I like this Colectivo too, but it is farther from my house are harder to find parking. It is also less neat than the one on Monroe, but all the drinks are the same, so you know that they are good! I studied here a lot before they opened the one on Monroe. It gets pretty dark in here towards evening, so it wasn't optimal for this. read more

Surprisingly great breakfast burritos. All their food is way more fresh than Starbucks and they offer a wider variety of drinks. Colectivo is a Wisconsin gem. read more

Meh. First time there post-pandemic. Went to Monroe St location about 7:45am for coffee and breakfast. It is disappointing they still have a huge section roped off for "To Go" orders (no doubt necessary during pandemic) - as a result they had only TWO tables in the area where there used to be many tables. But OK, we found place to sit. We both ordered coffee and breakfast egg sandwich. The egg sandwiches were, honestly, just pretty terrible tasting. I always finish what I order but neither of us could eat more than half (for one thing it had WAAAY too much cheese, ug and their homemade English muffin just not very good). The person who took our order did not ask specifically what sandwich, so when my friend ordered he got sausage but he had wanted the bacon. There are 3 different options so person taking order SHOULD ASK - jeepers, does this need to be said? Ditto on my coffee. They just poured without asking me what I wanted (light or dark roast). I hadn't had my coffee yet so my brain wasn't working to specify (lol). The blueberry scone I also ordered was so-so (bakery offerings are still way pared back since COVID) Colectivo is just not what it used to be. I've always been huge fan of Colectivo coffee but on this particular day it just did not taste good, maybe it was the specific brew. We also did not like how everything came in paper even though we were dining in. No plates for our sandwiches, no nice mugs for coffee, etc. I am glad they survived pandemic, but we'll be going elsewhere for our morning breakfast and coffeee. read more

This was a nice place to meet a friend for lunch and coffee. A previous reviewer mentioned the hipsters. This is a hipster hangout for sure. I'm not one, so I felt a little out of place. But! The coffee was excellent, my sandwich was excellent, my chips were ok, and the cookie was excellent. Felt like I had to yell over the music during my conversation. The prices are ok as well. Nice place for a treat once in a while. read more

Colectivo is my "go-to" cafe. It's a massive cafe with a hipster-inspired aesthetic, but a politician-and professional-patronized veneer. There is usually ample seating with an outdoor 'patio' and an innovative four-seasons, whose windows can open entirely. I drink a lot of coffee but I'm not a snob; the coffee here has never offended me. They also have a sizable menu with okay sandwiches, but I stick to the pastries. They also serve beer contract-brewed for them, it is also decent. read more

Colectivo Coffee On the Square - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Good place. Good coffee. Almost always easy to find a table. The staff is great - very friendly and attentive. And the coffee is pretty good. read more

One of my favorite cafes are around! I make a trip once in a while downtown for nothing more than to stop here for lunch and a mocha. The mochas are delicious (not too sweet) and the food is great! The atmosphere is trendy and perfect for downtown and this is a great place to stop after a trip around the farmers market. read more

Awesome atmosphere. Friendly and helpful service. Little food, little coffee and good smoothies. Nice open air spots on the street. Wish I lived here. I'd be here all the time. read more

Collectivo is my favorite coffee shop. The coffee is better than starbucks and the cafes have a great atmosphere. I typically go there for coffee but the food and tea are also worth a trip! read more

Got to work this morning and was hungry, so after all the hype about this place, thought I'd give it a try. Ordered a bacon biscuit and large coffee of the week (Blue Heeler) to go. Total as $7.91. Reasonable wait for my food bag and I was off back to the office, wondering if a "to-go" breakfast was going to be worth nearly 8 bucks. Strike one: Menu clearly states that breakfast items come with fresh fruit (I checked on-line later). No fresh fruit in the to-go bag. Nothing but the sandwich. Strike two: The biscuit was ... um ... weird. It was enormous compared to the "filling" (4/5 biscuit, 1/5 filling), and I've never had a biscuit that tasted doughy while being dry and crumbly. Strike three: This is named a BACON biscuit. The filling was a small amount of scrambled eggs, what must have been bacon bits because occasionally I got a taste of something like bacon (not a strip could be seen) and some nondescript cheddar (that was listed as local smoked cheddar but no wiff of smoked and I guess local could be the supermarket). In all fairness, the coffee was very good, but I won't be going back for the food. read more

Hands down favorite coffee shop in Madison! From drip coffee to muffins, it's all good, and reasonably priced. Love that they give 10% off for bike benefits! read more

