Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery

Short Summary:  A versatile east-side kitchen putting out tasty dishes from a variety of cultures and styles -- with cupcakes for afters!

Location:  2827 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI 53704

Since we ate on the west side last week, we thought we'd pick an Atwood eatery for our next review.  Daisy's was the first that came to mind:  a perennial favorite that varies its menu regularly, making it an enjoyable surprise every time around. 

Cupcakes on the Center Stage

They're right there in the name -- cupcakes are front and center at Daisy's.  With cupcakes majorly in-fashion and cafes offering them popping up all over Madison, Daisy's does a good job staying ahead of the curve.  Traditionalists can still find staples like chocolate-frosted-in-chocolate, but Daisy's isn't afraid to experiment.  Banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting caught my attention in particular on our first visit (though I haven't been lucky enough to find it since). 

Solid Entrees; Small Portions

We'll get the bad news out of the way up front:  Daisy's can be a little short on portions.  They're not one of those "tiny scrap of meat on an artistic white plate" sorts of joints, but I wouldn't go when you're absolutely starving. 

The entrees are tasty and varied, with a wide range of options to choose from.  Dinner items we liked included the Daisy Cassoulet and the Daisy Pesto Pasta; the meat loafs are all delicious but definite portion-size offenders. 

Breakfast and lunch are worth an extra trip.  The strata -- an egg casserole dish -- makes a nice alternative to other restaurants' diner-staple omlettes (but you can get an omlette too, if you want).  The sandwiches are good, if ordinary, and they make a nice excuse to have another cupcake.

A Nod to the Drinks List

Our authors are divided on the drinks list right now, but we're all willing to give them a nod for effort.  Try the Whoopsie-Daisy (we might have misspelled Whoopsie there?) for a tartly-sweet treat.  The heavy agave nectar focus puzzled some of us, but it's nice to see some variety in a drink list.  The restaurant also has a full coffee bar. 

Daisy's also has one of the better websites we've seen among Madison restaurants, so stop by for more details!