I read the reviews. I got service right away. The good came in a good time. The food was good not too greasy. The biscuit was not too fresh but the hash Brown was awesome! I d would there again. read more

Willabys makes me happy. Besides the diner from Pulp Fiction it creates my mental image of a diner. I was home for the holidays and went there as a destination. The menu hasn't changed. The servers are great. The food takes a little time. Because it's cooked for you. read more

I've been here twice in the last month and it was great both times. French toast is great and cheap. Huevos rancheros were some of the best I've ever had. The beans were so creamy and the eggs were cooked perfectly. The staff is super friendly. Expect a wait during prime breakfast hours. It's worth it though. read more

Must try!!! Excellent food! Fun atmosphere. Well priced!! Thanks for the great service!!

I LOVE this place!!!! It is my favorite breakfast place in all of Madison!!! My favorite thing is the french toast...I crave this stuff!!! The potatoes are excellent, I like mine with cheese and onions and everything is always cooked to perfection!!! Everyone I have taken here and loved the food and had no complaints!!! An added bonus is that I moved a half a block away about 3 months ago, so now if I could I would give it 6 stars!!! I definitely recommend this place!!! read more

Came in for hangover brunch. Was not disappointed (queasy and headache-y, but not disappointed). Great staff and great food at a reasonable price. Bit of a wait for your food but worth it. Cash only! read more

I know - cash only - grumble, grumble. But it's definitely worth a trip to the ATM to enjoy breakfast at this diner. The vegan biscuits and gravy were a good pick, and my dining partner really enjoyed his Denver skillet. The coffee was also really good and in your own personalized mug, just like home. I was nervous about the service based on other Yelp reviews, but we had wonderful service. Being only one waiter, I was impressed by how quickly and pleasantly he moved through the restaurant attending to everyone's needs. I would definitely return to this reasonably priced breakfast option next time I'm visiting Madison. read more

Excellent breakfast! I love finding locally owned places when I visit new towns and this one was great! Loved the coffee, everything my party of six tasted was great, and they were very accommodating when we came in and took up half of their counter stools because the booths were a little small. Prices were reasonable and dishes offered ranged from breakfast favorites to vegan options. I'll definitely return again next time I'm in Madison! read more

There's something about this place that keeps my husband and I coming back for more every time we're in Madison and it's not just the food (which is tasty). It's very small (and kinda dirty), so be prepared to wait (outside) for a table BUT it has a great hipster but not pretentious vibe that we love. Note: they only accept cash but there's an ATM. It's a local diner nestled in a neighborhood filled with kitschy shops; so be sure to walk off your generously portioned breakfast by strolling through Willy St to shop after. Our boys each ordered pancakes, which were larger than the plates they were served on! My husband got the Willalby omelette; cheese, huge hunks of ham (not your typical tiny dice), cheese, onions, shrooms, and peppers. I had the Fair Oaks skillet with veggie sausage, yum. Lots of veggies, Swiss cheese and hash browns. Our breakfast for 4 was $32, which was reasonable. See you next time Willalby's! read more

Not at all good. The staff is really nice. But the wait for our food was ridiculously long - we waited an hour and fifteen minutes for food at 1 PM. Not that crowded. Skillets were super greasy and ovecooked. Omelettes runny and poorly made. OJ from concentrate and runny. I'm not fussy, hard to screw up breakfast. These guys did. Don't eat there. read more

Eat here when I can. Always good food and coffee. Nice place to hang out with friends on a Saturday morning.

THE BEST HASHBROWNS I HAVE EVER HAD!...Staff were stellar and friendly. I was most impressed by their special care for a family with special needs children. My heart was warmed and my faith in humanity restored. I had a vegetarian om(e)let(te?) with bacon and ham...(I know weiddo right!?!?) No problem. I am definitely coming back with all my friends! read more

This is seriously my favorite brunch joint in Madison. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options (none of which are boring!). Last time I went, the service was a little slow, but it was also pretty busy for a weekday morning, so it's totally forgivable. I got the Fair Oaks skillet, and it was incredible. The veggie sausage is amazing. No matter what you order, you'll enjoy it. read more

Excellent place for breakfast anytime. Also has vegan options that are tasty. Very reasonable pricing. Service was friendly and excellent.

