Food is consistently great but DON'T GO WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY the service is so slooooow read more

Fugu - I love tea with leaves in it - Asian Fusion Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Ah, what can I say. Seems like a very popular option amongst international UW Chinese students who wants a taste of home, as it is in a very convenient location and the food quality is as authentic as it gets here in Madison. Food - on our visit, we had the ox tripe and tongue appetizer along with sliced chicken in garlic sauce (classic Chinese dish but replacing pork with chicken) and shredded pork in bean sauce. Food was great but we should've went with a veggie dish instead of meat on top of meat. Spiciness is my thing and this place quenched my desire for spicy Chinese food. Service - compared to the food, service is lacking. After we were seated no waiters came to our table for the next 15 minutes. I had to tell the person up front that we're still waiting to order. After we were finished, it took another 10-15 to give us the check, we were thinking of just walking out without paying :P Price - if you're really desperate to eat authentic Chinese, the price isn't a factor. But compared to most Chinese eateries, this is definitely on the pricier side. For 1 appetizer and 2 dishes and tips, we paid close to $40. But the serving size makes up for the price since it took me 3 more meals before I finished all the leftovers :) Will definitely be coming back whenever the urge to have spicy Chinese food comes back! read more

This place was really, really not great. The single upside was the decor. Having passed by this place often on the way to work, I decided to give it a try. Much to my convenience, this place looked like it would be perfect but it's often misplaced expectations that make an experience that much more objectively worse. Having looked at their menu, the pricing was higher than other Chinese establishments in the area. I settled on their fried dumplings and poached fish dish. After having to wait about 5 minutes for service and water being only the third patron in the restaurant, I was already getting a bit irritated. When the servers finally came to and sluggishly took my order, I couldn't help but feel they absolutely hated their job. And perhaps this is the management's fault -- the servers could simply be overworked and under-tipped but it in any case, it seriously detracts from the dining experience. But at the time, I thought I was just over-thinking it. I made my order known and sipped on my water for the time being. After having waited about half an hour (again, at the time there were 3 patrons in the restaurant), my food finally arrived. The servers simply came by and dropped it off without any intent of wanting to make any sort of personal connection or try to give off the image that their restaurant was one worth coming to again if simply for warmth and hospitality. No eye contact, no simple gestures of wishfulness for a well-delivered meal -- just brood sulkiness. But I was probably over-thinking it, I thought. The food looked delicious, so I was going to dispense with all that seeming nonsense of lackluster service and care and basque in the delight of authentic Chinese food that would remind me of the indelible nostalgia of growing up in a Chinese community and experiencing the vast array of aromas and flavors that the richness of Chinese cuisine can provide. And goddammit, was I ever more wrong.What I had thought was over-thinking had turned itself on its head and I realized that this place was just built to be an awful experience. The fried dumplings were soggy and tasted as though they had only recently been thawed from an Asian grocer freezer bag. The poached fish simply had no flavor. There's nothing to describe because there quite literally was nothing to describe. Even the broth soup it came in was flavorless. It was the worst decision I'd made that day. When the check came, it came quick. The waitress, without any sign of warmth or willingness to communicate the entire experience, bent over and said "remember to tip 15% or more." If I haven't expressed it appropriately, the amount of rudeness displayed with this establishment's waitstaff is deplorable. But if you continue to enjoy this place, continue to do so. From someone who's had a wide variety of experiences on the Chinese side of dining, I'll be avoiding it at all costs from this point on. read more

Food took 2.5 hours to get to me. Upon arrival, everything was cold and the dumplings were dry AF. On top of that they were missing an item. When I call, the staff hangs up the phone immediately after they pick up. @yelp can I recommend you add the ability to give out zero stars? This restaurant needs to sort it's stuff out. read more

Definitely will go back...best wonton soup I've ever had. I got the Pai Thai which my waitress said was the same as Pad Thai however I was not a fan....it was very soupy and tasted a little like barbecue sauce honestly. I would not get that again but I tried my friends food and everything else was delicious! Seemed very authentic. read more

