Madis Coffee Roasters, the University City-born roaster, has quietly turned its downtown footprint into a full-on presence, opening another Center City cafe that marks the company’s third spot in the neighborhood and continues an expansion that started in late 2022. The newest shop extends Madis’s small-batch roasting, European-style service and a larger grab-and-go spread deeper into Philadelphia’s office and tourist corridors.
The opening is the latest move in a growth plan that followed Madis’s 2022 launch and a series of additional locations the company brought online in 2025, part of a strategy to serve both students and Center City commuters, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Madis’s website now lists three Philadelphia cafes: the original University City shop, Madis at The Curtis in Old City, and Madis Coffee Center City. The company identifies the Center City address as 1441 Chestnut St. and the Curtis location as 601 Walnut St., signaling a deeper bet on the downtown market. The locations, hours, contact details and menus are all laid out on Madis Coffee.
Roastery and downtown footprint
The Curtis location gave Madis a sizable production and showcase hub downtown when the company signed a long-term lease in the historic building. Keystone pegged the space at roughly 4,679 square feet, according to CityBiz. Local coverage noted that the Curtis cafe opened in March 2025 with an on-site roastery that doubles as an educational feature for customers, a concept company partners discussed with MyChesCo.
What to expect inside
At the new Center City cafe, Madis continues to lean into specialty espresso and pour-over drinks while building out a more robust grab-and-go menu that includes sandwiches, bagels and other quick bites aimed at downtown pedestrian traffic. That shift beyond a primarily campus-focused menu and into offerings tailored for larger Center City spaces was previously detailed by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
For now, Madis’s three cafes give commuters, students and visitors multiple options for a locally roasted cup. The latest hours, menus and any future opening announcements are kept current on Madis Coffee, which remains the go-to spot for checking details and ordering options.
