We aren't strangers to Madison, though we'd never heard of the Cottage Cafe before. After checking the reviews we decided to give it a shot. The cafe may be small, but it's quite bigger on the inside. A popular spot, it became quite packed on a Saturday morning. The service was in no way hampered, however. Our waitress arrived quickly and promptly brought us drinks. She even brought out a free carafe of Fruit Loops for my son while we waited. What's more is she brought some crayons and a coloring page to keep him busy. I ordered the Cinnamon French Toast breakfast. It came out looking just like the picture in the menu. The eggs were nice and hot, and the bacon was superbly cooked. The French toast was packed with flavor. My son ordered the kids pancakes with chocolate chips and they arrived first. The waitress brought them just for my boy while they were hot. Our coffee cups were never empty and my wife loved her eggs Benedict. Hot food, great service, and happy faces. We will definitely be back! read more

Cottage Cafe - Cinnamon French Toast breakfast! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great little spot! I came here with my dad, the service was amazing. Carly was our server and she is the absolute best. I'd come here just to see Carly. As a vegan the food options are limited, but I did get some yummy food. My dad loves all the food here and comes here a lot. read more

A great breakfast place (and I'm guessing lunch is good too but we've never been there for lunch.). Can get crowded on the weekend. It's one of my husbands favorite places for coffee. (Although come to find out even thought it's labels as JBC its actually a Victor Allen's blend he enjoys.). We biked/walked the trail before breakfast sometime as well. read more

Off the beaten path, with delicious food and excellent service! I enjoyed the best steak and eggs I've ever had! The wait staff seemed to enjoy their work, we're friendly and professional! The restaurant was very clean and comfortable! I'll be back! read more

I can see why this is so highly recommended. Excellent diner. It is where the locals hang out. We stopped by for lunch. Turkey club was warm and tasty. Splurged for a piece of chocolate whip pie. Excellent! I would splurge again read more

If you want a great breakfast at a reasonable price this is the place. There is nothing fancy about it, but it's a great old school diner with old school diner food and it's awesome. I recommend the Cottage platter, it will fill you up yet not leave you feeling like you need a nap. The coffee was hot and my cup was always full, friendly staff and great service even though they were super busy. Give this place a try and you will go back! read more

Cottage Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great breakfast for our family of three. We enjoyed the omelette & breakfast burrito. American fries really hit the spot. Coffee was good, too! Good service & other patrons were really friendly. Will come back next time we are in town! read more

Cottage Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The prices here are really cheap and the food is not bad at all! I ordered the steak breakfast with runny eggs and hash brown. The steak lacked flavor it was a little under seasoned and not a favorite but not bad and I also ordered a side of corned beef hash which was really good. My friend ordered the big breakfast which comes with eggs hash brown a side of corned beef hash and also ordered their "small" pancake which was the size of a whole plate! She still finished it. Good food with fantastic prices! :) read more

Cottage Cafe - Corned beef hash - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A hidden gem in Madison. Truly one of the BEST breakfast restaurants around. Very welcoming employees. The food is made to perfection. The breakfast burrito is simply delicious. The crab cakes eggs Benedict is absolutely A..M..A..Z..I..N..G !! You will be hard pressed to find a better place to eat. read more

Cottage Cafe - Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I'm a big fan of having breakfast here, so this is a breakfast review. I enjoy the steak and eggs/ hash brown breakfast. Each time I've ordered this, the steak it a great breakfast sized sirloin perfectly cooked. Nothing is every very fancy or trendy at the cottage café, it is just straight up down home traditional breakfast cooking. Coffee, Eggs, biscuits, hash, sausage, bacon, pancakes, toast. The essentials. Who needs anything else when your hungry and want someone else to cook for you on a Sunday morning, right? Plenty of seating, but a word of warning.....I'm not the only person who loves this café. It fills up very quickly on the weekends and you may be waiting for a seat. Service is very good every time. Bottomless Coffee just keeps on coming! I love that. The pricing is the best part! Nothing like getting a great plate of food for a more than willing to pay price. I believe my go to Steak/eggs/hash browns/toast is around $7.99. Ya! Amazing right! Between my wife and me, I have not seen our breakfast bill over $17 bucks yet...including each ordering coffee. So Like I said....Nothing fancy, just great traditional breakfast food at great prices. read more

