Heritage only uses Yelp for reservations. I reserved a table for 3 on Saturday, June 11 at 7:45. Upon arriving at the restaurant I was told my table wasn't ready and the wait could be up to an hour. Typical overbooking policy. We went to a small Irish pub and had a great time. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME going to this restaurant. read more

As always, the food and the service at Heritage Tavern was as good as it gets. It's Restaurant Week in Madison, which is a busy time and normally I'd expect abrupt service, but this was not the case at Heritage. Our water was very attentive, taking the time to talk with us about the evenings menu, pour our wine when glasses got low, and got our food to us as soon as it was ready. The dinner menu at Heritage always has some unique items - our table had a selection of the Pork Trio, Beef Short Ribs, appetizers and desserts. Again, we normally don't go during restaurant week because of how busy things get, but were pleasantly surprised with the menu and the service. If you're looking for something a little more casual, they have a great bar menu and super friendly bartenders, and brunch is always a bit there with our out of town guests. Brunch and the bar menu are also a little less spendy - still with the same quality you'd expect from Heritage. 5/5 stars - there's really nothing to complain about here. Thanks Heritage! read more

Great food in a great location just off the square. Definitely on the pricey side, but tons of local ingredients and a menu that changes regularly! I've also been for brunch and had a delicious steak and eggs + great cocktails! read more

This place is a gem! Had dinner here during Epic UGM and the place is packed! But the cocktails and the food were awesome. We had a party of 4 and shared the a handful of small plate appetizers- the heirloom tomato salad and cheese curds covered in bacon were among my favorite. For entree, we had the Gnocchi with Summer Veggies, Pistachio Crusted Grouper, Bouillabaisse and the Pork Schnitzel. Everything was fresh and tasty. Service was excellent and the ambiance was casual. Definitely recommended for dining when you are in Downtown Madison. read more

Heritage Tavern - Small plate appetizers and various entrees - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

What a wonderful place in Madison to spend a cozy evening at the bar or in a quiet booth. The wait staff was incredibly fun to talk to and accommodating. I went on a Wednesday night and there were no seats available except at the bar. While having a drink at the bar, the host came to tell me that a reservation had canceled and that he had a table for our party. Then when we said that we wanted to order the Bar menu he said we could order that in the dining room even though that is not necessarily done. The quality of food was amazing and was a taste experience. The wait staff was almost giddy to tell us about how good the food was and described it in detail. We didn't go wrong with a single dish and went away happy and filled with food that fed body and soul. If I'm ever back in Madison this will be my first stop. read more

WoW. Just WoW. My husband and I have been here several times for drinks & apps, happy hour, restaurant week, special events, brunch, etc.. last night we brought another couple who had never been here. We went all out. We had 2 drinks each, 3 small plates, 4 entrees, 3 desserts and a dessert beverage. $313 before tip AND IT WAS 100% worth every single penny (granted we did have $220 worth of combined gift cards from last Christmas). We had the bacon wrapped tempura cheese curds, 12 deviled eggs, and pork belly/black fin tuna, followed with two pork schnitzels, a cauliflower tortellini, and a striploin, finished with espresso chocolate cake, ground cherry panna cotta, plum crisp, and dessert drink which was called Amaro Montenegro. The service was the best I've ever had. The bathrooms are always clean and smell amazing. The head chef, Dan Fox, is always visible and working his butt off and sometimes bringing dishes to the dining room or serving drinks at the bar. The price point is elevated and I am 100% okay paying for these outstanding meals/ingredients. I will continue to return to this restaurant and tell everyone I possibly can about how wonderful and delicious it is. Bravo read more

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Fabulous, unique food and spectacular service!

Came here with my parents and grandma and we all loved it. Our server was extraordinarily friendly and knowledgeable and he gave good recommendations. We split the bacon wrapped cheese curds to start which came with tempura sweet potatoes and three different sauces. It was very tasty and great to give a taste of Madison to my out of town family. On the servers recommendation my mom got the salmon and my grandma got the pork belly and tuna small plate. Both were delicious. My dad and I got gnocchi and while tasty we were slightly disappointed with the serving size. It wasn't much bigger than the small plates and we were both left a bit hungry. Overall great, fresh food and kind servers but we could have used a bit more food. read more

