Victor Allen’s Coffee

Not bad at all. I went on a Monday evening during a snow storm and I was the only person in the shop. There’s a nice fireplace and it’s a great atmosphere. I had a mixed berry tea that was delicious! I’ve had the coffee there before and I probably won’t try it again. It stinks that this place has so much potential and it’s in a really nice area. I would recommend it but I definitely won’t be a regular visitor.
This review was wishy washy because that’s my exact feeling about it, hahaha!

Coffee? I wanted dark roast but the person at the counter didn’t seem interested in my preference. Maybe he was was out of everything except the reasonably OK medium roast.
Atmosphere? Now I remember why I wasn’t planning to come in here again! Middle school kids wander in and play around spending mommy’s money. I sort of wish they’d have some way to keep rich little kids out. But then, each one of them spent three times what I spent on their belgian waffles and hot cocoas than I did on my coffee. :(
Finally, problems with atmosphere stem from the horrible music every time I’ve been here — VA seems to have a policy of featuring that horrible semi-​castrato male pop (songs like «Won’t You Stay With Me» and «Yellow»). And, yeah, I forgot my headphones. But, a café shouldn’t make wearing headphones a requirement to avoid bad sound.

Has a good atmosphere, nice place to come if you’re meeting a friend for a cup of coffee or just to read a book but the selection of pastries is poor and the wifi is bad.

Here at 9am on sunday. Pretty dissapointed in the selection of breakfast pastries. Guess I just assumed that with the competition (collectivo, bluephies) in very close proximity there would be a better selection.
I ordered a large dirty vanilla Chai in a for here mug. No latte art and my mug was served (for lack of a better word) dirty.
I wanted a nice cozy place to sit and read my book. I got that, but the scone and Chai will be ordered from collectivo.
Edit: I was just sent a very annoyed message by a fellow Unilocaler. I wasn’t aware this was twitter. I should clarify, my cup wasn’t dirty in the sense of the word that is was tainted by germs or any other cross-​contamination. The presentation of the cup wasn’t clean. It did spill over on the side; that was exactly how it was presented to me. For the $ 6 I spent on the coffee to enjoy in a mug, I do expect a clean presentation. The thing is, if i were a regular, this wouldnt be an issue. If the counter girls greeted me with anything other than an annoyed look, this wouldnt be an issue. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. Presentation is what sets apart local coffee shops from, oh say, Starbucks, that have corporate money. This was the first time I’d ever been here, being new to the area. I’d only experienced collectivo before, and by the lack of patrons in the shop right now, other people agree with me.

best cold brewed coffee in the state! will always buy from these local joints– especially when the big milwaukee chain moves in across the street…

Great coffee and breakfast foods. But, desperately in need of deep cleaning and updating. (eg chipped paint and dirty ceiling around air ducts) The Internet speeds are 5−10% of what the new shop in the neighborhood provides with the customers attracted at about the same ratio. On the plus side, Victor’s has a relaxed atmosphere well suited for quiet conversation, unavailable in Colectivo’s hustle & bustle.

The coffee was excellent. The lid on my to-​go cup, however, suffered the same issue that Colectivo had, in that my coffee splashed all over my sister’s car all the way home, despite my having carefully checked the entire lid three times. Please — if you offer coffee to go, make sure it’s actually safe to have in a car!
However, the cashier was friendly, and did I mention what great coffee it was? They even offered me a choice of light or dark roast, which was nice. The large number of people in running gear hanging around both inside and outside was kind of annoying though (I get that this is Madison and all, but parking spaces are for cars, not for you to stand in).
I would come back here, but next time I’ll pass on coffee to go and stay there instead!

This review is only for their iced tea, since that’s the only thing I’ve ever gotten here.
I’m a fan of their tea! Fresh brewed, poured over ice. I’ve tried about three of their teas and all of them have been awesome, but the spiced one stood out as being interesting and flavorful. The peach was pretty great too, peachy but not fake.
My only qualm is that it can sometimes taste watery, but that might also be just an artifact of the hot-​over-​ice process.

My review is for the Chai Latte with Soy Milk, This is my favorite thing I’ve tried here and I’ve given this place a lot of chances to wow me!
The ice coffee is not great– I would give it 2 stars
The hot coffee is also not amazing but better than the iced coffee– 3 stars
Iced latte– horrible…2 stars
Hot Latte with whole milk… worse… 1 star
This place is not consistent. The pastry selection is not good and I haven’t tried the food but heard very bad things, This place will have to step up it’s game when Collectivo opens across the street, people will realize what they have been missing.
This review is meant as constructive criticism, I love small businesses and I think you should be honest with them so they can make changes and do well

Two of us ordered panini and they were very disappointing. Both were very heavy and greasy. The only non-​meat option was 3 Cheese. All cheese and nothing else as far as I could tell, which made it unbelievably heavy. My husband had one of the meat options and commented it was heavy and greasy. They wrapped the panini in foil and by the time we walked 5 minutes to the park they were steamed and soggy.

My wife and I grabbed lattes to go. They were great!

Perhaps it was just a bad day, but our order was messed up multiple times & under cooked. On the plus side we received a free drink coupon without even asking. Espresso tastes average, like a Starbucks. Great location in an attractive neighborhood.

We meet here often for run’s and I can’t wait to finish the arb loop due to the Banana Waffles. Oatmeal is good too, but waffles can’t be beat.
Coffee is consistently good. Plenty of room to hang out, or sit by fireplace.
Service is usually pretty good.
For some reason they are always out of in house medium cups.

Walking distance from my house– SO– I will go here no matter what — right?
Note– this review is for the food and ambiance — not the coffee—
I had a very decent panini with chicken, bacon and cheddar. Apparently they are brought in already made and the shop cooks them on the panini grill. they are nothing special, but good nevertheless. Boneless chicken– a little bacon on a whole wheat flatbread with herbs in it.
the place has a nice vibe and a gas fireplace which I feel may be very comforting on a wintery cold day. The chairs are set a different heights, some tall, some regular and some big club chairs, which gives the room a pleasant variety.
they lose a star because the bus-​your-​own bin was full and the baristas did not look busy enough to let that pile of dirty dishes sit there. come on– I can let the dishes sit in my sink– but I do not want to look at 5 hrs of your dirty mugs and plates. YOU have a dishwasher!

Great atmosphere, great service and great coffee! I also love the free wi-​fi and how they serve soup and other food items, not just coffee and pastry. I’m almost hesitant to write this because I don’t want you to go and steal my seat!

I think the coffee here is amazing. It’s very rich and packs a punch — NOT for the faint of heart. The atmosphere is really comfortable and laid back. It’s not in my neighborhood, but when I meet with people in this area, I like coming here.
True, the clientele is a bit long in the tooth. So, I make sure not to come here if I’m looking to pick up on young, taut-​bodied co-​eds. Now, if I’m in the mood for cougars? That’s a different story. ;) j/​k

I’m not a big coffee drinker but I do buy occasionally as I’m here often leeching free wi-​fi. Never tried anything off the menu but it’s a great place to meet for a business meeting and there are a number of students here always studying. If you know the Monroe St. neighborhood you’d agree that this captures everything about the area here from the regulars to the bulletin board overflowing with interesting ads. Always been able to find a table here (and that’s not to say that this place sucks, I just come at a good time.)