The restaurants worth a reservation in Madison, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Madison: bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
23 places
Order The Heritage burger, plus whichever Wisconsin-farm preparation the kitchen is leading the menu with that week.
Heritage Tavern on East Mifflin, chef Dan Fox's farm-to-table dining room one block off Capitol Square, has anchored Madison's new-American tier since 2013.
Order Whatever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day plus a wood-fired pie from the brick oven.
Cento on West Mifflin, the Food Fight group's downtown Italian under chef Michael Pruett, runs handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in an open kitchen.
Order A wood-fired veal preparation, plus an order of the house-made pasta to start.
Lombardino's on University Avenue, the west-side Italian dining room reborn under Michael Banas in 2000, serves classics in a mural-painted room.
Order A bone-in ribeye and a brandy Old Fashioned at the bar before sitting.
Tornado Steak House on South Hamilton, a block off Capitol Square, runs Madison's traditional supper club tier with steaks and the weekly Friday fish fry.
Order Fried Wisconsin cheese curds with a brandy Old Fashioned, plus the Friday fish fry if it's a Friday.
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.
Order A Wisconsin beer flight off the rotating taps plus a Belgian-leaning charcuterie board.
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.
Order The Settle Down burger and one of the rotating Old Fashioned variations on the cocktail menu.
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.
Order A breakfast hash with the house pastry of the day and an espresso drink.
Marigold Kitchen on South Pinckney off Capitol Square has run Madison's daytime breakfast-lunch-brunch flagship since 2001 with house-made pastry.
Order Steak frites or moules-frites with a glass of the house white.
Sardine on Williamson Street, the French bistro inside the historic Machinery Row building on Lake Monona, runs steak frites and moules-frites lakeside.
Order A wood-fired pie or the Wisco-Detroit cheddar-crusted pan pizza, plus a Pan-Latin small plate.
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.
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Order A Laotian curry preparation, plus the spring rolls and a rotating special.
Ahan on Williamson Street, the Brown-Soukaseume family's Asian-inspired room, brings Laotian and Southeast-Asian dishes to the Willy Street corridor.
Order A Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
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.
Order A Wisconsin butter burger with cheese curds on the side.
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.
Order The Plazaburger with the secret sauce, plus a side of fried cheese curds.
The Plaza Tavern on North Henry, a block off State Street between the Capitol and UW Madison, is home to the secret-sauce Plazaburger since 1964.
Order A doro wat platter or the vegetarian combination served with injera.
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.
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.
Order Whichever Wisconsin-farm small plate the kitchen is featuring that week.
Mint Mark on East Washington Avenue, a produce-forward small-plates dining room with an open kitchen, runs Wisconsin farm ingredients with strong cocktails.
Order An Austin-style taco plate with house-made horchata.
Tex Tubb's Taco Palace on Atwood Avenue, Kevin Tubb's Austin-style taqueria since 2006, serves tacos and burritos plus house-made limeade and horchata.
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, runs a classic Madison breakfast diner across from Camp Randall Stadium.
Order A slice of the mac and cheese pizza and whichever weekly experimental slice the kitchen is testing.
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.
Order Whichever Wisconsin-farm prepared meal is featured on the daily deli menu.
Pasture and Plenty on University Avenue, the farm-to-table meal-kit and deli on Madison's west side, runs plant-based and pasture-raised dishes since 2017.
Order The Friday fish fry plate with the brandy Old Fashioned at Keglers Sports Bar.
Schwoegler's Park Towne Lanes on Grand Canyon Drive, the Madison bowling-and-supper-club institution since 1919, runs a fish fry and a sports bar restaurant.
Order The Spicy Sicilian specialty pizza, or a slice of a daily-changing house creation.
Glass Nickel Pizza on Atwood Avenue, the operator's original Madison east-side location since 2002, runs specialty pies and by-the-slice on Schenk-Atwood.
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