Items Selected: Carrot Cake Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting Bourbon Pecan and Salted Caramel Danish Strawberries and Cream Buttercake Monkey Bread Almond Croissant Located at 1402 Williamson Street and as such a logical follow-up to breakfast at Lazy Janes it was a short walk in the sun to Batch Bakehouse and with a selection of pastries even more sizable than the place I'd just been it was with much hemming-and-hawing that selections were made, another five pastries joining leftovers from Lazy Janes in a smorgasbord of sweets to be consumed throughout the course of the day. Trending far more artisan than its nearby neighbor with French techniques infusing classics from the American cookbook and the bakers themselves acting as servers it was only after several questions that I eventually settled on an order far smaller than I should have liked and beginning my tasting at the small countertop with a moist carrot cake topped in tangy cream cheese I knew right away that none of this one was leaving the store - a similar sentiment shared by later samples, though each was indeed eaten only in part with the rest saved for a later day snack. Moving from cupcake to the only item that would prove the least bit dull, suffice it to say that monkey bread is found better elsewhere, but moving on to arching layers not the least bit burdened by frangipane beneath a shattering shell I'd be really surprised if a better almond croissant can be found in town. Admittedly a bit sugar-saturated at this point it was onward to the dense butter cake that I progressed and, although enthusiasts from the Show Me State may claim the rounded muffin to be unauthentic, the creamy texture was divine - a similar superlative soon to be lavished on the buttery Danish with flavors both savory and sweet to spare, a light smokiness from the baked bourbon tickling the palate as candied pecans crunched with each bite. read more

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I was quite happy when Batch opened. It's down the street from my house, so nearly every day I've walked past it and stared at the kitchen window where people are baking. It always looked so delicious! However, I'm not sure if I haven't tried the right items yet, or if I'm just picky about bread, because both the baguette and the croissant were just mediocre. It's definitely good quality compared to the average bread I get at Madison restaurants, but it doesn't come close to the baked goods at Sophia's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/sophias-bakery-and-cafe-madison) or loaves of bread from Madison Sourdough (http://www.yelp.com/biz/madison-sourdough-company-inc-madison). Specifically, the bread didn't really taste like anything. I would think it hadn't been given enough time to rest and develop flavor through longer fermentation, or like they hadn't started with a poolish (starter). Texturally, the baguette was too fluffy and uniform inside, with no little air pockets or visible strands of gluten structure. The flavor of the croissant was good, but the texture seemed too dense and packed together, like the butter hadn't broken through the layers the way it is supposed to. I would also suggest a little less marzipan inside the almond croissant - it was a bit too sweet. I enjoyed their fougasse, which is a little bit like a focaccia. Given the weaknesses with their dough, this makes sense, since a fougasse has a fair amount of oil and herbs that can cover up a flavorless dough. Maybe I was there on an off day, or maybe I haven't tried the right items. I'll certainly be back another time or two, but I'm keeping my expectations lower next time. read more

Nice lil' surprise on our overnight visit to Madison and the world (well, locally) famous Willy Street. As an out-of-towner, I'd recommend it to any visitor looking to top off an eating trip to this foodable city. I had a scone, and my partner had a mini vanilla swirl. Both were great, especially the swirl-- rich, buttery and flaky. Yeah. Don't forget: cash only. read more

Exceptional baked goods and an even better variety. If you're looking for something sweet or something savory, they normally have you covered. The ham and gruyere croissant is my favorite, but I haven't tried anything that I would not have again. Coffee is generally good - intelligentsia brewed drip coffee. Prices are on the high side for baked goods, but they are matched by the quality. My only bone to pick, and this is a small one, is that they have a $5 minimum purchase for credit cards. It's a little counter intuitive, as they use a Square card reader, and Square charges a flat 2.75% no matter the purchase amount. All that said, it's not hard to spend more than five bucks there, but if you're stopping by after work to get just a baguette and you don't have cash, be prepared. read more

Let me ask you this, Bakehouse: Do you WANT me to get the sugar diabetes and have to take insulin and get my legs amputated and shit? Rude. Your beautiful treats are going to kill me. You and your fucking scones. WHY!? Just when I think I'm out of the woods I spot a gorgeous ham and gruyere croissant and start having impure thoughts about it. Have you ever considered that there might be kids walking by and they might see all of your pies and galettes? Think of the children! You'll be hearing from my lawyer. lolololjkluvudoe read more

