We absolutely loved the immersive experience at Nook! The shared dining experience was social but i…read morewas still able to have conversation with the person I came with. We could tell a lot of thought went into the design and flow of the evening. Every dish was beautifully presented, flavorful, and full of creative twists on classic favorites. Like the strawberry tomato soup and the corn blueberry ice cream. The bison and other meat dishes were perfectly done and high quality. t's clear that the chefs take pride in crafting dishes that are both inventive and approachable, with local ingredients. I was also happy to find out they'll box up any courses you can't finish, which is great if you want to plan ahead for what to eat and what to take home. Already hoping I can get a reservation to go back.

I have been WAITING to come here and I was not disappointed. Honestly, if you want to try Nook (and…read moreyou should if you can) I would go in with no expectations and just experience it -- meaning stop reading this review after the first paragraph because it might give some spoilers. To start, reservations. They open a few months in advance at midnight on the first of the month... sucks for anyone not usually up at midnight but worth it. I locked in my reservation date at 12:03am, a coworker was also trying to get a reservation for the same month and it was sold out by 12:06am when he tried. So, know your date ahead of time, click refresh constantly starting at 11:59pm, and Godspeed! Now to my experience. I'm not usually wild about the 12course restaurants you see in Chicago or New York. The space is uppity, the people are obnoxious, and the food is... usually just fine. This is truly a Madison and a Wisconsin spin on that pretentious kind of environment, and it is so down to earth. It's a personal experience with the chef and staff that you can't get in the big city. They explain each meal and often would tell you where the ingredients came from nearby... sometimes the chef's backyard. There is one seating per night at 6:30pm and everyone is sitting together. The plates are served individually to each person, and technically there are six 2-person tables assembled together about 3-4 inches from one another to make a sort of single long table. I'd sort of been picturing one single long table, but this worked just fine. My party of 2 was near the middle, so it was fun to be able to have some inclusion on conversations on both side of the table.  And the food. Wow. Continuing the Wisconsin spin on a 12 course (this being 13 course) meal, these are not tiny plates. While each one is not a solo big meal, they are larger than I expected and I was legitimately full after course #4. And we hadn't even gotten to the "mains" at that point! They do box parts of the meal up for you if it's conducive to leftovers. That gave me dinner the next night as well. So pace yourself, and if it's something that would function as leftovers, try it and move on. I did the wine pairing with it, and they were also generous pours (9 of them) -- consider an Uber. I'm not a wine-o, but I figured when in Rome.... go all out. The wines actually did complement each meal really well.  This is a unique experience of fine dining you WILL not get at the fancy restaurants. If you are a foodie, this is a must. It's super low key, come as you are. We had people at our table in hooded sweatshirts and people in nice dresses as if they were ready for the symphony. All were welcome and nobody was judged. The chef is hilarious, the staff is so much fun and I was laughing constantly. They are truly part of the experience almost as much as the food itself. If this in in your budget, it is worth the stress of getting a reservation. Bravo. Oh, and if it's not obvious -- yes, the food is incredible.

Great service and very accommodating! The happy hour is perfect and so many options. I highly…read morerecommend the cheese curds of course. I love the vibes of the hotel and the restaurant. Outdoor seating is available too. The French 75 is so refreshing and not overly sweet even though it has rhubarb and strawberry. Highly recommend

The cheese curds here were amazing. Lightly fried, great sauced and not too heavy. Our dinner…read moreentrees were all great, too. Don't sleep on the specials! Our waiter Pablo was so sweet. Great experience all around, highly recommend. And they validate your parking!

