Cafe CODA — Restaurant in Madison

Beautiful decor but terrible service and unimpressive and ridiculous entertainment!! Was told to go there for the open Jam last week and they were closed with no notice. Went back a week later and there was nobody in there except two bartenders and one customer. We asked for the menu and we ordered a couple of beers that were on their import list and they had said that they had no beer at all. Very confusing! Then ordered wine and as we watched the entertainment which consisted of the owner of the club playing saxophone, he had his back to the audience and performed with a drummer. That was it!! That's the entertainment. Wow, very unimpressed. He was playing very fast on his instrument and screaming a bunch of high notes. Now I see why there's nobody there. Upon receiving our bill , they charged us an additional $5 per person for a cover charge without disclosing it to us to begin with . There were no signs to even indicate that . Extremely disappointing!!! Felt sorry for the bartenders who were nice but had no beer to sell, as well as having to charge a $5 cover. I would not recommend ever going there!! VERY Sad to see such a beautiful place...

Because I met the owner.

The owner has locked performers out (based on self-fulfilling prophecy/hearsay) and made musicians pay to get in and host jazz nights due to forgetting which artists perform, learned this from fellow jazz artists who are regulars.

Have receipts from musicians made to pay a cover despite being host/performing. This venue does not currently respect jazz, the artists they host, or the rich history of the older, beautiful building walls.

Could improve w/ more humility, professional investigations, and respect for both the black and white artists who collaboratively keep your Coda alive.

Artists at Coda are the only draw and present as the primary revenue/marketing generator.

In closing, I’ll repeat what the owner said to me, “I don’t like what I’ve heard about...

If you are looking for a great first date spot, or a chill place to work during the afternoon, this is the place! At night it becomes a really fun bar, often with live music! I went there with my partner to enjoy a fun Salsa/Soul band, and they even had free Salsa lessons beforehand. The team did an awesome job adding energy to the atmosphere, so it never felt awkward on the dance floor. The drinks were well made, and even the Old Fashioned tasted good! (I'm particularly picky about them, so this was a nice plus.) They have frequent fun events like Spoken Word nights, vinyl nights, and during the day they are a full blown café with coffee and great seating. 10/10 would bring my girlfriend here again...