The Bare Midriff Writes Her Love For Mad City

The Mad City coffee shop in Columbia is a mainstay among the local shops, and Elizabeth blogs on the Bare Midriff about seven reasons why she loves going there -- including the geeks.

Coffee Shops in Howard County

I need coffee so badly that I'm a terrible person to ask for recommendations.

I love my morning coffee -- the jolt of caffeine and the ritual of unscrewing my thermos as my work day begins. But that means that I'm not the best customer for Howard County's coffee shops. I'm not a latte guy. I'm 30 miles away most weekdays. And I'm cheap enough to brew my own thermos rather than spend $2 on a cup each morning.

That said, I really like the coffee that I have bought on a tour of coffee shops from Rte 40 to Rte 216, including Java Grande and Bean Hollow in Ellicott City, Mad City, Lakeside and Riverside in Columbia, and Sidamo Coffee & Tea in Fulton. When we ran out of the Pele Plantation beans that we carried home from Hawaii, I went out looking for a Starbucks alternative. Strong flavor, but not bitter, I told each shop. I bought whatever each shop recommend, and I liked them all.

Mad City Coffee in Columbia

The first time that I visited a coffee shop, someone had to explain espresso to me. It was bitter and so exotic in 1989 that I sold the New York Times a story about crazy college kids opening a coffee shop called Espresso Bongo. (So exotic that the Times and I misspelled "espresso" repeatedly.)

Mad City Coffee is not crazy college kids. It's a placid coffee shop that stands out because it roasts its own beans. I asked for a recommendation when I wanted a pound to carry home, and the cashier turned to the guy down the counter to ask: "You roast the coffee. What would you suggest as strong flavor?"

The coffee is good. I find people have opinions, not truths about coffee. Personally, I love Starbucks. My father won't touch it. The Mad City coffees that I have sampled aren't as strong as Starbucks -- which can be seen as either "dark" or "burnt" depending on your opinion. Mad City offers a few dozen varieties -- both different sources for the beans and different sweet flavors like "french toast" or chocolate. I sampled the espresso because people had recommended as the best around. It worked for me, but I prefer my coffee like a little boy -- sweet and milky.

On top of the coffee, Mad City offers lunch sandwiches like turkey, tuna and chicken salad. It also has bagels, pastries, and bagel sandwiches. More than anything, it offers that local feel. The local feel that -- on my last visit -- caused the cashiers to get disorganized in the morning rush and disappear from the register to cook and scoop beans. But it's the same feel that made the customers smile and joke as they checked out the bags on the counter to see whose breakfasts were inside. People waited. Order returned in a few moments, and everyone left happy. I sat outside in a sliver of morning shade, which went beautifully on a summer morning with a very good egg-and-bacon sandwich and the newspaper.

If you like coffee, check out the Orinoco Coffee Shop in Columbia or Bonaparte Bread in Savage. If you visit Mad City, you are just a few blocks south of the Harpers Farm Village Center where you can try Maiwand Kabob's terrific afghan food. Mad City also offers regular music on the weekends, mostly singer-songwriter stuff like these folks.

Mad City Coffee

10801 Hickory Ridge Road

Columbia, MD 21044

410-964-8671

NEAR: This is actually right off Cedar Lane just south of the intersection with Hickory Ridge Road. Mad City is on the bottom floor of a commercial building. This is a block south of the Howard County General Hospital.