I had the Yelp Review of the Day when I wrote about my romantic feelings and Batch. It was great because it was so terrible, but terribly true. When I realized that relationships established by Batch bread were not as hunky dory as I thought, I updated my review to inform my loyal readership. Yelp was not amused. I thought they removed my review because bringing baguettes to bed was too risque for the internet, but then I realized all they wanted me to do was write more. Donc, nous allons écrire plus de déchets. Have you ever wanted to be French? Like beret wearing, cigarette smoking, absinthe drinking, Royale With Cheese eating French French? Well, Batch doesn't let you do any of that. I swear, they will slap a beret off your head and smile. But waking up with the sun and buying a hot baguette? Yes. You can do that. And you can't do that anywhere else that matters. You can get croissants and cookies and monkey bread (these could be described as The Heat), but the baguettes are special. They aren't sweet or adulterated in any way like the ham and gruyere croissants (which are also delicious). The baguettes come unbiased. They are beautiful. They are pure. Also, boo let me bring the baguette to bed when I also brought some cheese. So, like, all is good and shit. read more

I found out about Batch Bakehouse after buying a loaf of their bread at Whole Foods in Madison. The bread was perfect so I sought out the bakery the next day. I got some fresh squeezed orange juice that hit the spot. I had it with one of their plain croissants. The croissant did not impress me and I wouldn't get it again. However, I later ate one of their white chocolate scones. The scone was perfect and I wish I had bought more than one. I would be a regular buyer of their bread if I could get a hold of it back in Virginia! read more

Bakery heaven. After hearing so many raving reviews about this place I decided on a Sunday afternoon that I had to make the trek to Willy St. to try it out. And whoa, yeah it's that good. I only tried the Ham and Gruyere Croissant and the Cranberry Walnut Scone with Orange Glaze but holy crap. There was so much filling in that croissant! Probably the biggest and most tasty one I've ever had. The ham was so yummy (saw it was from Jordandal - yay!). The perfect amount of ham and cheese made for a delicious snack. I ate the scone the next morning for breakfast and it was still moist and delicious. I may just have to make this a new weekend routine. read more

I crave the bakery at Batch. Bakery Heaven is how I would describe it. Croissants are tasty. The cheese and ham/meat pastries are also wonderfully baked, with the light oven-smokey taste that makes me want to go back time and time again. They also prepare different varieties of pastries depending on the mood of the chefs, and the day of the week. I am constantly surprised. This is a creative, local bakery shop. The prices are a little high ($3.50 for a croissant is a luxury, IMO, albeit delicious), and higher than the other shops near the capital. Also, it doesn't have ANY seat so the whole atmosphere of hanging out and reading at a coffee-shop is lost upon me. This place lives solely on the strength on its art on bakery. And lastly, there is no designated parking, it's a side street parking in a corner shop. Definitely recommended place to try! The baked goods are exceptional. read more

I've only been to Batch a couple of times, but everything I've ever gotten has been fan.tas.tic. I just finished their ham and Gruyere croissant, which is rich, savory, buttery...everything it's supposed to be. The lemon baby cake has this wonderful sugar glaze on it, and the cake itself is moist and citrus-y. Their strawberry cupcakes have this frosting that tastes like fresh berries... Even their coffee is pretty dang good! Stop reading. Just go. Now. read more

"anatomy of a perfect croissant" crisp and light crust, golden brown color, a bit of shine in crinkly edges. layers and layers of soft buttery goodness. enjoy plain or with gruyere. pair with your favorite morning coffee. I died and it was bread heaven. of course there's a lot more mouthwatering goodies that keeps me going back to this friendly neighborhood spot. morning buns are another favorite. their specialty pies are must tries (we got the yummy chocolate bourbon pecan). coffee here is pretty good too (they offer kin kin, another local product). cracked wheat loaf and ficelle are pretty solid. can't wait to try something different on my next visit! read more

Batch Bakehouse - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is the most amazing bakery I've ever been to. I try to get there early especially on weekends because otherwise they may run out, especially of their delicious Vanilla Swirls and filled rolls. One of my favorite treats is their chocolate croissant. You can taste the freshness in everything they make, and their staff is quick with a joke even early in the morning. I recommend them to everyone who comes to Madison with a sweet tooth! Just remember to bring your cash because that is all they take! read more

