Cafe Madison — Restaurant in City of Albany

Updated July 2025 (to add a new image and drink): My partner and I have been coming here every weekend since December 2023. The reason being that we love the staff and the great food!

One weekend they had a Taylor Swift themed weekend where they served her favorite dishes and played her music all weekend. It was so much fun, even for casual listeners of her music.

The food is amazing. We usually get omelettes or the standard breakfast. Sometimes we also order the special so we can try it out.

For drinks- We get a champagne dream (on recommendation of staff). We primarily come to the bar, where you can always find seating and great service. Drew (bartender, pictured serving his drink creations) has been amazing and has even been learning to make his own drinks. He has some incredible "Drew Specials," such as a Clover Club with a raspberry twist (off-menu items, as shown in the attached image) and a few others he's made for us (like the citrusy Chamomile Gin Fizz in 3rd image with the citrus rind, the Blueberry Sunset in 4th and 5th images with red transitioning to a lighter color, the raspberry cosmo in 6th image with the dark citrus slice), the Sunset by the Beach (orange/yellow drink with red at the bottom and an orange rind), the Blackberry Smash (purple drink with blueberries and basil garnish), and the Watermelon Refresher (tajin on the rim and orange rind). Sarah also has her own "Sarah Specials," such as the Blueberry Limoncello Drop (in image of a martini glass with blueberry and citrus garnish), Mister Earl's-tini (darker drink with citrus rind hanging off the side), or the Spicy Cranberry Vod-tini (apple slice).

We will continue to come here every weekend, as it's close to home and always has great food, drinks, and friendly staff.

Thank you, Cafe Madison, for always providing a great weekend brunch experience for me and my partner. We sincerely appreciate you!

Original: Always a great place to go for brunch! Amazing drinks, great food, and awesome staff. Love the new location! So spacious and beautiful.

The California Avocado Omelette is always delicious. Peach Bellini, Champagne Dream, and seasonal drinks (like the Sunrise Mimosa and Apple Pie Mimosa) are always on point.

Mario C, Emily, Drew, and Sarah are a great servers (and Aki, and other staff were great, too) and looking forward to coming back...

Mornings Made Better by Cafe Madison

This was our first visit to Cafe Madison and we're planning to go back...many more times. There was immediate seating at the bar so we bellied on up and started our meal with hot and frothy cappuccinos brewed up right before our eyes.

The restaurant was filled with energy as the staff buzzed around ensuring patrons were well tended to. Our servers at the bar helped us with making suggestions and engaged in conversation when time permitted.

We ordered Huevos Rancheros from the specials menu and the Hash Breakfast. The staff said the Rancheros used to be a staple on the menu but they only bring it back for specials these days; they highly recommended it saying they usually sell out of quickly. The chorizo was a tad spicy but still delicious.

The hash dish was just as good as the Rancheros. As if corned beef hash is decadent on its own, they add a cheese sauce that puts it over the top. The only missed was I paired it with onion/dill bread; you should definitely get rye bread with corned beef.

The eggs were cooked perfectly on each dish and the side potatoes were well seasoned.

The restaurant is clean and offers a comfortable and fun atmosphere. There seems to be plenty of street parking and they offer outdoor seating when the weather permits.

If you haven't been yet, go! Be sure to sign up for their rewards program for takeout and delivery orders.

UPDATE: 4/10/22 We got the chicken and waffle...crispy chicken tenders served on top of a roasted corn and jalapeno waffle. If you like flavors of the Southwest, you'll love this waffle. The taste of jalapeno comes through with the slightest hint of heat. Topped with maple butter and a sweet hot-honey syrup. Definitely worth trying!

We got sides of over-medium eggs which were perfectly cooked and crispy bacon.

Sadly, the menu still offers their winter selection of adult coffee beverages but they aren't making most. If the salted caramel coffee is still being served, give it a try. It's like dessert and coffee...

Living off their past glory. It has gone downhill.

Now, an updated review, from a visit on 8/25/24. This was my first time in the new, expanded space. I love what they have done with the physical space. I took in all the details - tin roof material on an accent wall, tasteful wallpapers used to great effect, weathered wood, old lighting fixtures, built-in shelving, accent lights, complimentary colors, etc. It really looks nice! Great space! Great job on the expansion! But some of the negatives from the old, smaller space have remained. Home Fries - can't anyone in the kitchen cut a real potato? These frozen things from Sysco are just okay. CM staff have a chance to make this side-dish really shine. They come as an add-on with almost everything so why not make them GOOD? The quantity that came with one order was obscene - it was half of a 12" plate piled 3" high! Easily enough for 3 to 4 people. Other plates at our table received a more reasonable, human(!) portion. So, no consistency in quantity, only in mediocrity. Management -- make the Home Fries better (homemade) and give less of them, and you would have a side item that people would actually enjoy and remember. My omelet was supposed to be 3 eggs but there is no way that it was. It was paper thin and dry as the desert. I've never had an omelet like this. This is not "French styled rolled" as the menu states. It was dry and thin as parchment paper. The French would be aghast to hear that you invoked them in this travesty. Maybe the cook was distracted. I don't know. On this Sunday morning, I was there to have a good time with friends, so I was not going to send it back to the kitchen. But what I received was less like an omelet and more like eating the page out of a cookbook that...