Great food (very tasty! wide selection, decent prices), good service, neat place! Two bros, my bae, and I went here for a Wednesday night dinner. Certainly the beautiful weather and the presence of my favorite people improved my appraisal of the place, but I think it still would have been a 4-star experience in the winter, with mediocre company. I tasted: Poutine (appetizer) - Awesome! great seasoning, still pretty crispy for a while after it came out and only the most "gravy-laden" fries got mushy by the 15 or 20 minute mark. Cheese Curds (appetizer)- Solid, can't complain! Only tried 2 curds. Calamari (My gf's entree) - The few rings that I snagged were fantastic. The marinara was plentiful too and I even got to steal some of her sauce for my sandwhich A cajun chicken sandwich with an extra chicken breast and a side of plantains (My entree) - Loved the plantains! Since this was my first experience with roasted plantains, I'm not sure if they were cooked particularly well or if I just love plantains as a food. The chicken was very well seasoned, very tasty, though a bit smaller than the average restaurant's chicken breast. The specially made Great Dane Chipotle Mayo turned out to be a pretty good dipping sauce for my extra chunk'o'chicken. Good choice! We'll probably bring a party of 13 here over the coming weekend. read more

My boyfriend and I went to the Hilldale Great Dane last night and sat at the bar. When the bartender asked for IDs, my boyfriend, who is visiting from another country, pulled out his country's ID to show the bartender. The bartender asked for his passport, which he did not have, and then proceeded to lecture/intimidate us. He became very angry and aggressive towards us and suggested that my boyfriend's country's ID might be fake. We left the restaurant right away to get away from him. I'm very disappointed in this treatment and lack of respect. If there indeed was a problem with his ID (which has not been an issue in any other establishment), I would expect to have it calmly explained to us instead of being bullied out of the restaurant. read more

I'm not from Madison, but I came here because a friend of mine recommended it. She said they had good food, beer and chocolates, so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't try the chocolates, but I heard they were pretty good. I ordered the Crop Circle Wheat beer on tap at the Hilldale site. This is good if you like smoother lighter beers without any hop. I ordered the Bavarian Chicken Sandwich, which is a grilled chicken breast topped with melted sharp cheddar cheese, Bavarian ham, apple spiked slaw and pickled red onions. Served on a home baked pretzel roll with a side of Crop Circle cranberry wheat mustard. The sandwich wasn't too bad except for the bun. I thought the bread was as hard as a rock, so I asked for new buns, but they it wasn't that much better than the ones I already had, but I ate it anyway. My friend had the Drunken Jerk, which is a tender pork shoulder soaked in spiced rum and our own jerk marinade, slow-cooked and wrapped in banana leaves, then finished with coconut-lime butter and pineapple salsa. Served with steamed vegetables and sweet fried plantains. This meal was way better than mine and if you like plantains they are amazing! We went on a Sunday afternoon and thought maybe we could catch the KU vs Texas basketball game, but we weren't allowed to change any of the channels because there was a Green Bay game on even though there was one tv in front of us that could have been changed. So as you could imagine, the place was full of fans and it was pretty loud in there. So it was a little difficult to hear normal conversation. read more

Great Dane Pub & Brewing - Bavarian Chicken Sandwich with fries - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

As one can read this place is a favorite with some locals. I am a sucker for high backed wooden booties, thus despite the paucity of vegetarian offerings, and due to the urging of their experienced server, who could keep up a positive demeanor under any conditions, I stayed for a dish of what they call on their menu, butterfly fries. Caveat Emptor. These are not fries but rather the greasiest bowl of potato chips you may ever eat. I mean greasy like your old oil fliter. I would also estimate the sodium content to be over 1000. For this culinary delight, they had the temerity to charge $10 or thereabouts when all the tack ons were added in. The portion fortunately for my well being would not quite fill a normal bag of potato chips. In other words, a total, deliberate misrep. The reason I bring this to your attention is to make you aware that some establishments care a lot more about your money than your health. Meanwhile I got to watch a thrilling soccer match from Tanganyika while those at the bar got to watch the Brewers' game. I can't believe that the mentality which put together such a horrific experience does not pervade the entire menu There are better alternatives. read more

