Mermaid Kitchen

Introduction / Overview

Mermaid Kitchen is a hidden gem in Madison's culinary landscape, evolving from a beloved neighborhood cafe into a specialized commercial kitchen, bakery, and community teaching space. For Wisconsin residents who appreciate food made from scratch with local, high-quality ingredients, this is the destination to know. While the Mermaid Kitchen is not a traditional walk-in restaurant, its roots are deeply planted in the Madison food scene, led by founder Lisa Jacobson, who previously owned the highly regarded Mermaid Cafe from 2005 to 2017. Her commitment to fresh, local, farm-to-fork food remains the central philosophy.

Today, the core of Mermaid Kitchen’s offerings centers on its renowned, freshly baked, hand-rolled bagels, which have garnered a devoted local following. Dubbed “Madison’s only open secret bagelry,” the kitchen uses an online pre-order system to ensure maximum freshness for its customers. Beyond their signature bagels—available in varieties like Plain, Sesame, and Everything—they also craft various house-made spreads, including scallion cream cheese and whipped salted honey butter, alongside seasonal baked goods, cookies, and high-quality Rusty Dog coffee. The kitchen’s other major feature is its comprehensive schedule of cooking classes and workshops, which teach community members skills ranging from bread-baking and preserves to creating farm-fresh meals, truly embodying their mission to connect people with fresh food and culinary knowledge.

Location and Accessibility

Mermaid Kitchen is centrally located in downtown Madison, operating out of the Madison Enterprise Center. Its physical address is 100 S Baldwin St, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53703, USA. Patrons should note this location is a commercial kitchen, not a full-service retail cafe, but it is accessible for pre-order pickups and scheduled classes.

The location features several convenience and accessibility points for Wisconsin customers:

• Pre-Order Pickups: The primary service model relies on online pre-orders with scheduled pickup times, typically on Saturdays from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, and on select days during the week (Wednesday through Friday) for their "All Stars Menu" items. For ease of pickup, customers are advised to park on the south side of the building near the green dumpsters and take the elevator up to Suite 200.
• Accessibility: The facility is accommodating, offering a wheelchair accessible entrance and a wheelchair accessible parking lot.
• Service Options: Customers can choose between convenient delivery (via a partnership with EatStreet), in-store pickup during designated hours, and scheduled takeout.
• Payment Methods: Payment is simple and modern, accepting credit cards, debit cards, and NFC mobile payments.
• Quick Visits: While pre-order is encouraged, the setup is efficient for a quick visit during the designated pickup window, making it easy to grab your fresh goods and go.

Services Offered

Mermaid Kitchen’s services are diverse, focusing on high-quality baked goods, artisanal food products, and educational workshops.

• Hand-Rolled Bagel Production: Specializes in fresh, chewy, hand-rolled bagels, available in popular varieties (Plain, Sesame, Everything) and pre-ordered by the dozen for guaranteed freshness.
• House-Made Spreads and Products: Crafts artisanal spreads, including house-made scallion cream cheese, Spicy Everything Chili Crunch cream cheese, labneh, and whipped salted honey butter to pair with their bagels.
• Bakery and Dessert Items: Offers an expanding lineup of scratch-made goods, including cookies, granola, seasonal preserves, and other sweet treats, often available for pickup alongside bagel orders and at local markets.
• Cooking Classes and Workshops: Provides hands-on instruction in a variety of culinary skills, such as bread-baking (including popular Bagel and Challah classes), seasonal preserves, rustic pastries, and scratch-made farm-fresh meals.
• Coffee and Beverages: Sells high-quality bulk and ground Rusty Dog coffee, as well as seasonal cold brew, available for pre-order and purchase during pickup times.
• Wholesale and Market Presence: Operates a popular stall at the Dane County Farmers Market on the Capitol Square and supplies products to other local vendors and businesses.

Features / Highlights

The key differentiating factors for Mermaid Kitchen are its devotion to quality ingredients, artisanal preparation, and community engagement.

• Artisanal Bagel Craftsmanship: The bakery is Madison’s specialist in hand-rolled bagels, a labor-intensive process that results in superior texture and flavor compared to mass-produced alternatives, guaranteeing a perfect, fresh product through their pre-order system.
• Commitment to Local & Quality Sourcing: Under the leadership of Lisa Jacobson, the kitchen emphasizes the use of local, seasonal products and sustainable ingredients whenever possible, including offering good vegetarian options and formerly being noted for using free-range organic eggs in its cafe days—a philosophy that carries through to their current offerings.
• Culinary Education Hub: Functions as a vital community space by offering a wide range of cooking classes, actively promoting the concept of “farm-to-fork” and connecting customers with the origins of their food.
• Former Cafe Reputation: The business carries the legacy and quality standard of the former Mermaid Cafe, which was praised for its excellent coffee, delicious soups, and high-quality breakfast and lunch sandwiches.
• Convenient Local Access: Despite being a commercial kitchen, the weekly pre-order and pickup system, coupled with their presence at the Dane County Farmers Market, makes their sought-after products highly accessible to Wisconsin consumers.

Contact Information

For Wisconsin customers looking to pre-order bagels, inquire about cooking classes, or arrange a pickup, use the following contact details:

Address: 100 S Baldwin St, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Phone: (608) 234-3661

What is Worth Choosing

Mermaid Kitchen is worth choosing because it offers an authentic, artisanal product that is difficult to find elsewhere in the region: truly hand-rolled, freshly baked bagels. For the Wisconsin consumer, this is the destination when the highest quality, chewy bagel is the priority, complemented perfectly by their unique, house-made spreads like the Spicy Everything Chili Crunch cream cheese.

Beyond the exceptional baked goods, choosing Mermaid Kitchen means supporting a business with a deep-seated commitment to the local food economy and culinary education. The founder's long-standing reputation for using local, fresh, and organic ingredients translates into a superior product every time. If you are looking to elevate your weekend breakfast with the best bagels in Madison, stock your pantry with unique local goods, or actively participate in a hands-on cooking class to master the art of scratch-made food, Mermaid Kitchen provides a unique and high-value proposition. It's more than just a pickup spot; it's a central force for quality, community, and culinary learning in the Madison area.

Mermaid Kitchen

100 S Baldwin St, Madison, WI 53703, USA