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Heritage Tavern is my favorite restaurant in Madison. I have been here 5 times now, and the quality has been consistently good. Happy hour: the two times I have been here for happy hour I really enjoyed their 5 dollar pork tacos and their beer selection. The tacos are very well executed, and a nice modern variation of the classic carnitas Dinner: Their menu changes often, but always offers an interesting selection. I liked pretty much everything I ate there. Definitely try their chocolate cake dessert and the lamb tartare. The wine selection is also quite a treat and affordable. In summary, great consistent high quality place. A bit pricey, but worth the money. read more

I was in town for work and walked by this restaurant one night. I was not disappointed! The atmosphere was nice and the food spectacular. I wish I had taken so pic of the tempura battered bacon wrapped cheese curds, they were amazing. My co worker and I also had an appetizer of 6 deviled eggs for an appetizer. I then had the pork schnitzel for dinner. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Heritage Tavern - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Mocktails and Alcohol Free Beer and Fantastic Food. You can't find a better ham sandwich anywhere in the world! The staff is fantastic, and so helpful, even turned down the music because I have trouble hearing! And the dinner menu is creative and if I hadn't loved the brussel sprouts with bacon to go with the sandwich so much I would have ordered the desserts. The grow their own pigs, hence the name, Heritage. This place is wonderful. They really care about you having a great dining experience. And are innovators in health by realizing that after covid, people are going to need to get healthy and go Alcohol Free. read more

I will NEVER give my money to a company who disrespects people with disabilities. This tavern's truck parks in the only handicapped spot at the MLK entrance at the capitol. Every week they park here. They refused to move their truck when asked. This is illegal and disrespectful. I will never be back to Heritage Tavern. read more

Heritage Tavern - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The atmosphere was nice and the service was spectacular, but the food didn't deliver. We had the cheese curds, charcuterie board, "chowder" and bouillabaisse. The charcuterie was delicious. The cheese curds were hit and miss. The "regular" curds were good, but it seems like they tried to use cheddar cheese sticks also, and that was a failure. The sauce for the bouillabaisse was soooo salty and the white fish in both the bouillabaisse and chowder was dry. I'd probably give this place 3 stars compared to every single other restaurant I've ever eaten at, but when I'm paying $30/plate, I have higher expectations. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, but I wouldn't do it again. read more

From my perfect blue cheese martini, dirty and perfectly done, to dessert (which was generously free because of my birthday) Heritage is amazing. Hands down, some of the best food in Madison, I would recommend for a hungry party of 4, get two small plates and everyone get their own main. The small plates are fairly small for 4 people, but the taste!! It's so perfectly done. I tried the lightly pan fried whitefish with sticky rice and curry, melt in your mouth delicious! The boys tried the Sturgeon, which is a risk, not the most popular item, and they loved it. Highly recommend for a special night out! read more

Heritage Tavern - Heritage eggs benedict - on point amazing! - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Let me preface my review by saying that I've come here twice, and I'd give Heritage 2.5 stars for brunch and 5 stars for their bar food. I'll start with brunch. We went to Heritage at 12:30pm on a Sunday. The restaurant has a pleasant and understated atmosphere with its exposed brick walls. Does anyone else appreciate a nice bathroom? Well, Heritage has them. And they were playing 80s pop music, which I'm a sucker for. As for the service and the food, I don't have as many positive things to say. We were seated and ordered drinks (a latte and a Bloody Mary), which took too long to get to our table, particularly the Heritage Bloody Mary. Not that the wait staff weren't perfectly nice - they were - but, in spite of the fact that the restaurant wasn't very busy, everyone was moving as slow as molasses. The drinks turned out to be great. The Bloody Mary was seriously spicy and came with a toothpick speared with pickles, a tomato, asparagus, and bacon. The latte was strong and the single brown sugar cube it was served with provided just enough sweetness. Once our drinks came, we could finally (FINALLY) order. I got the Lobster Scramble. It came with a huge and super-crusty and overly buttery croissant. The scramble itself, which had plenty of hollandaise, spinach, and lobster, was quite tasty. The ample portion of shredded potatoes was pretty good too, particularly with a mix of the Sriracha and ketchup served on the side. My dining mates' got the Heritage Benedict and the Lamb Sausage with Savory Toast respectively. The Heritage Benedict was reported to be a little simple: none of the flavors stood out. Bacon would have been better than the pancetta it was served with, and the eggs were over-fried and a bit tasteless. The Lamb Sausage with Savory Toast was reported to be alright, the shredded potatoes being the real standout. Now onto the bar's offerings. The bartender was as sweet as pie and gave my friend a special antique store bought cocktail glass. We ordered the medium-sized meat and cheese plate which sells for around $20. It was worth every penny and then some. We asked the bar staff to surprise us and recommend their favorite meats and cheeses. When it came out, our very full platter included almond-hickory nut butter, stone ground mustard, bleu cheese with volcano ash streaks, head cheese, figs, sheep's milk cheese, and many other cured and fermented surprises. My friend and I both have big appetites, and, despite the fact that everything was delicious, couldn't finish everything. My recommendation: stop at the Heritage some evening for a glass of wine or a beer and the tantalizing meat and cheese platter. As for brunch, skip it. read more

