I have been there over a dozen times. Food is always good. Food ticket times in the kitchen are normally 25+ minutes. This past visit. I walked in and followed the signs like the other dozen times to seat yourself. The waitress took our order. Then the cashier came up to my family rudely and asked if we were on the list. I had no idea what he was talking about and pointed to the signs that said seat yourself. He said get up and get on the list as people are waiting. I asked why the signs were not removed then he ripped them down. Don't change your policies and not remove the signs. I doubt we will be back and I will spread the word of how embarrassed your employee made our family feel. read more

The service was quick and friendly. My mom and I both got the biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were soft which was nice and it was only $5. I would definitely go here again. They don't accept checks so make sure you either have cash or your card. read more

No frills just damn good breakfast! Awesome American dinner experience, good food and friendly fast service.

Lovely breakfast! Reasonably priced and excellent service. Would definitely visit again!

I went here for the first time this afternoon (a Sunday), about an hour before closing time. I sidled up to a rather short stool at the counter and was quickly greeted by one of several waitresses who were busy with their end-of-shift chores. Having read a Yelp post about the Chorizo Platter, I immediately ordered that, with a baby pancake on the side and a bottomless cup of coffee. It came to less than $11. The wait time was average. The coffee was a little better than average, with refills aplenty. The main entree was fine but overall bland. Even a healthy dose of Cholula didn't do much for it. I think part of this had to do with the chorizo, which is always a letdown wherever I order it. The star of this meal was the "baby" pancake, which reaches the edges of a normal-size plate. It was not too thick, not too thin and had a perfectly smooth bottom that I love. I did detect a slightly "dirty" taste, but I'm not sure what that was from. It might have just been my tastebuds acting up. The ambience reminded me of every small-town breakfast/lunch place I've ever been to in the Midwest. The waitresses, while clearly looking forward to heading home in an hour, were all still very polite. (One, in particular, kept checking the Packers score and was bemoaning the fact that their team was trailing.) For anyone familiar with Middleton, C's Restaurant is a good comparison to this place. Although, I would rate C's higher after dining at each place once. Considering I live less than a mile down the road, I definitely foresee myself returning here anytime I'm in the mood for a no-frills breakfast. read more

Clean cafe, amazing food, sweet efficient waiters. Great place for breakfast. The best crab Benedict that I've had outside of an ocean area!

We constantly hunt for great little breakfast places, local, with friendly waitresses and local folks.Cottage Cafe is all that. Clean, quick but friendly. Reasonable prices $6-$7 for breakfast, mostly all homemade. May have to come back for the lunch bean and bacon soup. read more

Cottage Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

15 minutes to get acknowledged. By the time I would have received my food I would have been late back to work. -- Update: I have been back multiple times now and much better experience. I have gotten waited on right away. I like how they do their hash. read more

Server was quick to take my order and the order came in a timely manner, but she was pretty standoff ish when I told her I didn't care for my meal. The food was blah. I ordered eggs benedict. The eggs were overcooked, the sauce bland and the hash Browns left much to be desired. I won't be back.... read more

The cottage cafe is one of my favorite places, it has a very cozy atmosphere with homemade cooking, the service is outstanding and the prices are reasonable, big bang for your buck so to speak. I recommen the crab cake Benedict. read more

I had Oreilly potatoes. The eggs were perfect but the potato dish was a bland mush with a slice of American "cheese" semi melted on it. The Mrs. had a cinnamon roll French toast. So so there too. The local patrons were plentiful which is normally a good sign. Our waitress was nice and said she had never had coffee. If all coffee was as dishwatery as the Cottage stuff, I would quit myself. On the good side, the decor is nice, full of nice photos and art. It is a shame that the kitchen art could be as good. read more

Completely agree with all of the positive reviews. A good small-town atmosphere with friendly service. We had the walleye breakfast, pancake, hashbrowns, quiche, and eggs, toast and sausage. The only plate that left anyone less satisfied was the quiche. Everything else was great and very cheap. Four of us ate for $32. read more

Great homestyle breakfast, which I crave every so often. Quick service, seat yourself, great hometown atmosphere. My food was good, but seemed a bit bland for me. I do, however, like bold and rich flavors-so it could totally be me :) read more

This is definitely a throw-back to little town diners. The food is basic, but well made and cheap. Really cheap. Nothing over $8 on the menu and most things in the $5-6 range for breakfast which is served all day. I recently went here on a weekday morning that I had off work and the place was mostly filled with older guys sitting around in groups drinking their coffee discussing the weekend football games. You can tell this is the type of place that people visit every day to chat with neighbors and have the community feeling. Service is prompt and efficient. On weekends there can be a short wait, but never anything too bad. read more

