Ancora Cafe + Bakery — Restaurant in Madison

The hot coffee was not hot lol. It was a temperature that a toddler could drink. However there are 2 drinks kids can have: apple and orange juice. It’s geared more towards middle school, more likely high school and older.

Not wheelchair accessible- good luck getting a chair up stairs, through a thin door (thinner than typical doors), and finding a place at a table. There’s room by the register but no table and chair in that area.

Oddly, there were no napkins available beside the napkins wrapped around utensil sets.

Clean but a bit cramped.

The avocado toast was interesting, but too sweet. Some sweetness was added to burnt kale. It was more burnt than charred- the burnt was on the toast too. The toast slice was too thick- it was a struggle. A steak knife would have been more appropriate than the butter knife. Maybe half the thickness of the bread and offer 2 slices…and spread out the avocado equally between. The amount of avocado was nice- couldn’t really tell it was there under the burnt greens. The cashew cream was nice but not enough arugula with it. The seeds and the crust helped cut the texture, but that burnt crust is not what you want. It’s an ambitious dish. Somehow I still walked away unsatisfied even though it was a good portion size.

The croissants were huge...

was really excited to come here bc the coffee seemed really interesting! i ended up getting a coconut cream cold brew.

the service was 0/10. the female worker didnt have very warm service. it felt cold and unfriendly and i didnt really feel welcome at all. she didnt smile and i felt like my existence was bothering her even though i was polite and smiley towards her. dunno if its because of my race(?) or if it was just her. definitely should work on that as a business bc service is such a huge part of a customer's experience. it makes me want to never go back despite actually enjoying my coffee.

anyways, i would give my drink an 8.5/10! it was half sweet but felt more like 75% sweet. if i could do it again, id go 25% sweet. it had good coconut flavor that ended up working well with the coffee! my friends got a lavender coffee and blackberry matcha. had a sip of the matcha and it was a 0/10. wayyy too sweet and artificial, no matcha flavor, just blackberry syrup and sugar.. im sorry but i would not get that again. the lavender was better though, would give it an 8/10!

the place looked cute to sit down and eat but was also really crowded when we went so we just got our drinks and left. especially since we felt so unwelcome by...

My go-to weekend hangout spot! I believe they have different pancakes every week or every month. During my last visit, it was Salted Caramel Cookie pancake and it was the best pancake I've ever eaten. The portion is huge, if you are not used to American restaurant/cafes, you might want to share it with someone else. It is sweet, light and soft. I love the cream they put on top of the pancake, it is the star of the dish that brings everything together. There was a time when I got my pancake slightly raw in the center but I couldn't be bothered to ask for a new one since the store was busy.

There were also vegan options like - veggie sausage, which, as someone who has tried almost every vegan patties in Madison, I'd say this cafe has the best one.

I love my matcha latte too, I paired it with whole milk and no flavorings:) It is definitely on my top 3 matcha latte list in town. It has that green-bitter-deep taste that makes every sip enjoyable.

Overall, the service was fast since I came during gloomy day - no one really bothered to go out of the house. But, when it gets sunny, there's always a huge line outside, so be prepared for your drinks and food to be served in the next...