I'm downgrading my review substantially today after making another visit to Java Cat. The space is funky, at least for this neighborhood, and the coffee house tries to be gourmet, but there are numerous failings. First, and it may seem trivial, but when you walk into a dark cave of a space in the summer, you don't want to see garish "cool white" CFL light bulbs in the track lighting. Track lighting is meant to give warm, pinpoint accent lighting and the CFL's are harsh and blue. Second, I ordered a BLT imagining it would be hard to screw up this sandwich. I sat and waited way too long as the ladies behind the counter chatted away. After more than 10 minutes someone yelled out "did someone order a BLT?" gesturing at the counter, where my sandwich had obviously been sitting for a while. At no point in the ordering process did they tell me how my sandwich would be delivered or announced. Apparently I was supposed to watch the counter. On to the sandwich. The BLT came on flavorless, doughy-white ciabatta type of bread and had lettuce hanging out a good two inches on all sides. The ingredients were jammed in in an unceremonious fashion, but nevermind, I thought. If it tastes good, I am happy. After folding the lettuce over so that I could actually take a bite, I realized that the bacon was extremely salty and tough. I lifted off the bread and saw that they had used bacon shaped into rounds, obviously manufactured for use on bacon cheeseburgers and other fast-food nastiness. The bacon was so salty and nasty that I couldn't taste the rest of the sandwich and literally had to choke the thing down. I'm afraid that Java Cat really falls short in a city that aspires to much more. Just down the road Crema Café does everything much better, with a flourish and a flair and with a real sense of customer service. The new Madison Sourdough cafe on Willy Street is a great gem of a place, raising the bar on casual breakfast and lunch fare even higher. The only thing that could possibly recommend Java Cat is their gelato, which is an unusual and refreshing offering on this side of the lake. read more

I do t get this place, coffee is weak, sandwiches are terrible and service is confused and slow. If I want gelato it's great, but seriously better food at Crema down the road. read more

Best coffee in Madison, in my opinion. The blueberry scones are extra good as well. If you're in the area it's totally worth a stop. Oh, the staff is very nice as well! read more

Rude staff, felt very unwelcome. They should work on being more welcome and kind to their customers without making any assumptions about them. We were just about to order food as an employee rudely approached us as we were deciding on what to order and made us feel unwelcome, left right away after that. Do not recommend and will not step foot in there again, would rather purchase Just Coffee beans and brew coffee at my own place. read more

Excellent local coffee shop. Looks a little rough outside but inside the decor is cute and cozy. The caramel cider is amazing and their coffee is like perfect. read more

Stopped in for a quick coffee while in the car with my kid. It's nice when the independent coffee joints have drive thru's because I really feel disgusted when I have to get Starbucks just because they deal drugs on every corner. I'm always more than happy to go a little out of my way for real coffee. Java Cat delivered! read more

Amazing atmosphere, good fair trade coffee and great baristas. Also love all the community outreach things they do.

Didn't think I'd like this place (I don't like cats), but gave it a try and then another try and then I found myself stopping in a lot. Great service (!), delicious drinks and gelato. And as a mom of three kids, I am so thankful for the drive-thru. Now I just wish they'd expand to the space right next door! read more

I love Java Cat. Yummy soups, sandwiches and gelato. Love that they have maple flavoring for coffee drinks!! The drive through rocks.

Some of the best brewed coffee in Madison. They serve Just Coffee and always have a strong dark roast. Drive-thru is very convenient on the way to work. read more

I like this place. It's an ambitious little spot with a lot of heart. That said, I've had some mixed experiences- primarily with the food offerings. Their sandwiches on a good day are REALLY GOOD. I'm crazy about the hummus panini and the cinnamon stuffed French toast. Unfortunately, the half dozen or so times I've ordered them the quality has always varied. Nearly half those times something was forgotten, and a couple other times the preparation seemed sloppy and rushed resulting in a sloppy/ burnt sandwich. I'm not one to complain in person, especially when it seems an undertrained employee or busy lunch hour is at fault. It seems turnover of counter staff is pretty common. The owner though is always very personable. And the mocha latte is fab! read more

The best anywhere! This place has atmosphere, great people, yummy coffee and tasty goods.

Great food, especially the gelato and the breakfasts - but the sandwiches and bakery items are good also. Can be hard to get a table on weekend mornings, more so in the winter. read more

Awesome! Outstanding selection of coffees and teas, great baked goods and memorable daily soups. The staff are wonderful!