Okay. No lie, this is one of my favorite places for breakfast in Madison. The corned beef hash is HEAVEN and I have honestly not tried anything else because it's way, way too good. The no frills atmosphere and loving service makes me feel at home every time no matter what I'm wearing or doing. My home away from home!! read more

Stopped here enroute to a Door County for breakfast on a Monday morning. The cafe is busy with what appears to be regulars when we arrive but a table opens up in a few minutes. The staff is friendly and quickly bring our water and menus. We order standard breakfast stuff pancakes, omletes and such. Everything is nice and hot when delivered . The food is good and reasonably priced. This place is nothing fancy it simple provides a good meal at a good price. read more

Awesome greasy spoon style breakfast. Super affordable and great food! We enjoy going time and time again.

We were looking for somewhere new to have breakfast and we found this place. The country fried steak was AMAZING! The breading was perfect as was the gravy on it. We also had a side corned beef hash which was also pretty amazing. The omelette was was cooked perfectly. Only sad thing was some of the cheese that is used are cheese slices. We definitely recommend checking this place out and we will be back!! read more

I am not sure where Luther, the previous poster, went. Cottage Cafe is a throwback diner that serves up great breakfasts and lunches at a very reasonable price. Do not let the outside of the building discourage you. It looks a bit long on the tooth, but inside is well lit and clean. The wait staff is friendly and experienced. The food is always prepared just right, and the portions are huge. I had the Sunday morning steak and eggs special. Steak, 2 eggs, hash browns, toast and juice. Delicious! And the bill was $10 and change, including a bottomless cup of coffee. And if you sit at the counter, you get to watch the waitresses juggle plates of food, cups, glasses and coffee pots while serving a full house of hungry customers. read more

This place gets one star because yelp doesn't give zero star reviews. The food is average at best; the restaurant is dirty, most of the staff is slow or doesn't bring everything you ordered (to be fair I've had 2 good waitresses but the rest are just bad), and the owner is one of the worst people I've ever met. He treats his employees like they are worthless and I saw bugs on the floor near the kitchen the last time I was there. Once again DO NOT EAT HERE!!! If you don't regret the food or experience, you can go ahead and hate yourself for giving your money to a truly terrible person. read more

This is our go to breakfast place in Madison. Great service relatively inexpensive and great food. You won't be disappointed.

I discovered Cottage Cafe thanks to my 75 yr old neighbor who is a Cottage regular. I keep coming back for the bean soup, cheap and plentiful breakfast offerings and most of all the service. Can I just say the Cottage Ladies rock! This is probably the most kid-friendly restaurant in Madison. My daughter loves the Mickey Mouse pancakes loaded with Redi-Whip and we both love the coloring book pages and the full box of crayons that are cheerfully presented as soon as we sit down. extra points for clean restrooms, ample parking and optional suckers on the way out. read more

very good! Worth a trip. great service and delicious food

What a wonderful gem of a place ! Homely feel, spotlessly clean, first rate service and minimal wait times even at peak hours ! Perfect for a weekend brunch/breakfast, the menu is pretty extensive and includes all the basics. The one thing I would highly recommend are the potato pancakes. Delicious crispy and cooked perfectly. We also tried the malt waffles and the quiche, which were both very good. Our coffee cups were never empty, the staff is super friendly and adds tremendously to the happy ambience. I left with a smile on my face. read more

Nice neighborhood resturant. Good food at reasonable prices. The regular pancakes are plate size, so you get a lot. Staff friendly and prompt with coffee refills. read more

Great little place off of cottage grove road right by Dream lanes. This is a great little mom and pop joint that serves great breakfast. I ended up having the Walleye breakfast. It was great. In addition I Had the corn beef and hash which was great! It was cooked perfectly and I definitely recommend it. The coffee was a little watery, but it isn't enough to down grade it. The breakfast came fairly promptly and the waitress was great! read more

Came after church. Was recommended by our preacher, Baxter, who comes early every Sunday. I planned on getting breakfast until I saw the table next to us receive their order of chicken noodle soup. I switched to soup and a sandwich. So worth it. The soup was flavorful with lots of chicken, veggies and the best homemade noodles!! My husband had the large burger and fries and it was an added bonus to get the spicy mustard which he loves. When we came in our table was the only one open so I expected a wait but the waitress tended to us right away. The food came fast and she was on refills and was very friendly not only to us but in convos with other costumers. Will definitely return!!! read more

