Oasis Cafe

Oasis Cafe in Fitchburg is one of my go-to places for coffee and studying. For one thing, it’s really close to my house. For another, Oasis combines consistently good coffee and tasty lunches with a (usually) pleasant atmosphere perfect for studying.

Coffee quality/taste: 3.5/5

Oasis serves EVP coffee, which I generally don’t like all that much. One person I talked to said he likes the variety of roasted coffees Oasis offers and he believes everyone can find something they like. Another friend says the hot chocolate and Italian Sodas are delicious. In my experience, Oasis makes some quality espresso drinks, like lattes and cappuccinos, but the brewed coffee isn’t great on its own. On my most recent trip, my trademark mocha had a weird grainy texture, which was disappointing. When I’ve gotten lattes or cappuccinos in the past, I’ve enjoyed them. Usually I would rate the taste as “above average,” and I’ve never gotten anything that tasted burned or like the coffee’s been sitting in a pot for five hours. In terms of coffee, Oasis’s greatest strength is its consistency; apart from a slightly varying mocha texture once in a while, I know exactly what I’m getting when I go to Oasis. That consistency is something I really appreciate and has caused Oasis to become one of my staples.

Food quality/taste: 4/5

I really like the food at Oasis, though others have reported mixed feelings. When I eat lunch there, I always get the Chipotle Chicken with Jack on sourdough, a warm and just the right amount of spicy sort of sandwich. There are a variety of sandwich options, all of which are made fresh on your choice of bread, which comes from the Madison Sourdough Company. They also feature two Soupes du Jour, which I was told are made in-house each day. The scones and other baked goods are decent, but nothing spectacular. It’s worth noting that I haven’t tried many of them, though, since I almost always go for lunch. Also, you can get pel’meni from Paul’s Pel’meni at Oasis (I’ve never tried it myself, but I hear it’s good).

Ambiance: 3.5/5

It’s hard to give Oasis an accurate ambiance score, because it actually has quite a range. Some days I go and I’m the only one there, the music is quiet, and the temperature is just right. Other days, it’s so crowded I can’t find a table, the music is obnoxiously loud, and it’s unpleasantly cold. More often than not, it’s somewhere in the middle, but it’s hard to predict which end of the spectrum it will be any given day. Normally, the closer to lunchtime it is, the more crowded Oasis is, but it thins out as the afternoon draws on. Weekends are always worse than weekdays, naturally. The cafe is laid out in a “U” shape, with the counter at the base of the “U” and two wings of seating area on either side. One side has a kid-friendly area with a chalkboard, books, and some toys. That side also has some random potted plants. The other side has a fireplace with some comfy couch seating around it. Both sides have lots of good window seating and natural light and there is some outdoor seating, too. The whole cafe is filled with art of various types you can buy if you’re so inclined.

Service: 5/5

Service is what sets Oasis apart. The staff are all very friendly, personable, and competent. Since everything is made from scratch, preparation of food and drinks can take a while, but the staff are always happy to bring your food and/or drinks out to you when they’re done. I’ve also witnessed amazing patience from the staff a number of times when dealing with difficult customers, patience I don’t think I’d have if I were in their place.

College-student friendliness: 4/5

Oasis is a suburban coffee shop, so it’s not specifically designed to be college-student friendly. That said, it succeeds anyway. The tables are larger than at most coffee shops, giving lots of room to spread out papers, laptops, notebooks, etc. Oasis has free wi-fi, but it’s password protected. The register has a little sign on it that gives the password. Depending on how many people are working on their computers, the wi-fi can be either really good or really bad. Go in the afternoon, 1pm or later, if you want to get a lot of work done. Overall, there’s plenty of seating and decent wi-fi, but it can be hard to focus for long periods because of the fluctuating noise levels.

Recap:

Coffee: 3.5/5
Food: 4/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Service: 5/5
College-student friendliness: 4/5
CafeScore: 20/25

Location:
2690 Research Park Dr Suite E, Fitchburg, WI
Hours:
Mon-Fri: 6:30am – 5pm
Sat: 7am – 3pm
Sun: 8am-12pm
Website:
No official website, but more info here: https://www.facebook.com/oasiscafefitch

Up Next: Colectivo Coffee on Monroe