So the two stars are for excellent full service at the bar and one rather good appetizer…read more Everything else gets a zero their "Ancho margarita stereo" with ancho chili liqueur suggests a spicy margarita. It is not. It is rock candy flavored with agave. It was sweeter than my wife's rail Margarita on the rocks with salt. Their French onion soup is arguably the worst I've ever had. Flavorless. Slightly warmer than room temperature and the cheese was barely melted yet alone browned. Their appetizer of pork belly Fundido was the best option of the evening. Flavorful delicious and filling it was fantastic. However, the $40 pork chop entrée was unpalatable. Describe as a pork chop topped with a strawberry barbecue sauce. The sauce had no strawberry flavor. The pork chop can hardly be described as a grilled pork chop and is better described as a salt brine soaked Virginia ham warmed topped with watered down sweet baby rays barbecue sauce. Honestly. You could take this cut of meat, put it in a wooden box in the woods and use it as a salt lick stand during deer season. It was disgusting as much as it was dehydrating. The accompanying mac and cheese was basically Kraft dinner topped with panko. The highlight was the summer squash and that's saying a lot as it was nothing special and for crying out loud-it's squash. My wife and I could not stomach finishing more than half the entree between us and left. I repeat. The servers at the bar were great. But nearly everything brought in front of us disappointed.

This is a nice supper club that is away from downtown and has parking. We were sat in their main…read moredining room but apparently theirs an upstairs I don't know if that is for parties or the public though and then the have a large bar area. The area is very moody lighting and even has small lamps on each table. Our server and staff were great and everything came out timely. We got an old fashioned and a sangria. The sangria is strong but you won't know it until you stand up. We started with the cheese puppies and they had a fantastic pull to them. Some of the best version of cheese curds I've had in a while. My husband and I both had salads and the bowl was too small for the salad but it was a decent salad I do wish the cheese was sprinkled on top as it ended up going to the bottom of the bowl. For an entree I had steak frites. Fries were solid and the cooking of the steak was good with the charcoal but it didn't have much flavor. The chard on the side was also good considering I've never had it. For dessert we had the valentine special chocolate cake and again it was good but nothing super special. We didn't stick around the bar too long but enough to get a winning pull tab. I would come back for the bar tenders they seemed chill.

We went here to celebrate our anniversary. The servers were amazing and they promptly seated up (we…read morehad a reservation). The setup is perfect for a special dinner with upscale type dining experience, but not quite extravagant style fine dining. The food selection on the menu was good. The quantity and quality of food served was top notch.

Otto's was such a wonderful experience! Almost seems like a supper club with a Mediterranean twist!…read more We were searching for a change from the typical downtown scene, and this was exactly what we were looking for. The restaurant is very unassuming but we are so happy we visited! We started with the Mediterranean platter and I will absolutely order this again because the whipped feta was amazing. Most entrees come with a salad or soup so we had the Cesar salad with ours. Dishes were perfect. Proteins were perfectly cooked and the lamb seemed very high quality. I also thought the portions were great for the price. The friendly vibe and incredible staff really put the finishing touches on an awesome night. We decided to sit on the patio and it was such a wonder summer night. Definitely make a reservation for weekends as it does seem to get busy.

We love coming to Rare for a special date night. The restaurant is so beautiful with dark woods,…read moredark ceiling and ultra-cozy booths. We discovered their wonderful bone-in pork chop on a prior visit, so we ordered one dish to share in addition to soup, salad and sides. We still had pork to take home! Totally recommend the lobster bisque and wedge salad, both were outstanding! The pork chop was fabulous and arrived carved into tender slices. I typically am not a fan of pork, but this dish is truly special. Our two sides of mushrooms and green beans were nice, but probably will skip the mushrooms on future orders. Service is always very good at Rare.

Last night was my first time going to Rare, and wow am I impressed. The great first impression…read morestarted with our table Captain Guinevere; she was very attentive, knowledgeable, and had a wonderful and upbeat attitude. My food was incredible, but the lobster bisque and sweet chili shrimp stole the show. To die for. The ambiance is rich and comfortable, albeit just a tad too dark, making it a little tough to read the menu. I will absolutely go back to Rare again, and will be requesting Guinevere.