I have a long history with Willalby's. A friend worked there years ago, and we would gather one morning each week to hang out with him and shoot the shite. In those days, the coffee was battery acid, the soups were 75% salt, and the food was uniformly greasy (much like the grill, I'm guessing). Then a few years back, one of the old cooks bought the place and gave it a good scrub-down. A simplified, breakfast only menu and a clean grill now means they can serve food that is truly delicious. They serve Just Coffee, which is miles better than the old paint-stripper of yore. They have retained their signature dishes like the Bomlet, which is still too much food for me, and have added the city's best french toast, which is what I usually order. Thick-sliced bread, dipped and drowned in cinnamon butter, oh my god. SO good. The pancakes are HUGE, but are a little on the dense side for my taste, as I like them fluffier. Portions are big, so you won't go hungry, ever, and prices are very reasonable. It's true, weekend waits can be l-o-n-g, but if you know that in advance and relax, it's worth the wait. If you want a quick in-and-out on a Sunday, maybe try Perkins instead. Weekdays are more normal service. I usually order just eggs, sausage and toast if I'm alone. The waiters run the gamut of quiet, attentive server to "hey we're having a party in here" alt. types. But I've never had a bad or mean server. Sometimes, they just need a little friendly prodding. You just have to grasp the Willy Street vibe, and then it's cool. read more

Willalby's has a great charm for an old school diner. They make everything from scratch (as far as I know, since I inquired a lot when on a natural food diet a while ago), even grate potatoes for the hashbrowns. I've been there many times and haven't reviewed before, but this time I felt I needed to as I'm finishing eating my leftovers of the best omelet ever. It was huge, so I couldn't finish it, but is just as good the next day. The only slight annoyance is that they only take cash, but they do have an ATM on-site and I can understand their reasoning. Go early in the morning or expect to wait a bit for your food as it's a small establishment and very popular. So lucky to have it just down the street from me. read more

Very disappointed. I was very excited to eat at the restaurant, and had been eyeing up the menu for awhile! I was unable to have that chance though because of the inconsistency of the hours. I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after it was supposed to have opened but no lights were on and no one was around. (Online as well as their voice mail all stated it was to open at 6am) My next time driving past the restaurant, which was probably about a quarter after 6 someone was finally just unlocking the front door no lights on yet still though. Very unprofessional. Do not post your hours if they are not followed read more

Don't let the looks fool ya folks! By far, the best omelets, biggest awesomest pancakes and least expensive breakfast joint I've ever been too! Staff is cool and relaxed, food is hot and tasty! read more

There is nothing I can add to the recent reviews. Willaby's is delicious! Family friendly. Down to earth. We got a couple vegan options and devoured them happily. Love the coffee mugs. Will be back. Often. read more

I went to have breakfast on Monday morning around 10:00, the place was not busy! I ordered 2 eggs, corned beef hash, hash browns and coffee. Simple... right? When the food came, I was very hungry. I slid the eggs on top of the hash browns and started to eat. I could not cut through with my fork! The hash browns and hash were so overly fried, it was like eating fried won ton noodles. The hash was about 3 inches round and maybe 1/2 inch thick (this was the large size) and fried to very crispy!!! I mentioned this to the server and got no response! I never complain and I am not a foodie! For the $10.25 + $3.00 tip, WOW!!! Two people should have seen this mess BEFORE it was served to me, the cook (who should have known better) and the server! That's it for me, NEVER again! read more

Love the vegan biscuits and gravy however the service is slow. I wouldn't mind this if the seating were more comfortable. Hard to relax while waiting. They had soy and almond milk available for coffee, rare and nice surprise! read more

Delicious. I figured this place was kind of just a spot for old locals but it was so hip, great vegan options, and very tasty. The food took 45 minutes to come which was kind of crazy since it was full but there was no wait, and they should plan on this for a Saturday or Sunday, but the service was amazing. Vegan french toast...yuM! read more

Great food, but I don't feel like I can go back here anymore because of one too many run-ins with rude waitstaff. There is one person in particular with whom I have had several uncalled-for encounters. This most recent time, I left a bad tip (didn't mean to--simple oversight on my part). I was told that I had apparently tipped poorly in the past as well and that if I continued to do this, I would be refused service in the future. I apologized, handed the person a few extra dollars and got out of there. As someone who also works in a tip-based industry, I was really taken aback that someone would confront a customer about their tipping and then basically threaten not to serve them in the future because of it. After all, tipping is entirely up to the customer! Not leaving a good tip was my oversight, but it was a surreal experience nonetheless. I've had similar encounters previously with this person as well and have heard similar stories from others, so I think I'm done at Willaby's. But that's ok, cuz the actions of their waitstaff have given me the impression that they don't want my business anyway lol... read more

