Linda Falkenstein
Interior of Zippy Lube Coffee at counter with cashier, doughnut trays.
Cake doughnuts are king at Zippy Lube.
Madison is known, perhaps not unjustly, for its NIMBY-ism. You won’t find that sentiment surrounding the opening of a new northside coffee shop, though.
Neighbors have been welcoming the new Zippy Lube Coffee on its Facebook page with open arms — or maybe, mouths: “I live in the neighborhood, and just would like to say welcome. So wonderful to see that building being used again…I wish you great and a long lived success,” wrote one northsider. “Thanks for bringing this gem to the Northside!” wrote another. And a third: “Merry Christmas to all at Zippy Lube! You are a welcome addition to our community!”
In the vacationy lull between Christmas and New Year’s, Zippy Lube’s small parking lot on North Sherman Avenue is full at 10:30 a.m. Inside, the tables in the front area of the former gas station and oil change business are likewise full. Large glass garage doors are down, a concession to winter, but this will make a nice open-air eat-in area come spring.
Owner Ben Altschul, son of Jane Capito of Lazy Jane’s, also owns Eken Park’s Tip Top Tavern and the North Street Cabaret, as well as the venerable Busse’s Tavern next door to Zippy Lube; he’s shown a talent for reinvigorating overlooked spaces in traditionally working class areas to better match changing demographics. Zippy Lube opened Dec. 1.
Like many “post”-pandemic eateries, Zippy Lube has a tightly focused menu. There’s a range of coffee options from a latte to a red eye without any forays into any drink foofier than a chai latte, or add-ons fancier than a shot of caramel or vanilla flavoring.
The doughnuts are old-fashioned cake doughnuts, in plain or chocolate, not overly sweet. They also come rolled in cinnamon sugar, or gussied up with a glaze and jimmies, or with a festive swirl of buttercream frosting. The chocolate doughnut/chocolate frosting combo is unexpectedly not cloying, and a winner.
Doughnuts are made on-site and in sight, behind the counter opposite the checkout station. A shiny contraption called the Donut Robot takes care of the process of mixing and frying each torus.
The breakfast sandwich is straightforward: a choice of bacon, sausage or veggie sausage with a fried egg and a slice of American cheese, served on a doughnut sliced in half, bun-style. I chose plain over sugared, but the salty-sweet flavor contrast of the sugared wouldn’t have been odd. The breakfast sandwich is served until 11 a.m., at which point fried chicken with sides (mashed potatoes, mac ’n cheese and coleslaw) takes over. There’s also a super crispy fried chicken sandwich, served with “zippy sauce” (a thousand-island type dressing) and housemade pickles, served on a brioche bun, and available regular or “Northside hot,” with a slightly smoky hot sauce. Please, pile on those pickles.
Prices start with plain doughnuts for a dollar each and top out at eight pieces of chicken for $20.
And that’s it. The focused menu keeps quality up and wait times down: “How long is it for a breakfast sandwich?” “As long as it takes to fry an egg.”
Zippy Lube Coffee
2013 N. Sherman Ave.
zippylubemadison.com; no phone yet
$1-$20
7 a.m.-7 p.m. Thurs.-Mon.