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I reviewed the Heritage Tavern earlier, and was really excited about their food, service and ambience. We returned today for a Mother's day, and once again, the food did not disappoint. I had the Duck Confit Omlette with Crispy Roasted Potatos and a Spring Mix Salad with Homemade Vinagrette, all of which was excellent. While everything was 5 star quality, I had to knock the score back due to the noise. The room was SO loud, that it was impossible to hold a conversation at the table. It is such a shame, as everything else is so good about this place. read more

We had family in town and made reservations for dinner at the Heritage Tavern. I was very excited to try this place, but came away sorely, sorely disappointed. That's not to say that there weren't some highlights, but the lowlights and moments of sheer mediocrity dominated. ATMOSPHERE: The space was very nice and the seating was comfortable. Our party of six had a great table that seemed to be both centrally located and somehow shielded from the hustle and bustle on a busy Saturday night. However, we all found it to be uncomfortably hot in the restaurant, and our wine had to be kept at least 10 feet from the table, which was odd. SERVICE: The service was somehow both warm and pretentious at the same time. The waiter promptly announced that, "I don't have any additions to the menu tonight... I won't even use the 's-word' [specials] that other restaurants use to try to feed you repackaged leftovers." That was the first 'are you kidding me?' moment. The second was when another waitress came to the table with a, "dish compliments of the kitchen." Was this some sort of innovative amuse bouche? No. It was bread. Don't get me wrong-- I'm all for serving a basket of bread, but don't act like you're bestowing some amazing gift on me. It's bread. Oh, wait... it's not just bread, because for some reason the plate had to be explained to us. See that butter? It's honey butter! See that little cup with a few pickled veggies on it? That's a little cup with a few pickled veggies! And did you notice the random little pile of salt? That's "course sea salt, to cut the sweetness of the honey butter." (I'm not sure how you're supposed to do this-- is every member of the party supposed to lick their thumb and grab some? Somehow I managed to deal with the sweetness of the butter without doing that.) All that being said, I actually didn't mind the service. The waiter was friendly and classy, and he handled our one major issue (see below) gracefully and appropriately. APPETIZERS: I had crispy head cheese with escargot. The head cheese was fried into two little croquettes. They were light and not too dense or heavy. I wouldn't have known I was eating head cheese. The escargot, however, was completely lost in the dish. I scraped a bit off one of the croquettes and it was very good on its own, but I would have had no clue that it was even there if I had eaten everything together. Several members of the party had a beet salad. Everyone liked it. No one raved about it. In general, I thought that the appetizers were fairly successful, if not amazing. ENTREES: And here's where the wheels came off the cart. My mother ordered the Wagyu burger. It was tiny and served on the edge of an enormous plate with absolutely no garnish or accompaniment. My sister had the salmon. She said that it was, "very fishy." Her fiance had a sirloin. He didn't say anything about it. He's very polite. I had the bouillabaisse. It was pathetic. This is a simple dish, and it needs top quality ingredients to work. This wasn't top quality seafood. It was absolutely indistinguishable in size, taste, and texture from the stuff I can buy frozen at Woodman's. There was hardly any broth at all, and it somehow didn't taste like seafood at all. It was just vaguely salty. This dish should have never made it out of the kitchen. That wasn't the worst dish on the table, though. My wife ordered a pork chop. That was apparently sold out, but the waiter said that they could make the same dish with a pork shank. What came out was a large bone with a little sliver of meat and an ENORMOUS amount of fat. I honestly have no clue how this pig even walked on a shank like that. It was disgusting and inedible. Had they not taken it off the bill, it would have plunged this to a one star review. The only person who was happy was my father, who wasn't all that hungry and ordered the tomato soup and grilled cheese. That was one of the cheapest items on the menu. In sum, they sent out three mediocre entrees and two completely unacceptable entrees. Was the food bad? Not really. Was it anywhere close to what I would have expected for the very high prices? Not in a million years. I haven't had such a disappointing meal in some time. read more

