Barriques Wine & Spirits

Dang you lavender mocha. This is why I’m up all night writing reviews.
The parking is a bit intimidating and sparse but I always seem to find a parking spot after 6pm.
Usually by then the baked goods are half off. Score!
Seating is ok, a bit cramped near the fireplace but plenty to choose from elsewhere.
Last night was the first night I’ve seen someone going around offering Andes mints and cups of water to customers. Cool.
I’ll be coming here for a while and hope to explore the other half of the store.

My visit to Barriques was brief, but it grabbed my attention enough that I hope to come back soon to do some more poking around! Though I have been going to my cabin for at least 16 years now (which has me passing through Middleton), it has only been rather recently that my family and I have started exploring the towns we pass through more. My fiancé and I had made a day trip up for some premarital counseling, and being craft beer lovers, decided to pick up a local brew on our way home. This is how we came to Barriques.
Set at the corner of Elmwood and Cayuga (though this is apparently not the only location), Barriques is easily accessible from US 12/​US 14. There is some parking right in front of the store, though I’m sure at certain hours you may have to park a little further. It is a well lit building with an interesting combination of coffee/​food station, seating, and shopping. I didn’t purchase any in-​store consumables, but it seems to be a popular meeting place with enjoyable food and drinks. I think there’s even a fireplace! Plenty of seating and they even have booze infused coffee drinks. Nice…
I enjoyed the liquor selection. They carry many of the usual brands such as Svedka, Jose Cuervo, Captain Morgan, Guiness, Etc., but also all kinds of locally made beers and spirits such as Deaths Door Distillery and Capital Brewing (both local to Middleton), New Glarus, Pearl Street Brewing, and more! Also a large wine selection– we even saw wine in a can: LOL. The prices seemed fair. Some of the hard liquor seemed a pinch pricier than you might see at other liquor stores (when I say a pinch, I mean not enough to make me squirm, just a few bucks difference), but the beer was reasonably priced: paid about $ 8 for a 6-​pack of craft beer.
Staff was nothing to brag about. Not rude, but kind of just there. Pleasant enough.
I will no doubt be back, I plan to make a greater effort to explore the towns I think I know but actually don’t.

Westside Heaven, run by Pod People
Great Coffee
Great Wine and Booze Selection
Parking is not the most convenient, but its not more than a short block walk. Very handy west side location other than that.
Food is limited, but better than Starbucks
Very bright inside (which is the complete opposite of their Capital location)
Staff does seem a little… out of it. Not really all together there. I would say stoned, but they don’t seem happy enough. Perhaps Pod people…

Loved the kindness of the staff and the Mexican mocha/​dos huevos breakfast burrito. Breakfast all day. Veg options available. Fireplace to stay warm. Yum.

I was working on the run and figured every good coffee shop has wireless, so I hopped into Barriques to set up camp for a couple hours. I knew they had good coffee, and they were convenient to where I needed to be.
I ordered a breakfast sandwich (egg/​cheese/​sausage) with my coffee. The sandwich was ready right away, which was nice. It seemed to be served on a dinner roll — that struck me as strange, but it worked. The ingredients were fresh and tasty — who am I to question their bread selection? The coffee was good, as usual. I appreciate the inexpensive refills as I was going to be there long enough to require one.
I had issues with the wireless. Not THEIR issues, as I was able to get on the internet and do things, but I was not able to VPN into work. That kinda stunk, as I was hoping to get a few things done. I thought maybe my computer was goofy (always a possibility), but now that I’m on a different wireless network, I’m connected into work just fine. Go figure. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I work remotely again.
But, overall, I like Barriques. On top of good coffee and food options, they have a huge selection of wines and liquors. It’s a great business model — make everyone happy no matter the time of day.

This beats the burnt taste of Starbucks any day. Great coffee. Perfect shot of espresso. Staff was very friendly and smiling. I enjoyed my coffee here. 5 stars.

I asked for a cappuccino and the milk was sour. Dude thought he should argue with me about it so I got a refund.

Good Vibe! Attentive service, got my drink right which is rare on the first try! Really like that this place offers SPIRITED coffee drinks! Will have to come back to try them out!!!

