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    The Sow's Ear

    4.4 (107 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 5:00 pm

    The Sow's Ear Photos

    Business Info

    THE SOW'S EAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Sow's Ear

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    Nathan N.

    Stopped by a charming coffee shop on a hot day, and it turned out to be a great choice! This classic cafe offered a wide variety of drinks, but I went with the Peach Pear Apricot, which was both refreshing and packed with flavor. I chose the 20oz since it was just 50 cents more than the 12oz--totally worth it!

    Nathan B.

    A great local coffee shop in Verona. I come here every time I'm in town visiting my son. Coffee is great and so is the food. There are also really good Gluten free options. My daughter has celiac and she has never reacted to the food (no cross contamination). Highly recommend this place if you're in the area.

    Cappuccino
    Heather S.

    My husband is somewhat of a cappuccino snob and he approved of theirs. He sipped on it while I perused the yarn. Very cute and quirky yarn and coffee shop!

    Sugar free French Soda - so refreshing on a warm afternoon!
    Ari W.

    I have popped in to The Sow's Ear twice now just recently and what can I say? This place is adorable and I love it! I've ordered French Soda's both times (I'm hooked) while coworkers have tried a few flavors of their smoothies. No food yet, but what I have seen other customers enjoying, and based on what's available in the grab and go section, the food seems to be great here. They have some quiche on the menu I will absolutely be trying soon enough. I'm not a knitter, but they appear to have a nice selection of knitting supplies and yarn throughout available for purchase. Additionally, they have art on the walls and goods/food items for sale from local crafters. Outside is a lovely patio with plenty of seating options if you do order food and want to take a seat. I definitely see this becoming one of my go-to's this summer.

    a woman standing in front of a bakery counter
    Crystal F.

    This place is so adorable. Staff is so nice and knowledgeable. We had smoothies. Oh. My. Gosh. Amazing so yummy and flavorful. Fast friendly service. The desserts and sandwiches look delicious. Will be back for coffee and goodies for sure

    Jack G.

    Cozy little café within an awesome yarn/knitting shop. Very good coffees with a nice breakfast and sandwich menu. Popular, so the small tables may fill up fast. Very pleasant staff and comfortable ambiance. Great yarn shop (offers classes).

    Sandwich closer to bottom is the Caprese.  Sandwich on top is the Savory Sow.  Served with greens or chips

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    4 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Cute little coffee shop with a yarn store in the back. Mid priced, excellent food, warm service.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Delicious sandwiches, coffee, tea, and cute merchandise! The Verona sandwich was perfectly cheesy :)

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    3 years ago

    Prices seems a touch high and service is fairly slow. The quality is good, but just be prepared to hang out longer than anticipated.

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    One of my favorite coffee shops in Madison. Excellent coffee, good vibe. They have lots of knitting supplies if you are into that as well!

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    4 years ago

    Good breakfast food and bakery items. Coffee was great. All the staff was friendly

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - The Sow's Ear

    Do they offer a children's beginner knitting class for 2nd graders?

    The Sow's Ear provides beginning knitting classes for kids 7 years and older. Check out our class schedule on our website. We update classes every quarter.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - The Sow's Ear

    If you knit you really won't want to miss this, as their shop is also a knitting store.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Grace Coffee - Bagel Breakfast sandwich with cheesy hash-brown bites !

    Grace Coffee

    3.2(29 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    I like it here, but cozy coffee shop it is not if that is what you're looking for! This is a great…read morespace but it's large with high ceilings and metal furniture and I don't know how comfortable it'd be to hole up here and work all day. It can get kind of loud as well. The lavender latte is a good one and worth the struggle to find a parking spot for. The Italian sodas do NOT come with cream so you need to specify that if you'd like a traditional cream soda. The pastries have never appealed to me on the several occasions I've been - they are large and there are some of the old standbys like danish but there's a lot of artificially colored/flavored options as well such as cereal bars. This last visit I ordered the cheesy hash brown bites with chorizo - good, but filling, and just a little too much pickled onion perhaps or maybe it was the chorizo - the main flavor profile was more tart or sour than spice or savory. I also felt the addition of shredded cheese was a bit much - but greatly enjoyed the micro greens to complement flavors. I've had the avocado toast before and enjoyed that. My daughter's açaí bowl was served in a to-go cup and somewhat difficult to mix. The staff has always been friendly when I've been.

    Overall score 16/20 Here is my review friends…read more... Atmosphere- 5/5 Very appealing. Spacious. Nice seats, clean. Would be nice if they added some indie music for the vibe. Service- 2/5 Slow. Had to go up and ask for my food. Coffee came first, finished before food arrived. Drink 4/5 Good! Not overly hot, has flavor. Nailed it in the flavor profile, but could have been a tad bit more noticeable. I want a coffee to taste what it's listed as. Not like a Lacroix lime, flavored drink. I.e hint of a flavor. Food 5/5 I got the Berria burrito. Now tell you what.... It took an hour to get this food. My expectations were low! To my surprise, they nailed this burrito. Hashbrown ball was good too. This may have saved my overall score.