Wish I had discovered this place much sooner and not right before I'm about to leave Madison/the state of Wisconsin! Friend and I stopped in after seeing reviews here. I selected a mini strawberry rhubarb pie, she picked the maple bacon bundt cake, and we shared. Every bite was spectacular. The bundt cake was so moist and melted in your mouth, and was topped with perfectly candied bacon. The mini pie's crust was perfect, and the filling was just sweet enough. I also picked up one of their chicken, gorgonzola and onion filled rolls for later (also delicious!) and we both picked up one of their "Challah at me!" shirts. Several more trips must be had!! read more

Don't be such a batch! This place is super good - definitely my favorite bakery in Madison. Everything I've had has been top notch in quality and flavor. I think their sourdough is even better than Madison Sourdough Co. They always have samples out, so you can try something new. Good soda and coffee (intelligensia) selection. The people are really nice too! The only negatives are CASH ONLY :( and they are pretty small- so get there early or they start running low on the popular stuff. read more

Incredible bakery and they deserve any accolades they have received. Hands down best ham and cheese croissant I've ever had and the baguette didn't even survive the car ride home. The carrot cake cupcake was fantastic and I usually don't eat frosting but devoured this one. Will come back as often as I can! Thx for the wonderful start to my morning! read more

This review is for one item. .. The Vanilla Swirl! Let's call it the traveling vanilla swirl. This thing. ..*pauses for a drop breath* is everything I could have asked for and more. Its soft it's flavorful... it's puts plain croissants to shame. I purchased two and they are very filling so I was barely able to finish one. The next day I put the second swirl in the oven and continued my affair with this lovely lovely carbohydrate. I am biased because I love all things vanilla and the only thing that was missing for me was a light caramel drizzle because I love all things caramel and vanilla even more. read more

Batch Bakehouse - Day 2... heated in the oven. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Love everything they make! The best bakery in Madison by far. Delicious, local, and worth every penny. Such a great treat for holidays too!

This place satisfied my sweet tooth with a lovely display of its spread of offerings. The oatmeal scotchie cookies were probably something I could have made at home but was nice to be able to pick them up ready to go- delicious, we got the butterscotch chip bars to go along with. Not often something I find in other bakeries so I was really happy! The hamburger buns were so soft and reminded me of my grandmas homemade buns- I could tell everything is made with high quality ingredients because the two buns we didn't eat had mold growing on them after a few days on my counter, unlike the preservative filled bread you find in a grocery store- sad for me that we didn't eat them fast enough! The cracked wheat loaf was very good also. I live on the west side but will make a special trip to Batch if I am in need of high quality bakery items. read more

I'm anxious to try more from Batch. I have a feeling my rating will be 5 stars once I do. Their stuffed brioche rolls are quite good if you're into savory things. They also make the best apple cake in the world, which you can purchase at the Willy Streep Co-op (West, not sure if they have them at the East location). If anything, you must try that. Excited to try more. read more

HOLY HEAVEN! Visiting Madison and I searched "Best bakery in Madison" and this came up. Needless to say I can see why! This place is adorable beyond words and the selection is delightful! I got a little carried away and bought about $30 worth of baked goods, then realized I should probably buy some for the people I am visiting. You have got to go here! The women were super sweet and helpful too! If I ever come back to Madison I am 100% coming back here! Just signed up for Yelp so I could review them!! read more

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Don't forget to bring your cash. My grandmother used to make cinnamon rolls and their morning bun are a good substitute. They are chewy and huge and the topping is amazing. I am going to be frequenting this place all the time! read more

Oh yeah, my kind of place. Bread and Sweets. Mmmmmmm. What I like so far: pesto filled roll, cheddar-bacon biscuit. What I don't like: raspberry oat bar. Undecided: almond croissant, chocolate cork. I'll start with the don't like. The raspberry bars just didn't cut it for me. I don't like things overly sweet, but this was underly sweet. I was expecting it to have the richness of butter and brown sugar struessel, but it seemed to have a hollow, somewhat Criso-y flavor. Pretty disappointing. And the undecided -- chocolate cork was good, but again didn't have the richness I thought it would. Almond croissant was good, but I personally really hate it when the outside of a croissant is hard. Crisp and golden brown is fine. Hard and on the verge of being overdone is not. However, after stripping off the overdone crust, the inside was moist and had very good flavor. And I'm a marzipan freak, so that gooiness was all good in my opinion. Now for the likes. Pesto filled roll how I love thee. It's very odd that for being such a sweet tooth my two favorites here so far are savory. Nummy bread and bursting with pesto goodness. More please! And the cheddar bacon biscuit! Three of my favorite words all put together. And this was not so much a biscuit as it was bacon held together with bits of biscuit. No skimping on the bacon here! SO good! read more