This place rules for breakfast. I haven't gone for lunch yet. But for breakfast, it's a solid, homestyle diner place. If you looking for good simple breakfast offerings, go here. The cost is not much. Two people are definitely eating under $20 easily. The biscuits and gravy are excellent. The eggs benedict, hash browns, sausage, coffee -- all just nice, no-frills awesome food/drink. You seat yourself - get there by 9 am on a weekend to avoid waiting. The parking lot can fill up fast, too. The service is fast and the servers are pleasant. IHOP and Denny's have good breakfasts, but if you want a little less grease and a little more homestyle flair, go to Cottage Cafe. read more

I can't stand people who eat ironically. The Cottage Cafe is a totally unpretentious breakfast and lunch diner frequented by hipsters, OGs, church folk, farmers, business people - a real cross-section of the East Side in one fluorescent-lit, country themed dining room. The staff is very friendly, although at a fast pace as business never seems to be anywhere close to slow. Sundays are the worst, when the church crowd stuffs the place and there's a long wait for a table. But the food is always decent, some of it good, some less-so, but very consistent quality all around. I like their soups a lot. A little salty maybe, but made in-house, and not with the starters or canned bases a lot of cheap diners use. The sandwiches are hit-and-miss; burgers are fine, turkey club comes on a hoagie (WTF?) grilled cheese is done right, and can be varied with diff. breads and cheese choices if you want.. Fries are crispy with a coating of crunchy potato stuff. Salads are all iceberg lettuce based. Like you expected anything else. The hashbrowns are classic, like the Platonic Ideal of hashbrowns - grated potatoes, crispy and a little greasy, with veggies mixed in. The scrambled eggs are not my fave - they are the kind that are cooked in one mass on the griddle, like a kind of omelet. I prefer scrambled eggs to be turned as they cook so they're fluffy. The pancakes are average but good, sort of like your classic bisquick style. The coffee is diner coffee - that's what all the sugar and cream is for! Come on - you know exactly what this place is all about before you even walk in. A lot of these cheap diners make you feel like you're gonna get sick eating their food. The Cottage Cafe is one of the good ones. The food is decent, the prices are unbelievably low, the staff is welcoming and ready to make you a regular if you come often enough, and it's all total comfort food. read more

Love the clean friendly atmosphere ! Very good place for breakfast and will be back soon read more

Cottage Cafe - Large pancake and I couldn't even finish it all ... Shame on me - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

An interesting local diner. They have a nice selection of breakfast and lunch items. Breakfast is served all day. Place was clean and help was friendly. The food arrived in a timely manner. The portion size was generous and the food was hot. The two selections we had very good. During our visit the customers appeared to be over si read more

What a great breakfast! Biscuits and gravy, cinnamon swirl French toast and waffles were fantastic! Great value, atmosphere and service. A hometown place worth going to for fantastic food and local service. read more

Classic old school diner. Food good, love the servers. Kind of place everyone feels welcome. Breakfast go to spot when looking for the basics. read more

what a great place for breakfast was in town for a hockey tournament and wanted to eat somewhere other then the hotel lobby. What a great find this place was. the service was fantastic and the food was good. Had the french toast breakfast with corned beef hash. Owe my was it good! Wife had an omelette which was good. She was not fond of the canned mushrooms used in the omelette, but that does not bring down the rating of this place for me. Amazing how good the coffee was. If I am ever back in Madison, I will be having breakfast here read more

I love breakfast, and at Cottage Cafe, they really get it right. The food is the biggest hit with lots of basic American breakfast fare options. Expect to leave stuffed as the portion sizes are pretty big. The coffee service is awesome and the whole staff is quite friendly and efficient. You get all of this at a super reasonable price. read more

Amazing pancakes, love the menu, kid friendly, kind wait staff, great service including the young man at the cash register! Highly recommend :) read more

Food is great help is great your family here yor coffee will never be dry good place to go by yourself sit at counter end wach real people working hard there great read more

Delightful neighborhood diner. Pleasent wait staff, all three off us had excellent meals. This place lives up to the hype! If you enjoy great food and the charm of the old corner restaurant, it is worth the trip. read more

The food was very good! I created my own omelette. The staff is very friendly and you can tell they have good management by the vibe the staff has with one another. Skip the chain breakfast restaurant and head over to Cottage Cafe! read more

My wife and I both enjoy going here, food is always very good and reasonably priced,and the staff has always been very friendly and helpful.