Ancora Cafe + Bakery — Restaurant in Maple Bluff

We had a great birthday brunch for my husband today at Ancora. The food and service were excellent and we felt safe the entire time we were there. The seating is also comfortable - there are cushioned benches available - which is a must for me due to my chronic pain. Also, the music was pleasant and not too loud to talk over. He ordered the chorizo hash, I got Eggs Benedict, and we split the French toast dippers. It was plenty of food and we were stuffed after eating! The potatoes were cooked perfectly; not too soft or too crunchy. I wasn't sure I'd love the butternut squash in the eggs Benedict, as I'm not the biggest fan, but it was lightly flavored and the entire dish was delicious. The same with his chorizo hash - the flavors blended together well and the jalapeños gave it just the right amount of kick. The French Toast dippers were my favorite - a little of the blackberry chocolate dipping sauce goes a long way, and the maple vanilla was actually my favorite. We ended up combining the two sauces on every bite. The service was great - one cashier noticed a woman crowding us at the counter (that's a Covid no-no, lady!) and immediately asked to help her at the other register. We appreciated that. We would have purchased some baked goods but they didn't have much of a selection left, as we arrived an hour before closing. We'll have to go a little earlier next time. The tables are cleaned and sanitized between customers, there's hand sanitizer at the entrance/exit, and the employees wore masks at all times. There was a sign before entering regarding the mask mandate and how to order ahead for pick-up. Their menu included flavors that were unfamiliar to us, like a rose cardamom zombie as a coffee option. You can tell we don't go out often because that's probably not that new. It was fun to try different things while being able to also have familiar options. It's great to have more dining establishments on the Northside and we're happy Ancora moved in, as we loved Manna Café when it was there. Ancora made a lot of changes, updating the look and vibe while still making it feel like it belongs in the neighborhood. We will...

I’ve visits this establishment twice and the first time I came there I ordered coffee and the crispy Brussel sprouts which were AMAZING. They were green in the middle with a nice crispy brown around them. The second time they were all dark brown almost burnt. I went to the counter and asked to have them redone to match the way they were the first time I came and the staffer said “well that’s actually how they come.” I shared how they were cooked the last time I was in and she hesitantly said “I’ll see if they can cook them that way, but again that’s how they come.” I gave her my 1/4 cup of Brussel sprouts (they come in a small bowl so I thought maybe this is just the top layer but the whole bowl was burnt). She didn’t even take the bowl from me she just turned around and headed to the kitchen so I asked the next staff person should I leave them there on the front counter by the register, or do I take them back to my table and she told me to leave them there. Upon the waiters return I received a half bowl of Brussel sprouts cooked EXACTLY the same way.

This is a cute little café to work from for a couple of hours, but I have to say the second visit I felt uncomfortable like I didn’t being there. Not sure if I’ll be returning but as a Black woman born and raised in Madison (right down the street from the café) I didn’t feel welcomed. I sat on the board of NPC for a couple of years when the café was Manna café and I frequented the space often feeling very much welcomed. I will not be back and I probably won’t recommend this spot to anyone I know. Truly...

I don’t typically choose to go to Ancora. My daughter likes it a lot so I take her when she asks. I think the food there is more meant to look pretty instead of taste good. The item I thought was actually really really great, a herbed cream cheese sausage bagel with a sweet jam, was taken off the menu. I know Ancora changes their menu a lot, but I wish they would keep some variation of that on the menu. Recently I had the salmon Benedict and it tasted really plain, like REALLY plain. The English muffin seemed hardly toasted, the salmon didn’t taste very salmon-y, and the hollandaise sauce was somehow watery. But, it looked nice.

Also, something strange that seems to have to do with their preference for aesthetic over content. Their drink fridge they have for customers to pull bottles and cans from has a variety of hip cool drinks such as kombucha, cute bubbly waters, and glass bottle coke. But, not zero sugar soda options. I have type two diabetes and I really enjoy diet or zero sugar sodas with a meal. Thank god someone invented them😝 But, Ancora doesn’t have any I can drink and I really don’t like bubbly water. I gently brought this up to the staff a few weeks ago and they said they would pass it along to management. Nothing changed. I have a feeling that Diet Coke doesn’t make their drink fridge look cool. Maybe I’m wrong about the reason, but, it’s still not in there.

Ancora does have a nice aesthetic, I will say. It’s a nice place to read in during the...