40 mid-range places in Madison, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Madison, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Madison food.
The Old Fashioned ★ 4.8
capitol-square · 23 N Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
The Old Fashioned on North Pinckney, the Wisconsin canon codified into a tavern menu since 2005, runs cheese curds, fish fry and brandy Old Fashioneds.
Tip: Walk-in is reliable any night except Friday; book through OpenTable for Friday fish fry to skip the long wait.
Salvatore's Tomato Pies ★ 4.8
capitol-square · 10 N Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Monday; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday with $5 off 10-inch pies.
Ahan ★ 4.8
williamson-street · 744 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
Ahan on Williamson Street, the Brown-Soukaseume family's Asian-inspired room, brings Laotian and Southeast-Asian dishes to the Willy Street corridor.
Tip: Reservations via the operator's site; takeout runs faster than dine-in at peak weekend hours.
Just Coffee Cooperative ★ 4.8
3701 Orin Rd, Madison, WI 53704
Just Coffee Cooperative on Orin Road, the Madison worker-owned roaster since 2001, sources fair-trade certified organic beans with wholesale supply statewide.
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry ★ 4.7
state-street · 317 N Frances St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the front bar gets loud on football and basketball game days.
Wonderstate Coffee ★ 4.7
27 W Main St, Madison, WI 53703
Wonderstate Coffee on West Main, the Capitol Square cafe of the Viroqua-roasted specialty coffee company founded in 2005, runs pour-over and espresso menus.
Greenbush Bakery late-night donuts ★ 4.7
1402 Regent St, Madison, WI 53715
Greenbush Bakery late-night donuts in Madison: bakery room. The Regent Street kosher dairy bakery runs almost 18 hours daily, with hot donuts from the fryer.
Tip: Walk in before midnight on a Saturday for the freshest donuts; the case rotates as the night staff fries them.
Buraka ★ 4.6
williamson-street · 1210 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Lunch combos turn the room faster than dinner; spice level can be requested mild to hot.
Barriques Coffee Roasters ★ 4.6
1825 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711
Barriques Coffee Roasters on Monroe Street, the Madison cafe and roaster across multiple city locations, runs house-roasted beans with a wine and bites menu.
Working Draft Beer Company ★ 4.6
1129 E Wilson St, Madison, WI 53703
Working Draft Beer Company on East Wilson, the east-isthmus craft brewery from 2018, runs modern lagers, IPAs and a serious mixed-fermentation program.
Greenbush Bakery ★ 4.6
1402 Regent St, Madison, WI 53715
Greenbush Bakery on Regent Street, the only certified kosher dairy bakery in Madison since 1998, sells donuts and pastries until 23:00 most nights.
Tornado Steak House Wisconsin Old Fashioned ★ 4.6
116 S Hamilton St, Madison, WI 53703
Tornado Steak House on South Hamilton in Madison opens its bar at 17:00 and pours a Wisconsin brandy Old Fashioned locals consider the city's standard.
Tip: Bar opens at 17:00; reserve a 20:00 table on OpenTable and arrive an hour early to sit at the bar for the cocktail.
Marigold Kitchen ★ 4.5
capitol-square · 118 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
Marigold Kitchen on South Pinckney off Capitol Square has run Madison's daytime breakfast-lunch-brunch flagship since 2001 with house-made pastry.
Tip: Weekday mornings turn over faster than weekend brunch; Sunday lines stretch past 09:30.
Lucille ★ 4.5
capitol-square · 101 King St, Madison, WI 53703
Lucille on King Street, in a historic bank on Capitol Square, runs wood-fired pizza, a Wisco-Detroit cheddar pan pizza and Pan-Latin small plates.
Tip: Late-night menu runs 22:00-01:00 Friday and Saturday; 14:00-17:00 happy hour daily.
Ahan ★ 4.5
williamson-street · 744 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
Ahan on Williamson Street, the Brown-Soukaseume family's Asian-inspired room, brings Laotian and Southeast-Asian dishes to the Willy Street corridor.
Tip: Reservations via the operator's site; takeout runs faster than dine-in at peak weekend hours.
Monty's Blue Plate Diner ★ 4.5
atwood · 2089 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704
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.
Tip: All-day breakfast and bakery menu run side by side; weekend mornings are the busiest.
Settle Down Tavern ★ 4.5
capitol-square · 117 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; weeknight 16:00 happy hour is reliably the easiest seat.
Colectivo Coffee ★ 4.5
2530 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711
Colectivo Coffee on Monroe Street, the Milwaukee specialty coffee roaster's Madison location since 2015, runs filter and espresso from house-roasted beans.
Karben4 Brewing ★ 4.5
3698 Kinsman Blvd, Madison, WI 53704
Karben4 Brewing on Kinsman, the east-side Madison craft brewery and taproom since 2012, runs balanced flagship IPAs and a kitchen with bar food.
