Leopold's: A Madison bar, bookstore, & cafe all in one

Replacing the old Rocky Rococo’s & Green Bush Bakery, Leopolds Cafe & Bookstore was born in late 2023, after owner Sam Brown purchased both lots.

Almost a year later, the cafe has rapidly grown to become one of the best coffee shops to visit in Madison, and for good reason.

Located just off Regent Street, down the road from Camp Randall and Mickies Dairy Bar, you will find pretty much anything you need at this coffee shop.

This new spot combines a bar and bookstore and also has an authentic Italian restaurant attached to it that also serves fantastic pastries like apple cake in the mornings.

You can get the best of not only both worlds, but every world possible at this cafe.

This cafe containing cozy seating options thanks to the velvet upholstery on the booths and offers great natural lighting, creating  perfect environment for any occasion.

Leo’s is a coffee shop that has unique character in the form of equipment used as well as drink offerings and cafe setup and it is definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.

 

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When you enter the coffee shop, you will see the creme du creme of espresso machines. One of my favorite aspects of this location is the espresso they use to make some of their coffee drinks.

For those who love knowing where their coffee was roasted, Leopold’s is serving up JBC and Ruby coffee beans, both popular Wisconsin roasteries.

Unlike the majority of cafes around the United States, Leopold’s boasts a modern version of the original espresso machine. The beautiful machine is placed perfectly in the center of the bar in the back of the room, for everyone to see.

Along with the expected espresso-based drinks, Leopold’s serves a number of specialty drinks such as Vietnamese coffee and matcha. This coffee shop offers an extremely wide range of drinks, and I am sure is more than capable of making almost every coffee drink you can think of.

While most coffee shops will close around 5, Leopold’s continues to serve coffee until close at midnight, making it a perfect stop for night owls who want a bit of a pick me up.

In true Wisconsin fashion, what cafe would be complete without a fully stocked bar?

You’ll find the employees here serving up both espresso and non-espresso-based cocktails, beers, and wine.

This establishment basically doubles as a bar in the afternoon and more often than not, you’ll find many of the guests opting for a cocktail rather than a cappuccino later in the day.

While some other cafes in the area like Barriques serve up basic “rum and coke” type mixed drinks, Leopolds takes it to the next level with craft cocktails.

While I have had a wide variety of drinks while coming here to study, I was pleasantly surprised after trying the “Queens Landing”.

Served up chilled in a coup glass, this cocktail consists of gin, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, blackberry, and lemon. You will also get some adorable flowers on top as a garnish the beautiful purple drink.

While this cocktail will set you back around $14 and the beer & wine in the $5-$10 range, they do have a great happy hour that runs from 4-7 pm, Monday – Friday.

This is when you can get a stemless glass of wine for $7 and you can take $1 off of select beer

As far as atmosphere goes, there are so many great things about this cafe.

Combine a massive skylight sitting right in the center of the ceiling, with wooden slats that have a number of plants hanging from them right below it and you’ve got yourself a beautiful way to have natural light come into the building.

The natural light and greenery give the cafe quite a relaxing ambience, even during the louder and busier times.

The seating options on the other hand, are the only aspect I have had a problem with.

While there are around 15 seats available at the coffee/bar area, the rest of the tables are only able to seat 2 people, potentially three at one larger oval one.

While there some couch seating with a large coffee table to the left side of the bar, I have never found this area to be available.

This type of seating arrangement is great if you go alone, but you may struggle finding a spot to sit if you’re with a group of more than 2 people. 

On the flip side of this, while researching I found that Leopold’s has a private room you are able to rent out, named “the book nook”.

This room can be reserved for up to 12 people for free, as long as you rack up a tab of $50 for each hour spent (so it’s not technically free).

If you book the book nook for the maximum three hours, that means you need to spend $150 during your time there.

This may sound like a lot, but if you have all 12 people with you, it comes out to be less than one cocktail each!

One of the ways Leopold has set itself apart from other cafes in the area is that it contains an entire bookstore.

Having a cup of coffee while reading a good book is a morning made in heaven for most people, and you can get the best of both worlds here.

While the portion of the cafe dedicated to the bookstore is small, they owners have managed to fit a large quantity of books on the shelves.

You’ll find lots of political and travel books, among some great books for kids.

You’ll also find a great selection of wine spread in-between the sections!

Food

Besides a few sweet treats like mini croissants bran muffins, Leopolds doesn’t offer a menu-based food selection.

However, this cafe is directly attached to its sister restaurant, Fabiolas, which serves up fantastic authentic Italian food that has been highly recommended by a number of people in town.

Occasionally, the middle hallway between the seating areas of the cafe and restaurant, will serve up coffee and some fantastic morning treats, before Leopolds is officially open.

I highly recommend trying out the apple cake. I have gotten it a few times now and it has yet to disappoint me!

Special Events & Offerings

As Leopold’s popularity has consistently continued to grow, they have been hosting live music as well as a half-shell oyster bar popup on Fridays and Saturday.

Be sure to check out their social media pages or website for the most up to date information on any events!