This isn't the Farm to Table 5 stars, this is the down home, old style just breakfast 5 stars. Hidden away in an innocuous strip mall by HWY 51, Cottage Cafe is immaculate and a bit quaint. At 63 I almost felt young. The waitresses are old pros. Fabulous service. I think I have eaten here three times. Today I had 2 eggs poached soft, raisin toast and corned beef hash. The eggs were perfect and hash crispy, as requested. The coffee was just fine. My friend had oatmeal with raisins and walnuts. It was just right. The bill for us both was $11.67. The place was full but the acoustics allowed us to chat away without a din in the background. So all in all it was just right! read more

I want to give this dump a big fat 0. My mother and I went this past weekend very hopeful that the food would be good based on the fact they won Best in Madison. How on earth did this place win any award for great food and service is beyond me. The menu was extremely old, small and the coffee was pure water. I order the walleye, hash browns, toast and eggs breakfast. My mother order biscuits and gravy My toast was cold, hash browns had no tastes, over easy eggs were not cooked fully and fish was very small in size. Mothers gravy was too salty and a thick bunch of sop. The menu had no coordination. Biscuit,gravy and hash browns? That is nothing but starch! With that aside, Not only that but the server was horrible. I felt like she ignored my mother and I the entire time. I understand they were kinda busy. Fine. We can be patient. However, she refilled coffees at her other tables and stopped by to tell the customers their food was being made after waiting for so long. We did not receive such treatment. She passed our table several times and never once asked us how was the food or why our orders were taking so long. Not once. She was a horrible waitress. Neither my mother or I could finish our food. I took possibly 4 bites and was done. We spent less time eating then we did waiting and ordering. Waitress continued to ignore us, so we got up and just walked over to pay. I told the cashier the food was horrible and I wouldn't be back. She then stated to us that normally the food is good and she wasn't sure why it was taking the kitchen so long and were getting orders wrong. But here is the killer... she then leans over and says " I hate our kitchen staff, we need new ones" What kind of place does that? You do no throw your co workers under the bus TO CUSTOMERS! I was beyond flabbergasted. Just a horrible business, not friendly and food is beyond pathetic. Do not go here. I have no idea who in their right mind would vote them as "Best in Madison" or give it 5 stars unless you do not have taste buds. If you want great food, coffee AND service, go to The Original Pancake House in Monona. read more

Stopped by the place on a Sunday at the recommendation of a friend. Of course my first thought was to look it up on yelp and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had 4.5 stars. As we drove closer to the restaurant however I got a bit nervous because it had more of a diner look than I preferred. It's not that I don't like diners. It is more so that the food can be hit or miss; though I guess the same can be said of most restaurants. We walked in and the entrance was packed with people hungrily waiting for their seats. The hostess was very sweet and was seating pretty quickly which was nice. They have a good sized menu with of course the normal breakfast fare. There was also a specials board across the room that caught my eye with its chorizo special. I am a HUGE fan of chorizo! I ordered that and was given the green light by the waitress as she raved about how good it was. When my food came it had a layer of hash browns, covered with eggs, and topped with chorizo. I had never seen it served this way before and I honestly can't say that I thought I would like it this way. Well I was wrong. Like super wrong! The dish was amazing! I mean like so much flavor on the hash brown, eggs, and chorizo. It was so good that I was pretty silent at the table while I sat and devoured the deliciousness! I asked the others at the table how their food was and they seemed to like theirs as well. One got steak and eggs for $7.99 and another eggs, bacon, and potatoes for around the same price. I am very much looking forward to finding myself in Cottage Grove soon so I can have this dish again . The service was great and my meal fantastic! read more

Really great experience. They greet kids with little containers of fruit loops. The coffee is piping hot, the prices are some of the lowest I've seen in the area and the food was pretty solid. My one complaint is that there is no way their biscuits are fresh or baked in house. Taste like Sodexo fare. But smothered in sausage gravy you can ignore that and move on. Next time I'll try something different. Service was spot on. read more

Excellent prices, wonderful basic food, and outstanding service. The wait staff is very efficient and consistent, and I particularly enjoy the potatoes obrien. Open only until 2pm, for breakfast and lunch. read more

I might be biased in my opinion of cottage cafe due to the numerous memories I have of having breakfast with my mom, dad and grandfather. At cottage cafe don't expect to see elaborate fruu fruu farm to fork style food. Here you'll find the basics, egg any style you want, pancakes, omelettes, and eggs Benedict for breakfast. The staff is the best, they are friendly and always greet you with a smile. If you become a regular, like my mother is, they'll bring your usual drink order as you sit down! I highly recommend Cottage Cafe for all greasy spoon restaurant lovers! read more