Disappointing experience tonight. I'm in the neighborhood, and been coming to this location since it opened. It's always been reliable, if not spectacular. Tonight we had not one, not two, but three items that we ordered be out of stock. One of which I was told about when I ordered it, the other two which we were told about after our order was in. Admittedly, this is something of a pet peeves of mine, but being out of two menu items, and one ingredient on a build-your-own item suggests that something is not being managed correctly in the back of the house. Hopefully this was a one-off occurrence, there are a lot of restaurants now by Hilldale, where this one was the only one for a long time. If this is their new normal I doubt they'll last long in this area. read more

I loved the Korean rice bowl. The stone of scone was a rich dark draft enjoyed nakoma nachos. Good service. Fair prices generous portions. Will return. read more

I tried this place while visiting Madison, Wisconsin. The food was okay, your typical Midwestern fare and good selection of brews. I would consider going again when I'm in town. read more

This place can be packed, and you may very well wait 45 minutes for a table some nights. The hosts and hostesses are friendly, and the servers provide good service, in general. Although, I'm not usually "wow-ed" when I come to Great Dane. The fried fish that goes into the fish tacos is mediocre. The BBQ "salsa" for that dish is also a bit odd. The salmon burger is always a winner, though, and the caper aioli is really tasty. I understand this is a place that brews their own beer, but I didn't expect the cocktail menu to be essentially non-existent and for the moscow mule to be just "eh" that I took baby sips from the whole meal. The one appetizer that does wow me here is the Mediterranean plate. I think this place is a staple, both the Hilldale and downtown locations, in Madison because it is always decent and has a good selection. I wouldn't go out of my way necessarily to eat at the Dane, but it's always a convenient option when I'm near Hilldale or seeing a show downtown and wanting to grab food and a drink beforehand. The parking is a bit weird here too. The spots to the west of the restaurant state that it's reserved for the bank, but that leaves a few street parking spots and the parking garage. I've parked in the lot almost every time and never had any issues with getting a ticket... read more

I've been here a number of times. If you go in with the mindset that you're going to a Pub, this place doesn't disappoint. The food has been very good and they have a good happy hour, lots of beer, and the service is friendly. This actual place is huge too! It keeps going and going, so we've never had to wait for a seat. We'll be back! read more

Great Dane Pub & Brewing - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Me and a friend called 2 minutes before we got there to find out when they were closing, they said 1:30. We get there and doors are locked, I call back and they say they called last call 20 minutes ago. Go to a bar worth the money and time! read more

What kind of restaurant doesn't serve drinks with ice? Ice is only available in the bar at the Hilldale site. Ice machine is broken. So can't get over to Metcalfs or Pick N' Save and buy some bags of ice to serve restaurant? Not cool...server not happy about taking cost of drink off bill. Too bad she didn't let us know before serving. Shabby service.... read more

Two friends and I stumbled upon The Great Dane on our search for cheese curds and local beers as we made our way through Madison, Wisconsin. We were on day 9 of a 10 day road trip across America from California to Maryland. Being that it was a Sunday evening, the place was pretty empty. Despite this observation, the hostess took some time deliberating on where to seat us. We passed many empty tables and booths before being seated near the back by the restrooms and refill station. I couldn't help but think this was deliberate as my friends and I are minority women. Not wanting to let this affect our experience, we chose to remain in the restaurant and were waited on by Matt. I can't say enough about Matt and the excellent service he provided. He was prompt in taking our order and even took the time to ask us about our travels and offered his recommendations on our next stop. We ordered the cheese curds; which were amazing! Each of us greatly enjoyed our meal and enjoyed the flights of beer we had. Would recommend this place to anyone stopping through Madison. Thank you Matt for saving our experience! read more