Fugu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place is pretty run of the mill. The food is sort of blah American Chinese food--overly salty and sweet and greasy and yet kind of bland at the same time. And still I keep coming back given the lack of decent Chinese alternatives in Madison. I'm sort of shocked some people call this place authentic, but maybe they're ordering different things on the menu only people in the know would know to order. In general I've found the quality of the ingredients just a cut above sub-par, which is to say not bad enough that I swear off Fugu for good, but not particularly great either. I've never eaten in the restaurant so I can't comment on the service. Delivery is usually reliable--and you can order online--but give yourself at least an hour. Take-out service is much quicker if you can manage to stop in yourself. read more

I've been here several times, mostly it was ok, but sometimes there's no service. Or the service you got is their stare. 2 things I don't like about this place is, --I like/cook Chinese food, but when dining out, its oily feature always concerns me. I therefore have to use extra 2 bowls for getting rid of excessive oil/salt, otherwise my body can't take it. I got stares several times. Even more when I asked the 2nd bowl, having to walk over to the counter while waitress chatting, 5 people in the restaurant. --I like seafood but the fish with tofu in spicy sauce is not fresh at all. I live in coastal area before so could tell the difference very well. The fish they use is definitely frozen ones. 15.95 for frozen fish doesn't get my business. Having said that, it's pretty good flavor with most dishes we try, and relatively inexpensive. In terms of service, how would I say? It's just a very Chinese way, meaning if you say thank you to them they ignore you. Having have to go to the counter to pay yourself. We've lived in HK before and literally got shoutings from them so know what it's like (but of course never like it). Guess in Chinese culture restaurant is about food, not service. Last time I paid tips with lower percentage. The lady looked kinda disappointed. Hey, same here. How do I know the tips go to people serving me? read more

Fugu is my favorite place to order take out from in Madison. Hands down better than A8 or Asian Kitchen in my opinion. They have the classic American Chinese entrees that you can get at most take out places, but they also have slightly more traditional entrees as well. Try the Kung pow chicken or the wonton soup! read more

Used to be Fugu-rific but their game is slipping bad. Food good (was great a year or 2 ago), service awful. Delivery esp. bad. Online system down and often person on phone unprepared to place an order. Delivery guy was incompetent and not totally honest on the money front. I should've given them a review when they were excellent, in fairness. Big place in my heart for Fugu. These days, though, yipes. read more

The food is so bad. It was much better back then. The eggplant that we had today was so oily, it was as if the chef fried them with the entire bottle of oil. And the fish was soooooo salty. Also, the waitress didn't seem happy serving us at all. read more

It sounds like ownership of this place changed more recently, but here's why I'm never going back to this place again (from last November). I went in there one night to get quick take out to bring home for dinner. There weren't a whole lot of customers there at the time, so I thought it should be a pretty quick process. When I get to the ordering counter and someone finally comes out to take my order, I request the flat rice beef noodles to go, simple enough. The waitress notices I'm Asian, and decides to play the whole "where are you from" game to ask me if I'm from China. After I tell her I'm not, she proceeds to tell me about how much she loves Chinese culture and is dating a Chinese man etc. anyway, and spends a good 5-10 mins doing so before finally going into the kitchen and placing the order. As I wait out on an empty table 20+ minutes for my food, one of the customers walks up to me and tells me in slow English that "The food was really good". He clearly assumed that I worked there just because I was Asian and assumed that I didn't speak English on top of that, and I was so shocked at the microaggresion I had just received that I kind of just angrily said "ok." To which he realized I didn't work there but was unapologetic about it anyway. Two other customers were eating with an Asian couple and I overhear them asking super stereotypical questions to the couple about Asian parenting, such as "do you force your kids to play an instrument" and "is it true that you place a high value on education over recreation", or something along those lines, speaking to them as if they're aliens. I was appalled and infuriated, and wanted to just get my food and get out of there as soon as possible. I have never felt more uncomfortable being Asian in a Chinese restaurant before, let alone being Asian in this city at all. On top of all that, the food didn't taste good and it gave me food poisoning for days. read more

