Cheap Eats in Madison

Wonderstate Coffee ★ 4.8

27 W Main St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Lazy Jane's Cafe ★ 4.7

williamson-street · 1358 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Tip: Brunch only on weekends; weekday cafe runs 07:00-14:00 Monday through Friday.

Madison Sourdough ★ 4.7

916 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Marigold Kitchen ★ 4.7

118 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Mickies Dairy Bar ★ 4.6

monroe-street · 1511 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711

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.

Tip: Cash only with an ATM inside; closed Monday and Tuesday; the lines stretch on football Saturdays.

Banzo ★ 4.6

atwood · 2105 Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704

Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.

Tip: Closed Sundays; the food-cart history shows in the quick counter turnover at lunch.

Greenbush Bakery ★ 4.6

1402 Regent St, Madison, WI 53715

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.

Bradbury's Coffee ★ 4.6

127 N Hamilton St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Curd Girl ★ 4.6

210 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706

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

Ian's Pizza by the Slice ★ 4.6

100 State St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Batch Bakehouse ★ 4.5

1402 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Bloom Bake Shop ★ 4.5

1851 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711

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.

ORIGIN Breads ★ 4.5

931 E Main St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Lakeside St Coffee House ★ 4.5

402 W Lakeside St, Madison, WI 53715

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

Ian's Pizza by the Slice ★ 4.5

100 State St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Buraka ★ 4.5

1210 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Paul's Pel'meni ★ 4.5

414 W Gilman St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Banzo ★ 4.4

atwood · 2105 Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704

Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.

Tip: Closed Sundays; the food cart history shows in the quick lunch turnover at the counter.

Mickies Dairy Bar ★ 4.4

monroe-street · 1511 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711

Mickies Dairy Bar on Monroe Street, in business at the same address since 1946, runs a classic Madison breakfast diner across from Camp Randall Stadium.

Tip: Cash only with an ATM inside; closed Monday and Tuesday and the lines stretch on football Saturdays.

Ian's Pizza ★ 4.4

state-street · 100 State St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Tip: Friday and Saturday night runs until 02:00; the State Street slice line at the window moves quickly.

Lazy Jane's Cafe and Bakery ★ 4.4

1358 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

Lazy Jane's Cafe and Bakery on Williamson Street, the Marquette neighborhood breakfast and bakery since 1998, runs scratch scones and pastry alongside brunch.

Clasen's European Bakery ★ 4.4

7610 Donna Dr, Middleton, WI 53562

Clasen's European Bakery on Donna Drive in Middleton, the family-run European-style bakery serving Madison, bakes kringle, tortes and laminated pastry.

Marigold Kitchen ★ 4.4

118 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703

Marigold Kitchen on South Pinckney off Capitol Square, the daytime breakfast-lunch-brunch flagship since 2001, runs a fresh-baked pastry case alongside meals.

Cafe Domestique ★ 4.4

1408 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Banzo ★ 4.4

2105 Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704

Banzo on Sherman Avenue, the falafel cart turned brick-and-mortar Israeli kitchen, runs Capitol Square Saturdays as a Dane County Farmers' Market staple.

Slide ★ 4.4

210 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706

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.

Mickies Dairy Bar ★ 4.4

1511 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711

Mickies Dairy Bar on Monroe Street, the campus-side diner since 1946 across from Camp Randall, runs Wisconsin diner breakfasts and the legendary Scrambler.

Banzo ★ 4.4

2105 Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704

Banzo on Sherman Avenue, the falafel cart turned brick-and-mortar Israeli kitchen, runs fresh falafel sandwiches, hummus bowls and shakshuka brunch.

Ian's Pizza ★ 4.3

state-street · 100 State St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Tip: Friday and Saturday night runs late, until 02:00; the State Street slice line moves quickly at the window.

Indie Coffee ★ 4.3

1225 Regent St, Madison, WI 53715

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

The Plaza Tavern ★ 4.3

319 N Henry St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Dotty Dumpling's Dowry ★ 4.3

317 N Frances St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Parthenon Gyros ★ 4.2

state-street · 316 State St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Tip: Open 11:00-03:00 daily; the rooftop patio fills first on summer evenings.

Paul's Pel'meni ★ 4.2

state-street · 414 W Gilman St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Tip: Open until 23:00 weeknights and 01:00 on weekends; the late-night student traffic peaks after 22:00.

Bagels Forever ★ 4.2

2947 University Ave, Madison, WI 53705

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.

Ancora Coffee ★ 4.2

112 King St, Madison, WI 53703

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

Glass Nickel Pizza Co. ★ 4.2

2916 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704

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.

State Street Brats ★ 4.2

603 State St, Madison, WI 53703

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.

Mediterranean Cafe ★ 4.1

state-street · 625 State St, Madison, WI 53703

Mediterranean Cafe on State Street, the family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern counter near campus, serves couscous, falafel and kebabs to students.

Tip: Counter ordering keeps the line moving fast; lunch hours are calmer than the late-afternoon student rush.

Barriques Cafe ★ 4.1

961 S Park St, Madison, WI 53715

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.