127 N. Hamilton St.
3 Adjectives: Green, cosmopolitan, fresh.
Price:
drinks (2-5) crepes (3-7)Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
Overall:
Other Opinions: badgerherald, dailypage, ...
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Last weekend a friend and I decided to check out one of the new upstarts in the Madison coffee scene: Bradbury's. It was a long trek to the Capital square in search of this coffee shop, which ended up being tucked in a triangular intersection facing N. Hamilton.
The owners of Bradbury's previously owned Ancora coffee, another local coffee chain in town. I love how the name is a spoof on the British author. The design of the coffeeshop definitely maximized the little space they had: the counter was wedged along the wall away from the street and large windows facing the intersection allowed shop-goers, sit, sip and watch outside (which, admittedly, is a bit dreary in this time of the year). A cleverly hidden ladder lead to a loft-like upper deck where hundreds of jars of creamy nutella and other ingredients were kept.
The design of the coffee shop also emphasized greenness. All the bowls, mugs, and dishes were an organic earthen brown, a chalkboard listed the daily eats, and even the chairs and tables added to the naturalness of the locale. My only quibble about the coffee shop is the lack of seats in the place. Since the shop was so small, it detracted from anyone staying for a very long time. Most people seemed to sit down, have their coffee, chat for a bit, and leave. There was almost a vulturous tension in the air from the people sitting on stools to leap upon one of the only four tables upon it's vacancy.
In terms of food, I was eager to try their crepes after reading several positive reviews. Bradbury's uses completely organic and local ingredients in their sweet (raspberry, banana, etc.) and savory (ham and swiss, wild mushroom, etc.) crepes. I ordered the raspberry nutella crepe while my friend got raspberry lemon. The crepes at Bradbury's did not disappoint, despite the service being a little slow (we waited over ten minutes for the food). Each crepe was filled with a delicious balance of egginess, fruitiness, and chocolateness. I was, however, a bit disappointed at how small the crepe was; this is definitely not a place to go looking for a meal.
Not feeling up for coffee, I did ask my friend about the tea he was sipping. The care they put into their tea was clearly visible: the tea was portioned and placed into little satchels tied with a fancy knot. He said that although it looked fancy, it tasted quite average.
Although I did not try the coffee, I concluded that Bradbury's was a neat little place to visit, but I don't think it's worth more treks up State and around the square. It's best to hone your crepe making skills at home and buy your own organic raspberries at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.
2 comments:
I live by the square, so it's nice to have a place close to me. I might have to try the crepes too, even if they are small. Thanks, as always, for doing the dirty work and adventuring into the food scene around Madison!
it sounds like a cute little place! I'll have to check it out one day. I live by the square too, so it might be a nice alternative to starbucks.
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