My family (2 adults and 2 kids) went there today for lunch. We ordered pork stomach with chili sauce, chicken lo-mein and lunch plate. We liked it and had pleasant experience. However, my food, pork stomach, was a bit greasy. It was a quiet day at lunch and the kids ate their lo-mein and hubby liked what's on the platter. However, we were disappointed that they no longer served dim-sum. After all these time, we have been waiting for a decent dim-sum place in Madison and Milwaukee area. Like previous reviewers, I was surprised to see the cute little bathroom in the back with cool Asian inspired decorations. I have mixed feelings about whether to go back there. We will definitely go back if they offer dim-sum again. Otherwise, I think we can find equally if not better Thai and Chinese restaurants in town. read more

I wanna say this is the best and most authentic Chinese restaurant on campus. Now don't get me wrong, there are many other good places, but Fugu is something else. Chef specials are always good. But just don't try Americanized dishes. If you tryna have real Chinese food, don't try those. The only reason I'm not giving Fugu a 5 stars is because this place is packed all the time. I wish they had more room, is all. read more

FUGU, I love, I love!! I have been here a few times and have never been disappointed! Unfortunately, I never remember what I order - as I get my friends to order for me!! heir choices have always turned out to be great!! I love my friends and love FUGU!! Hmmm.... I'm getting hungry just thinking about the food!! :) read more

This was probably the worst Chinese food we've ever had. We ordered mango smoothie, wonton soup, kung pao chicken, and general Taos chicken. Generals was so battered and friend we couldn't find the chicken inside. And the Kung pao was fried, which never happens; it's typically grilled. So we ordered a 3rd meal, another chicken dish and I was the worst quality of meat ever. We left completely disappointed and $50 down the drain. read more

Very bad and poor quality food and unfriendly service! I have eaten their food twice and was disappointed both times. First, their staff is really unfriendly! They made us sit around for almost 2 hours cause their credit card reader was broken, and then asked us to go to an atm to get cash. The second time I ordered food online which arrived an hour late and was cold! There was a chicken claw in their General Tso's Chicken! Never gonna eat there again! read more

What happened to this previously very good and fantastic restaurant? Does anybody know whether the owner changed? I'm disappointed that this previously great Chinese restaurant aka one of my top Chinese restaurants in Madison become like this. Their service and management has become really bad recently read more

Somehow I have lived a block and a half away from Fugu for three years and never tried it. Something about the exterior (one prominent sign advising "No Public Restrooms" and two more warning of hidden cameras in operation) just turned me off. That all changed yesterday when my wife and I finally gave it a try. Oh my God-- absolutely delicious! I'll get the bad out of the way first-- the restaurant was fairly crowded for 4:00 in the afternoon and only one waiter was working-- there were a lot of tables that hadn't been cleared and we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. One of our water glasses was also less than clean. But I don't even care because the food was A-MA-ZING. I've been craving a decent hot and sour soup ever since I moved to Madison and they delivered. The chicken with garlic sauce was perfect. The waiter (who was extremely nice) warned me about how spicy the fried beef in chili sauce would be and he was right. It was also delicious. We've eaten there two days in a row now and will definitely be back. Edit: I'm downgrading this to four stars. I've been back a number of times (mostly for takeout) and I'll definitely be going back, but it hasn't worked out to be a five-star performance. Two main problems: 1) Consistency: Some things are really, really good and a great value. Some things are less good (mongolian beef was tough, hunan beef didn't have much beef). Some things that are often good are sometimes not good (hot and sour soup). 2) Service: Everyone is very nice, but the place just doesn't run well. They need someone coordinating everything, because the service is slow and out of joint. read more

This place sucks. Don't even think of going there ! Bad service and worse food. We left our food midway. Flies and cockroaches in the restaurant. I am sure they probably have rats in the kitchen! read more

If I had reviewed this place 1.5-2 years ago, I would've given it 3-4 stars. Sadly, the food has really tanked. Super salty but otherwise flavorless and extremely greasy. The worst part is that the prices have stayed the same, at $10-15/plate, which I find too expensive for Chinese food. Found out that the chef moved to Ichiban a while ago, which is probably why the restaurant has gone downhill. Sad when that happens, but thankfully Ichiban is also in Madison! read more

