Brunch$$capitol-square
Bassett Street Brunch Club on West Johnson, the Food Fight group's downtown brunch flagship between campus and the Capitol, runs all-day brunch and cocktails.
Signature: Brunch plates, Cocktails
Order: Whatever the brunch plate of the day is, plus a bottomless coffee or a brunch cocktail.
Tip: Reservations on Tock; validated parking at the Hampton Inn ground floor location.
Burgers$$state-street
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.
Signature: Melting Pot burger, Onion rings
Order: A Melting Pot burger with hand-cut onion rings on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the front bar gets loud on football and basketball game days.
Burgers$$capitol-square
Tipsy Cow on King Street, just off Capitol Square, runs an American burger menu with Wisconsin cheese curds, craft beer and a long whisky and cocktail list.
Signature: Wisconsin butter burger, Fried cheese curds
Order: A Wisconsin butter burger with fried cheese curds on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the bar runs faster than the dining room midweek.
Pizza$$atwood
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.
Signature: Specialty pizza, Pizza by the slice
Order: The Spicy Sicilian specialty pizza or a slice of a daily-changing house creation.
Tip: Closed Wednesday and Thursday at the Atwood location; Friday and Saturday run until midnight.
Pizza by the slice$state-street
Ian's Pizza on State Street, the Madison pizza-by-the-slice operator at the foot of State Street, runs the famed mac and cheese pizza late into the night.
Signature: Mac and cheese pizza, Pizza slices
Order: A slice of the mac and cheese pizza and the daily experimental slice.
Tip: Friday and Saturday night runs until 02:00; the State Street slice line at the window moves quickly.
Diner$monroe-street
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.
Signature: Scrambler, Buttermilk pancakes
Order: The Scrambler scrambled egg plate or a stack of buttermilk pancakes.
Tip: Cash only with an ATM inside; closed Monday and Tuesday; the lines stretch on football Saturdays.