34 cheap eats places in Madison, editor-picked. The best low-budget spots in Madison: the places editors actually return to. All Madison food.

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The cheap eats list

34 places

Wonderstate Coffee

Drink Pour-over of the Viroqua-roasted single origin

Wonderstate Coffee on West Main, the Capitol Square cafe of the Viroqua-roasted specialty company since 2005, serves pour-over and espresso menus daily.

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Lazy Jane's Cafe

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.

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Madison Sourdough

Order MSCo Baguette

Madison Sourdough on Williamson Street, the from-scratch bakery and patisserie since 2005, hand-shapes naturally leavened breads with Wisconsin-grown grain.

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Marigold Kitchen

Drink Pour-over coffee with a daily pastry

Marigold Kitchen on South Pinckney off Capitol Square, the daytime breakfast flagship since 2001, serves espresso and pastries with scratch breakfasts.

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Mickies Dairy Bar

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.

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Banzo

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.

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Greenbush Bakery

Order Sour cream old-fashioned donut

Greenbush Bakery on Regent Street, the city's only certified kosher dairy bakery since 1998, sells over 50 daily donut varieties near Camp Randall Stadium.

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Bradbury's Coffee

Drink Espresso with a savory or sweet crepe

Bradbury's Coffee on North Hamilton off Capitol Square, the corner cafe famous for crepes and espresso, runs a tight specialty coffee menu and pour-overs.

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Curd Girl

Try Beer-battered Wisconsin cheese curds

Curd Girl, the city's defining cheese-curd food truck, fries Wisconsin curds in beer batter, rotating Library Mall, farmers markets and breweries.

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Ian's Pizza by the Slice

Try Mac and cheese pizza by the slice

Ian's Pizza on State Street, the State Street outpost of Madison's late-night slice institution founded on Frances Street in 2001, sells mac-and-cheese pizza.

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Where to stay in Madison

A sample of Madison hotels from our booking partner, who list 430 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.

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Batch Bakehouse

Order Morning bun

Batch Bakehouse on Williamson Street, opened in 2009 in a converted Trachte building and at the corner since 2013, runs predawn scratch breads and pastry.

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Bloom Bake Shop

Order Vegan and gluten-free cake doughnut

Bloom Bake Shop on Monroe Street, the women-owned bakery and cafe that moved from Middleton, runs scratch breads with strong vegan and gluten-free programs.

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ORIGIN Breads

Order Country sourdough loaf

ORIGIN Breads on East Main, the Marquette-neighborhood bakery using regionally grown stone-milled organic grain, hand-makes long-fermented sourdough breads.

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Lakeside St Coffee House

Drink Espresso and breakfast sandwiches with a Lake Monona view

Lakeside St Coffee House on West Lakeside, the south-side cafe overlooking Lake Monona, runs breakfast sandwiches, local coffee and partner pastries.

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Buraka

Try Vegetarian Ethiopian sampler with injera

Buraka on Williamson Street, the Madison Ethiopian kitchen since opening on State Street in 2000, runs vegetarian and meat tibs samplers with injera.

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Paul's Pel'meni

Try Russian pelmeni with butter, curry and sour cream

Paul's Pel'meni on West Gilman, the late-night Russian dumpling counter near campus, sells a single dish of pelmeni with butter, curry powder and sour cream.

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Ian's Pizza

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.

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Cafe Domestique

Drink Intelligentsia espresso with a Batch Bakehouse pastry

Cafe Domestique on Williamson Street, the bicycle-themed Marquette cafe, serves Intelligentsia espresso drinks with Batch Bakehouse pastries from next door.

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Slide

Try Madison-roasted brisket sliders

Slide, the Library Mall lunch slider truck since 2011, slow-roasts brisket and pork for sliders on Wisconsin pretzel buns at the downtown food cart strip.

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Indie Coffee

Drink Pour-over coffee with brunch eggs

Indie Coffee on Regent Street, the Vilas-neighborhood cafe near Camp Randall Stadium, serves specialty espresso and pour-over alongside a daily brunch menu.

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The Plaza Tavern

Try Plazaburger with fries

The Plaza Tavern on North Henry, the State Street campus bar since 1930, runs the legendary Plazaburger and cheap beer pitchers in a student-friendly room.

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Dotty Dumpling's Dowry

Try Melting Pot burger with onion rings

Dotty Dumpling's Dowry on North Frances, downtown Madison's burger institution, runs cheese-curd-topped burgers and hand-cut onion rings under $15 at lunch.

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Parthenon Gyros

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.

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Bagels Forever

Order Sesame bagel with lox

Bagels Forever on University Avenue, the long-running west-side Madison bagel bakery, hand-rolls and boils New York-style bagels and supplies cafes citywide.

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Ancora Coffee

Drink House-roasted espresso and drip

Ancora Coffee on King Street, the Madison craft roaster and cafe with several locations since 1994, serves house-roasted espresso, drip and pastries.

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Glass Nickel Pizza Co.

Try Specialty pizza by the slice or pie

Glass Nickel Pizza on Atwood, the east-side specialty pizza chain founded in 1998, runs creative pies and weekday slices at student-budget prices in Madison.

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State Street Brats

Try Red brat with a side of cheese curds

State Street Brats on State Street, the campus bar since 1953, sells red and white Wisconsin brats with cheese curds and Spotted Cow taps for game-day crowds.

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Barriques Cafe

Drink House espresso with a Wisconsin cheese plate

Barriques on South Park, the long-running Madison cafe-and-wine-bar from 1998, serves house-roasted espresso, sandwiches and pastries on a daytime menu.

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Michelangelo's Coffee House

Drink House espresso and house-baked muffins

Michelangelo's Coffee House on State Street, the long-running independent campus-and-Capitol cafe, serves espresso and house-baked goods to a study crowd.

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Swagat

Try Indian chaat, samosas and biryanis

Swagat on North High Point Road, the west-side Madison Indian restaurant, runs a long menu of chaat, samosas, curries and biryanis with a lunch buffet.

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