From Cars to Coffee
You’d have driven past 557 North Street a few years ago and not thought twice about the building. It was a completely unremarkable white cement block building with a chain link fence surrounding it. In the 40s it was home to a car dealer and a small engine repair shop. More recently, it looked like just another one of those buildings stacked to the brim with someone’s stuff, just waiting for a teardown. New life was born as a collective of individual businesses looked at this small space and saw an opportunity to bring life back to its walls with Northstreet Madison.
3 for 1 at Northstreet
YoungBlood Beer Co.
Opening on King Street in 2020, Youngblood quickly became a favorite meeting point for friends and microbrewery fanatics. With creative beer names and a taproom that matches the unique energy of their brews. It was settled when I first sat down with a glass of, “Everyone Here Looks Like Guy Fieri.” Their beer found its’ perfect match in the foods coming out of their kitchen. My personal favorite has got to be the Crunch Wraps. The kitchen at Northstreet is serving a more limited menu than their King Street location but is sure to delight. Youngblood’s expansion further east was a welcome new addition to Eken Park.
Bloom Bake Shop
It isn’t uncommon to see Bloom Bake Shop on Monroe Street with a line snaking down the sidewalk. If you’re on Madison’s east side, you are now in luck as Bloom has come to you. While the east side is full of great bakery options, we’re firm believers that one more won’t hurt when it comes to good cookies and good bakeries. Bloom is known across the city for their vegan and gluten-free offerings and doing them extremely well. At their Northstreet location, they’re offering delicacies like an Almond Twice Baked Croissant. Cinnamon Rolls that will bring tears of joy to your eyes. If that isn’t enough, how about an Onion and Lock Danish? You can get all of these and more as well as their French Baguette, Country Sourdough, or Rye Sourdough.
Cafe Domestique
It sounds like pure snobbery but espresso just seems different when you are outside of the States. Is it snobbery though when so many people share the sentiment? I don’t think so. As the story goes, Dan, owner of Cafe Domestique, found himself traveling for work and working from some of the world’s best cafes. From those experiences, Cafe Domestique is born in the heart of Madison’s east side on Williamson Street. Attached to a bike shop, Cafe Domestique is adorned with Tour De France-inspired illustrations. I am mainly a “Medium Black Coffee” order, but when I come to Cafe Domestique it is espresso drinks. They do it well. Dan did it, he brought that taste of European cafes back to us here in Madison and now there is a second place you can get it, Northstreet.
A Place to Gather
The inside of NorthStreet is breathtaking. With each tenant bringing their style, there is a unique quiet corner to be found or a table to be enjoyed with friends. In the warmer months, those old garage doors open once again like they did way back when. The building is brighter now than it used to be. With murals adorning the outside and large glass windows letting in the day, it is a place I would love to spend more time. If you watch people enter they almost always do the same thing, pausing and looking around, taking it in. Plants and colors and natural wood tones all come together to make this the type of place where you feel you can take a deep breath and slow down.
North Street is worth a visit
Northstreet sits with neighbors TipTop Tavern and Ogden’s Diner both just a few steps across the street. Just a few blocks down the road is Dexter’s, another Madison staple. Northstreet is a prime meeting point for friends before or after checking its neighbors. We have gone to both Ogden’s and TipTop and have been advised of a wait for a table. Popping over to Northstreet for a cup of coffee or a pre-TipTop dinner beer seems like a great way to spend your wait time without just huddling in the doorway.
557 Northstreet Reimagined
We can only hope more old spaces are revitalized as this project will go down as an overwhelming success. It takes ambition, creativity, and probably a fair amount of unspoken risk to look at that old unremarkable building and envision what could be. We especially appreciate that these individuals came together bringing with them a little something for everyone. In Madison, it seems cranes are continuously popping up bringing with them new additions to the skyline. While this isn’t a bad thing, we hope that sometimes we find use for those old spaces like this one.
