Bistros, trattorias and the everyday places where Madison actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Madison actually eats.
21 places
Order A Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
Salvatore's Tomato Pies on North Livingston, the Madison branch of the Sun Prairie Trenton-style pizzeria, runs tomato pies with sauce on top of the cheese.
Order A signature scone with a coffee, or the weekend brunch breakfast burrito.
Lazy Jane's Cafe on Williamson Street, the Marquette breakfast and bakery since 1998, runs scratch scones and brunch on the Willy Street corridor citywide.
Order A blue-plate meatloaf or hot turkey plate with one of the house-baked pies for dessert.
Monty's Blue Plate Diner on Atwood, the Schenk-Atwood Food Fight diner, runs all-day breakfast, blue-plate specials and house-baked pies in a retro room.
Order Whatever the brunch plate of the day is, plus a bottomless coffee or a brunch cocktail.
Bassett Street Brunch Club on West Johnson, the Food Fight group's downtown brunch flagship between campus and the Capitol, runs all-day brunch and cocktails.
Order A Melting Pot burger with hand-cut onion rings on the side.
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry on North Frances, downtown Madison's burger institution founded by Jeff Stanley, runs a long burger menu with cheese-curd toppings.
Order A Wisconsin butter burger with fried cheese curds on the side.
Tipsy Cow on King Street, just off Capitol Square, runs an American burger menu with Wisconsin cheese curds, craft beer and a long whisky and cocktail list.
Order The Spicy Sicilian specialty pizza or a slice of a daily-changing house creation.
Glass Nickel Pizza on Atwood Avenue, the operator's original Madison east-side location, runs specialty pies and by-the-slice on the Schenk-Atwood spine.
Order A slice of the mac and cheese pizza and the daily experimental slice.
Ian's Pizza on State Street, the Madison pizza-by-the-slice operator at the foot of State Street, runs the famed mac and cheese pizza late into the night.
Order The Scrambler scrambled egg plate or a stack of buttermilk pancakes.
Mickies Dairy Bar on Monroe Street, in business at the same address since 1946, is a classic Madison breakfast diner across from Camp Randall Stadium.
Order The Plazaburger with the secret sauce and a side of fried cheese curds.
The Plaza Tavern on North Henry, a block off State Street between the Capitol and UW Madison, is home to the secret-sauce Plazaburger since 1964.
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Order An Austin-style taco plate with house-made horchata.
Tex Tubb's Taco Palace on Atwood, Kevin Tubb's Austin-style taqueria since 2006, runs tacos and burritos plus house-made limeade and horchata east side.
Order A falafel sandwich with hummus on the side.
Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.
Order A doro wat platter or the vegetarian combination served with injera.
Buraka on Williamson Street, Madison's Ethiopian flagship since 2000 on State Street, serves wat stews and injera at its Willy Street home since 2016.
Order A Laotian curry preparation plus the spring rolls and a rotating special.
Ahan on Williamson Street, the Brown-Soukaseume family's Asian-inspired room, brings Laotian and Southeast-Asian dishes to the Willy Street corridor.
Order A house-made gyro plate with a Greek salad on the side.
Parthenon Gyros on State Street, Wisconsin's first gyro restaurant since 1972, serves house-made gyros and Greek plates with a rooftop patio for outdoors.
Order A couscous stew or falafel plate with Arabic tea.
Mediterranean Cafe on State Street, the family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern counter near campus, serves couscous, falafel and kebabs to students.
Order A bowl of potato or ground beef pel'meni with butter, sour cream and curry powder on top.
Paul's Pel'meni on West Gilman just off State Street, near campus, serves Russian dumplings in a counter-service room with two choices: potato or ground beef.
Order Belgian frites with house mayo and a steam pot of moules.
Cafe Hollander at Hilldale on the west side, the Lowlands grand-cafe inspired by the Benelux region, runs an extensive Belgian beer list, frites and moules.
Order A Cantonese seafood preparation or Mongolian beef with a hot tea.
Imperial Garden on Allen Boulevard in Middleton, the long-running Chinese restaurant since 1984, serves the area's voted-best Cantonese and Mongolian menu.
Order A New York-style sesame bagel with lox and cream cheese.
Bagels Forever on University Avenue, the long-running Madison west-side bagel bakery, hand-rolls New York-style bagels with lox and cream cheese daily.
Order The Settle Down burger plus one of the rotating Old Fashioned variations.
Settle Down Tavern on South Pinckney, in the First Settlement District a block off Capitol Square, runs a tight tavern menu and a strong cocktail program.
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