Crema Cafe

The east side has no shortage of great restaurants… this is one of my favorites for breakfast. Big fan of the blueberry pancakes. The atmosphere is cheerful and fun, and a great place to spend a Sunday morning.

How did I never hear of this place while I lived in Madison?! The location has a gorgeous view of the downtown, for starters. The food was fantastic. And despite it being packed on a Sunday afternoon for brunch, we were served promptly. This could have been a favorite if I still lived in town!

Totally loved the food and music. Enjoyed a «Killer Scramble:» smoked salmon, sauteed leeks, local goat cheese, 3 eggs, and a perfectly-​sized mix of greens with toast on the side. The cup of tea was nice and large – I hate it when breakfast places are stingy on the caffeine.
Music was some lovely acoustic Appalachian-​inspired tunage. Set a relaxed mood without being too loud. It was crowded (so you know it’s good), but not clangy and awful like breakfast joints sometimes can be. The view of the lake is extra lovely, too.
Ample parking. Looking forward to going back for other meals and try out lunch, too!

Definitely a big fan of the Fungus Scramble! However, my Aunt had the Salmon Scramble and the taste of lox was overwhelming… Latte could have been stronger. My Aunt loved the hash. Overall a good spot.

Finally made it here for lunch. Everything was delicious. Roasted cauliflower soup, artimelt and a spicy chai. Bravo!

Fresh, good food. Just wish there were more «normal» items on the menu. Also the young cashier was so chatty with her coworkers that I had to stand there awkwardly for a minute after paying to ask her a simple question. I recommend the food though. You can tell they make it with love.

I withdraw my prior criticism of their coffee. Since then I’ve had their coffee a few times, and I’m almost certain it was because my first cup happened to be from an old batch. I do try to aim for when they come out with a fresh carafe of coffee so that there’s no chance of bad coffee again. Because of that, I’m going to add a final star. Crema Café has become my La Rotonde — when I’m bereft of inspiration or motivation, the ritual of driving over, ordering a sandwich and coffee, and watching the crowd swirling around gives me a breath of fresh air.

I have been trying some different breakfast places, and Crème came up with some high ratings, so I thought why not.
It is a nice enough place for sure, although the seating is a bit limited and you have to hope for some good turn-​over on a Sunday morning after ordering your food.
It is counter service; you order, hope for a seat and wait for your food to come to your table.
I would not call the menu a traditional breakfast place. I really liked my sweet potato hash, but the portion size was a bit small.
It is a long drive for me, so my return is not imminent, but I would encourages others to try.

This might be my new favorite brunch place. Conveniently located a short but vigorous bike ride away from my new digs, Crema serves up some fresh realness for your AM munchies. The Killer Scramble is highly Rebeccamended because I am obsessed with smoked salmon, and their eggs are buttery and fluffy. The coffee is on point, as are their savory pastries. If you like reasonably priced and delicious breakfast/​lunch, try Crema.

It’s quite a drive from downtown so I struggle to make it over this way often, but finally made it happen because Crema.
After ordering up at the counter, we settled into our table and feasted on the cinnamon crumb coffee cake we snagged and mmm was that sugary goodness. We had planned on just tasting it then taking the rest home, but yeaa that did not happen. We finished off that piece of cake pretty quickly.
With such a tasty start to the meal, we waited eagerly for the rest of the food.
–scrambled eggs with sweet potato hash and whole wheat toast
–an egg white fungus scramble with whole wheat toast and greens
–a scramble of the day with whole wheat toast and greens
–one blueberry almond pancake
The toast was griddled up in butter, the greens were dressed, and the pancake was studded with blueberries. This was quality breakfast food.
Throughout our meal, I was eyeing a little girl slurping on a very vibrantly purple and delicious looking smoothie, so I will be checking those out in my next trip. I’ve also seen pictures of the crema oatmeal and know I need that in my life soon. To be continued.

Crema Café is an excellent breakfast/​brunch spot. We were staying in downtown Madison and took a nice lake/​bike trail to Crema and wanted nothing more than a hearty breakfast — they delivered!
We both got the Fungus scramble. It was delicious and we really enjoyed the fact that the eggs came with a delicious salad. Another highlight was the truffle oil used!
The only thing keeping this from a 5 star review is that we ordered chai tea, which was listed on the menu as «chai tea.» We were assuming this was a loose leaf tea option and not a latte. Much to our dismay, a chai tea latte arrived with whole milk and lots of sweetener. Not a big deal but a little misleading.

