Madigan’s

You could probably write different reviews for the breakfast, lunch, takeout etc., but this one, and the rating, are for the breakfast. My wife and I went for breakfast with our two young daughters, ages 8 and 10, and came away very impressed. Our daughters had the yogurt parfaits and orange juice, and the parfaits were as good looking as they were tasty. The waiter split a glass of orange juice between them and said he’d split another if they finished the first one. That way, he said, we wouldn’t be paying for an orange juice they couldn’t drink. Very thoughtful. I had the eggs benedict with Irish ham, and they were terrific. The Irish soda bread is also excellent. By excellent I mean just the way my Irish mom used to make it. The service was quick and very attentive. I’ll definitely be going back!

Good little breakfast. Keen to try the black pudding the most. Was very good! Was a little taste of Ireland on Bagot St.

Madigan’s seems to be a nice new addition to the neighbourhood! At first, I was convinced it would be an irish pub, but I was wrong; it’s more of a coffee shop and lunch counter, which is just fine by me!
The coffee is great; a solid option in the area, and provides some competition to some of my other neighbourhood favourites. In addition to coffee, there is a nice walk up lunch counter, that serves customers deli-​style — complete with trays, servers with cute outfits, and a cashier at the end of the line. Seating seems ample, and the décor is not what you’d expect of a lunch counter, but extremely nice.
There are also some shopping goods — coffee, food items etc. Things that are locally-​based, mostly. Overall a great vibe, and I look forward to getting more familiar with this spot.

The atmosphere was lovely and the people were very friendly.
I had a chowder, a sandwich and a dessert. The chowder and dessert were both delightful. The sandwich was somewhat underwhelming. It wasn’t bad, but it would be a lot better if the bacon was warmed and the bread was properly toasted. It wasn’t under the press long enough, which resulted in a strange combo of press marks without heat.
I was slightly put off by the staff’s lack of knowledge about their food. I asked if the chicken was sourced locally/​humanely, and the staff gave me a blank look. I find that slightly disappointing. However, my greater concern about this place is value. My soup, sandwich and dessert came to a total of 21 (w tax). For that price, I can go to Aqua Terra for their prix fixe lunch (18 before tax) which includes soup/​salad, bread basket with fresh compound butter, a nicer larger main sandwich/​burger, a dessert, coffee/​tea, plus nice view of the lake and free parking.
Overall, it’s a nice place with a fantastic atmosphere, but they need to work on better quality control and value. Although their location is very convenient for Queen’s student/​staff, I’m not sure they’ll survive in a competitive culinary market like Kingston’s without making some changes. In conclusion, I probably won’t voluntarily go back for lunch, but I wouldn’t object if a colleague wants to go there. I *might* go back for a scone and tea in the morning though. They seemed reasonably priced and looked pretty decent on top of the display case today.