Cargo Coffee

In a word: Middle of the road cafe fare for the middle of the day - plus free wireless.

The specs: #0064
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at 77 Square,

JM ate the chicken wrap and an apple juice.
John R. ate the full pallet wrap and a diet Coke and split a scone and a cinnamon roll with Nichole.
John S. ate the full pallet wrap.
Nichole ate the green wrap and a mocha and half of John R.'s desserts.
Sean ate the chicken wrap and a hot cocoa.
Nichole gave Cargo Coffee an A-; both Johns and Sean gave Cargo Coffee a B+; and JM gave Cargo Coffee a B.

This was our second try at Cargo Coffee. Having neglected to check their hours, we arrived at 5pm on a weekday, just as they were closing. We had better luck on a Friday lunch hour.

Order early; the small kitchen takes a little while to get things together. While we waited, we noted that the building was a converted oil change place. This had been done pretty well, the only drawback being the need for more sound-absorbent materials. The diners at the next table were really loud, due in no small part to the unforgiving concrete walls and floor. Nichole thought the "Atmosphäre der Erde" maps decorating the order area were neat.

Cargo Coffee's wraps come with a sweetish pickle on a bed of greens that's too substantial to be called a garnish. Though some will still consider it plate dressing, others might almost see it as a salad. Sean thought that the wraps sadly did not triumph over the difficulty inherent to their nature, namely the imbalance of stuffing to wrap at different points in the sandwich. Both Johns commented on the interesting mustard on the full pallet wrap - according to them, it packs a zing.

JM opined that Cargo Coffee is much more hospitable (to non-drinkers of coffee and other "grit water" beverages) than the average coffee shop.

John S. would like to add, "Flibertigibbet."

Nichole thinks they may be on to us. How often does a person spell Nichole with an aitch without being told?

Comments

[Rich Trotto]

Really good coffee. Cheapest place in Madison to buy good quality coffee beans. Very good bakery goods, which I unfortunately have to pass up most of the time. Good strong coffee at a good price, and if you are a coffee card junkie, like I am, they have the best deal -- buy 10 of any kind of coffee (like a small regular coffee), and get a free anything you want (like a 20 oz mocha with whipped cream). A+

[Jen]

I agree that they have some of the best baked goods of the local coffee shops - but you can't beat Steep N Brew's beans - $8 for a pound of the best beans I've ever tasted!