The atmosphere is young and hip with customers of varying ages. I had a skinny caramel macchiato, which was fantastic! I cannot wait to take my husband back to try the gelato. The staff was very friendly and asked many questions to make sure customers were satisfied. The parking lot is small, but doable. read more

So Java Cat is tasty. It is convenient, I love their drive thru, but it is incredibly slow. Their prices are a little high but in a pinch, I pay it. I have not had any food or gelato. Apparently, I am only addicted to their coffee. I will probably keep going back. read more

Easily the best cafe for the far East side area. The breakfast and lunch menu are great for a quick meal and the gelato is probably the best in Madison. My food and drinks have been consistent except for when it comes to specialty drinks. I ordered the gelato float in the summer and it took longer than expected due to the employee being unsure how to make it. And just today I ordered a seasonal fall drink and I'm not sure I got what I asked for either. I would recommend just sticking to the regular menu and you can't go wrong! read more

Best in town. Friendly people. Good food. Best coffee. They should bulldoze that building next door and make more parking.

Great little coffee spot, and a welcome addition to the area. The coffee is good with lots of choices (Javalato, anyone?). There are also lots of food options - hot and cold sandwiches, soups, lots of pastries, and chocolates from local chocolatiers. Just once you have to try the squares of cake & butter cream frosting dipped in chocolate ganache. Most coffee shops have wi-fi these days, but how many actually provide the computers? There are three, they're free, and far less busy than you would think. I've only had to wait twice in my dozens of visits. Java Cat hosts music on the weekends, and usually really good acts. I'll never forget the 9-year-old accompanying his dad's Irish jigs on the bodhran - really well, too! And the rotating gallery art is always worth a look. (As opposed to the permanent collection, which is....excessively cat themed.) Oh, and the drive through. Yay! So why did I give it only three stars? Let's start with the atmosphere. Dark purple walls, black ceiling and a lot of grey make for one gloomy room. If not for the warm wooden furniture and the large front window, the place would be downright depressing. Then there's the temperature: freezing. One day this summer I noticed that I wasn't the only one huddled in a sweater and asked if they could turn the AC down, They said they have to keep the ambient temperature at 60 to keep the gelato from melting. Really? The freezer doesn't do that? Now, I don't know if that's the official line, but I do know that Java Cat is often uncomfortably cold. And finally, it's no place for small children. There is one high chair and one booster seat, and neither has any straps/buckles to hold a kid in. There's no changing table in the bathroom, even though there's plenty of space for one. Changing diapers on the floor of a public bathroom sucks. And they actually removed the small kids' area they used to have. If I didn't know better, I'd think Java Cat was deliberately making it hard for people with babies to hang out there. Actually, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they're doing. read more

Great place. Drive by 100 times at least. Kicking myself for not stopping before. Staff and owners are amazing. They are selling my lip balm there too. Even if they weren't this would be my new go to place when in the area. Highly recommend for coffee, Bakery and a comfortable friendly environment. read more

Fast friendly service, decent coffee and the peanut butter habanero gelato is superb!!

Java Cat is reliably wonderful. Great gelato, warm, friendly service and excellent coffee! They won't let you down!

Gourmet Coffee, Fresh Bakery, Soup, Sandwiches, and best of all Home made Gelato in dozens of wild flavors. Clean and comforatble, with outside seating too. Best coffehouse in town. read more

this place is fantastic! their gelato alone is reason to travel across town to check it out. i'm not one for coffee, so i can't speak about that, but the gelato is certainly killer, especially on a hot day by the lake. the website above is wrong though, the actual website is here: http://www.javacatmadison.com/ read more

I really enjoy The Java Cats house espresso roast, very smooth yet complex and full, very similar to Illy Cafe--epsresso roast, or Torrefazione Italia-- Perugia blend. I have tried well over one hundred blends and roasters over the years as an espresso business owner in Seattle, and find the Jave Cat coffee to be very well done and is worth a try if you really care what your coffee tastes like and how it is prepared. They have a great "coffee house" atmosphere with live music on weekends and serve fresh "in-house" baked goods, sandwiches, salads, and soup. Java Cats also offers superb home made gelatin and italian ices made daily, yumm. read more

Stopped here for a Sunday morning coffee, and was pleasantly surprised by this place. Excellent latte, and my nephew loved his hot chocolate. A competent guitarist played acoustic 80's covers at just the right volume to not distract from conversations. I was impressed with the selection of pastries and gelatos, which I will have to try on my next visit. read more