I think I just fell in love. I loooove breakfast. Love it. Sometimes, I get really overwhelmed by large, fancy menus. So you can imagine, what a breath of fresh air, the Cottage Cafe was. We walked in at 9 am. Early, but not too early. The place was packed. Wow. I walked up to the register and little did I know, but it is a seat yourself place. There was no sign. So we waited a few minutes for a table to open and sat down. I am a simple person, I ordered the special of biscuits and gravy with two eggs. The menu had quite a few other options. My husband ordered the steak, two eggs and hash browns. $8. This is probably the most expensive item on their menu. My gravy was perfect. It was thick without being sludgy. It had the right amount of seasoning. I received my breakfast on two plates because the biscuits and gravy were overwhelming a single plate. I ordered scrambled eggs. They were bland and flat. I spied my neighbors omelette which looked much more appetizing. Our whole bill (for two people) was $16 and some change. Bottomless coffee and breakfast. Wow. Oh, parking is tough. There is only one shared lot. read more

I have lived in Madison for ten years and recently went for the first time. This place is awesome! So disappointed I never went before now. The staff are always friendly and speedy. The food has always been great and the prices are right. read more

My aunt, husband and I went this morning. The atmosphere is down home feeling. Was quite cold inside. I was freezing and it's the end of July! The server, I didn't get her name, was kind of blah. She wasn't too friendly. Though she did check on us, But no offer of refills. I order the potatoes O'brian and toast. It was ok. The flavor was good but it could have used a little more seasoning. Sorry but salt and pepper just don't do it for me. The toast was good for toast, I had the sourdough. It for sure needed jam. My husband and aunt got the same thing. It was 2 biscuits, 2 eggs, sausage and gravy with American fries (large, diced potatoes). My husband had cheese on his fries. It was great they said. Over all I'd come back when we are in town. read more

Cottage Cafe is unassuming from the outside with simple decor on the inside. The menu is very reasonably priced with lots of breakfast options. I almost always get the crab cake benedict. Sometimes we have had to wait for a bit because this is a very popular spot on the weekends but I don't mind and they usually get us seated as quickly as they can. I love this spot. Great food and great waitstaff. It's my go to breakfast spot in Madison. read more

Old school greasy spoon food and very nice service. It's a throwback to another time and a good one at that.

We were on our way from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Mount Rushmore. We stopped here for breakfast. The service was great. We were treated like locals. Family of 5, and we all liked it. I got country fried steak and eggs. It was very good. Hearty breakfast for a long road trip. Highly recommended. read more

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Good food, good prices, good service. Simple little breakfast diner. Down to earth and delicious. If I lived here I would def b a regular! read more

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It's a small diner, but it definitely wasn't cramped. The menu had a pretty good selection of both breakfast and lunch items. I had the Eggs Benedict, and they were delicious. The plate was covered in hollandaise sauce. The staff was friendly, my waitress made sure my water glass was always full. The prices were reasonable. The one bad thing about my visit was that I ordered a milk, and the waitress never brought it to me. By the time I realized it, I was already done eating, so I didn't mention it. They didn't charge me for it, either. read more

They have the best French toast. Period. I don't know much about the rest of the menu because their French toast is so good that I never get anything else. As a kid I remember getting their pancake and it was rockstar as well! read more

My first visit to the Cottage Cafe was today after getting in on a morning flight from Little Rock AR. I had been up since 4:30 am and I need some good breakfast food. I have just moved to the east side of Madison, and noticed the crowd one Sunday morning at the Cottage Cafe....that many people could not be wrong. And I was not disappointed in the least. The Cottage Cafe was what I thought it would be; a breakfast place first and foremost with a lunch offering. I went simple with eggs over medium, bacon and a pancake. The pancake is enormous!! I will go smaller next time, but it was good. Eggs over medium worked well. Served hot and delicious. The bacon was cooked just right as well...crispy but not burnt. Coffee cup never went empty. Service was outstanding and friendly....smiles everyone...smiles!!! I will be back. I will venture into the menu a little more. But remember where you are going and what to expect; good, simple food cooked well. Dine on my friends. read more

Prices are great and food is pretty good. Outdated inside but it works. We visit at least once a month. Very family friendly and laid back.

I was surprised by the location of this place- it's right next to a laundromat. You'd miss it if you blinked. Lots of space though! Usually eat breakfast after I'm done with my 3rd shift job on less busy weekdays. The inside is very pleasant and well kept. The wait staff are always friendly and accurate. The menu is fairly cheap compared to other breakfast places I've been. The food is certainly better than what you're paying but it's nothing to write home about. Most items are exactly what you'd expect from any standard dinner anywhere. Still, it's a nice place to unwind after a shift. A good place to frequent if you live close. read more

Just a small cafe that has great coffee and food. Seems like breakfast is their wheelhouse, but the fried cheese curds are awesome.