A third update, and I'll keep it brief: 5 stars for service. 5 stars for typical coffee quality. The Sumatra, though? 1 star. Overroasted, disgusting garbage. So unbecoming of Alterra. Back to Bradbury's. read more

Cute little place with good bakery items and good coffee. I can tell Madison takes their coffee very seriously just by the amount of local coffee shops in the city. It's got some outdoor seating that looks like it'd be beautiful for good weather. I think this would make a great place to study or catch up with a friend or even go on a date. It's got this charm that I can't quite put my finger on. read more

Love this place. Outdoor seating. Great selection of food and beverages. Prices are ok. Parking ramp a block away or on street. Staff friendly and helpful. I'll be back. read more

I've been here twice and enjoyed my experience both times. It's pretty big for a coffee shop, and there are lots of tables to work at. The atmosphere isn't as soothing as other places, but the furniture and layout are nice, so it's a great place to get work done. The coffee is good, but I've never tried the food. read more

Yummy and wonderful people watching out the windows. Great spot with a sweet vibe. I like it in the summer when they are open and you can feel that sweet summer breeze. read more

While the Alterra name is gone away, their coffee is still really good. I stopped in the Fall/Winter season en route to Minneapolis and tried their Turkey Trot pour over. I really liked it! Baristas are great and there's a good atmosphere. read more

I really enjoyed my choice of black coffee here while my friends didn't. I just think they chose the wrong one. I got the one that was mixed with dark and light roast beans. I can't remember the name but it was delicious! No disgusting coffee aftertaste. All in all, I'd be back here and get the same coffee the next time I'm in town! read more

Best coffee ever, but probably one of the worst 7 layer bars I've had. Great atmosphere though!

My family and I ate here for lunch over the weekend. The Pesto Mozzarella sandwich and Veggie burrito were both excellent!

Been here twice on visits to Madison and it's the most Seattle-like coffee place! Love the baked goods as well. Nice service and plenty of seating options. Seems like a popular place with the locals - always a good sign! read more

This place is wonderful. But they had gluten free bread and then they stopped carrying it. I mean, who does that?

I think I've reviewed them before but my love has only grown since then. The music is always on point, everything on the menu is always great, and everyone who works here is a damn saint so you better tip. Plus they have a cute yellow espresso machine and that's pretty cool. I've heard from friends with connections to he company that their baristas train for a really really long time before being able to serve to customers. I don't know if that's still true but Im inclined to believe it after tasting the drinks from most of the baristas there. Oh, and their rewards point card system actually accumulates really quickly and you can use the dollar amount earned at any time unlike most rewards systems. read more

Extremely unique resturant/cafe vibe, they're monthly/weekly specials are always great. definitely one of the best places to go for coffee in Madison read more

Great coffee place. Well experienced baristas. Perfect coffe blend. Don't mix soy with the coffee though. Reasonable price and there are 4 sizes of drinks. If your in the mood., sit there for the entire day with free wifi., I dont know how they manage that though. read more

As someone who got through college on Intelligentsia, I had relatives who raved about Alterra's coffee, saying it was as good as Intelligentsia's. That was high praise given the high quality of Intelligentsia. I finally had some when I moved here a year ago and it lived up to their praise. Colectivo's coffee and Letterbox tea selections are wonderful. The interior is inviting and a nice place to rest and get a drink. I understand why they shut off the wi-fi on the weekends. Most people who have been to any coffee shop with wi-fi and no restrictions on how long you can stay have experienced tripping over cords, not being able to find a seat, and a shortage of outlets. It's not an inviting experience for people who want to sit down and enjoy a drink and meal. read more

I was famished and needed a gluten free meal, and had my dog in tow. We were able to sit outside and eat a delicious "sandwich" (lettuce wrap instead of bread). Very pleasant meal. read more

Order up a whopping portion of view--YESS! Then a cup of good coffee--YESS! And then, sorry to report, an overwhelming portion of slack jawed youth who simply don't want to be there. Forget being welcomed as in every coffee shop in the land. The diffident order taker could hardly be bothered to take the order. Then failed to bring drinks that got both cold and warm sitting on the counter--though the rest of the order was delivered. Wanted to be elsewhere--staff. Joining in on that--our group. Any owner coming in as a disguised customer would be in despair because, great location and coffee, zero customer care. read more

The pineapple in the smoothie was too strong and the brownie looked way better than it tasted.

