Crescendo Espresso Bar + Music Cafe

This is my favorite coffee shop in Madison. The Nitro Cold Press and Avocado toast are my go-​to picks– I would get them everyday if I could. The staff are always friendly and attentive.

I was only at Crescendo for a short meeting but I loved my time there. First and foremost was the fact that the staff just radiated happiness. I felt super welcome and like they wanted me there — not always the case in a café.
When ordering I inquired about herbal iced tea and the barista was happy to check for me and then describe the flavor. It was quite tasty and refreshing and a nice alternative to hot tea or hot chocolate.
The vibe of the shop is homey and there’s a good amount of natural light. Seating is somewhat limited but comfortable. I definitely will be back for future meetings or to mix up my workspace for an afternoon. I’ve got to try that avocado toast!

Talk about a cool local coffee spot in Madison. How did it take me 4 years to find this place?
I stopped for breakfast to go on the way to work one morning. It was early-​ish (7am), but there were still a few tables of people hanging out and working.
I was extremely excited about their avocado toast on the menu (the only place it exists in Madison?), but ended up opting for the black bean breakfast burrito due to logistics of avocado toast in a to-​go container. The burrito was pretty good!
I also got a large black iced tea and it also didn’t disappointment. Crisp and refreshing, with plenty of caffeine to start my morning.
The interior is clean and nicely designed. Based on the flyers on the wall, there seems to be a lot of events and live music (it is a music café after all).
I’ll be back soon, but next time I’ll try to time it so that I can enjoy my items in the café, and I will DEFINITELY be ordering the avocado toast.

I stopped in for the first time and I was super impressed. First, major props to them for serving Anodyne Coffee out of Milwaukee. I think it is one of the best roasters in the state. Second, the staff is super friendly and helpful. Finally, they have cold press coffee on nitro. As this is my go-​to summer drink, I am stoked. The nitro makes it extra smooth and gives it a nice head ala beer. Since I live close by, this will quickly become my go to café.

A friendly staff and atmosphere that are serious about their support of local musical artists. This was my first visit to Crescendo. The patrons were most respectful, courteous, and very responsive to the performers, who were each well versed in their craft, from novice performers to pros. I like the fact that there was never any pressure on buying drinks or snacks. I look forward to returning with friends and fellow musicians.

Delicious coffee, and a cozy seating area. (I’m a sucker for the comfy chairs near a fireplace set-​up). Staff was friendly and I enjoyed the décor and the vibe. I did buy a day-​old muffin that was plainly awful. I know, it is expressly advertised as «old», so I’m not expecting «fresh-​out-​of-​the-​oven», but I do hope for «better-​than-​a-​stale-​packaged-​baked-​good-​from-​the-​grocery-​store». Overall, it’s a great neighborhood spot, and I wanted to go back after I left.

Really love their avacado toast. Comes on a nice thick piece of bread. Also can’t get enough of their cold-​brewed coffee. It comes out if a tap and is super creamy and very flavorful.
They did have to raise their price of the cold-​brewed coffee. I don’t remember the actual price but it was pretty expensive for a medium. Because I don’t live close and Monroe Street can be trick to navigate I don’t come here as often anymore unless I’m in the area. But it is definitely worth it if your in the neighborhood.

This place is perfect if you are one of those people who needs to be seen in the ‘right’ place, eating and drinking the ‘right’ things, by the ‘right’ people. No depth and predictable environment and menu. No style.

Great little coffee shop. Have tried the nitro cold press coffee– creamy and delicious! The peanut butter granola toast is definitely enough to share, try it topped with salt and jam from the add-​in area. Service has been extremely welcoming and friendly!

One of my favorite coffee shops in Madison. Their espresso drinks are sometimes hit-​or-​miss, but they more than make up for it with their amazing Nitro Brew coffee and their pour-​overs with Anodyne coffee; I’ve never been disappointed with either. It’s also a great cozy spot to study, and the staff has always been helpful and friendly.