Literally the most frustrating restaurant to go to in Madison. Order one thing one time, order it the next it's completely wrong and it's a different name, same menu but different name. Tried again, showed them a picture "oh that's fried chicken, next time ask for fried chicken".....next time I ordered "fried chicken" literally got fried chicken. Today took my phone it showed them picture said this is what I want, she's like "oh that chongqing chicken" I'm like ok as long as it is this she's like "yep" brings out something completely different. Get pictures on your damn menu and actually stick with what you are calling stuff from day to day. Good food but ridiculous employees. read more

As a Chinese, I think the food in Fugu is good , but not great. Why I gave 3 star is for me the price seems too high for the portion and ingredient. I just think the portion is really really little and the price is just too high for Chinese food. Overall , the taste of food is not too bad , and the service is average. Just a nice decent Chinese food place for people who only need to eat little and still want to enjoy the quality. read more

Try the steamed dumplings and the chicken fried rice. Everything was delicious but those two dishes were particularly tasty.

I have to say, the menu at Fugu looks pretty similar to the menu at Ichiban. My boyfriend and I ordered the garlic eggplant and the baby octopus with pickled peppers from the house specials. We both loved the octopus dish, which was savory and spicy. The garlic eggplant was a bit on the oily side, with a one-dimensional flavor. We were also seated near an air vent, and it felt too hot the whole time we were there. 5 stars for the octopus, 2 stars for the eggplant, and 1 star for the heating situation. read more

Conveniently located off of State Street, this is my favorite place to get authentic Chinese dishes like mapo tofu and garlic eggplants. The prices are pretty good but the service is not the best. There are not many "Chinese" restaurants that serve tea duck, and when they do, you know that it's authentic. read more

Very good spicy chicken. I always get the fried chicken with three peppers. Delivery call calls you as he's Peking so beware tho. In my opinion, the best (authentic) Chinese deliver place in Madison. read more

Best beef lo mein in Madison! It's also affordable. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because they have a $15 card minimum, which is inconvenient. The waiter did not tell us about the minimum when we sat down, and we didn't see the small sign until we were at the register paying. Next time I will remember to bring cash! read more

the food here is spicy Chinese food, quite traditional and the price is OK. me and my friend ordered tofu fish, cumin lamb, and pork("hui guo rou" in Chinese). The fish is not fresh, I can tell from the taste, the lamb is flavored so much that doesn't taste like lamb, and the pork is weirdly sweet. The dishes are big and we two can only finish half of them. In total it is $45. If you are not so picky about taste as I do, it is still a good place where you can have a decent Chinese dinner with friends. read more

Was sincerely underwhelmed with Fugu. The interior was actually much nicer than I expected due to the kind of crazy exterior and the location. I had heard rave reviews but my dish was just not very good unfortunately. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing and need to give it another chance, but it's hard to want to go back after I spent $15 and hardly ate any of my meal. read more

The food is fantastic, however they have little knowledge when it comes to their food. I had to talk to four different people to find out how their orange chicken was made over the course of five minutes. When I asked if they could find someone to tell me how their food was made they simply sad "no". I couldn't end up eating the food as they could not tell me how it was made. read more

Ordered takeout and it was so poorly prepared that I had to throw it away after the first bite.

I've only come here for meetings or other get together a - never of my own choice, and that's because everything here is just mediocre. The food is good, but nothing that makes me crave another visit. The atmosphere is nice, however, but it can be a little pricy for what you get. read more

The place is clean and and cozy. The staff are friendly and prompt. The food however is something to be desired. I had the crab Rangoon, honey walnut shrimp, and salt and pepper calamari. The crab Rangoon's breading seems too floury. The walnut shrimp had really cheap breading that almost seems corn dog like with a watery sauce that is supposed to be thick. The salt and pepper squid seems to be made with old oil, and the breading again seems too floury. Maybe I'm just used to Chicago china town food, but I was disappointed. read more