After one visit to Heritage Tavern, this place has leapfrogged about a dozen Madison restaurants into elite status as one of the top two or three best. The crux was when I ordered a cocktail off the menu, yet my lovely and discerning date asked for a limoncello martini--off menu. After a moment, my drink arrived and I told my dining companion that she might just be SOL. Yet after another minute, the bartender, Grant, himself shows up with a NO2-charged carafe and a tall glass full of lemon and orange peel. He even checked in with her about exactly what she wanted and went quickly back to the bar for a fine tuning. He then explained how this NO2 process would favorably compare to the traditional limoncello soak. He got it all set up and used two NO2 cartridges for the charge. The result was exactly the lively citrus essence that my beautiful spouse was seeking. The food was thrilling and adventurous. The dish with the sashimi, pork belly and foie gras was predictably rich, and too much after the few small courses that we'd already split. Next time we'll back off one appetizer. Yes, the deviled eggs were spot on. The Wagyu and fried shrimp app was a revelation. Heirloom tomato salad was so tasty. Then the coup de grace was the bill. We had feared that the elaborate custom cocktail would well exceed the cost of my $10 menu drink. Nope--$7. They probably paid nearly that much for the two NO2 cartridges. Can't wait to get back and venture further. read more

We went here on suggestion from friends. Having few occasions to spend money on nice meals, I was scared after looking at the menu that I would be disappointed, but I was so wrong. The owner has a heritage pig farm and raises all the pork products. They also do their own pickling. They frequent the markets for ingredients as well. When you consider all this, their menu has fair pricing. Bloody marys are house-made and just the right thickness for me. SO good. We also tried the market champagne cocktail, which this week was a pear, absinthe, pickled grape perfection. I had the breakfast sandwich add ham (which was more like bacon). The complexity of all the different flavors made this remarkable. Perfect bun that was a vehicle for the sandwich but didn't over power it. Fried green tomato, perfect sunny-side up egg, salty "ham", pickled veggies, greens and stone ground mustard with aioli. SO GOOD. My husband tried the Heritage Tavern Benedict and we were super enticed and excited by the fried poached eggs - fried yet creamy yolk! Again an excellent plate. Would have loved to dip into the sweet side of the menu but we were too full. Excellent service at the Bar from Clint. Overall an amazing experience and worth every penny. read more

Absolutely lovely in most every way, but be prepared to shell out. Appetizers start at $13 and entrees are well over $30. That being said the food and atmosphere are first rate. I love being able to see into the kitchen while sitting at the bar and enjoying the full service menu there. read more

Given our experience at heritage, it's hard to imagine anyone had a bad experience. The deviled eggs: two of the three were incredible, but one was a bit too strong on the vinegar. The tempura: fantastic. Lightly breaded, perfectly done. The lamb & octopus dish: The best lamb, and I've had good lamb. Tender, lean, juicy. Never thought I'd love octopus with my lamb, but I did. The cocktails: they are not made by a bartender, but rather by a mixologist- which I thought to be a rather irrelevant distinction until I tried the drinks at heritage. These drinks are definitely worth the price tag- as opposed to the drinks served at bars, which are something I could make at home. We had cocktails, but their wine is supplied by Square Wine Company- a fantastic wine retailer around the corner. If you love what you taste, you can probably pick it up at Square Wine. The service: we tried Graze first, which had a two hour wait. So we tried Heritage- were seated immediately, and had good service all night long: attentive, but not overbearing. A restaurant for foodies, but not pretentious at all. I think that's the best part of it. read more

Cocktails and food are delicious. The menu is focused, but nearly everything on it sounded delicious. The only part of our meal that we didn't love was the deviled eggs. The friend rice egg was too salty and the flavor was not something we enjoyed. Schnitzel and Fish were awesome! Desserts are really unique and delicious. read more

