our caffeine cravings while exploring the city that we’ve both lived in our whole lives. My TikTok is filled with “day in my life” videos of people seemingly living their best lives in New York City or Paris, and I’ve always dreamed about what it would be like to have that lifestyle. Recently, though, I realized that you can romanticize your life no matter where you are, regardless if it’s in a big, glamorous city or Madison, Wisconsin. It’s never too late to make your city feel new!
While we’re not technologically savvy enough to make an aesthetic TikTok about our adventures, we have been documenting our coffee shop journey through Hujis (throwback to 2018) and a shared notes app. We end every study date by ranking the café on a scale of one to 10, based on the drinks, the food and the vibes, taking special note of anything that’s unique to that café in particular. Without further ado, here are four of the best coffee shops around Madison that serve main character moments right alongside their caffeinated beverages.
1. Bradbury’s Coffee
Located on the north side of the Capitol right near the Children’s Museum, Bradbury’s is a quaint coffee shop renowned for its espresso drinks and specialty crepes. Seating was limited, but luckily we managed to snag window seats that provided the perfect study lighting.I stuck with my go-to drink (a tasty iced vanilla latte with oat milk), but the real treat was the crepes. Bradbury’s offers sweet and savory crepes, and while all of them sounded delicious, my sweet tooth got the better of me. I went for the Nutella, banana and almond crepe, which was to die for. If you want to study somewhere with strong Parisian café vibes, check out Bradbury’s immediately.
2. Finca Coffee
If you have access to a car and are craving a unique coffee shop experience, you need to visit Finca Coffee. Finca is a 10-minute drive from campus, but well worth it for the refreshing drinks, beautiful natural lighting and, best of all, the Salvadoran food. I ordered the bean and cheese pupusa, which is a melt-in-your-mouth stuffed tortilla, and a Salvadoran sweet quesadilla, which is more like a pastry than the quesadillas I’m used to. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that the pupusa and the quesadilla were two of the tastiest foods I’ve ever eaten.
3. Yola’s Café
Four words: waffle of the month. If that doesn’t persuade you to try Yola’s, I don’t know what will. Yola’s has an extensive menu, with lunch served starting at 11 a.m. and breakfast served all day. I probably stood in front of the menu for 10 minutes trying to decide what to order because everything looked so good. I eventually landed on the California turkey sandwich, which featured sliced turkey, strips of bacon, fresh avocado, provolone, lettuce, pesto and mayo on ciabatta, served with a side of mixed greens. The meal was hearty and flavorful, but I will admit I was eyeing up my friend’s cinnamon roll waffle the whole time. With great food, sweet lattes and plenty of space to study, you have to try Yola’s the next time you’re near West Towne Mall.
4. Leopold’s Books Bar Caffé
As soon as I tried their iced hazelnut latte made from a vintage espresso machine and gazed in awe at the shelves and shelves of books, Leopold’s immediately made its way onto my all-time favorite cafés list. As the name suggests, Leopold’s is a trifecta of bookstore, café and bar. The vibes are immaculate, as there’s no better feeling than being surrounded by books with your drink of choice in hand. The best part? Leopold’s is open until midnight every day but Sunday, so it’s the perfect setting for a late-night study sesh or a casual hangout with friends.
The next time you’re feeling the need to romanticize your life, enlist one of your friends to go on an adventure and explore all that Madison has to offer. Whether you’ve lived here for six months or 21 years, you can still discover hidden gems that will make the city feel brand new.