Great breakfast! I got a breakfast burrito that you can add toppings into. I got green peppers, onions, and cheese. It comes with a side of potato so I got hashbrowns that were delicious. The only down side was it took a long time to be served our food, we think the waitress forgot our order. It's nice when you walk in you just sit anywhere you can find a seat but I would imagine it might be hard on times where there is nowhere to sit because it's a very small restaurant. Overall great breakfast! read more

Terrible service, rude waitress! Waited 10 minutes for her to get me a menu, another 10 for coffee. Maybe 8 people, all old timers in the entire place, I was the only customer wearing a covid mask! I had to ask for creamer, then she basically threw creamer packs on the table afterward! I got 1 refill but did not top it off. I went to use the bathroom after finishing breakfast, my table was completely cleared off by the time I came back to pay the bill, what does that tell you?! People other than regulars and lifetime neighbor buddies in the little restaurant clique are NOT welcome or treated kindly and equally! No hey how are you or good morning! No thank you, she said nothing. I am NEVER coming here ever again and will tell everyone I know of this terrible, ridiculous, embarrassing customer service experience! Rude a$$hole old lady!! read more

Good food pretty good service great place especially if you're doing laundry served quickly you're in and out of there and almost as my little of time as it would take for fast food but the quality of so much better read more

I have been there over a dozen times. Food is always good. Food ticket times in the kitchen are normally 25+ minutes. This past visit. I walked in and followed the signs like the other dozen times to seat yourself. The waitress took our order. Then the cashier came up to my family rudely and asked if we were on the list. I had no idea what he was talking about and pointed to the signs that said seat yourself. He said get up and get on the list as people are waiting. I asked why the signs were not removed then he ripped them down. Don't change your policies and not remove the signs. I doubt we will be back and I will spread the word of how embarrassed your employee made our family feel. read more

The service was quick and friendly. My mom and I both got the biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were soft which was nice and it was only $5. I would definitely go here again. They don't accept checks so make sure you either have cash or your card. read more

No frills just damn good breakfast! Awesome American dinner experience, good food and friendly fast service.

Lovely breakfast! Reasonably priced and excellent service. Would definitely visit again!

The place is hoping every time I come in. The local traffic is super loyal as they should to this great little stop. The staff goes above and beyond. Never leaving your coffee get to the bottom of the cup. Quick service. The food is good, not great. Well done all the time just little tiny things prevent me from adding the fifth star. Canned corn beef. I have issues with that. Everything else meets the higher standards one can have. The place is great for siting down meeting friends and enjoying great food. read more

Clean cafe, amazing food, sweet efficient waiters. Great place for breakfast. The best crab Benedict that I've had outside of an ocean area!

I went here for the first time this afternoon (a Sunday), about an hour before closing time. I sidled up to a rather short stool at the counter and was quickly greeted by one of several waitresses who were busy with their end-of-shift chores. Having read a Yelp post about the Chorizo Platter, I immediately ordered that, with a baby pancake on the side and a bottomless cup of coffee. It came to less than $11. The wait time was average. The coffee was a little better than average, with refills aplenty. The main entree was fine but overall bland. Even a healthy dose of Cholula didn't do much for it. I think part of this had to do with the chorizo, which is always a letdown wherever I order it. The star of this meal was the "baby" pancake, which reaches the edges of a normal-size plate. It was not too thick, not too thin and had a perfectly smooth bottom that I love. I did detect a slightly "dirty" taste, but I'm not sure what that was from. It might have just been my tastebuds acting up. The ambience reminded me of every small-town breakfast/lunch place I've ever been to in the Midwest. The waitresses, while clearly looking forward to heading home in an hour, were all still very polite. (One, in particular, kept checking the Packers score and was bemoaning the fact that their team was trailing.) For anyone familiar with Middleton, C's Restaurant is a good comparison to this place. Although, I would rate C's higher after dining at each place once. Considering I live less than a mile down the road, I definitely foresee myself returning here anytime I'm in the mood for a no-frills breakfast. read more

15 minutes to get acknowledged. By the time I would have received my food I would have been late back to work. -- Update: I have been back multiple times now and much better experience. I have gotten waited on right away. I like how they do their hash. read more