Madcap Coffee

OK, I’ve reviewed Macap before. But I live in So Cal, and don’t expect the name to get much play out here .
A few weeks ago Canabru, my coffee house near work in Chino Hills, was selling Madcap coffee. Couldn’t believe it! The coffee manager told me Madcap had a national reputation among top specialty coffees: I DO believe that! Of course I bought a bag, and it was exceptional …
Better yet: A week ago my wife and I took the Gold Line (transportation day) in to Pasadena. I got a cappuccino from Intelligentsia (yes!). I was wearing the Madcap coffee T-​shirt I picked up in Grand Rapids the day I first experienced their wonderful coffees. So… Seeing my shirt, the Intelligentsia Barrista (in Pasadena CA!!!) commented on how excellent Madcap’s coffee rep is. Later in the day the very same thing happened when we stopped at another favorite: Copa Vida.
Some day I need to get back to GR !!

Wow. What nice people. The business activities go so well. Everything moves along so well. My order was done in a timely fashion.

Best coffee shop in Grand Rapids, a must go to for your morning coffee. My favorite is the Café Miel. The atmosphere is eclectic and charming. The barista is helpful and makes the best lattes and pour overs. Will return here every time I am visiting Grand Rapids.

Good coffee with a nice atmosphere. They have almond milk for my latte which I prefer

Very chill vibe. Great quality coffee. Great service. Great place to catch up with a friend or grab your latte for the day. Good coffee takes time, so plan on 5 – 10 minutes if they’re busy.

My friend had ridiculously expensive tea, and loved it. I ordered a seasonal drink that I did not love — I should have stuck with a regular cappuccino or something. A bit too hipster-​ish for me — I won’t lie…

I’ve been looking at photos of Madcap on my Instagram feed for over a year now, so when our dog had to go to the ophthalmologist in Grand Rapids, we stopped by for a latte after the appointment.
I went in alone because we had a dog in the car, which forced me to interact with people outside my normal comfort zone. I survived, but barely. First, I have to say that I cannot even imagine what this place is like on Saturday morning. I arrived on Friday at 10:50 am and it was hectic. I waited ten full minutes for two decaf lattes, so my guess is Saturday morning wait times are insane.
In true American form, I asked if their lattes came in a larger size then their standard cup — I believe it was a 8 ounce cup. I’m all about portion control, but if I’m going to pay nearly $ 5 for a latte I’d like it to be 12 ounces. I was told they do not size up. Meh.
I also ordered two granola bars, a term I use lightly because these were really just oats smushed together with a whole lot of peanut butter. They were wet and sticky. My Mom really liked them, I did not.
As I anticipated the coffee was flawless — creamy and perfect. I probably could have finished the darn thing on the way back to the car, but I paced myself.
Being the hipsters that we are, we will probably go back to Madcap because the damn coffee is so good. What can I say, we are just those kinds of people.

Madcap is always my first stop when I’m visiting Grand Rapids before I hit the breweries.
Quality coffee with a great atmosphere and friendly staff.
Definitely one of the businesses that make Grand Rapids such a cool, hip city.

all I can say is get inside me…
if you love coffee drinks do yourself a favor with this place.

House made almond milk? I am a fan. Coffee was fantastic, baked goods were top-​notch and offered vegan options. Cool modern ambience, friendly staff. What more could you ask for? Another place added to my must-​go-​to-​when-​in-​GR list. If you are a fan of high quality coffee you must go to Madcap!

Great place to grab some high quality coffee in a casual hipster setting. The staff are nice and accommodating. Many seats are available and the place is very clean. Depending on the type of person you are, the noise is above average when it comes to coffee shops so doing work here may not be the best option.

Visited this place twice over my trip of four days in GR. On my first visit I had the Café Miel which was AMAZING! Also had the vegan chocolate chip cookie sandwich which was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. One my second visit I had a dirty chai which was a special order at my request. Next time I will try just a chai because I felt the coffee overpowered the chai flavor. They also sprinkle pepper on the chai so there were too many flavors going on. Can’t wait to get back to GR to visit here again!

Phenomenal coffee and incredibly friendly/​helpful staff. I can’t wait to go back.
The crowd was a little pretentious for a Saturday, but whatevs.

