Manna Cafe & Bakery
| Address: | 611 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704, USA |
| Phone: | +1 608-663-5500 |
| Site: | mannacafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 6AM–6PM 6AM–6PM 6AM–6PM 6AM–6PM 6AM–6PM 7AM–2PM 7AM–2PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 13
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Craig Bianchi
I have visited Madison, WI numerous times in the past five years and was delighted to be introduced to the dining experience here. On numerous occasions I disembarked at the airport and drove my rental car (filled with guests) directly to Manna for lunch. I always felt that the couple identified by staff as the owners were rude, indifferent, and arrogant. Upon arrival in Madison in early August, I drove directly to Manna with my guests. The service was terrible; the food was mediocre and the prices had gone through the roof. Nevertheless, we returned three days later for Sunday morning breakfast only to encounter the husband at the primary register and the wife at the secondary register. Their attitudes, manner, and comments relating to their "bottomless cup" policy were amazing. With the decline of the food quality and the growing uncleanliness of the establishment, individuals should be wary of depositing their money in Mannas coffers.
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Katy Dehmlow
We stopped here on our way through Wisconsin. Based on the great reviews, we figured it would be worth the detour. It ended up only being a 10 minute drive from the freeway, and well worth it! It was much better than the typical road-food alternative. I had an amazing turkey salad, which is saying a lot for someone who doesnt typically like meat or potato salads. My husband had a really good Chili which was very tomatoey; not like the typical Wisconsin Chili, which is more like hamburger soup. My preschooler had a "continental breakfast" with fresh, homemade yogurt. On average, we paid $8 a meal for fresh, QUALITY food. Nothing snooty. Just good. There was a lot of young families, hip college kids, and old people. Its obviously a place where anyone can feel comfortable. I highly recommend going out of your way to eat here.
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Robert Warren
We had a big family dinner and the atmosphere is fantastic. The staff was awesome and very attentive. The food was amazing, several of us had the BlackBerry Ribs and they were amazing!! Definitely need to go check them out! Update... Went back for breakfast on our last visit 11/27/2015 and it was another great experience! I had some granola crusted pancakes with chocolate chips and they were amazing! Update... Came back to Madison to visit our children again for the July 4th holiday. Went back for breakfast on 7/1/2017 and it was just as awesome as always. The staff is so friendly and the food is still amazing! If you havent already tried it out, do it, you wont regret it!! Love this place!
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A Private User
I have been here twice at the urging of a friend and while the food was OK, I have to agree with K that the owner was quite rude. (And I am not one to make snap judgments, it happened on both occasions we were there). I appreciate that you are "organic, cozy, eclectic, etc." and I should feel honored to even be allowed to enjoy your culinary delights, but please do not talk to me like I am 3 years old when I ask a simple question regarding your menu. Frankly, the food is nothing you cant get at a dozen other cafes in Madison and costs almost twice as much as you will pay elsewhere. Skip it.
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Jenny O
My niece and I had brunch here. We ordered a platter to share. We shared a plate that had scrambled eggs, sausage, cheesy hash browns and oatmeal pancakes. The sausage tasted weird, dont know what kind it was, fed it to my dog. Were pretty sure the eggs were from a carton and not fresh and the hash browns had an overly creamy texture to them. The only kind of good thing were the pancakes. Another customer came outside and said the coffee tasted terrible. The atmosphere was nice and the staff was great, but we wont be going back.
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A Private User
Manna did the catering for our wedding and I cannot say enough about the wonderful job that they did. We had so many compliments on the food, and were able to provide some unique options, rather than just the standard chicken or fish that is often found at weddings. Barb (the owner) was wonderful to work with, and very creative and accommodating in fulfilling our desire to provide a unique, seasonal and very Wisconsin-style menu for our day. Would highly recommend both eating in the cafe and catering for an event.
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Steve
With 7 people here they "forgot" my order, I got the blueberry love pancakes with lemon curd, the curds lemon flaver tasted cheap and reminded me of a bathroom air freshner, the only upside was that it came in a separate dish. The pancakes themselves were passable, but not worth the $8.95. The decor was nice, nothing out of the ordinary, but pretty good. The $3 bottomless cup of coffee seems like a good deal and the flavor was good. Overallaybe better for coffe then food.
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Meghan Goering
This place is awesome! Stopped in for brunch on a Sunday. Didnt take long to get a table but we did wait probably 30 minutes for food. It was totally worth the wait. Breads are amazing, roasted potatoes are crispy and to die for, and my specialty scrambled eggs were perfect. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, and so are the staff. Would go here again! And, its nice that there is free parking as opposed to going to somewhere in downtown Madison.
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Cecelia Sherven
Amazing food made by amazing people always wearing smiles! Love the owners, and staff are very friendly. Great for people of all ages! Great for the winter with a fireplace in the back that makes it very cozy. You can enjoy a game of scrabble at your table while sipping coffee or cram for final exams with your computer in the peaceful environment. Love the art work on the walls too! No bad experiences here though the hours are sort of weird.
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Jim J
We have been buying their wheat bread for some time now. Prior to the early part of this year this bread had a nice, although subtle, sourdough taste. It is now June and we no longer have even a subtle sourdough flavor. We have moved on not only because of this but also because of the price increase and noticeably drier texture. So dry that if you brown the bread in the toaster just slightly the slice becomes hard and dry.
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yvonne hooks
The wait is there for a reason, but they let you know upfront that the kitchen is running about 30 minutes. This really only happens on wekends, through the week there really isnt a wait. The food is freshly made and it is delicious, lots of gluten friendly options and the quiche is quite wonderful. My favorite coffee is the Black Earth blend. My go to place for breakfast and a very eclectic setting.
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A Private User
Reasonably priced. Food wasnt great, but with one exception wasnt awful either. I had the Jamaican spiced lentil burger, which was decent, but a bit mushy and rather bland. My friend had the Spiced Tempeh and Glazed Soba noodle. Holy cow, awful. The dish was watery, and the Tempeh was some of the worst Ive ever tasted. If you decide to to go to Cafe Manna, avoid the Spiced Tempeh!
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Brinnan Shaffer
This is a north side gem!! I often find it busy, but with good reason. Ive never had anything bad. The 3-potato salad is unique. The lemon curd you get with the blueberry pancakes is out of this world! The baked goods...be still my heart. This is not a place where the wait staff will come check on you and see how things are going, but they are friendly and the food is exceptional.