I decided to give Willalby's a second chance since Lazy Janes had a 30 minute wait for a table. Willalby's was even worse. We got in, ordered, and then we waited an hour for our food. How hard is it to make some eggs and potatoes? The waiter said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you we had a wait," but the place wasn't that busy. Anyway, the food was okay, but definitely not worth an hour wait. read more

Great food, but on a Sunday afternoon it was extraordinarily slow. We waited almost 2 hours for our food. There was one person working the front and one person cooking. read more

We went into this cafe with great expectations due to past reviews and just the menu itself. After waiting far too long for our servers attention, she half-heartedly took our order. Having had to eliminate some of the ingredients to cater to what we wanted, our server then went to the kitchen window and blatantly said negative things about our orders to the cook like "I know it doesn't make any sense". This is insanely rude behavior from the get-go, and then to follow after our waitress went in the back to "talk" to the cook he then looked out the window at us and laughed. Not only are we both in the service industry, one of us being a manager at a restaurant, but this is disgusting service to anyone. We are very disappointed in this experience and will not be back. We set down $2 for the coffee bought, and let our blue hair server know we were leaving. Very, very, disappointed. I hope this isn't how the service remains. read more

Let me start by saying that one star is generous. I'm a regular on Willy Street, it was my first home in this country so whenever I can support small business I try to in this neighborhood. I went to Willabys on Sunday with my mom and the restaurant seemed to be busy when we arrived but died down after a few minutes. We sat and had coffee and after an hour of being their I had to tell the server that we had an appointment to make soon and that if our ticket wasn't up next we would have to cancel and I was just wondering how much longer it be. The server replied "well that's really crappy of you. You're dining and ditching and you're gonna have to pay for that food" .... I'm a server myself and I would never speak to someone that way. I was polite and said if our food wasn't ready it didn't seem fair to pay for something that wasn't even prepared. She left and came back and told us our food was the next one up and that we were being rude by canceling if we decided to. At that point we felt so uncomfortable we told her we would pay but didn't want to stay here and asked for the bill. A minute later the COOK came out of the kitchen with a plate of food and started screaming at me and my mom in front of the entire diner! "You don't want this food?!? You're gonna throw this away?? There's starving children out there!" We were baffled and I told the women she could do whatever she wanted to make the situation go away and she answered "so then are you gonna eat this food or am I going to throw it away?!" We told her we didn't want it anymore because of her behavior and she continued to tell us to go to Mcdonalds and that it was willy street we should have known and that we are not welcome there. She also said she never wanted to see our faces again and then headed back to the kitchen... We paid and left but not before this server and cook ruined our Sunday and every other persons day in that establishment. I've never been mistreated so badly in my life and all of this was avoidable had the server communicated with us instead of insulted us. read more

This place is great. If you go when it's busy, give yourself a little time -- it's worth it. Great scrambles, pancakes, malts... you name it. I usually go with the "bomblet" which is pretty much what it sounds like. Great crowd, nice owner, good staff. If you haven't tried it and you live in the area, stop in. And if you're an undergrad who lives on campus, trek up and check it out. Your friends will think you're worldly for having gone, and they'll be jealous. Plus you'll have a good meal. It's a win-win. read more

Loved it. I got the French toast with blueberries and it was great. But I agree with others we had to wait for 40minutes to get the food! The wait staff were nice and the other people at my table seemed to enjoy their food also. I will go there again but with a book or study material to pass my time while waiting for food. read more

Good location but tiny and not good for larger groups. So so food. Tortillas burned beyond edible. Not so pleasant wait person.

Perfect little breakfast cafe. Nothing fancy about it but the food was great and the coffee was hot! Their pancakes are the size of a plate! The huevos rancheros were amazing and a very big portion that includes hashbrowns. If you're looking for a good cheap breakfast then this is your place. read more

This is my second favorite breakfast place in town, and I think it's largely because of the friendly wait staff and coffee (Just Coffee blend- mmm...). I do not take stars off for slow service- which may be found here during prime time dining hours. Their food is good with ample vegetarian/vegan options. If you're a fan of mushrooms I highly recommend the vegan biscuits and gravy, they also make a tasty tofu skillet. Again, I'd go here for the bottomless blend of Just Coffee alone. read more