Great outdoor patio area. Our severs were friendly and…read moreprompt. Their truffle fries are like crack. Seasoned perfectly and fried to have a wonderful crunch. And the truffle seasoning steals the show! I also just tried their tenderloin tips. Nicely seasoned and slightly spicy tips cooked to tenderness and the red wine reduction is oh-so tasty. Don't need the bead, but I'll take it, to sop up the sauce! Our fettuccine Alfredo came al dente and with just the right amount of Alfredo sauce. Not overly seasoned. The chicken was a nice neutral protein added in. There was even enough for lunch the next day. It was our first time on the patio. It's a nice, calm, and relaxing way to have dinner outside. I would definitely return.

Stamm House is a great option if you're looking for dinner in the Middleton area. The space is huge…read moreso if you're going out with a bigger party this restaurant is a great dinner choice. All the people working are really friendly and our food came out super quick as well. I went with the pesto pappardelle for dinner and it was pretty good, just a bit on the heavier side. The food portions are also huge so you get a ton with your order! My personal favorite was the cookie skillet we ordered to end the meal. If you're here definitely don't skip out on this dessert!

Great spot near the Capitol! Cute spot with NYC vibes. I was traveling alone and asked to sit at…read morethe bar. As soon as I sat down, I was asked what I wanted to drink and if I was dining at the bar. I ended up ordering a Negroni Sbagliato since I rarely see that on a cocktail menu. It was very well made. Kudos to the bartender, Warren! He also explained the nightly special and I ended up ordering the pasta dish and the fennel salad. The pasta special was so yummy and the tomato sauce reminded me of my Italian grandpa's sauce. The owner, Dino, checked on me and told me a little about himself. Dining solo can be hard, but I'm thankful that the staff here made me feel comfortable. It was the best meal I had on my business trip and will definitely recommend to anyone traveling to this area!

Absolutely fantastic meal. We ordered family-style and tried a lot of the menu, and nearly…read moreeverything was excellent. The carbonara was a standout, and the octopus and calamari were some of the best we've had. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the tortellini was another favorite. Great food across the board and a perfect place for sharing several dishes. The only misses were the house Cabernet, which was disappointing compared with the quality of the food, and the lack of any non-dairy milk option for coffee. It's 2026--having oat or almond milk available feels like a pretty basic expectation at this point. Those are small criticisms of an otherwise excellent dinner. We'd absolutely come back, especially for the carbonara, octopus, and calamari.

We had never been here so we thought Restaurant Week was a good time to check it out. We do like a…read moregood steak but going to steak houses around the Square in Madison normally requires a lobbyists' expense account. With a reservation in hand on a week night we arrived to a a somewhat busy but not full restaurant. We were seated on the main floor where the bar is located. It is a classy environment. Our waitress was very good. We did not see their regular menu since they were only serving their $50/ person Restaurant Week menu (we did hear somewhat at an adjacent table question where the regular menu was...) We both started with a glass of wine and followed by a pretty small Caesar Salad - small but tasty. For our main we each got the petite filet which actually for us was a good size. It was perfectly done medium rare and very good as were the sides. Since it was our anniversary they gave us each a complimentary flute of sparkling wine which was a nice touch. We tried the tiramisu and the flourless chocolate cake for dessert both were very rich. The only complaint was that it felt a bit rushed - not sure why because they didn't need the seats because there were empty tables the whole time we were dining.

Three of us for a Saturday evening dinner and so happy with our choice of the Draper Brothers…read morechophouse! My husband, Son, and I had an excellent server, Danny, professional and sweet with a great suggestion of a tasty cab. One of us has a gluten allergy which was not a problem. Two of us had the bone in ribeye, and the other had a New York strip. Our steaks were done to order. The roles were nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. Two of us shared the Cobb salad. (Excellent), and I had the green goddess salad, loved it! We had an amazing side of red potatoes with this creamy yummy sauce. We shared a side of broccolini, which had a great chili flavor. Finished off with flourless chocolate cake with a strawberry sauce for two of us, and I had the espresso chocolate brownie, which was to die for! A delicious cup of coffee with it was an excellent ending. Nice intimate ambiance for a celebration dinner within easy walking distance from our hotel on the square. Strongly recommend and ask for Danny!