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Came here with the parents while they were visiting from out of town. They said they wanted something you can only get in Wisconsin so I immediately thought...cheese curds. Between us getting here though, my parents were worrying that I was going to freeze through this upcoming winter and decided to get me some coats. Hence how we ended up at this location, but blessing in disguise because it was quaint and wonderful and I love the plaza they are located in. The hostess sat us immediately and the first thing I thought was...aren't these menus a bit wasteful? oh well, their choice, but there were definitely some great options on the menu! Now this place I would probably give about 3.5 stars for the overall rating. The food was wonderful, as i'll get into, as well as the venue but the service is pretty sub par. Seems like they're all new or teens working and don't really have much experience. aka, slow drinks, awkward interruptions at the table, doesn't know the beer very well, and forgot to give us a pen with the check which then took us a little while to track her and a pen down after she dropped the check off as one of the other employees we asked said i'll get your server.... Anyways lets get to the food, the cheese curds were great. i was especially happy with the ranch dipping sauce that came on the side, but i'll be honest and say these weren't the absolute best cheese curds i've had, though they were flavorful. The beers were awesome. they only served beers that they made in house so it was cool to try their concoctions...ahem products. My dad had some kind of drenched fried chicken and it was awesome. like super amazing i will come back for that. It had shrimp and the chicken with two sides and this crazy good sauce on top. my mom had the beet salad which had a great mixture of beets, arugala, balsamic, goat cheese, and surprisingly some fruit. I had the salmon sandwich, which was good but i'm not much of a sweet glaze person so it was okay. All in all after the bill came and we had finished our food i was happy and satisfied. i'll be back to have more beer and some appetizers and i think it is a good place to try at least once but it's not really my absolutely favorite place in Madison. read more

I completely underestimated the "Butterfly Fries". Their menu description doesn't do them justice! Absolutely fantastic. Poutine was also out of this world. The chicken pot pie was disappointing, but my girlfriends mac & cheese was pretty great. read more

The food was great. The cheese kurds were super delicious. I had the pot roast sandwich which really hit the spot. The service was average.

Love this place and all I have to say is two things: love, love, LOVE their Bloody Mary's, and if you like french onion soup, this is a no-brainer. read more

Great Dane Pub & Brewing - Best french onion soup, hands down! - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

One of my favorite places to eat in Madison! The food is great and I love the atmosphere. They have a section of pool tables by the bar as well. read more

*Brunch buffet review only* Came here for Sunday brunch at around 10:30 A.M. so we missed any potentially big crowds. The service was excellent and we were seated immediately. The buffet fare is extremely varied, including standard breakfast fare (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, etc) as well as several other stations that had specialty items (like eggs Benedict, chicken and waffles, grits, chowder, Mac N' cheese, taco bar, salad bar, omelet station, roasted meats, pastries, desserts, etc). The vibe was a more upscale buffet on brunch and I enjoyed all of the options. That being said, the food in itself wasn't amazing. While there were plenty of options, nothing stood out, from the fried chicken (wasn't crispy and was a little dry), to quiche to the small smoothie cups there were. It was an overall pleasant atmosphere and experience, but the food in itself did not blow me away. $17 is a decent price for a brunch buffet here, but I couldn't help but feel that I could have paid less for one higher quality brunch instead. I was overall a little disappointed at the quality, though thought the variety of options was decent for a bar/pub-like place. read more

My husband and I are pretty much a waiter's wet dream. We are kind, polite, over tip, and stack our own dishes to make it easier for the server to grab. We have both worked in the service industry so we try to show how much we appreciate their time. We try to be uber patient and understand the kitchen taking a long time does not reflect on the servers performance. With that being said, our first dining experience at Great Dane was horrid. They are getting 2 stars because of the outstanding beer we had. If that was merely mundane, 1 star easily. I went to Sundance movie theater and asked my husband to meet me for a drink and salad afterward. I arrive and immediately I like the looks of the restaurant. The dark wood bar and the placement of the furniture kind of reminded us of an Irish pub. He ordered a stout and I tried the orange flavored beer, we both really enjoyed our drinks. We then ordered a panzanella salad and an order of fries as I had not eaten lunch yet and wanted something to munch on. Thus, begins the waiting game. I ordered my food right around 3:25 PM, at 4:00 my husband finally calls someone over and says, we've been waiting far too long for a salad and fries. The kicker? Our order was never put in. Not once did someone ask how we were, if we needed a refill, nothing after taken our initial order. Service straight up sucked. They comped me my beer, but I still left feeling incredibly disappointed. I loved their beer and wish I had better things to say, but I am in no hurry to go back anytime soon. read more