Heritage Tavern gave me one of the best meals I've ever had in my life, and that's no hyperbole. I went there with several coworkers, and the whole dinner was practically a blur of good food and drink, with all the sharing that took place. Drinks and appetizers and main dishes were passed around, since everything would surely be delicious in its own way, and it was only right that we all sample the widest possible spectrum of flavors. While we waited for our initial food, we sucked down expertly formulated drinks. My favorite was a "Chartreuse Sour", a fruity creation enriched with a topping of raw egg white, which I enjoyed as many things flew into my mouth: mushroom gnocchi, bacon-wrapped cheese curds, sweet potato fries, an assortment of deviled eggs. I was only able to try two of the eggs, one of which was a breaded and fried egg white holding a deviled egg mixture. I ask you, how often, in your life, would you encounter something like that? I was selfishly sad that I didn't have the entire plate to myself. My choice was predetermined: the pork schnitzel with knockwurst. The menu indicated that it was prepared with some kind of mustard sauce, but for whatever reason, I was given an "old" version, which involved spaetzle, pickled beets and cabbage, and some kind of berries (aronia?) - no trace of a mustard sauce to be found. I certainly wasn't complaining, and the first bite of the schnitzel took me away with its crusty crunchy porky pigginess - it had a hint of the same flavor I remembered from my mother's pork cutlets, but was richer and more complex overall. I quickly learned that the optimal experience was obtained by combining schnitzel, spaetzle, pickled veggies, and berries all into the same bite; at first, I thought the knockwurst was superfluous, but then realized that it provided an interesting contrast in how it stood up to the other items (stronger, saltier, perhaps a better pairing with the pickled veggies). The schnitzel, however, remained the main attraction, and I would have been perfectly happy had it been the only meat in the dish. So engrossed was I in all this that I fell way behind on the swapping of entrees. I only got around to trying one other, a chicken thigh cooked in a manner that yielded a most delightfully crispy skin. The visual star of the entire dinner was the braised pork and tuna shared between four people, a veritable mountain of meat that, unfortunately, I failed to sample. I'm told it was served with head cheese - something that revolts me but which was apparently enjoyed by all who had it. Only one of us, I believe, indulged in dessert. We were fooded out: not painfully stuffed Thanksgiving-style, but pleasantly full of superb, well-executed, memorable food. Well, meat, really. So much meat. Were I already familiar with Heritage, I'm sure I'd have opened this review with: "What do you expect? It's Heritage!" They know who they are and what they're doing. I foresee them becoming a fixture for our future Madison trips. read more

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Portions are way too small and way too expensive. They have to lower the prices and change the menu a little. I went twice. The first time, the salmon dish was way too salty. The second time, we had the chips - ok/not filling. The Peach salad - good but too expensive, the noodle dish was ok - nothing exceptional. I'll go back for drinks at the bar - but if you're hungry and want to drop $75 - $100 for 2 people, I would go to Graze or Osteria. read more

Some places try to do too much with their food and I think Heritage is one of those places. The services and drinks are outstanding, its just a shame the food doesn't match the level of the service. My wife got one of their specialty drinks and really enjoyed it. I got an old fashioned and it was spot on. For appetizers we ordered the tempura cheese curds and beet salad. The beet salad was okay (I'm not a fan of beets but my wife is and enjoyed the salad). The tempura cheese curds were outstanding but the sweet potatoes that come with it (also tempura style), why? The plate just didn't need them. For my main dish I got the strip-loin steak which when we visited came with a potato gratin style side and brussel sprouts. The steak was seasoned well and cooked to the perfect temperature. The brussel sprouts had either bacon or pancetta mixed in. As a result they were over seasoned and actually over powered the strip-loin. The potato side dish was okay. It was more simple but I'd rather just have gotten mashed to be honest. It was really a shame because the steak was good but the sides really brought the dish down. My wife got the schnitzel. The dish was good but also very heavy. Again the pork was good but the sides were just okay. The place has a really cool vibe and the service is probably some of the best in town. For us though, the food didn't live up to expectations. We probably won't be returning for a good while. Both of us felt that for the money there were better options in town. read more