It's usually a good sign when a local bakery is packed on a surprisingly snowy Sunday in April, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. For starters, the shop itself is adorable. The spread of beautiful pastries, the smiling employees, the happy blue colors--it just automatically brightens your day. As for the food, it took me a solid five minutes to contain myself to three croissants (and a cup of Intelligentsia coffee), and even that was a struggle. If I had unlimited funds, I would have tried everything in the store because EVERYTHING looked heavenly. As it was, I had an unbelievably delicious gruyère croissant. It was fresh, light, cheesy heaven, and I savored every bite. That is, of course, until I found myself distracted by the equally delicious mini chocolate croissant. And then a plain croissant. My croissant gluttony was cheaper than expected, in large part because the mini croissant option allowed me to sample more items than I would have otherwise. Next time in Madison, I have no doubt when I find myself craving breakfast, this place will fit the bill without question. read more

I love stopping at Batch for cookies especially. Every time, I buy a varying assortment of cookies for everyone in my party, and then I make sure I get a chocolate karova. Sorry, everyone else, but that's the best (and maybe someday I'll learn and JUST buy chocolate karovas for everyone!). Honestly, everything I've tried has been delicious, but even if only the chocolate karovas were the same and everything else was horrible, I would still give it 5 stars. Those little nuggets of chocolatey goodness are that good. read more

Service is excellent! I'm not a sweet tooth person but for holiday around the corner . They have the best pumpkin pie ( Minnie size ) is the best of watching your weight . Love it ! read more

This breadhead likes. While I haven't been in the new digs yet, I manage to find a little batch all around me. Co-workers bringing in sweet treats, at Alchemy when I can't resist the daily pate or in the Willy Street bakery department. I gave the monkey bread a whirl this New Year... and holy tastebud swoon.. I seriously contemplating telling you all about this. I am a bit afraid to let the cat out of the bag on that one. Please be sure to leave some for me. Pretty please. read more

I really don't even know where to begin with Batch because it is just simply, perfection. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable when making recommendations. The baked goods are to die for. If I lived in Madison I would be extremely overweight because I would have to come here every day. I recommend getting the ham and cheese croissant as well as the salted caramel brownie. That being said, you really cannot go wrong with anything here. Do not miss this place when in Madison -- Even if you have to drive outside of State Street, it is beyond worth it! read more

HOLY MACKEREL -- this is the best bakery I've ever been to. Huge con: It's only two blocks from my house, which means I'M GONNA GET FAT. read more

Alright, so this is a tough review for me to write. I have only had a couple of things and I just do not think it lived up to their reviews and reputation. I had the glazed butter cake with blueberries. The center was so soggy from too many blueberries. And the little blueberry seeds made the pastry difficult to chew. I actually scooped out the center and the rest of the cake was delicious! The salted caramel brownie was ok. It did not have a great balance between the chocolate and the salted caramel. Maybe I am trying the wrong things but nothing stood out to me. I will probably go back because they have SO much to try. read more

The best baked goods in the city - sweet and savory. For a group dessert, call and order one of their apple cakes. Ughhhh.. So good. read more

For some reason I really liked the look of this bakery. The customer area is pretty small (no tables, etc), leaving a lot of room for the actual baking area. The display case is quite attractive, although I would have appreciated if more of the items in it were labeled (the chalkboard says what they all are, but it's not always immediately evident which is which!) We focused on savory items here. The ham & cheese croissant was tasty but a bit too greasy for me - on the other hand, it's a ham and *cheese croissant*, so that's not too surprising. I liked that it had plenty of good quality ham inside. Overall I probably preferred the sausage roll, which was a roll filled with good Italian sausage and caramelized onions. The onions were a bit too sweet for me, but I really liked the dough for the roll. Finally, we tried the monkey bread. I was surprised it was made with croissant dough, and it was a little dry for my taste - the dough was not moist and there was not a hint of a syrupy component. Instead, it was crispy at the edges. However I really liked how cinnamony it was. Clearly an excellent bakery. read more

