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| - I do my best not to just hand out 5 star reviews, but Indie Coffee is earning it with every visit I make. I used to sling coffee at Marigold Kitchen, and I've been to most of the cafes/coffeeshops around Madison - Victor Allen's, Steep & Brew, Etes-Vous Prets, Mother Fools, Ground Zero Coffee, Fair Trade, Michaelangelo's, Sunroom Cafe, and the Washington Hotel Coffee Room, to name a few - and an extraordinary few even come close to the quality and prices of Indie, especially when it comes to food and service.
I'm a fan of the teas there, especially the clementine clove and the pomegranate rosehip, and my boyfriend is a devotee of both their hot and iced mochas, as well as the creamy, flavor-packed chai. While I normally roll my eyes at those who deviate from the small/medium/large size names (Starbucks, I'm looking at you), the Wingra/Monona/Mendota names are sweetly local enough that I find it endearing. I also appreciate that they let you buy entire pots of tea, which can be meted out at a leisurely pace without losing their heat.
The sandwiches and soups are something to behold. The Regent bagel sandwich is elevated by a flavorful zing of goat cheese, the Greenbush bagel sandwich is hearty and rich, and the chicken focaccia is an excellent combination of textures and flavors on mouth-wateringly fresh bread. I'm not that much of a vegetarian, but those who are have an extensive list of options. The soup of the day rotates, but I've had the pleasure of trying the chicken & sausage gumbo, which felt like a reawakening on a frigid day. The cup and bowl sizes are smaller than your average Wisconsin cup and bowl sizes, though, so you may want a little something extra if you're looking for an entire meal. The bread that accompanies the soup is warm, crispy with a chewy center, and delicious on its own or dunked in the soup.
The walls are painted warm colors, which are very comforting during cold winter months, and in the summer, there's a lovely back patio on which you can sit - secluded from the hustle and noise of Regent Street, but open enough for fresh air with plenty of shade on hotter days. The wireless is reliable, although loading videos can take quite a while. The only thing I'm not wildly enthusiastic about is the seating - the chairs aren't the most comfortable thing, though I do like the benches along some walls and the easy chairs toward the front are great for curling up on with one of the available newspapers. It can get crowded in the late afternoon, but fellow patrons are Midwestern-level nice, and often will shift and share tables with strangers in order to make sure you have a place to sit.
And I have to single out Indie for some of the best service I've had in Madison. Every single time I've been in, the person at the counter seems genuinely happy to be there, which is a rare find in this town. Hair is well-secured by baseball caps and ponytail holders. The servers are very knowledgeable about the menu, and they're practically never out of anything. Every time I've asked for a recommendation or help with choosing between multiple options, the barista has provided excellent advice, with reasons why they prefer something. And the night that Snowpocalypse 2011 began, after I'd left Indie, the barista (a slight guy with glasses in his twenties - Indie owner(s), if you are reading this, give the man a raise!) noticed I'd accidentally left my laptop charger there, and hauled ass outside into the freezing, snowy cold, to make sure I got my charger back before the city shut down. Incidentally, Indie Coffee was open the next day, even when the University itself had shut down.
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