Ian's Pizza by the Slice ★ 4.5
100 State St, Madison, WI 53703
Ian's Pizza on State Street, Madison's late-night slice counter founded on Frances Street in 2001, sells mac-and-cheese pizza and slices until 03:30 weekends.
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 since 2009, sells a single dish of pelmeni with butter and sour cream.
The Coopers Tavern ★ 4.5
20 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703
The Coopers Tavern on West Mifflin off Capitol Square, the craft-beer-and-Wisconsin-pub flagship, runs a kitchen until 23:00 on Fri-Sat with a fish fry.
Curd Girl food truck ★ 4.5
210 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706
Curd Girl food truck is the madison cheese-curd food truck rotates locations daily; the website map is the only way to catch them in person.
Tip: Check the Curd Girl Instagram on the morning of and time your lunch around the cart's stop near State Street.
Old Sugar Distillery ★ 4.5
931 E Main St, Madison, WI 53703
Old Sugar Distillery is the east-isthmus madison craft distillery and tasting room from 2010 makes brandy, rum and bitters on east main street in marquette.
Tip: Thursday through Saturday tasting hours; order an Old Sugar Honey Liqueur cocktail flight in the small bar before buying retail.
Settle Down Tavern brandy Old Fashioned ★ 4.5
117 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
Settle Down Tavern on South Pinckney in Madison runs the city's most considered brandy Old Fashioned two blocks off Capitol Square, supper club homage.
Tip: Sit at the bar instead of the dining room; the owners built the place as a supper club homage with a serious bar program.
Madison Sourdough Saturday brunch ★ 4.5
916 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
Madison Sourdough on Williamson Street sets up a small Saturday egg-on-toast and laminated-pastry brunch counter most Madison residents don't realize exists.
Tip: Saturday mornings only; arrive by 09:00 for the kouign-amann before the line wraps past the bread counter.
Mickey's Tavern pinball room ★ 4.5
1524 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
Mickey's Tavern pinball room (Burgers) in Madison: Arrive before 21:00 on a weekend to claim a pinball table; cash bar tips appreciated for the bartender.
Tip: Arrive before 21:00 on a weekend to claim a pinball table; cash bar tips appreciated for the bartender.
Paul's Pel'meni after midnight ★ 4.5
414 W Gilman St, Madison, WI 53703
Paul's Pel'meni on State Street in Madison is the late-night Russian dumpling counter selling a single menu item until 02:00, the city's defining 1am snack.
Tip: Mix beef and potato pelmeni in one order; curry powder, butter and sour cream are non-negotiable toppings.
Marigold Kitchen ★ 4.5
118 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
Marigold Kitchen on South Pinckney off Capitol Square, the daytime breakfast-and-brunch flagship since 2001, runs an open kitchen and a fresh pastry case.
Madison Sourdough Saturday brunch ★ 4.5
916 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
Madison Sourdough on Williamson Street, the from-scratch bakery since 2005, runs a small Saturday brunch counter alongside the laminated pastry case.
Heritage Tavern brunch ★ 4.5
131 E Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703
Heritage Tavern on East Mifflin off Capitol Square, Dan Fox's farm-to-table dining room since 2013, runs a weekend brunch with seasonal Wisconsin-farm plates.
The Old Fashioned weekend brunch ★ 4.5
23 N Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
The Old Fashioned on North Pinckney, the Wisconsin-tavern flagship on Capitol Square, runs a weekend brunch with cheese curds, hash and breakfast plates.
The Coopers Tavern ★ 4.4
capitol-square · 20 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703
The Coopers Tavern on West Mifflin, Food Fight's eleventh restaurant since 2010, sits at the top of State Street with 28 taps a block off Capitol Square.
Tip: The 28 taps focus on Local and Belgian brews; Saturday and Sunday brunch runs 10:00-14:30.
Settle Down Tavern ★ 4.4
capitol-square · 117 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; weeknight 16:00 happy hour is reliably the easiest seat.
Salvatore's Tomato Pies ★ 4.4
capitol-square · 10 N Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Free covered parking on Livingston between East Washington and East Mifflin; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday.
Buraka ★ 4.4
williamson-street · 1210 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Lunch combos turn the room faster than dinner; the spice level can be requested mild to hot.
Bassett Street Brunch Club ★ 4.4
capitol-square · 444 W Johnson St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Reservations on Tock; validated parking at the Hampton Inn ground floor location.
Tipsy Cow ★ 4.4
capitol-square · 102 King St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the bar runs faster than the dining room midweek.
Bradbury's Coffee ★ 4.4
127 N Hamilton St, Madison, WI 53703
Bradbury's Coffee on North Hamilton, the Capitol Square corner cafe known for crepes and espresso, runs a tight specialty coffee menu with pour-over options.
Capital Brewery ★ 4.4
7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton, WI 53562
Capital Brewery on Terrace Avenue in Middleton, the Madison-area German-lager brewery since 1986, runs the Bier Garten and a flagship Wisconsin Amber lager.