Madison Sourdough

Madison Sourdough on Willy Street. This place kept coming up for their sourdough, their cakes, and their baked goods, so I finally went in with a box of pastries and let them cook.

I skipped the cake this time... even though people swear their cakes are some of the best around for weddings and birthdays. That visit is coming.

The Lowdown

• City: Madison, WI
• Address: 916 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

The Ambiance

Adorable little spot inside. It's a cozy Willy Street bakery cafe with a warm neighborhood feel... the kind of place where you grab a coffee, settle in for a bit, and walk out with more bread than you planned on.

About the bakery

Madison Sourdough is a from-scratch bakery, cafe, mill, and patisserie on Madison's near east side. They bake naturally leavened breads with Wisconsin grains and do laminated viennoiserie with Wisconsin butter. The mill angle is real, and it's a big part of why the bread has the flavor it does.

What I Ordered

• Kouign-amann
• Chocolate almond croissant
• Morning bun
• Almond croissant

My thoughts on the food

Kouign-amann: buttery with a thick, sweet glaze. Good, but I wanted it flakier and lighter... the pastry was a little harder than I hoped.

Chocolate almond croissant: the clear winner of the box. Flaky, lighter, and that almond filling plus chocolate bite was unreal. This is the one.

Morning bun: sugary and flaky, solid, but not as buttery as I wanted it to be.

Almond croissant: the filling was perfect, not too sweet at all. The croissant itself felt a little rough though.

The cakes: didn't try one on this visit, but people rave about them for weddings and birthdays. Consider this my official heads up that a cake review is coming.

And the sourdough... it's still some of the best you can get in Madison. Alimentari uses their bread for their sandwiches, and those are out of this world. So there's a real chance you've already tasted this bakery without even knowing it.

Important & interesting info:

• Hours: daily 8am to 3pm, kitchen until 2:30pm. Dine in and carry out.
• Address: 916 Williamson St (Willy Street), Madison WI 53703
• Known for naturally leavened sourdough made with Wisconsin grains, French-style viennoiserie, and custom cakes
• Alimentari uses Madison Sourdough bread for their sandwiches
• They run their own mill, which is a big part of the bread's flavor story

Conclusion

All in all, a pretty solid bakery with some of the best sourdough you can get in Madison. The chocolate almond croissant was my favorite thing in the box, and the cake is already on the list for next time.

Go check them out on Willy Street.