I wish Yelp didn't have a rating system. Heritage Tavern is an excellent establishment, but for me personally it was just okay. Maybe I just wasn't feeling the atmosphere. I went there as a four top and despite having made reservations, there was some wait for our table. Their bar was super crowded, which made standing around holding onto our coats and not bumping into people super awkward. I found the bartenders incredibly attentive though. Despite the crowded bar, one of the bartenders saw us enter the bar area and immediately made eye contact and asked if we wanted drink menus, despite us not being right up at the bar. Their drinks were yummy and well made. Unfortunately, the dining area was also small and crowded and it took some work to get seated and around the waiters. It was also too loud for me as I had trouble hearing my fellow diners across the table. We had the deviled eggs, charcuterie, pork belly with tuna sashimi, grilled octopus salad, ribeye, and whitefish. We shared everything so we were able to sample lots of different things. We enjoyed the creativity with the deviled eggs, but we found the eggs themselves rubbery. The charcuterie was good but I prefer Osteria Papavero's charcuterie plate. My fellow diners loved the wagyu ribeye best, but I personally perferred the sweet and saltiness of the pork belly. I found the tuna sashimi with the pork belly unnecessary though and would've preferred they made the pork belly a larger portion and made it into an entree dish. In summary, it was evident there was care and attention to each dish, but there just wasn't anything in particular that made a strong impression on me. read more

Wow! It's not often that I can't demolish a plate of meat, but the Heritage ham that accompanied my Easter Ham and Eggs was so rich, so flavorful, so absolutely decadent, that I had to take half home with me for a late Easter lunch. My first visit to Heritage was Easter Sunday for brunch with my mom. Easter brunch can be a formulaic and uninspired affair, but not so here. Service was prompt and friendly-they seated us right away even though we ended up being about 45 min early for our reservation. The cocktail menu had many interesting choices, but I went with the "French 57"-sparkling rosé with gin and lemon zest-delightful. My mom loved her bloody Maria-and the home made meat stick in her garnish was the perfect extra touch. Hazelnut French toast for her, poached eggs with the aforementioned ham and a green salad with garlic and Parmesan for me. Every dish elegantly plated, served quickly-nothing prosaic or commonplace here! Heritage pays attention to every detail, and while it would have been nice to see a sweet, gluten free option amid the savories, the inclusion of Silly Yak bread is a positive step. A+ Half the heritage meat stick from a bloody maria read more

I had been wanting to eat at Heritage Tavern since its opening, so was excited when they had a table for 3 open Friday night. We started with salads, the roasted beet salad for my daughter, brussels sprouts for me, and the Caesar for my husband. The roasted beet salad promised aged goat cheese and dark chocolate, but neither were detectable. My brussels sprouts salad was delicious, but puny for the $13 price tag. Faced with $26 for a chicken breast, $22 for a bowl of white chili, $32 for lake trout, or $38 for wagyu beef short loin, we opted for the "snack" menu and ordered the $14 grilled cheese and heirloom tomato soup, the $13 wagyu burger (supposedly stuffed with Gouda and short ribs, although you couldn't tell), and the $11 tempura (bacon wrapped cheese curds, "market" vegetables, and a shrimp or two served on long wooden skewers with three dipping sauces). The kitchen is in full view and quite beautiful with gleaming copper pans on display at the entrance. Dan Fox himself fusses over every dish as it exits the kitchen, swooping in with bare fingers to rearrange the plate, drizzle oil, or sprinkle a few fresh herbs plucked straight from their black plastic greenhouse container. He looks like a perfectionist who could be difficult to please, but he failed to notice that the burger and its brioche bun were dry (one of my husband's tempura dipping sauces helped with that) or that the tomato soup had a strange vinegary taste. The tempura was, well, tempura and if we expected more for our $11 we shouldn't have ordered from the snack menu. My excitement at being in the great Heritage Tavern turned to disappointment and it's not likely that we'll be back, even if there are plenty of tables open on a Friday night. read more

Absolutely Amazing. Each dish better than the last. The dish I will be talking about for weeks to come is the heirloom tomatoes with tomato sorbet. Simply spectacular. Also, the pork belly with black fun tuna was unforgettable. Honestly, better food than acclaimed restaurants in much larger cities. Milwaukee, you'd better seriously step it up. read more