Outstanding authentic Chinese in Madison. Had lunch with my family and was pleasantly surprised to find this gem in Madison. Many Chinese dishes you can not find in a typical "Americanized" restaurant. High quality food and generous portions good for sharing. Keep in mind when the menu indicates spicey they mean it by Asian standards. Dumplings, chicken, fish and noodle dishes were all excellent. Highly recommended if you like authentic Chinese. I think other reviews with low ratings were expecting American chop suey type Chinese. read more

Since I'm sitting here waiting on the waiter who has taken forever and who barely spoke any English, I'll write a review. Basically the server avoided almost all communication with me including a greeting because he spoke maybe four words of English. My soup took forever to come out, then my entree showed up right after....COLD! I asked them to heat it up in the microwave because I didn't have time to wait on it to be made again. I'm writing this review because it's my 2nd night in a row having a pretty bad experience at a restaurant in Madison. Over it. read more

My wife and I finally found a real genuine Sichuan restaurant whose food is authentic to that served in Sichuan. Folks, you may think you have been eating Sichuan food whenever you ordered at the Golden Wok or the Happy Buddha or the Grand Palace or any of the other generic sounding Chinese restaurants in this area. You were not. Sichuan food is generally spicy, yes. And you probably have had spicy. But what you have eaten is not prepared correctly nor does it have the proper ingredients. They lack, for one thing, Sichuan peppers which add a layer of flavor that is needed for Sichuan food. When my wife heard there was an establishment that served Sichuan style food near State Street we decided to go there tonight before we went to the Chinese New Year show at the UNL Student Union. The establishments name is Fugu and is located at 411 West Gilman. We went there around 5:45 pm, and the place was busy with almost exclusively Chinese students. A good sign. We ordered the Sichuan Munbean Noodle, Dry Braised Lamb with Spicy Sauce in Hot Pot, Bean Noodles with Diced Pork, and Shredded Pork in Sweet Sauce. Of all these dishes, the only I did not have in Chengdu, China was the Shredded Pork in Sweet Sauce. My first taste of the Sichuan Munbean Noodle took me directly to Chengdu. The flavor is exactly what you would get if you ate the same dish in that city. Chengdu has a reputation of being the "Paris in China" because of their food, and this restaurant captures it perfectly. The same can be said of the lamb dish and the bean noodles. Absolute perfection. The cook comes from Sichuan, and was living in Chengdu before moving here. He obviously was trained in Sichuan cooking, and it is a delight to finally taste the flavors of China again without having to fork out a 1200 dollar round ticket, and pay the visa fee. If you want a genuine experience in Chinese food I cannot recommend Fugu's Sichuan food more highly. They also serve Thai food, but I did not try it and can not tell you anything about it. And, for gosh sakes, try the Kung Pao Chicken. I cannot order this in an American Chinese restaurant after eating it in Chengdu, and after you try it at this restaurant you will understand why. It's a bit pricy, and you have to deal with the crappy downtown parking and traffic but it's worth it. They also deliver. read more

Asian Fusion at it's best! It was amazing! I wish the menu and or Yelp had more pictures to see what the dishes looked like! Too hard to decide when you don't know the dishes! Service was great! read more

The sichuan food is excellent. We ordered dan dan noodles, fried fish with peppers, and homestyle beef. The dan dan noodles were okay, but unremarkable. The fish, however, was amazing. It was perfectly cooked and the dried and Sichuan flower peppers are still making my stomach and tongue tingle. The beef had tons of peppers of different types; pickled, dried, flower, and more. This meal was certainly delicious and memorable. read more

Fugu is only okay for me. I know a lot of my Chinese friends think of Fugu as their top choice for chinese food in Madison so it might be what I'm ordering. I've ordered off the authentic menu but the tofu dish was only okay for me. For chinese food, I'm not picky about things being authentic but their menu looks pretty authentic. The dishes I've ordered from here have always been really oily. They have some thai dishes on their menu, but seriously why? I've never eaten at the establishment but the delivery is pretty consistent although they just stopped delivering to Eagle Heights. Overall I want to like this place better but quality of ingredients and taste of the dishes warrants only a 3 star rating. read more

Try popcorn chicken,deep fried intestine and their spicy fish fillet,da bomb!!!!!