Get the HASH!
So maybe it’s because of my limited meat and dairy options, but I’ve never really had a decent hash. It’s always corned beef, (fishy) salmon, or some damn sweet potato boring «veg» dish. So I was goofing off at the pottery place next door and realized, «it’s Saturday», it’s still technically «brunch time», I’ve heard «good things» so in we walked. Hash was on the menu and my inner self jumped with glee when I realized NONE of the ingredients were on my «no-​no» list! Here it was, my HASH time had arrived! I went for the kill and ordered the daily hash: Buffalo Chicken Hash. Two eggs — poached of course, and whatever else (a salad?) that come with it.
Well, I am in love with hash — I FINALLY GET IT! The chicken was spiced mild but you could taste it, it was still hot, with a «mash» feeling to it, but crisp edges (no idea how they perfected this). The eggs were served on the side, for me to eat separately, but of course, I had to split those beauties on the hash for that pretty (and yummy) yolk effect. Then there was this perfect little salad on the side with onion and a vinaigrette. Now, I was raised by a great German woman who believes in «mixing» all the food on the same plate «cuz it goes in the same place anyway.» So I mixed just about everything and anything into one bite after the next, like a woman on a food challenge. It was a perfect marriage of hot/​cold, crisp/​mash, salt/​sweet, spicy/​savory.
My other got the Gobbler — wow, very good sandwich! Pictures show it’s piled high and another great flavor combination.
I don’t know about the other breakfast items, but if you need a place with a great HASH, check this out.
(Thanks Crema for thinking outside the box for us food problem people.)

I REALLY liked the feel of Crema Café and I wish I had read the reviews before going. My scramble was good, but unremarkable apart from the unusually large and delicious mushrooms included. I think that they excel at other dishes, including their baked goods. We got a blueberry streusel bar, which was very well done.
I also appreciated the excellent service! It was very relaxing, unusual for a brunch place on a Saturday morning at 11:30. Overall, a great place to have a long brunch savoring your coffee with friends. Next time I’ll try the sandwich!

Been back to Crema a bunch of additional times, and now love it. Their Gouda grits are to die for and they have a drink called Coconut Crema that is amazing. Also, the staff is awesome!
I’ve heard their Bluebird sandwich is excellent, but my allergy to blueberries prevents me from being able to consume it. The Gobbler sandwich is my favorite sandwich at Crema and has been consistently excellent.
Such a lovely place for weekend brunch!

Best. Breakfast. Sandwich. EVER!!! No joking, y’all. It’s serious goodness — kind of perfect actually. In fact, it’s pretty much all I’ve ever eaten here. It’s served on a crispy yet tender ciabatta roll with a generous pile of tangy dressed greens that add a wonderful brightness, a delicious cheddar cream cheese spread that doesn’t over power, just the right amount of bacon and a slender egg. The sandwich is balanced and divine. You should really eat one as soon as possible.
I’m not a big fan of their iced coffee, but their Earl Grey tea is fantastic, served in a huge Fiestaware mug, which only adds to the level of happy. Their donut muffins are soft, yummy goodness especially when warm. The service is lovely and the décor is fun with a mixture of retro and new, of which I’m a big fan. All in all, Crema is a nice way to start your morning.

There is something about Crema that is very inviting. They space is bright with loads of natural light. The furniture is mismatched and a bit funky. There are a few tables adjacent to a plug so it is possible to be on-​line. The folks who work there are friendly and helpful.
Today I wanted one of their wonderful Blueberry Oat Pancakes. They were unwilling to make just one. I was super disappointed. I ordered two poached eggs. They were more done then I would have liked. I wish they had asked how I wanted my eggs prepared. The toast came with butter on it. I would have liked to have made that decision myself. I will have to remember to speak up and not wait to be asked.
That said, there is some really wonderful food available. The daily egg scramble can be quite creative and very tasty. I love their bacon! The baked goods are excellent and very fresh.
I have had three of their sandwiches, The Hot Chick, The Gobbler and The Bluebird. All of them were chock full of locally sourced ingredients and were absolutely delicious. The sandwiches are quite hearty. I always think I will take a half of the sandwich home but before I know it, I have nibbled on the second half until the whole thing is gone.
Crema can be quite busy on weekends. I am lucky enough to be able to go during the week. Today, I hit the jackpot. Just as I got my food the Isthmus was delivered. To me, that is the perfect treat and it has zero calories to boot!
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Alright, so I live relatively close BUT this is my FIRST time here!
I had the Farmer’s scramble. Now… how do I say this? It was good, not great. The food was fresh, hot and it didn’t weigh me down. It was not greasy and you felt like you got a great value for what you paid. However, it was not spectacular. The flavors were average. Sausage, cheese, eggs. The best part of my meal? The vinaigrette on the greens. Well, the fact that they put greens on my plate. Thank you for realizing people like balanced meals.
I was annoyed by the refill price for coffee. Why? Not sure, but it seems a little petty. So I ordered a crafted beverage (does this make sense? probably not.). I had the Sassy Cow Eggnog Latte. Now, I LOVE eggnog, specifically the Sassy Cow option. However, the flavors just didn’t merge.
Will I go back? Yeah, it was good, not overly pricey.

