Banzo is a mediterranean and israeli restaurant in Atwood, Madison.
Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.
Signature dishes: Falafel sandwich, Hummus plate
Must order: A falafel sandwich with hummus on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the food-cart history shows in the quick counter turnover at lunch.
Address: 2105 Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704
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.
Signature: Doro wat, Vegetarian combination platter
Order: A doro wat platter or the vegetarian combination served with injera.
Tip: Lunch combos turn the room faster than dinner; spice level can be requested mild to hot.
Ahan on Williamson Street, the Brown-Soukaseume family's Asian-inspired room, brings Laotian and Southeast-Asian dishes to the Willy Street corridor.
Signature: Laotian curry, Spring rolls
Order: A Laotian curry preparation plus the spring rolls and a rotating special.
Tip: Reservations via the operator's site; takeout runs faster than dine-in at peak weekend hours.
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.
Signature: Gyros, Greek salad
Order: A house-made gyro plate with a Greek salad on the side.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 03:00 daily; the rooftop patio fills first on summer evenings.
Mediterranean Cafe on State Street, the family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern counter near campus, serves couscous, falafel plates and kebabs to a student crowd.
Signature: Couscous, Falafel plate
Order: A couscous stew or falafel plate with Arabic tea.
Tip: Counter ordering keeps the line moving fast; lunch hours are calmer than the late-afternoon student rush.
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.
Signature: Potato pel'meni, Beef pel'meni
Order: A bowl of potato or ground beef pel'meni with butter, sour cream and curry powder on top.
Tip: Open until 23:00 weeknights and 01:00 on weekends; the late-night student traffic peaks after 22:00.
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.
Signature: Belgian frites, Moules
Order: Belgian frites with house mayo and a steam pot of moules.
Tip: Open 08:00 to midnight daily; the outdoor patio fills first on summer evenings.
