Service was good, coffee bitter, food cold and not amazing, very pretty decor and ambiance.
Angela S.
Came here for breakfast. I was excited for crepes, but wasn't excited about the choices. I would have liked to see an asparagusy- goat cheesy option. I ended up choosing the Crepe Supreme, which should have been called a southwest crepe. The filling was quite good, but didn't work with the crepe exterior. It should have been a tortilla. My matcha was fine- I've had better, I've had worse. All in all, I think the food was good enough for a return trip.
Natalie Kruzz
Super cool cafe that's open late in Robinia Courtyard. There's a really cool bar and lots of indoor plants. The coffee is really good and food is served 8 am to 3 pm. There's also a small collection of the New York Times crossword which was super cool. They also do a cash discount. Also I learned that the scientific name for black locust is Robinia pseudoacacia :D
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Friske
I've visit frequently and have had some great experiences and some not so great experiences with the latter seeming to be the new normal.The staff are lovely but there seems to be some large inconsistencies in their offerings. Running out of to go containers, not having bread or potatoes, quality control on certain menu items, staff not mentioning substitutes that were made to orders... The list goes on.I choose to go here out of convenience, and with so many wonderful coffee shops in Madison I recommend you spend your money elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Courtney C.
Awesome vibes in this place. The ambiance is Madison in a quaint place. The large safe door was such a cool piece to keep in the design. The service was fast and friendly. We had a level 5 donut which was incredible. Lattes were delicious and done well. Would definitely return to try more and see the courtyard.
Sir Pants
Absolutely love their Jiang Bing with sausage added. It's one of the more unique crepes in the area. My wife and I both get that and mochas. This is on our regular rotation for breakfasts in Madison.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christine B.
Cute counter service cafe. We had tofu scramble, brown sugar latte, chai tea latte, and the biscuits and gravy. It was all delicious, although the biscuits weren't traditional buttery biscuits. They were a little harder and had some delicious seasoning in them. My husband said he felt like they were a "healthier" take on biscuits, although I'm not sure they actually are. Tables, bar stools, and booths once you go past the counter. We didn't try them, but FYI they have vegan donuts and a few other vegan options.
Courtney Putz
Received the wrong order. What I did receive was not good. Husband's mocha also not good. Many other coffee shops of better quality in the area.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Jacob Martinez
No wifi, donut
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Brenna Robertson
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 & 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
Nice chill cafe & brunch spot. Brunch items are tasty; Level 5 donuts are superb (though there is a better place for crepes). Super friendly staff & and a happy vibe make it worth coming back to.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Tofu Scramble Potatoes and Porridge
John E
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.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Marko Jurkovich
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.
Service was good, coffee bitter, food cold and not amazing, very pretty decor and ambiance.
Came here for breakfast. I was excited for crepes, but wasn't excited about the choices. I would have liked to see an asparagusy- goat cheesy option. I ended up choosing the Crepe Supreme, which should have been called a southwest crepe. The filling was quite good, but didn't work with the crepe exterior. It should have been a tortilla. My matcha was fine- I've had better, I've had worse. All in all, I think the food was good enough for a return trip.
Super cool cafe that's open late in Robinia Courtyard. There's a really cool bar and lots of indoor plants. The coffee is really good and food is served 8 am to 3 pm. There's also a small collection of the New York Times crossword which was super cool. They also do a cash discount. Also I learned that the scientific name for black locust is Robinia pseudoacacia :D
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've visit frequently and have had some great experiences and some not so great experiences with the latter seeming to be the new normal.The staff are lovely but there seems to be some large inconsistencies in their offerings. Running out of to go containers, not having bread or potatoes, quality control on certain menu items, staff not mentioning substitutes that were made to orders... The list goes on.I choose to go here out of convenience, and with so many wonderful coffee shops in Madison I recommend you spend your money elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Awesome vibes in this place. The ambiance is Madison in a quaint place. The large safe door was such a cool piece to keep in the design. The service was fast and friendly. We had a level 5 donut which was incredible. Lattes were delicious and done well. Would definitely return to try more and see the courtyard.
Absolutely love their Jiang Bing with sausage added. It's one of the more unique crepes in the area. My wife and I both get that and mochas. This is on our regular rotation for breakfasts in Madison.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute counter service cafe. We had tofu scramble, brown sugar latte, chai tea latte, and the biscuits and gravy. It was all delicious, although the biscuits weren't traditional buttery biscuits. They were a little harder and had some delicious seasoning in them. My husband said he felt like they were a "healthier" take on biscuits, although I'm not sure they actually are. Tables, bar stools, and booths once you go past the counter. We didn't try them, but FYI they have vegan donuts and a few other vegan options.
Received the wrong order. What I did receive was not good. Husband's mocha also not good. Many other coffee shops of better quality in the area.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
No wifi, donut
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
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 & 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.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Good coffee
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
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast, Vegan, Miso Tofu Scramble, Biscuits and Gravy
Nice chill cafe & brunch spot. Brunch items are tasty; Level 5 donuts are superb (though there is a better place for crepes). Super friendly staff & and a happy vibe make it worth coming back to.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Tofu Scramble Potatoes and Porridge
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.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Basic Breakfast, Jian Bing Crepe, Vegan, Tofu Scramble