Java Den

Had an awesome experience today. The barista was extremely knowledgeable about the coffee and flavor shots and made my friend the most beautiful mocha I’ve ever seen. The pastries there are from Madison Sourdough and are top notch. My favorite thing about Java Den is that they offer such a wide variety of flavor shots. It makes it easy and inexpensive to get a fun drink on your way to work! Will definitely be back again.

This little shop is located in the main lobby of Grand Central, an apartment complex in the heart of UW-Madison's campus. This place is pleasantly surprising. I went in to grab a quick coffee on the way to class and left happy with an exceptional batch brew from arguably one of the top roasters in the nation, Kickapoo Coffee. This place has the bells and whistles of a genuine coffee shop. The wait can be long and there is little wait space, but it is great coffee coming from this shop.

Undisputably one of the best coffee shops in Madison! The staff are super kind and understanding; one day I came in and I didn't know they only accepted MasterCard and Visa for credit cards, and I didn't think I had any cash on me. One of the lovely ladies there offered to queue it up for me and I could give her the money next time I came in! (Which is every other day). Not only that, but my coffee is made perfect every time. I don't know how they do it. My usual is the white mocha, it's the only place I take that order now! On top of that, it's in a convenient spot on the UW campus so I can run right to class after I've ordered my much-needed hot bean drink.

The coffee here is good. I like the staff, except for the really mean and short female barista. Actually, Caitlin... I think she's gone now. She was really mean and rude to some people. I think it was a gender thing (nice to guys, mean to certain women), or maybe racist. If you stood in line you could see her switch from being rude to nice, depending on the customer. Someone like that should never be hired, and once people complained, she should have been fired right away. A lot of people avoided Java Den because of her. I think Java Den should be much more sensitive and aware of customer service issues and discrimination. Someone so obviously discriminatory like Caitlin could have instigated a lawsuit.