I like Genna's because you don't have to tell them what a gin ricky is. They know. And it's lovely.

This bar has character. The bartenders have been around forever and sure as hell know a thing or two about pouring drinks, managing a bar, bossing around the barbacks, etc. The decorating is pretty eclectic, by design or by... the passage of several years of... putting stuff on the walls? Anyway, it's up on the square, cool music, low ratio of douchebags to hipsters, near to other good bars, chill during happy hour, fun at night, relaxing out on the patio. How many reasons do I have to tell you this bar is a awesome place? Worth your time and money. read more

Great music. Relaxed atmosphere. Little expensive for what they offer, but they had a sweet dance party the other night. Lots of energy, i was surprised +1 star! read more

Half off a good selection of micro brews during the week. Outdoor seating in the summer. Free food.

Stopped here near the end of a night, and it was definitely a nice, relaxed place to finish, even if it was really crowded. Drinks were poured generously, and the service was pretty friendly, all things considered. In addition, you get a pretty decent chaser beer along with the Bloody Mary here, which is nice. The upstairs is also much less crowded than downstairs, and has its own bar. read more

This place has good price drinks and good service at both the downstairs and upstairs bars. I have only gone here at night to dance (or stand around awkwardly and watch other people dance) Some nights it old school hip/hop and others nights reggae/reggaton. read more

I came in here near closing time after a few drinks at the Tornado Club next door. There were very few people around being that this was a Monday. Well the bartender was very nice and attentive. The flat screens with adult swim were a nice touch. The interior was looked very hip and welcoming, but by this time everyone was huddled around the bar. This was a nice stop and I recommend having a drink here. read more

Fun place. Bars both upstairs and downstairs. The bartender was helpful, and very funny.

Give me a chalice of Stella or give me death. Yes, the place is hip, but that's not the only reason to go there (albeit may be the most heavily weighted). The clientele during happy hour is completely different from the crowd at night, but personally I LOVE seeing the Capitol crowd getting bombed right after work. It makes me feel closer to my legislature to know that they too appreciate a good buzz. BONUS is free munchies at happy hour, they often have Lil' Smokies and cheese cubes...mmmmmm! read more

The bar I've frequented the longest and most often. Thank you Gennas, for all the meatballs, chicken wings, headaches, hilarious conversations and happy hours. A word of caution...if you plan to go later in the evening or on a weekend night, get there early and find a place to sit. Otherwise, you'll be jostling with amateurs. There can be a lot of amateurs on the weekends and later at night. The bartenders keep them pretty well in line, though. Thanks Genna's bartenders! read more

My favorite bar in Madison! Among other things, the place attracts an interesting crowd -- which makes for some solid people-watching. Great place to grab a drink and relax with some friends. read more

There is nothing better than happy hour on the patio of Genna's in the summer. Interesting mix of people, strong drinks, friendly bar staff, great view. The only place I enjoy finding myself steeped in vodka and hipness. read more

Have a martini...with a Blue-Cheese Stuffed Olive...or a beer...and enjoy Gennas!!

In my 5 years in Madison, I just recently tried Genna's for the first time & realized what I'd been missing. It's great for the person who likes Paul's Club, but not how busy it can get. When I went to Genna's, it had a chill atmosphere, but still a lot of positive energy... overall fun place, can't wait to go again read more

Perhaps nowhere else in town is as quintessentially Madison as Gennas. Save maybe the Union Terrace. Happy Hour--required. People watching--the best. Saturday Bloody Marys--legendary. The drinks are all good, nothing super notable, but the vibe and the eclectic crowd is worth at least a couple of bucks per drink. read more

We recently had our rehearsal dinner in Genna's upstairs bar area in Madison. They were very accommodating and all of our guests had a great time! They set up tables for our food (which we had catered from Frabonis) and gave us our own bartender. Jay, our bartender was super nice and helped us manage our tab all night. We had so much fun talking to him and he really went above and beyond to make sure our fam and friends had a great time! We highly recommend renting the upstairs for any special event. read more

Love the bloody marys here. A great way to start out your Saturday morning before the farmer's market.