Love the coffee and decor. Staff is friendly and service quite good Only problem I have is noise level. The music is way too loud for a coffee shop where people come to talk, socialize read and study. Makes it hard to have conversation yet alone concentrate if trying to work read more

First, sooo glad this place is open so early! And sort of amazed at the amount of people there even during the 6 an hour - that must mean they're doing something right! I had a chai tea and several bakery items. The chai was great, the flavor was just sweet and spicy enough. The bakery items (pumpkin Danish and apple turnover) were good, but not amazing. It was still a great breakfast option, and I'm sure I'd return if I lived in the area. I really liked the space - it's huge, and there are tons of neat plants, and the music was a little loud but the tunes themselves were cool. read more

Had the potato bacon wrap here and it was decent. The water was good too. The Capital area and state street are nice to walk around and get some local food. read more

Cappuccino is great. If you are not used to coffee, be careful. The coffee is strong and can shock you! I liked the place a lot and coffee too. Some cookies are fresh and nice too. read more

Always busy, but my favorite Saturday morning coffee spot!! I wish they had coconut milk, but I'm happy they at least have almond! The brownies are delightful too! read more

Great coffee...had espresso and cafe au lait here. This spot also has excellent ambiance and a lovely outdoor seating area across from the capital. read more

I'm used to the Colectivos in Chicago, which are generally bad and unreceptive, but this one is the opposite. It sits in the center of Madison facing the capitol building and has a wide menu and many a rotating coffee option. I tried a Rwandan and Guatemalan which were both well dialed in and delicious. The ladies behind the counter were pleasant and helpful. I also tried the PB&J with oranges on the side and it was a solid snack to match the coffee. read more

I had never stopped in when this was Alterra, so I was shocked to discover how huge this place is on the inside. Even with all of the seating it never feels like you are right on top of the other patrons, unlike most of the other coffee shops downtown. Lots of power outlets as well if you need to get work done. I've only visited a few times, but so far the coffee and espresso drinks have all been pretty good and the staff are friendly. Bonus points for having a couple of beer options on a warm autumn afternoon. I suppose your opinion of the music will depend on your age...but I've been happy with the selection. read more

I write this review of Colectivo's on the Square in downtown Madison from a comfortable booth in the Panera Bread Company location on West Mineral Point Rd in the same city. I have prepaid purchase cards for Colectivo's, Panera, and Stearbucks, and until Colectivo's shut off our free wifi access on weekends, we habitually would enjoy and early Sunday morning hour at Colectivo's, especially for their high-quality toasted and giant-size everything bagels. Why early in the morning? That is ghe only time of day one can find free street parking at their particular corner of Capitol Square in Madison. Why the wifi? Because we run a web-based small business, and when we are away from our home office in western Dane County, Wisconsin, we require a web-based VPN connection to office server computer. So what specifically does Panera Bread Company have that Colectivo's lacks? 1) A reasonably friendly wifi access policy, with an understanding that customers will limit themselves to about a half-hour online during their busy lunch and supper hours. Colectivo's, by contrast, has the least-friendly or even reasonable customer wifi access in Madison. And this in contrast to Colectivo's on the Lake on Milwaukee's north shore along Lake Michigan, which has few wifi restrictions. 2) Their own built-in bakeries and kitchens which enable them to never run out of any food or bakery item that they sell. In contrast, by mid-afternoon, Colectivo's shelves start emptying. We have witnessed this phenomenon at both the Colectivo's we have patronized in Milwaukee and Madison; which puts them in about the same class as any Starbuck's we have seen, with their relatively small glass-front food cabinets and their less-than timely resupply of baked goods. 3) The relatively-large parking lots available at all Panera locations we have seen around the USA, in contrast with the few parking spaces available at Colectivo's Milwaukee lakefront location and the total lack of free parking spaces at Colectivo's downtown Madison location. Here again, the customer experience at Colectivo's mirrors the customer experience at any ordinary Starbuck's location other than the fine ones we have patronized in and around their original home city of Seattle. 4) Prepaid cardholders at Starbucks get free refills. At all he Panera's which we have patronized around the country, the coffee machines are refilled as sits their customers. But at Colectivo's, they have no free refills at all. I have communicated all the above directly to one of Colectivo's corporate functionaries. I could have accomplished the same he same result muttering to myself in one of their toilet chambers. Arnold Harris Mount Horeb WI read more

I've never had as terrible service at a coffee shop as I have here. A simple drip coffee took more than 20 minutes, the four baristas checking the tip jar more times than they did the waiting orders. When they finally discovered my order, it took another ten minutes to make. The coffee itself was not worth the wait. I wish I could say this is the first time this has happened, but it isn't. read more

I really like the coffee here. It is high grade. The thing that I don't like about it is that it gets really busy. Parking is not the best, but there is a parking ramp nearby. read more