Absolutely fantastic. Even if everything behind the glass does not appeal to you, it is all done with care and professionalism. Susan Detering is not only highly qualified in technique across different regions of the country, pressure systems, how they affect dough, what types of dough need more or less kneading, etc...but she is a genuinely nice person who is heavily invested in her community and product. I had the ham and gruyere croissant and bought a pain au chocolate for later. Great quality and flavor. Do yourself a favor and go early while everything is warm! read more

My most frequented place in Madison. It's legitimately embarrassing how often I end up here when I'm too lazy to cook. Delicious savory pastries. I am not one for sweets, so I'm the wrong person to evaluate their desserts; but everyone I know who has had them says they are great too. Try the gruyere and savory cream cheese croissant! read more

Needed a walking coffee for some Willy Street thrifting. Ended up with a delicious snickerdoodle cookie as well. Snickerdoodles are my favorite and it was perfect! read more

Place is always well maintained a clean. The bread products are never a disappointment. The staff is very friendly and they have a nice chalkboard that let's customers know what days there favorite bread products are available. The bread themselves are simple but full of flavor. I recommend that you either cook the bread with a pasta or some dinner entree and know that you'll est it alot. Because it's fresh it does go bad quickly. The breads are buttery but not so much so that there's a nasty after taste in your mouth. I totally recommend this place to people both living and visiting Madison. read more

Walking in the bakery display looks delicious. Disappointing for me was that the coffee menu is lacking (drip coffee only). And while I thought the gruyere croissant was awesome, the rest of the pastries and baked goods we bought (an assortment of 6 other items) left a little to be desired. Both savory and sweet (outside of the aforementioned delicious gruyere croissant) were just ok. I'll be back for that croissant, but will probably skip the other muffins, breads, cookies, etc. read more

So grateful to live blocks from here... I'm reminded of my time in France when I begin the day by walking to batch and choosing freshly baked croissants and bread... I have yet to be disappointed. read more

This place is great! A must go if you're visiting Madison. Perfect croissants. The Frangipane is my favorite, with everything else being a close second. The staff is friendly and nice. Lovely place, lovely people and most importantly REALLY lovely food. read more

Batch Bakehouse is baking with magic I think... Corey D took me here as the last stop in Madison before I hopped on a plane back to Denver. I saw a dark chocolate and peanut butter loaf that I absolutely knew Sir Nicholas would love so I decided to purchase it and take it home with me. I carted a box of baked goods through security, stepped onto the plane and gingerly places it in the overhead (I was sitting in the first row, otherwise I would have put it under my seat.) Through all of this travel the loaf remained in perfect condition. I brought it home to Sir Nicholas and Little Man E would both took bites and make various sounds of approval. In Nick's case it was something like, "man, this is sooo good!" while Ephraim took a bite, giggled maniacally and took off down the hallway with as big a piece as he could hold. Trust me, after my bite I understood the desire to hoard it all for himself. And even after leaving it out overnight (still in the box, but otherwise unprotected, this cake remained soft, moist, and delicious. I also shared a chocolate/chocolate cookie with Corey that was mouthwatering and a piece of lemon cake that was perfect. I am very lucky that Batch is in Madison and not Denver. Otherwise I'd never be able to control my sweet tooth again! read more

Holy moly. We've lived here 7 years and I am utterly without excuse that it wasn't until today that I had their bread. This, even after my best friend raves about the goods he and his daughter get on a semi-regular basis. Well, one excuse, I guess, is that I bake for my family's needs, for the most part - wheat and rye-based sourdoughs, pastries, and baguettes as well. My neighbors and friends have asked me to go pro with an artisanal bakery (...and I explain that as a former French chef and restaurateur, I'm done). Forget all that. That's merely context to say, I love good bread. No, GREAT bread. I can't believe how wonderful today's baguette was. Depth of flavor went on forever, a perfect mix of salt and sugar fermentation in the crumb, and slash work leaving imposing grins on the loaf that rose like waves and seized at the height of perfection. It takes serious skill to achieve the balance they have, between a crusty but not too-crusty (as in, break a tooth, which yes, I recently did, and it was on my own 15% rye levain, a bâtard. I'd like to blame an old tooth, but I fear it was a less than skillful bake ) crust, a crumb that tears so satisfyingly before yielding, holes that are evenly and beautifully distributed.... I could go on forever. Probably the best baguette I've ever had, and that's not easy for me to admit. I can't wait to try all they have. read more