This is my favorite bar in Madison. It has a great atmosphere and good energy. There's always a lot of people there, but it's never too crowded to find a table. They have a nice beer selection, with lots of local Wisconsin brews to pick from as well as staple German and Belgian beers. I love this bar! read more

It's a hip place and maybe a little divey. It was busy for the time of day but service wasn't bad. I'd give it another try.

Genna's is a little awkward to walk around in, because it's full of furniture and narrow hallways/stairways, but they make a great chocolate martini! read more

Solid place. Popular with Capitol denizens (I always wonder how many politicos are hanging about) and is a go-to place for groups of grad students. The front patio is a great summer hang-out place, with a nice view of the Capitol. It can get very crowded, though, which is both good and annoying. The distance from campus means that you don't have huge groups of undergrads, though... a good balance. read more

Friendly little bar. Bartender gave excellent service and the drinks were delicious and did not skimp. If we lived in Wi, we'd go there every week. Great location near the capitol. read more

Huge assortment of beers, and great ambiance. Loved stopping in here to meet up with the husband after work.

Me and a friend went to this bar at art fair on the square to get a drink. We both felt a little more drugged than we should have afterwords, nothing extreme. I am very wary of this place personally, can't trust it really. read more

I did not go inside so this review is for the patio. Great location. Right by the capital and the bike renting kiosks :) Genna's has a pretty big patio great for people watching at a busy intersection of town. Good brews on tap! After a brew on Genna's patio, I recommend renting a bike for $10/day and seeing all the wonderful sites around Madison. Cuz that is what I did and it was FUN! read more

Saw this bar from our hotel and figured it would be nice to walk across the street for a drink. However, we waited for over 15 minutes and had several waiters walk by while making eye contact and did not once ask us if we wanted anything. I could understand that if it was busy but it was a Wednesday night with less than half the tables full. Only reason it got 2 stars is because it was a beautiful night out and the place would have been cool if it wasn't for the lack of service... read more

Love this place. BUT I tried to go on a visit back to Madison tonight and they were closed. Even though the sign clearly said they opened at 8 and it was 8:30. The staff member inside was watching TV & waved us away?! Not cool, man. read more

Had I written this review 5 years ago while still a poor student at Madison, I probably would've given it a 3. Probably because I was too young, and didn't have much appreciation for a bar that wasn't overcrowded with drunkards swaying to polka music. Now that I appreciate a bar where you can actually play darts without some 19 year old vomiting on your jeans, I have to agree with the other reviewers. Drinks are cheap, good, and large, too. read more

Great outdoor patio. But they don't have a drink menu? This place only serves drinks. Multiple servers did not know what beers they had on tap. Doesn't make any sense. They also were not aware they had a website, which listed beers that they do not have. read more

I truly love gennas!! My friends and I go here often but more earlier Then tonight. The bartenders made eye contact as I stood there for a good ten minutes I finally walked out! I never had Any issue with this until tonight! Very disappointed. Must pick favorites after a certain hour. Will not be going back at night and will be letting people know about the lack of work after a certain hour . read more

Open mic night at Genna's is a great weekly event that exemplifies the general vibe of this bar. The venue itself is very unique and homey, with a somewhat artsy feel. Although they do not have an extremely large selection of beers on tap, they have a rather extensive list of bottled and canned beers. read more

you gotta love a place with big screen tv's (sports bar), martini specials (swank bar), graffiti in the bathroom (dive bar), and weird green ivy lights (funky bar) read more

Locals only...I love this place! Super warm environment. Kind of that Cheers vibe - everyone knows your name. Best Bloody Mary offerings around. read more

It's a pretty great bar. Nothing more, but nothing less. Solid pours, good beer list, pretty good crowd. You really can't do better for downtown Madison drinking. The patio's also really great in the summer, but often crowded, especially during happy hour. read more

My favorite bar in the world, except when I'm bar-backing there. You'll never find more fun and funny bartenders or interesting regulars. Look for me. I'll be the really loud guy with a Southern accent swilling Maker's Mark on the rocks. Oh, and I'm easy. read more