It is a local, within walking distance for me, so I have been more than more. Overall, it is an enjoyable atmosphere (in the bar area). Sitting is usually available. Their beer is good....some great....some okay. They keep a good variety of beers on tap, both seasonal and the regulars. Food is good....sometime really good....just depends on what you like. I have tried a couple of items I did not like....pulled pork sandwich is one, but I have items I really like....their green chili, Reubens and Smothered Chicken to name a few. I have been very fortunate with good service. Nice place to watch multiple games too. I will keep coming back for sure. read more

2 stars for good beer! Yay! The rest of the experience was not so great. I love beer! Yes, I do! So when I heard countless ravings about "The Great Dane" and the amazing beer, I was very excited for a visit. We decided to visit "The Dane" on a Sunday afternoon. We were greeted and seated right away. After waiting 10 minutes for a server to arrive, we were all ready to order food and tasty beer. Wait, you can't order from the whole menu? Only a limited menu (the backside of the menu) and the brunch buffet? Then why didn't the host inform us of this upon our arrival? Why? O.k. Our server takes our food and beer order. I decide to order the sampler. She comes back about 10 minutes later stating they were out of 2 of the 4 beers I ordered. O.k. This happens. Do you have any suggestions? Ummm, not really. O.k. So I order a replacement and she sets the beer samples in front of the person sitting next to me and walks away. No explanation of what is what. Really? I get this may not be the greatest job in the world, but at least have some pride in what you do. Or just quit. Not going back. Service killed it for me. P.S This is in response to the person who said samplers are for people that don't know what they like: Samplers are a great way to know and learn about the great variety of beers a restaurant has to offer. It's that simple. And as far as staff knowing beer, if you are serving beer you should know something about what you are serving. It's not too much to ask for. Good Day! read more

This is not the best Dane in the Madison area but the closest, most convenient one for us. Service is always so-so and the food quality just seems to get worse and worse every time we come. We usually get an order if poutine which is one of my favorite dishes in general. Theirs is ok, nothing special but good enough. They Asian tuna salad is also pretty tasty. The meatloaf also isn't bad or their burgers but like I said quality that we have expected from a Great Dane Restaurant just isn't there anymore. Their beer is good and we will sometime stop here for just that but every time we pass the Dane now my husband and I just kinda make a face and choose another spot to dine. There are a lot of other choices now for quality American cuisine that the Dane is rarely in our rotation anymore. read more

I was going to order the Sustain-a-burger but didn't want the sauce and some of the other burgers sounded better. At the top of the burger part of the menu it says sub a local grass fed patty for $1. That's really what I wanted. So, I ordered the regular pub purger with the grass fed patty sub. As I'm placing my order I can tell that the waitress is totally not paying attention to me. I repeat it and she's like yep. So, the order comes and she brought me the sustain a burger. I told her that I ordered the pub burger, NOT the sustain a burger. She's like, well it's the same thing. No, it isn't. I explained the difference and she blew me off. It had the wierd gravy and no cheese, lettuce or onions. Finally, I just asked for onions since they didn't come with the burger I got. It took her forever to get the onions and seriously brought me about 2 slices. We get the bill and she CHARGED me for the freakin onions! An extra .50 charge on top of the more expensive burger I didn't order! ARGH! The only thing that saved the whole experience was the fact that the manager listened. I was so annoyed by not being listened to. Argh. He did give us free beer tokens, as well, which was really nice. read more

