The full review · Restaurant
Ancora
Ancora's Hella Stella is the breakfast sandwich people keep recommending in Madison
3256 University Ave, Madison, WI
Somebody told me Ancora has the best breakfast sandwiches in Madison, and somebody else said to go get a cinnamon roll. So I figured their food must be incredible. Cute little coffee shops, a few locations around Madison. I went to the one off University Ave in Shorewood Hills.
The Lowdown
- City: Madison, WI
- Address: 3256 University Ave, Madison, WI 53705
- Phone: (608) 233-5287
- Website: ancoracafes.com
- Also known for coffee and bakery, though I have not had their coffee yet
What I ordered
The Hella Stella breakfast sandwich with bacon added, and on another visit the honey bacon biscuit. The Hella Stella comes with scrambled eggs, arugula, tomato, cheddar, boom boom sauce, and sausage. Adding bacon put it around $15. The honey bacon biscuit has bacon, a fried egg, cheddar, scallions, and honey Sriracha.
My thoughts on the food
The Hella Stella is a little messy, which is totally fine. Messy sandwiches are typically good sandwiches. That bite was awesome. It is definitely bacon and sausage, filled to the brim. Something about a Stella hot and spicy bun. Soft on the outside, kind of charred and grilled on the inside, with a nice little crisp and crunch.
Holy crap, the bites filled with boom boom sauce are unbelievable. Bacon is crispy, eggs are fluffy, inside of the bun is crispy, outside is soft. My only complaint is the boom boom sauce on this specific one favored the back of the sandwich, so some bites had way more than others. Even the bread and boom boom sauce combo at the end was so good. Amazing.
The honey bacon biscuit was rated number 4 on my top 10 breakfast sandwich list at the time, and Ancora was number 1 ranked for best breakfast sandwich in Madison so far. The biscuit is not too dry, the egg is really good, bacon is cooked well. My biggest feedback is I wanted more honey. Overall like an 8. Next time I am asking for extra honey so I get drowned in it. Still real good.
The vibe
Cute coffee shop energy. Easy University Ave stop. They are also known for the rest of their food and bakery, and I still need to try the coffee.
The verdict
I can absolutely see why the Hella Stella is the most recommended breakfast sandwich in Madison. Unbelievable. The honey bacon biscuit is a close second if you like that sweet heat. Ancora, go check it out.
Originally published in the Eat With Troy newsletter. Written by Troy Munson.