Great place, good coffee - So glad they are here with that convenient drive-through in the neighborhood. The owners are really nice too! The decor is bad and kind of hilarious so it adds to the charm :) Highly recommended. read more

Java Cat! Kinda cute little place that serves a good cup of coffee along with great soups, better sandwiches, and amazing gelato. Had a Monte Cristo there with maple syrup and chips and was very pleased. Partner was hesitant after I described it and one bite and she nearly took the entire sandwich away! Whenever we go past, we check if it is open. Very polite staff, helpful, patient. Only thing I have had that was not fantastic was a spiced apple cider which had about three times as much cinnamon as it should have. Serious burning pain up my nose on the first whiff. read more

Best customer service in town; the owner introduced herself by name and gave me time to browse the menu and ask questions, without making me feel rushed. Cozy place with lots of natural light and a cute fireplace in the corner. The cat decor can be a little much if you're not a cat person (like myself) but that's easily made up for by the quality of the coffee and the pleasantness of the staff! read more

Excellent customer service in addition to a warm and welcoming environment will keep me a life long customer. This morning, I went to two other coffee shops trying to find the little stickers that you put over the opening on a to-go cup. I wanted it for a holiday gift for the coffee lover on my list. Everybody had them but nobody was willing to sell them until I stopped at Java Cat. Thank you for an outstanding customer service experience! read more

First time here in a few years. I definitely won't wait to come back. Coffee was excellent, service friendly and music very enjoyable. Nice job Nick. read more

Love this place! Great coffee, good food, and a comfy place to hang out and get some work done. I can't believe how friendly and efficient the staff are, even with a drive thru window to tend to as well! read more

Very good coffee at reasonable prices. I have never eaten here, but food looks good. A lot of flavors of Gelato. Family-friendly atmosphere. A bit small, but really cozy. read more

went through the drive through for a vanilla latte and the service was so so good!!! there are cute stickers and knickknacks surroundings the window; so cute!!! the latte was really good and we can't wait to visit again when we are able to go inside!!!! read more

Reneé is amazing! Extremely friendly and welcoming. Great coffee, and free wifi. I will definitely be back . Also the breakfast quesadilla was fantastic! Thanks again!!! read more

Everything is overpriced. I once had a good, large Monte Carlo sandwich here, which was actually worth the price tag. But on subsequent visits, the sandwiches we were served were so, so bad. Ridiculously small portions of poorly prepared food. My 11-year-old daughter can make a much tastier sandwich. The atmosphere of Java Cat does not appeal to me. The tables are too close together, and the space is too echo-y. On two weekend occasions, there was a marginally talented musician BLASTING tunes in this small, acoustically-impaired space. There is nothing soft or squishy to absorb the sound, so the loud music was further amplified as it bounced off all the hard surfaces. I could neither concentrate on my work, nor carry on a conversation with my companion. I have to admit, the gelato is good, and that's usually how my kids end up luring me back. But every time, I am filled with regret over the price, the atmosphere, the service or the food quality. Time and again, I swear to never return. This time, I've kept this promise for at least 6 months, and with Crema right down the street, I can't imagine I'll go back on my word any time soon. read more

Terrible service. Terribly rude workers. The owner, Renee, was rude and disrespectful. I will never come back due to the overall poor experience I had. I will now 100% go to Crema Cafe everyday because of the terrible experienced I have had at Java Cafe. read more

Sorry to say, but rather disappointed with my coffee experience there. Just moved into the Monona area in the fall and was excited that there were so many coffee shop choices in the area. After trying Java Cat, I've decided that while the drive-thru is a very nice feature, it doesn't really help when my order is wrong, more often than not. 2 out of the last 3 visits have resulted in me tossing my drink when I get into the office, which becomes a bit costly at $5+ a drink. My experiences have been much better at some of the other local shops, so I'll leave 5 minutes earlier to go somewhere else instead of risking the convenience of the drive-thru. read more

Not sure why I was hesitant to stop here but when a coworker asked specifically for a breakfast sandwich from here I was thankful and hooked. Tired of the chain places, appreciate that this is local, fair trade coffee and that I can get a solid, fresh breakfast sandwich (or a yummy donut which is often my preference). The bonus of a drive up window seals the deal. I've been here four times since discovering it a month ago. read more

I like this place. There usually aren't any screaming kids bothering me. Also, they have old computers that people can use to do useful things, like search the internet and write yelp reviews expressing their valid and not-so-valid opinions. read more