This is definitely the least favorite of mine for their locations. Parking is difficult during their busy hours and with the mall and theater nearby, it makes things even more tricky. I do like that the bar is very central in this pub when you walk through the doors. As always, the food is great and the beer is decent. read more

I've only been to this Great Dane location for it's Sunday Brunch Buffet, and wowza, their brunch is a doozy. It's $16*, and for that you get an incredibly large spread of all the foods you might want to eat. All of the breakfast classics are here, like your american potatoes, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, bacon, sausage links, fresh fruit, and don't forget the build your own omelet station! The breakfast items are just the tip of the foodberg. There's also a salad bar, a nacho bar, Chocolate Shoppe ice cream (!), and plenty of other goodies. I'm usually weary of the quality of food at buffets, but all of it is delicious, and should satisfy your craving. * = Most of the time. There's random occasions (i.e Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day) where they increase the price to $24. They claim to add special items on those days, but I personally didn't notice any differences. I find it kind of annoying for the price to increase that much on certain days, which dampens the experience, especially when you don't find out about it until after you ate. This little burden is the only thing stopping the Dane's brunch from being a 5 in my book. Just be sure to check it before you visit and it won't be a problem. read more

This review is for a take out dinner - and also Sunday brunch. four stars for both. My sister lives in the townhouse complex bordering the HIlldale Mall, so it was really convenient order take out and also stroll in for sunday brunch. takeout: 1. Nakoma nachos (no chicken) 2. caesar salad 3. pub wings - 3-alarm sauce 4. gulf shrimp pork belly pasta 1. Nakoma nachos - the folks at Great Dane added a really nice touch by packing these toppings separately from the nachos that were cooked with the cheese and black beans. So the guacamole, jalapenos, black olives, pico, salsa, and sour cream all came in separate 2-oz plastic cups you to customize as you wish. Great Dane uses multi-colored chips (red, gold, purple) that are nice and flaky. It's hard to screw up nachos, but harder to make them delicious. These were delicious. Definitely recommend 2. According to my wife, she really enjoyed the caesar salad. Not to mention it came with anchovies for authenticity. 3. Pub wings - highly recommended by my sister, especially the 3-alarm sauce. I think I would have preferred a sweeter, more bbq flavor, but these weren't bad. The wings were cooked a little longer than I would have liked, but not dried out. Large enough that the meat on the inside of the wings was still tender and juicy. 4. Gulf shrimp pork belly pasta - in a cream sauce with buccatini noodles. Probably the most disappointing dish, simply because it didn't compare as well with the others. Not bad in any way, just relatively one-note. The shrimp was cut into bite size pieces, instead of large whole shrimp. I think the would have changed the look and feel of this dish. The pork belly was also cut into VERY SMALL pieces. This is the second time I have had a dish where pork belly was served this way. That is not the way pork belly was intended to be eaten - it needs to be large and fatty, not rendered down into mini cubes.(smaller than raisins). On to the sunday brunch - at $17 a person, us Chicago folks were pleasantly surprised at the price. Maybe that's a bit much for Madison, but judging by the packed out, methinks not. This list is probably not complete, but I'll do my best to tell you what you can expect during brunch: (with my rating next to the item I ate) ratings are out of five, five being best Steam Tables - Chicken ale sausage - 4.5 - turkey bacon - 2 - regular sausage links -4 - bacon - 4.5 - maple waffles, with strawberry sauce or syrup - 4 - french toast sticks with strawberry sauce or syrup - 3 (depends on how long they sit on the steam tray) - eggs - 4 - cheesy potatoes - 4 (not over-poweringly cheesy. think mashed potatoes mixed with cheese. a very good blend) - biscuits with gravy - grits (my sister said they were good) - cinnamon rolls - 5 - so soft and fresh. i had two. Taco Bar with fajita chicken, soft shell tacos or hard, or even taco bowl Omlette Station - did not try Carving Station - prime rib - 3 - ham - (my sister said it was good) Pastries: - danishes - mini-muffins - other assorted treats - mini bagels - mini baguettes Salad bar/Fruit bar Other: - smoked salmon - 3 - green beans with almonds - clam chowder - Ice Cream station - malted ice cream, with chocolate chips - 4.5 - vanilla ice cream - 5 - toppings (kit kat, nerds, sprinkles, oreos, cherries, syrups, reese pieces) - waffle cones, regular cones Deserts - minty french silk pie - 4.5 - other various cakes/pies/tiramisu As you can see, the selection of food is impressive. Don't just sit here, go get some! read more