Finally made it over to Monona for brunch on Saturday.
Our group of 6 arrived at 12:30 and thankfully there was a table available for us. You go and order up front with their very friendly staff. The ambiance is nothing special at all, but the view of the lake is really nice if you can grab a seat near the window.
Overall, the food was very good.
— Fungus Scrambler: AMAZING, I typically don’t order scramblers because that’s the easiest thing to make at home, but I would break my rule for this. If you like mushrooms but aren’t huge on them, you will still adore this dish. Also there’s truffle oil in this so… yeah. Do it.
— Killer Scramble: I’m a sucker for smoked salmon and eggs, and this dish is no exception. They’re pretty generous with the salmon and it goes so well with the cheese, it’s just a party in your mouth.
— Sweet Berry French Toast: meh. The server said this was really good but I disagree. Really boring, the orange mascarpone doesn’t taste like orange or mascarpone and there’s barely any on it anyway. Didn’t love the texture of the toast, either.
— Gloomy Day (or something) Smoothie: delicious!!! I slurped this up in like 30 seconds.
I definitely want to go back, but I’ll probably have anxiety over choosing between something I loved from my previous visit or trying something new!

My first time at Crema Café I ordered a breakfast sandwich brunch special. It had sprouts, a thin, crispy-​fried gooey egg, smoked ham with parts of fat still hanging, plenty of greens, love, peace, and magic in it. It was the best breakfast sandwich I have ever eaten in my entire life. The next eight Sundays or so back at Crema were in pursuit of this elusive, god-​like sandwich.
Here are some tips. If it’s a special, which we order most of the time, it will likely come in an interesting form. The other day, the tuna melt lunch special was deconstructed: a scoop of scandalously lemony tuna salad, tart with capers, with a crispy length of baguette, diagonally cut, a pile of arugula, and slices of tomatoes, arranged on a plate. For the unadventurous or unforgiving, I would be wary of ordering specials that don’t sound like they should come from a café in Wisconsin (e.g. crab cakes, ramen, anything mexican sounding) unless you’re willing to live in the mind of the thoughtful and creative chef behind these projects. The scramblers are usually safe bets, but can be bland or boring. The gouda cheese grits, ordered as a side, are sinful. Their pancakes are always good.
If you’re ordering from their regular menu don’t poo-​poo on the tortilla chip side. I did, and regretted my prejudice after I accidentally ordered some, because they’re light and delicately seasoned, just like all their salads.
Colectivo coffee, don’t need to say more than that. Refills are 50c. Fresh squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice are available. The servers are cheerful and kind, even though we take a few minutes to decide our order at the counter. Also, there is an incentive program, not that we need extra incentive, so don’t forget to give them your name when you order.

Good scratch made breakfast grub. Crema clearly has a neighborhood following. A friend of mine has been raving about Crema Café for months — so I finally met him for Sunday brunch.
You order at the counter and grab a table. The food came out in short order. We ordered all sorts of stuff: Donut Muffin, Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes, Breakfast Scramblers, Bacon, Potato Hash, and Smoked Gouda Grits.
The scrambler was one of the specials. It came with dressed greens and toast. Although we got one of our orders with the potato hash. The scrambler was tasty with caramelized onions and mushrooms. The salad greens were properly dressed.
The donut muffin thing was delicious — it’s a good thing there was only one left or I could have eaten a dozen or two.
The grits were creamy, smokey and very rich. The single serving would be fine for sharing.
The Blueberry Pancakes were so tasty that I didn’t even have a chance to photograph them. Trust me they were thick cakey suckers dusted with powdered sugar and sprinkled with whole blueberries.
Crema Café is one of those places I’ve driven by hundreds of times — unless you were a neighborhood local or somebody had bragged about Crema Café, I don’t think you would find your way. So now that you’ve discovered it on Unilocal go check it out foodie.