Count me as definitely not a fan of this particular location… I do enjoy Barriques as a whole, but this one — not so much.
— Terrible parking situation
— Inside is super busy feeling, even when there isn’t anyone around
— Layout is cramped, difficult to navigate, and it feels more like a mini-​mart than a coffee shop
— Limited selection of items when compared to other Barriques
— Staff isn’t too helpful; I was looking for: (a) bulk coffee for purchase, and (b) the «Papa New Guinea» coffee. When I couldn’t find either (after lapping the store 5 – 6 times and passing by the counter 5 – 6 times), I asked for some assistance.
Blank stare, followed by, «you mean like coffee you make at home?»
Me: «Yes — bulk coffee; your other stores all have it in bags available for purchase.»
Him: «I could probably put some in a bag for you.»
Me: «Cool. Do you have Papa New Guinea?»
Him: «No, this is Barriques. I’m not familiar with that brand.»
Me: «It’s your brand. It’s the roast style. See, like how you have ‘Porter Joe’ and ‘Motor Moka’? Papa New Guinea is one that you usually have.»
Him: «Huh. Nope.»
Gah.
If I wanted to buy t-​shirts or cutesy coffee mugs or Death’s Door Gin, I could’ve bought it by the pallet load here. But not bulk coffee. And definitely not their best flavor.

it’s my go-​to spot for coffee in Middleton.

Been going to Barriques in Fitchburg for maybe 10 years? The staff there was always a bit uppity, but I put up with it because the food and atmosphere was good. I think I even gave them good reviews in here before. My trip to Middleton pushed the needle over the edge, however. Pretty good line waiting at the register, while one of the wait people was ambling about, taking her own sweet time getting back. Several other staff went past the register without so much as an acknowledgement that anyone was there. When she finally decided to come back, turns out they were out of several items that were on the menu, and response was no apology, no sympathy, just «if they aren’t in the cooler over there we’re out.»
Left and went to Culvers. Food and atmosphere are a bit less, but at least friendly and conscientious humans work there.

I enjoy this coffee shop. Nice décor, clean, and a nice environment to work in. But on two separate occasions the staff has forgotten to complete my order, both times have been for similar reasons, someone would start making my drink… Then get distracted (texting), and not finish the order.
They staff is friendly enough, but they are still a service biased company. Forgetting to finish making my drink twice in the same month. Is annoying, but not the end of the world.
My suggestion would be not to get drinks to stay, they are always prompt to go drinks.

Great place to study and get things done. The fire in the corner is comfy and warm, and there are a decent number of outlets around. Coffee, as always, is very good at Barriques.

Oregon Pinot Noir! Tonight’s very affordable wine tasting with Ann Marie as our pourer/​sommelier. Best $ 14 you can spend! Now if only there was chocolate!

1. Great coffee
2. Good atmosphere for studying, reading and meeting friends
3. Reliable wifi
To sum up: Five-​stared.

I stopped in again and had a wonderful Columbian coffee. Barriques (Middleton, not downtown) is up now there with Ancora as my favorite cafes in the Madison area.

Nice overall atmosphere, the fireplace and comfy chairs are very inviting. Coffee is always good and the Cowboy cookie is a round slice of ambrosia. Huge wine selection and wine accessories are also a draw.

Tips for meeting at Barriques on University Ave/​Cayuga Court:
A. Make sure your friend is meeting you at this one and not the Barriques on Old Sauk.
B. Parking can be tricky, but they have spots in the front, back and on the street.
C. Grab a spot near the fireplace in the winter. Can be a bit breezy in there.
D. Perhaps get a fortified coffee drink, (as in with some special ingrediants) Daddy Grasshopper, Irish Coffee, etc… they make them up right.
E. If you have to pass D. there are still plenty of good options for coffee & tea drinkers.
F. Not as many food options at this location but they do have cookies, scones, bagels, etc.
G. Plan on getting some good people watching in. Turns from business crowd, to mama yoga crowd, back to business to the student crowd during the day. Take your pick.
H. Hard not to pick up a bottle of booze to take home with you. Lots of good local options or plenty others.
I. And if you checked in with Unilocal,you’d notice it’s 20% off whole bean coffee. YES
REPEAT!
Repeat!
REPEAT!

It doesn’t match the layout of the other Barriques and the seating area is a little cramped and sparse. Still serves the great coffee that I have come to know and love but unlike their other café’s, the staff is a little surly and indifferent at times.

Pretty stoked that although salads are pre-​made these guys dug out ingredients and made me one from scratch sans dairy. Mucho appreciated!