Just had the best corned beef for St. Patty's Day in years! We got take-out from Great Dane Hilldale yesterday and were so pleasantly surprised! Thick, tender cuts of corned beef without a lot of fat and great flavor along with cabbage, potatoes and sweet carrots! Thank you for helping us celebrate! Erin go bragh! read more

Recently visited Madison after 15 years away. I was shocked to see how the city and Hilldale had changed -- for the better, it seems. Back in the day, I remember a lonely Chinese restaurant and a Quiznos as the only food choices at Hilldale. We were there in September. Not sure how all the outdoor activity changes during Madison's frigid months. I'll let the city planners worry about that. The fay were were there, the while place was buzzing with crowds. I believe Great Dane had opened its first location right before we left Madtown. This was our first visit. The menu provides some humorous nods to Madison culture. We appreciated that. We were seated at a table by the window for optimal people watching. I ordered a salad and some decadent soup -- potato, bacon and cheese. On the plate was an absolutely lovely pretzel roll, which I devoured. My husband had a couple ales and a sandwich. He was feeling no pain by the time we left. I am not a beer drinker, so I stuck with iced tea, liberally refilled by our waitress. Overall we had a positive experience. Recommended. read more

Burgers are awesome and beer selection is great. Try the Texarkana burger. You won't be disappointed! What's not to like...cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, chipotle cream cheese AND haystack onions! Beer....two words SCOTCH ALE. read more

Hmm... I was super excited to try this place after hearing some great reviews. Came in at 12:30 on Sunday and our only options were the all you can eat brunch for $15 or the appetizer/burger menu on the back. Their other menu was huge, but we couldn't have that until 2pm on a Sunday. Bummer. The beer list looked awesome and had really great deals (compared to where I live, Chicago) $3.50 for a 12 ounce, that is amazing! And flights of beer....sign me up! I ordered the boneless buff wings in 3 Alarm. They weren't that hot, but still good. The gorgonzola dip tasted great, but just like blue cheese...so not really sure if it's just me who doesn't know my cheese or what...but whatev. Service was friendly, mac and cheese pizza was on a pita bread and didn't look that amazing--sadly. I could get better mac n cheese pizza in Chicago--regular crust, too. Burgers came with choice of friends, apple sauce, or coleslaw. You could substitute for Turkey Burger, Boca, Buffalo for $.50 to $1.00. I would come back here for dinner if I could and get a different entree and try some beers. read more

It couldn't get much worse.1t is almost laughable. Server claims that u could not order off regular menu even though we arrived at 10:45. Late might menu kicks in at 11Pm. He gave us water then disappeared for 10 minutes .when we asked to order he told us we could not off regular menu. What an idiot. Where's the manager when u need one?? read more

Great Dane Pub & Brewing - Dishes piled up on tables, lousy service what elsee? ???? - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

They only get the second star due to the fact that I'm a big fan of the downtown Dane, and the Fitchburg location isn't bad. The Hilldale location must be managed by a completely different team. Seems like almost every time I go there, I have to wait forever to get the bartender's attention. And I'm not talking about a busy weekend night. Mid-afternoon. Hardly anyone there. I've been ignored several times and had people come in after me and get served. I try to make eye contact with the bartender, I have money out on the bar. Nothing. Again - this wasn't just once. The last time I finally just walked out after sitting at the bar for about 10 minutes. Looked at the hostess on the way out and shrugged my shoulders. Bye... (probably forever). Went to the Dane downtown and got served immediately, with a smile. read more

