“Crema” is the name for the creamy, brown foam on the top of a freshly brewed espresso. But Crema Cafe in Monona is much more than a coffee shop: its breakfast, brunch, and lunch options have made it a neighborhood favorite since it opened in 2007.
Before starting in on the food, we might as well address one fact about Crema’s location right off the bat: yes, it’s in a strip mall. But as strip malls go, this one is pretty darn nice. The Lake Edge Shopping Mall on Monona Drive and Buckeye Road means easy parking, and even provides an unobstructed view of Lake Monona across the street (which you can enjoy from inside or outside, on one of the sidewalk patio tables). Despite the generic red sign on the outside that all the other stores in the strip mall share, on the inside Crema is cheery, inviting, and just quirky enough to provide a few chuckles (several anthropomorphized fruit and vegetable pictures are featured) without going overboard.
Since it opened, owner Steve Buchholz has made Crema stand out for its food as much as for its atmosphere. The kitchen uses scads of ingredients from local Wisconsin farms whose names will be familiar to anyone who has spent time browsing the stalls at the Madison Farmer’s Market: Jordandal Farms, Lange Farm, Farmer John Cheese, Marquardt’s Maple Syrup, Sugar River Valley Yogurt, Madison Sourdough Co., and Gentle Breeze Honey (just to name a few). On the menu, Crema specifically calls out its pride at serving Yuppie Hill eggs. (Side note: Yuppie Hill is a cage-free poultry farm in Burlington Wisconsin, and the ‘yuppie’ refers to the chickens, not the owners). The coffee comes from Milwaukee-based Colectivo Coffee Roasters (which many will recognize by its old name, Alterra).
The highlight of the breakfast menu is the excellent pancakes (their blueberry oat pancakes with toasted almonds and vanilla butter made Madison magazine’s December 2013 list of “13 Tastiest Pancakes in Madison”). For lunch, there’s a sandwich for everyone, although the “Blue Bird” is especially popular (chicken salad with dried fruit and nuts). If you’re planning on a visit for weekend brunch, you can check out the brunch specials on their Facebook page. And if you’re just stopping in for coffee, you’ll probably find it difficult to resist the bakery items that are made in-house every morning.
Crema is often packed with families with small children, at least partially due to the fact that the popular local kids’ shop and community gathering-place Happy Bambino is just a few doors away in the shopping center. It’s a good thing, then, that Crema is about as kid-friendly as they come. The kids’ menu has a variety of fun but healthy options, and there are plenty of toys to keep kids occupied while you wait for your food to arrive: grab a book from the basket or a canvas bag from a hook on the “Crema Kids” wall and let the little ones discover the joys of the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads inside. (If you don’t have kids with you, don’t be too surprised if you find a plastic arm or ear here and there on the floor.)