I love it! This bar is so great, intimate, and much more spacious than you'd expect! It fulfills my desire for a "dive" bar combined with a very quirky, personal, homey atmosphere. read more

I stop at Genna's for a few beers once every month or so, and I don't intend on quitting. The drinks aren't that pricey, but not especially cheap either. It does a good job doing what it does. Half of my interactions with staff have been fine over the years, the other half have been rather rude (eg- treating you like you're too wasted or something when you're clearly leaning towards actually being pretty sober). This given, it doesn't detract me or my own from patronizing the bar when we want to, but it's enough that we don't stop for a drink any more often, nor do we intend to. Cheers! read more

Drinks are cheap and strong. Bartenders are nice, lots of seats without sacrificing the corner bar feel. Dancing happens sometimes and it is great when it does. The sidewalk tables are great for warmer months. read more

My very first visit to Genna's was New Year's eve 1994 to 95, possibly one of the last eve's they stayed open. I was at a wedding across the street at Inn on the Park, and people were spilled out onto the street celebrating. I had never been out in Madison and it was the trendiest place I'd ever been. Hipster? A little. Grunge? Definitely. Professional? Classy? Sure. And so much fun. Grafitti on the bathroom walls, but not dirty. It is notable that even back then the lock on the upstairs bathroom door was broken. I've heard they fixed it once, but it only remained fixed for a day. If you're really that worried about someone seeing your naughty bits, though, there are two bathrooms on the first floor with fully functioning locks. It is now almost 15 years later and there are a couple other bars I like for variety, but none so much as Genna's. It feels just as fresh, hip, and fun as it did when I was a new kid to Madison. The people at the door generally smile and are friendly. You very quickly get to know people if you become a regular. The bartenders and owners are fantastic... many of whom have been working there for years. (The comment that Howard is the best bartender... absolutely true). I love that you can feel equally comfortable showing up there wearing a Tux/Ball gown or a tank top and shredded jeans. Tattoos, piercings, and blue hair are fine, as are Audrey Hepburn hairstyles and librarian glasses. Occasionally on game days you'll see some badger shirts, but generally the game crowd, frat crowd, and basically anyone coming and looking for a fight quickly finds out that this is not the joint for them to hang out. Yes, you'll find people talk with about politics, philosophy, physics, books, math, video games, movies, the universe, art, music, really anything. Once in a great while some creepy dude from out of town will show up. But hey, this happens at every bar, right? The nice thing is that everyone looks after each other, and you can just mention that there's a creepy dude and one of the bartenders or barbacks will look out for you. Genna's is a place one can go and feel safe pretty much all of the time. I think less than once a month there will be an off night. An asshole will come in and start something, one of the bartenders will have had a really long/bad day, or the place just gets overrun with some group of wankers. The entire culture and climate of Genna's compensates for this -- assholes get swarmed upon by all the staff and regulars, cranky people get reminded why they like Genna's, and the wankers find out that they don't belong and don't return. Other than that drinks are phenomenal, the selection rarely matched, and the prices are very reasonable. I noticed one of the reviews mentioned something about it being really dirty. I can only imagine they are referring to the grafitti, which is a trademark of Genna's. Other than the writing on the walls, the bathrooms are kept fairly tidy and constantly restocked. If anything runs out, a patron can simply notify one of the staff and it is taken care of immediately. It definitely has some eclectic decor, but from the antique light fixtures downstairs to the leg upstairs, it's kept up very well. read more

I frequently visited Genna's but my last visit makes me not want to return. Everything was going fine until the bartender up charged me for a drink after I left a generous tip. At the end of the night I was trying to finish my drink that I had clearly purchased, and some blonde kid behind the who thought he owned the place demanded that I leave. I will never spend any money here again when they don't allow me to finish my drinks. I used to recommend it to my friends but we will take our business elsewhere. Drinks are 50% cheaper at the Shamrock a few doors down, and the service there is much better. read more