This café has become a part of our (perhaps overly) regularly routined lives. Being in grad. school, we spend a lot of time reading and don’t have much money. Since we don’t have much money we shop at Trader Joe’s and go out for coffee and read for a few hours at Crescendo. The space is cozy, which is great for the winter and terrible for trying to get to the bathroom. They have solid food options, including Gotham’s bagels. I’ve never been disappointed by the staff or the coffee… though one time I did have 1 cup too many.

On a cross-​country trip, we stopped at a Trader Joe’s across the street to stock up on food. We needed good coffee. Spouse went to this place, which was across the street, and got us 2 cups. Hands down, it was the best cup of coffee I had in the 19 states we visited on this trip. I wish I lived in Madison. :(

This place is easily one of my favorite coffee shops in town. Every time I come here the service is friendly, and the coffee is top-​notch.
What’s more, they just became the first shop in Madison to serve nitrogen coffee, which if you haven’t tried it… just try it!

Yes, I tried the avocado toast. And yes, it was fantastic. I also shared a breakfast muffin called «The Treehugger», and it was pesto perfection. We were there a few hours, and shared a chicken burrito before we left. I’m not sure that the burritos are house-​made, because it seemed like a frozen burrito. Either way, it was a good burrito and I’d order it again. It came with salsa and cost only like $ 5.
They offer pour-​over coffee here, and it’s great. The almond milk chai latte I ordered was delicious, and I gladly ordered another before leaving.
The place cozy and nice, but I did find it a little cold in there yesterday.
The owners and staff at Crescendo are fantastic and do a great job.
The place was clean, even the bathrooms. The music playing was a nice mix of low-​key tunes. Everyone there just seemed really relaxed and happy.
Jut a really nice coffee spot with good vibes. Loved it, and will definitely add it to my weekend coffee shop rotation.

Crescendo is one of my new favorite spots for a few important reasons:
1) AVOCADO TOAST. It’s giant! and delicious… AND you can ask them to give it a kick with some cayenne. The bread is luxuriously thick and tasty. I’ve heard the breakfast sandwiches are good too, but I haven’t been able to try anything else since having the avocado toast.
2) Great coffee. I’ve stopped in here many times over the past year or two to grab a cup of coffee. Their coffee and espresso drinks are awesome, and they have many tea options. They also offer a bottomless coffee option. Warning to those who don’t like sweet chai mixes, they use the pre-​sweetened Tazo chai mix for chai lattes. However, they do also make a chai latte from tea bags, which is unsweetened.
3) Nice work environment. This is something I’ve recently discovered. There are lots of tables and outlets, the music is low key and conducive to doing work, and most of the people there are working or reading or doing other quiet activities.
Whether you’re just stopping by to grab coffee on the way to somewhere else or have a day of work planned, I recommend checking out Crescendo!

Loved my recommendation from the very friendly staff! had the Miele Latte which is a delicious Honey Cinnamon LatteI also loved the Tree Hugger bfast sandwhich… pesto veggie egg fast on an English Muffin!!! Soooo good!

This just in: Avocado Toast is a 2015 food trend to watch.
Where did I learn of this?
Time Magazine aka a really reputable source for trending foods across the land.
You know who’s been serving Avocado Toast for like, ever?
Crescendo. Which means two things:
1. Crescendo Espresso Bar is a trendsetter.
2. They’re more reputable than Time magazine because they’ve been putting avocado on toast for longer.
In all seriousness though is is probably my favorite food item if I’m sitting down for a wealth of work. Something about my favorite mashed up fruit on a warm piece of thick cut toast just really gets this guy going. It’s creamy and toasty and barely fits in your mouth the way they cut the bread, AND if you’re looking to heat things up, they’ll sprinkle a little cayenne pepper and add a few drops of hot sauce.
Also important to point out is the fact that the beautiful work-​worked pour over station they use on site can come home with you! Well, not THAT one, but a different pour over stand. Cait’s dad Joe made several for holiday gifting, so pop in and check out all the options. And if you’re reading this after the holidays, the stands would still make a stellar gift for a birthday, graduation, father’s day, boxing day if you’re Canadian… the list goes on.
And the last little tidbit I’d like to leave here is Crescendo joins the ranks of only a half dozen places where you can purchase Yes coffee, a new roaster out in Monroe Wisconsin that makes a pretty mean bean. They have a decaf that in my opinion trumps their caffeinated varieties, which I understand is do in part to the careful work done by one of the owners who can’t consume caffeine. That little hiccup makes the decaf roasting process all the more important for him and all the more delicious for you!

