Tuvalu Coffeehouse and Gallery

In a word: It gets better.

The specs: #0671  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Isthmus, Yelp, Java Girl, Eat Drink Madison;  official web site,

Latest Tuvalu Coffeehouse and Gallery news and reviews

JM ate the bacon breakfast burrito with two milks.
Nichole had a cappuccino.
The bill was $11, or $5.50/person, plus tip.
JM gave Tuvalu Coffeehouse and Gallery an A-; Nichole gave Tuvalu Coffeehouse and Gallery an A (see our grading rubric).

Tuvalu used to be Indigo, but by any name we like this place a lot. The story goes that they were bullied into changing their name by a Massachusetts roaster (which has thus far coexisted with at least two other similarly-named places, in Tampa and Aberdeen, New Jersey). That Tuvalu faced down misperceived competition by bending without breaking just makes us like them even more.

JM also wishes to remind everyone that Tuvalu is the name of a country in Oceania.  The other countries there are: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Vanuatu, Nauru, Fiji, Kiribati and Tonga.  Thanks to Sporcle.com for helping him learn how to do that without looking at a map.

Nichole  knows Tuvalu for bike fuel, so today she figured she wasn't cheating by getting only coffee. The small whole-milk cappuccino was huge, but good, if milkier than usual. The milk was sweet and overpowered the espresso.

A breakfast burrito was messy but tasty. JM picked it out of the bakery case and the counter staff warmed it in a microwave. The flaky four wrap was good, as was the scrambled egg, bits of bacon, and fresh, bright Denver-omelet vegetable assortment inside. A mystery ingredient first seemed to be cubed potato because of the way it yielded to teeth, but it might have been toasted bread soaked through with a salty cheddar cheese sauce. A side of salsa was available by request.

Other reasons to like Tuvalu are, again, that it's bikable from Madison, just off the Military Ridge State Trail. (Riders take note, the park shelter is a good place to buy your trail pass from the friendly DNR ranger who's often stationed there, though it's cheaper to get it in advance.) They support live music as most of their notes on the 'net are about someone-or-other's live show there. They have a neat gift shop, good coffee and beer (Furthermore Oscura in season, and probably some other very good choices, but Nichole never sees past that one), local craftery (especially excellent earrings), free wifi, and a game buffet, which could use some Eurogame love, but is nice to have regardless.

Comments

[Jesse]

Is everything okay?

[Bruce]

They also sell bulk whole bean Just Coffee. I've been stopping by for years now every week or two to restock.