    Photos
    Grace Coffee
    Grace Coffee - Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Roll

    Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Roll

    Grace Coffee - Outside front

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    Outside front

    Brothers Restaurant & Cafe - Chicken suqaar with pasta

    Brothers Restaurant & Cafe

    4.9(7 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    This was my first time eating Somalian food and sought this place out given the recent…read moretactics/aggressions aimed at Somalians. I just wanted to show my support. The place is in a strip mall - nothing fancy. I couldn't find anything online about this place other than they existed - no hours, no menus, no social media, no website. In 2026, that is frustrating and has to severely hurt their business. When you walk in there is no obvious flow - you don't know whether to wait to be seated or order at the counter, etc. I had a VERY hard time understanding the employee - he spoke very softly and his accent was so thick, I felt terrible asking him to repeat everything. I asked for a suggestion on what to order and he suggested a $45 meal. This was lunch time and I wasn't about to spend that much on a lunch. I settled on goat meat and rice. It was a LOT of food (mostly rice). The meat was good - my first time eating goat. (It wasn't b-a-a-a-a-d) They serve it with lettuce and onions which, to me, is an odd combo, which made me all the more excited about trying something new. I ate it all, but it was hard to finish that much. Meal was about $20 which is extremely high IMO given that it was mostly rice. I don't know how long they've been in business but given the lack of a digital footprint, it makes me think they are fairly new, so probably the reason for the price. There were several customers there - I was the only white dude in there and got some strange looks, but understand that I'm probably the minority of their customers, plus given the above mentioned way they've been treated - I get it. If this were a chain or well known restaurant, I'd probably give it three or four stars, but given everything I mentioned in this post, I will proudly give them 5 stars. Try it out!! I'll return to try something a little more adventurous. As I was walking out I noticed that one person was eating their meal with their hands (including rice) and another was scooping theirs with small wooden object. It must be custom in Somalia and I wish I had known because I would have done the same to get the true experience. I was given silverware unasked which I appreciated. Can't wait to return.

    This is a nice cafe with prompt, friendly service and an interesting Somali menu. Whatever meal you…read morechoose, don't forget to add one of the sauces that are brought to the table. Our first taste seemed bland. We were told that traditionally dishes would arrive to the table already seasoned, but some customers found them too hot, so they now let each diner add their own sauce. The lunch menu is comprised primarily of a choice of meat and either rice or pasta, the latter being a leftover from Italian colonization of Somalia. I had the goat and pasta, both of which benefited by the (judicious) addition of the hot green sauce by itself or diluted a bit with the mild white sauce. The goat was a bit tough but had a nice flavor. It came with a lime wedge and some chopped lettuce, onion, and green pepper. My husband had the beef chapati and was "underwhelmed." The chapati was quite soggy and the dish was heavy on potatoes for his taste. We both enjoyed the sweet and spicy Somali tea, a chai type that is enjoyably heavy on cloves. This family restaurant is definitely worth a stop.

    Photos
    Brothers Restaurant & Cafe - Complimentary drinks - mango and pineapple

    Complimentary drinks - mango and pineapple

    Brothers Restaurant & Cafe
    Brothers Restaurant & Cafe

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    Madison Chocolate Company - Spicy hot chocolate

    Madison Chocolate Company

    4.7(69 reviews)
    6.6 miDudgeon-Monroe
    $$

    We were in Wisconsin for the weekend and on our way back home I saw this delightful shop and imma…read moresucker for chocolate. Figured they must have hit chocolate. 1. Upon walking in you immediately know you're going to love the place. It's so cute and cozy. There is indoor and outdoor seating, cute decor, and chocolate galore. 2. I ordered the drinkable hot chocolate. It was good, although a little thick. I would have wanted a bit of almond milk to thin it a bit but I loved how rich it was. My daughter also got the kids chocolate frappe (I think that's what it was called) she loved it! 3. We received one free truffle each since it our first time there. We ordered the mint, vanilla bean, and turtle truffles. I also ordered the sea salt caramel truffle and my daughter got a gaming boy stick chocolate. So cool. 4. We also tried their cookies so tasty! 5. The lady working was sooooo sweet. Omg, she truly was. I'm so sorry I didn't get her name but she made us feel welcome (almost everyone in Wisconsin made us feel that way) and she was no different. What a pleasant experience as we headed back home. Highly recommend that you drop in when you are in the Madison area!

    Things I love: (1) gluten free everything for my family with celiac disease…read more (2) the turmeric latte - aka golden milk latte - best in Madison by far (3) cute tchotchkes to buy from local artists in the shop

    Photos
    Madison Chocolate Company - What treat should I try?

    What treat should I try?

    Madison Chocolate Company - Ganache hot chocolate

    Ganache hot chocolate

    Madison Chocolate Company - There's a nice short walk around the pond across the street. Perfect with a warm cup of coffee.

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    There's a nice short walk around the pond across the street. Perfect with a warm cup of coffee.

    The Sow's Ear - artsandcrafts - Updated May 2026

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