So, first, the good.
The coffee. Is. GOOD. On par with Victory on Atwood, my very favorite in town. Anodyne, first time I’ve had it, and I ordered it pourover, Ethiopian. Really, really, really good. You can choose any of the beans they have, not just the daily choices, so that’s cool.
The signage. They’ve probably used someone like Planet Propaganda to design their logo and corporate ID, and it’s good.
And now, the rest.
Prices.
$ 5.00 for a Chemex brew? That’s nuts. At Victory it’s in the $ 3 range. A pourover here is $ 2.75, also a bit high. They list ‘creative add ins’ for your coffee, and they want .65 to add honey. What? There’s honey on the homey, heavy wood
Sideboard stand.
behind you to add in, for free. In a big squeeze bottle, with one inch of hardened honey in the bottom. Good luck getting that out. There’s also one stainless steel dispenser, unlabeled, which you assume is cream. It has about a teaspoon of liquid in it. You pour it in, and when you give them the container to refill, they tell you it was skim milk. Ugh. They insist that it *is* labeled. You look again, and sure enough, once upon a time, someone wrote ‘skim’ on it, in Sharpie, which is 90% scratched off now.
Seating.
The place was pretty full on a Saturday morning (11÷1÷14). No table seating was available. Much has been made of their fireplace, which has exactly one chair next to it. With a big hole ripped in the arm. That was the only seat, so I took it.
Outlets.
None visible. Wifi requires a password, which is not apparent until you try to log in. Another patron supplied it to me.
Service.
Harried, unsmiling, no greeting. The staff seems stressed and unhappy. I just don’t see why it’s so hard to look up, say hi, and smile when a customer comes through the door. You need to set the mood, welcome and acknowledge people, then the wait isn’t such a big deal. Their go-​to move seems to be to apologize once someone finally reaches the counter. They apologized to everyone.
Cleanliness.
Not so good. Borderline grimy. The self service containers, dispensers, floors. The armchair next to me has spilled coffee that has dripped down and dried all over the side. Ugh. The massively bearded dude making the food behind the counter wore gloves, occasionally.
Summary…
I’ll try them again in the evening sometime for music and wine. I have a feeling that’s where their heart lies, and that’s cool. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here for coffee or food again, although the coffee was well prepared. That’s the best thing I can say. I hovered between two and three stars, but the coffee decided it. Everything else honestly needs help.

Great espresso and coffee right across from Trader Joe’s! They use locally roasted coffees and prepare it correctly.
I had a great double espresso with perfect crema, followed by an expertly prepared pour-​over. It’s rare to find a café that does either of these perfectly, so I was pleasantly surprised. The staff is apparently very well trained and seemed happy to be working.
About me: I’ve roasted coffee at home for the last 7 years and own two professional espresso machines along with two pro grinders and a lot of other equipment, so it’s rare that I find cafes that can prepare coffee on par with what I make at home. In fact, I’ve only ever found a handful that can – Crescendo is one of them!

After a change of hands, this café spot on Monroe Street has transitioned to the perfect place to learn more about coffee, listen to some live music and enjoy the company of neighbors and friends.
The owners are enthusiastic about music + coffee and they really show it! A new, custom made pour-​over station ensures you get a cup of the best quality and learn something new while you’re at it! Some alterations to the front of the shop let more light in for a fresh, relaxing spot to do what you need to do while you caffeinate.
If it’s a little too late for java, there are wine and beer options, too! Hungry? The flatbread is delicious!