Amazing Brat Beef Pretzel burger. Cooked perfectly with a side of plantains. Don't miss the poutine fries which use a dill garlic cheese. Service was peppy with a smile. read more

Great Dane Pub & Brewing - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The Great Dane has to be one of my all time favorite Madison restaurants. The food is good, the beer is better and the service and decor just really make you feel like home. First lets talk beer. The scotch ale is phenomenal, I can't rave about it enough. It's a smooth, full caramel flavor that would go with any of their amazing burgers. Another that I tried for the first time last night was their fruity beer called serendipity. It was like a cranapple citrus cocktail. It was so fruity that if someone had blind taste tested me with it I would have never guessed it was beer and not a mix drink of sorts, honestly. This would be a perfect option for converting any girl you know who doesn't drink beer because it didn't taste good or that beer is for men over to the good side. The food is also awesome, classic pub food but much higher quality. The cheese curds are good to start, but I love their artichoke dip. It's served warm in a bread bowl so you can eat apart the soft doughy serving dish after. Next you simply must try their French onion soup. There is so much caramelized chese on that bad boy you could probably not eat anything else and be stuffed. Next the burger, seven ounces of meat smothered in cheese and sauce. I would suggest you upgrade to the pretzel bun, its worth it and you are already not counting any of the calories in this meal so you might as well do this right. I tried the sweet potato tots with this last night and it was just ok, I'll stick with fries in the future. To be given this smorgasbord of deliciousness you should expect to wait. There's always a wait on weekends and certainly your food doesn't fly out of the kitchen either. But if tasty food and drink is something you are willing to put some time in for, you definitely should do it here. read more

A Madison must - best brewpub in town! They are always adding/rotating for innovative seasonal options for both their food menu as well as their beers. You have to try the scotch ale! read more

Wide variety of food; had one of the new Oktoberfest specials - curry brat over fries with pickled peppers. Balanced flavor. Also it has good booth seating. Game day snacks / specials. Was family friendly or date friendly. read more

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Rude and poor service. Had drinks and food with friends Sunday night at the Hilldale location. 20 minutes before closing I requested the bartender for a glass of water which he denied saying the bar is closed. We would frequent the place pre COVID but won't be going back. read more

Stepping into the Great Dane's Hilldale location, you'll feel like you've been here before. That's because you have. It's got the same giant bar with the beer names engraved in wood, the same mahogany booths, and when you sit down you'll find the same menu. And that's fine. When you've got a great thing, keep it going. I love their beer. The Scotch is my favorite, but while trying out the this location I had the Wheat. When I want a burger, the Great Dane is usually the place I think of. However, this last time I tried the Sustain-A-Burger made from all local ingredients, and I was disappointed. My experience with local products is that they're just more flavorful, but nothing on this burger stood out. Next time I'll just go back to the Dane. So what sets it apart? I've found it easier to get seating at dinner time than the other Great Danes. And, oddly, the patio seating overlooking the Hilldale parking lot and Sundance is a great people watching perch. The real reason to go here is convenience. If you live on the west side of Madison, this is much easier than driving to Fitchburg and definitely easier to park nearby than downtown. read more

Checked this place out during a Badgers game. Good atmosphere and not too busy and crowded. The wings were excellent. Tomato soup a bit salty. Fish and chips solid and their seasonal Bavarian chicken sandwich was also solid. They have a good array of drinks on tap. Service was great. Place clean. There's also a quieter area too if you want brewery without loudness from the game. What you expect from a good pub & brewery. read more

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I'm going to reiterate what other reviewers have said previously. The service is completely lacking here. The servers - while friendly - take an exorbitant amount of time to come to your table. The kitchen - while making incredibly tasty food - is unacceptably slow. And the price you pay for both is just far too much for what you get. As for kid/family friendly, I would try somewhere else or get carry out. This place is a brewpub that tries to be good for families, but in the end it's still just a bar. Tasty food but not enough to make up for the other detractors. read more