In The Company Of Thieves

The atmosphere is so so… everything feels just a little be grimy and dirty. The air always feels a bit dank and stagnant. More importantly, they aren’t particularly good with their espresso drinks.
I have had a few cappuccinos here and all of them have been too hot with total separation of foam and drinkable beverage. The key to a decent cappuccino, besides pulling perfect shots from excellent beans, is using freshly poured milk every time, and frothing such that it becomes a perfect drinkable foamy consistency. Additionally, heat is the enemy here: as in don’t pull your shots too hot and don’t overheat your milk! Barista’s that know how to pull off designs on the top of espresso drinks almost always know what they are doing with the rest of the drink. Suffice to say that the folks at «Thieves» could really improve in all of these areas.

Great for a casual, funky, and affordable lunch. $ 5 for a panini. Try the ham one. YUM! Barista did seem grumpy, but who cares?

In the Company of Thieves is unique, relaxed and real. Sometimes with emphasis on the relaxed that can manifest in poor service. I am not denying that the baristas on staff are frequently preoccupied, consumed with cleaning or attending to a friend. As you’ll note, I am not flashing them 5 stars. You are certainly on their time. Maybe that’s pretentious of them, but I find it relaxing.
Relaxing? Well, yeah. They just make coffee. Damn good coffee. And they give you a place to sit and drink it, that has a lot of power outlets, a social atmosphere, a bohemian feel, and the drinks are great. Although you get the feeling they really don’t care if you like their style or not, all the employees are really nice, they do really enjoy working there, and if you are a friend to them, they’ll be a friend in return. Others have had trouble with the owner– I know I am a sample of one, but I think the guy is great. I see zen in how Company of Thieves operates, and I love going there to decompress at the end of a long day. And really, its a coffee shop in a fairly hippie area (it’s not Willy Street, but still).
I’ve been defending them, now let me review them: all the coffee is french pressed, and it is my favorite coffee in Madison. The breakfast sandwiches are as good as you have heard, maybe better. The Thieves Kiss is the only lunchtime sandwich I have bought from them. It’s an artichoke heart sandwich with some really good dressing and a tasty side salad for $ 5. I recommend it. In terms of going there to work, it can be great, but many of the tables are shaky… no idea if it is the tables or the floor (!!!) but be prepared to contend with a rocking work surface. But then again, feel free to work there from opening to close: no one will hassle you. A big problem for university students, and something to keep in mind, is that they close their doors at 7pm. It still baffles me, considering that it seems that most of their regulars come in to sit and work and would probably work late.
In all, Company of Thieves really is a must try. Whether or not you want to become a regular, I will vouch for the drinks.
Cheers.

How is In the Company of Thieves? It depends on what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for a place to get consistently delicious fair trade coffee? You’ve found it!
If you’re looking for a place to get consistent costumer service?
Not so much.
I live right around the corner from Thieves, so I want to love it so bad. It’s the closest coffee shop to my house and, like I said, has great fair trade coffee. But Thieves keeps inconsistent hours and the barristas (owner included) seem uninterested in serving you. Which, attitude aside, just makes everything take longer.
Here’s my anecdotal evidence: The first time I went to Thieves, when I got there, there was no one behind the counter. I’d heard mixed reviews about getting served, so I thought I’d do an experiment and see how long it took. After standing around for 7 minutes (and contemplating grabbing the cash register or one of those tasty croissants and making a run for it) a gentlemen who I now recognize as the owner reappeared (from the basement? outside? it was unclear.) He moseyed over the counter where I was standing and took some time getting set up before looking up and saying, «What can I get you?» No «Have you been waiting long?» or «Sorry about that, I had to go and deal with an invasion of panthers downstairs!» or another plausible explanation. I ordered my coffee, it was delicious.
And this has been the kind of experience I have come to expect from Thieves.

the baristas here all seem to be a bag of dicks.
so, i suggest going elsewhere, really.
BUT.
their breakfast sandwich is fucking a-​m-​a-​z-​i-​n-​g.

I really want to love this place because it’s so close to my house, but I’ve tried several times and always have a bad experience. The atmosphere is dirty, loud and hot, and the service is slow and rude. And, it’s more expensive than most coffee shops. It doesn’t open early enough and their food selection is dismal. Fresh croissants are delicious, however. Sorry but I think you can do much much better in Madison.

So I come in here all the time because it’s in my neighborhood. The coffee is fine and the staff are largely pleasant, but so much of the time I’m driven to leave earlier than I expected because the music is SO LOUD. There’s one barista in particular who just blasts really abrasive music when every single person in the café has their laptop open and is working. I wish they’d pay more attention to their customers’ needs.

I knew that Madison was the HQ of «Just​cof​fee​.coop» by listening to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, so when I stopped in to do a show, I called the people at JustCoffee and asked them if they’d recommend a local shop tht served their free trade coffee. They listed a couple, including «In The Company Of Thieves.» The name immediately appealed to me so I drove over there, plugged in my laptop and grabbed a wonderful cup of coffee. The mood was pleasant and the music was A Tribe Called Quest. I had a great time.

I frequented this coffee shop for about a month.
I had heard negative things about the owner/manager’s attitude from others, but I like to give people a chance myself. After being glared at, talked to rudely, and ignored on several occasions, he finally was SO rude to a friend and I that we are never going back there (and neither are any of my other friends).
If you don’t mind being treated like THEY are doing YOU a favor by deigning to serve you, then this place might be fine for you.

Very hip place. Good coffee.

Best latte this Seattle-​ite has had in Madison!

Really great atmosphere, laid back staff. Free wi-​fi is awesome. The second time I was in, the guy behind the counter remembered what I had the first time I was there, which was awesome. Comfortable place to work or just spend the afternoon.

The first time that I ordered at the counter, I was offered a punch card for a free drink. I told the lady behind that counter that I wouldn’t be in town long. A week later, I lived across the street and became a regular. They offer free WiFi, which was great for me. They also have fresh brewed iced tea on hand, which I always loved and they offer refills for only $ 0.50 per glass. Eventually, when I had my own internet, I would just order my sit and drink it on my own porch and return for my refills as needed. The place is clean and cozy. I wouldn’t call it my type of coffee shop, but it worked. They close no later than 9pm.

The place is decent. I have had one coffee there that was gross, and an espresso that was quite good. The inside was clean and nice, the people were friendly, and FREE WI-​FI is a plus.

Decent neighborhood coffee place, populated but never too crowded with the usual bespectacled laptopping types. Slightly pricey but tasty toasted sandwiches and what appear to be Otis Spunkmeyer muffins.