☕The best new restaurants in Madison

🇺🇸 Trump, AOC Are Coming (Separately)

• Former President Donald Trump will be in Prairie du Chien Saturday for a campaign rally. Campaign officials said Trump will make border security and illegal immigration a focus of his speech.
• Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will headline a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Madison on Friday. The stop is part of a “Fighting For Reproductive Freedom” national bus tour aimed at students and grassroots supporters.
• Some Republicans, including former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, have been urging Trump to campaign directly in the Democratic strongholds of Madison and Milwaukee. [WPR, WKOW, Isthmus]

🎓UW Freshman Class Has Fewer Students of Color

• This year’s freshman class at UW-Madison has fewer Black and Hispanic students, according to data released by the university.
• The percentage of underrepresented students was 14.3 percent, which is 3.7 percent less than last year’s freshman class. White student enrollment increased from 58 percent to 60.4 percent.
• The incoming class of ‘28 is the first since the U.S. Supreme Court banned race-based admissions. [WPR, UW-Madison]

📖Wisconsin Escalates Ban of Books in Prisons

• Wisconsin Books to Prisoners (WBTP), a Madison-based organization that sends free books to people incarcerated in Wisconsin, said that the Wisconsin Department of Corrections is preventing them from doing so.
• State prison officials said they’ve instituted new restrictions on incoming mail, citing the possibility that illegal drugs could be smuggled inside of books.
• The organization estimates that it has mailed more than 70,000 books during its 18 years in operations, without a single instance of contraband. [Tone Madison]

Welcome to our list of the best new restaurants and bars opening in and around Madison! We’ll update this list on the last Thursday of each month. If we’ve missed a new spot you think we should feature, let us know!

New Here Coffee (Downtown)

This spacious coffee shop opened in the oLiv Madison building at 339 W. Gorham Street. Menu includes coffee from Chicago’s Counter Culture Coffee, wraps and a solid breakfast sandwich.

On today’s episode of the City Cast Madison podcast, Bianca Martin talks with Ashley Rodriguez of the Boss Barista newsletter about Madison’s best coffee shops:

Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge (North Side)

Lola’s, the popular cocktail lounge and restaurant at 617 N. Sherman Ave. built around a love of vinyl, announced earlier this month it would be expanding into the space next door formerly occupied by Burkhalter Travel. The new spot, dubbed the Sidecar, will be available for private rentals and serve overflow traffic in the main bar. Reservations are being taken starting in December.

Grey Market (East Capitol)

Grey Market has opened in the former Dark Horse Art Bar at 756 E. Washington Ave. The 45-seat bar hopes to lure visitors and residents in the growing East Capitol neighborhood with oysters and seafood-centric dishes.