GREAT COFFEE and great vibe. Right downtown GR with lots of space and free wifi. Can’t beat it!

Pros:
— Modern, hipster vibe
— Lots of big windows & natural lighting
— Great quality coffee and tea
— Helpful baristas
— Reasonable prices
— I love that they use a pot and teacup instead of just pouring it into a plain mug
— They save your tea leaves in case you want a second steeping
Cons:
— Loud; not the best for studying/​reading
— Gets full quickly, although they have lots of seating
— No gluten-​free baked goods
Verdict: I definitely enjoy the drinks here, but I usually go to a coffee shop to read, so it’s not the best environment for that.

I love the ambiance. I could spend hours here… the smell of coffee is rich and can revive any lost braincell after a crazy weekend. However, the drinks are a bit overpriced and they aren’t my favorite.
I’ve tried their slow drip coffee and found it to be incredibly sour. Their chai latte confuses me. It tasted like warm milk with grounded peppercorns as a garnish. I understand you use herbs for a chai… but I really didn’t like black pepper on my foam. The peppery taste and spice with a bland drink was unusual and awkward? If I’m in the area again, I’ll try their hot chocolate. If they fail me again. I would give up on a local downtown café and visit Biggbys down Monroe Center (down the street) instead.

Wonderful flavors, friendly staff, inviting atmosphere. You can’t find better coffee in GR, in my opinion :) There is always something interesting to try, or if you’re looking for old favorites, they’ll be flawless. Not a lot of sweet ‘do-​you-​want-​any-​coffee-​in-​that-​syrup?’ drinks here.

The variety and quality of the single-​origin and blended beans Madcap offers is incredible! So rich and flavorful you can actually pick up the flavor notes like you’re supposed to. From fruity to wine-​like, their beans span the gamut. I highly recommend picking up a bag to brew at home.
I always order a pour-​over straight away. The staff’s professional and they make an excellent coffee. Espresso, Cappuccino, etc… they’re all good here.
Atmosphere’s nice too. Armchairs are nestled to one side and stools line the window-​length counter providing the perfect spot to sip your coffee and watch the crowds go by.

Spacious café, very hipstery, best iced mocha around!
We happened upon Madcap just walking back to our hotel. We had plans for breakfast so just wanted a little something to tide us over. First of all, this café is beautiful. I loved it from the outside, cute exterior. It’s nice and open on the inside, if a little sterile. I liked how they didn’t cram all the seats and tables together. Seems like a cool spot to get some work done.
It was a hot day so I ordered an iced mocha and I waited interminably long for it but you know what, I ain’t mad. It was sooooo good. The PERFECT iced mocha. I don’t know what type of chocolate they used but it was delicious, not syrupy or chalky and it married perfectly with the taste of coffee. Sigh. That iced mocha made me really happy. I ended up ordering an iced mocha again the following day from some other café trying to replicate the experience and it sucked. I couldn’t drink it lol! Madcap, you’ve ruined me.
The baristas seem to take their jobs very seriously and if they make drinks that good, kudos to them. Thank you for caring about the product you send out.
While waiting for my mocha, there was some cool local art for sale that you could check out. Prices were listed and seemed very reasonable in case you’re looking for some unique original art.
This is NOT the place to go if you’re at all in a hurry. Drinks are worth the wait though!

Overview: definitely give it a try! Especially if you are inclined to study in a coffee shop.
Typically in my reviews, I give a star for each of these categories (Service, Food, Drink, Ambiance, Parking) and then add up to rate my experience at a particular business.
Service — really nice baristas. Very helpful in giving info about local restaurants around downtown
Food — didn’t order any food but the coffee was good! I think they used 2% milk because my latte didn’t have the creaminess of other coffee places in the area
Drink selection — for artisan coffee shops, less is more! Just enough selection without all the frilly drinks.
Ambiance/​Cleanliness — the best studying atmosphere out of all the coffee shops in GR. wide open space and tables are new, clean and enough space between tables.
Parking — sucks!!! Everywhere in downtown GR, parking sucks so I won’t hold it against them but it is a pain to find parking if you are just stopping here for coffee