Italian pizza$$capitol-square
Salvatore's Tomato Pies on North Livingston, the Madison branch of the Sun Prairie Trenton-style pizzeria, runs tomato pies with sauce on top of the cheese.
Signature: Trenton-style tomato pie, Scratch pasta
Order: A Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
Tip: Free covered parking on Livingston between East Washington and East Mifflin; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday.
Burgers$$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, Cheese curds
Order: A Wisconsin butter burger with cheese curds on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; weeknight 11:00-22:00 hours run quieter than weekends.
Tavern burgers$$state-street
The Plaza Tavern on North Henry, a block off State Street between the Capitol and UW Madison, is home to the secret-sauce Plazaburger since 1964.
Signature: Plazaburger
Order: The Plazaburger with the secret sauce, plus a side of fried cheese curds.
Tip: Closed Sundays; small-town tavern feel makes the dinner shift the right window.
Ethiopian$$williamson-street
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.
Signature: Doro wat, Vegetarian combination platter
Order: A doro wat platter or the vegetarian combination served with injera.
Tip: Lunch combos turn the room faster than dinner; the spice level can be requested mild to hot.
Mediterranean and Israeli$atwood
Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.
Signature: Falafel, Hummus
Order: A falafel sandwich with hummus on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the food cart history shows in the quick lunch turnover at the counter.
New American$$$atwood
Mint Mark on East Washington Avenue, a produce-forward small-plates dining room with an open kitchen, runs Wisconsin farm ingredients with strong cocktails.
Signature: Wisconsin produce-driven small plates, Cocktails
Order: Whichever Wisconsin-farm small plate the kitchen is featuring that week.
Tip: Dinner runs daily from 16:30; Saturday and Sunday brunch from 09:30 to 14:00 is reservable in advance on the operator's site.