Come one, come all to ye Heritage Tavern, where paupers & princes alike dine as kings! You say that the foie gras dish at your local watering hole isn't rich enough for you? Then we will add pork belly & tuna and you will be satisfied, says the Heritage Tavern. You complain that your cocktail only has a dash of bitters? Please come to the Heritage Tavern for a drink composed almost entirely of bitters. More shaved truffles! More candied bacon!! More Wagyu!!! More everything!!!! Huzzah to the purveyors at the Heritage Tavern for their wacky refinement & delicious excess! read more

Maybe my favorite restaurant in Madison. I have now been here several times. Both in large groups or for a quiet date. Late evening or early for a drink. And have always been happy. I particularly love the family style dishes. I had the pork, the Thai style fish and when it was still on the menu the lamb. And all of them are consistently delicious. The slow roasted meat is fall apart perfect: tender, unctuous, crispy on the outside, savory and comes with great sides and sauces. Particularly impressive is the ssamjang dipping sauce, even more when spread on the lettuce and wrapped around a couple of bites of tender slow roasted pork. The Thai style fish is also delicious: fried whole and served over a bed of vegetables and rice cooked with a coconut sauce. And a bit of deliciously poached lobster too. On the small plates, I love the vegetables: the beet salad and the Brussels sprouts are my favorites. The pork belly is also delicious. The tempura is a bit of a disappointment. It is good, particularly the sauces, but compared to the rest of the menu a bit underwhelming and while the coating is always perfectly crispy, I more than once had a tempura bite that was just a tad undercooked. The deviled eggs of course are their thing and definitely recommended for large groups. Another favorite dish of mine is the burger. It is now in the bar snack menu and it is really worth ordering. I think it might be the best gourmet burger in Madison. It comes with a side salad not fries, which I really appreciate. Service is always pretty much impeccable and great care is take in taking care of any issue that might arise. For example one night the family style pork came with no head cheese. When we asked about it, they brought us a platter of headcheese with mushrooms and cheesy grits. Will keep coming back. And recommend you do too maybe with a group of foodie friends. read more

I've been here for brunch a few times and dinner once, and each visit has been fantastic. At dinner last night, I had the beef short rib and it was INCREDIBLE. Like, probably among the top five pieces of meat I've ever had. It was amazingly tender and literally fell off the bone. I didn't have a drink, but the people I was with had the house punch (I think). I had a sip and it tasted like juice - but boozy, delicious, fresh-squeezed, fancy juice bar quality juice. Yum. Dinner isn't cheap, but very worth it; brunch prices are pretty average. Very friendly service. Overall, a great spot in downtown Madison. read more

Went last night (saturday) with my wife for a 9:00 reservation. Place was packed, but our table was ready on time so things starting brilliantly, especially with the amazing drinks mixed by their bartender...however, the cocktails ended up being the highlight of the night... We got the tempura which was ok. Next up was the strawberry and blue cheese salad with sorrel, candied lemons and proscuitto. After we ate it, i re looked at the menu cause it seemed like there were ingredients missing...i remarked to the waiter that, "it says proscuitto and sorrel on the menu, but there were neither on the salad" and he replied, "oh my gosh, so sorry. I'll totally make it up to you." Well, the bill came and the salad was still on the bill. more bad service. The roast chicken and tortellinni main was impossibly salty. It was clearly brined and not rinsed...or cooked in its own brining liquid or something, cause it was insanity how salty it was. If we hadn't complained on the salad, we would've mentioned this as well. Also split the waygu burger...served asked how we'd like it cooked. We said, "medium" it came back VERY well done...another fail. There are too many other good restaurants in madison that serve the same style of food with much better care and service. don't waste your money here. read more

Just finished my BBQ Lamb Leg Sandwich and it was absolutely delicious! It came with a side salad, and a side of chili. Perfect portions for lunch! My wife and I ordered carry out and it was an extremely easy with a respectful pick up procedure. We were even able to add a nice bottle of Prosecco to enjoy along with our meal. Thank you for staying open and executing a perfect take out meal. We will be visiting again once these crazy times are over. Much love! read more

What a wonderful little gem this restaurant was to find. Walking in to the restaurant is like having a private table saved for you where everyone knows your name. The staff was professional and courteous. Loved the variety on the menu. We were in a group large enough to try all of the small and large plates on the menu. I am pleased to share that there was not a single complaint about any aspect of the dishes. Plating was top shelf, flavor profiles were unique and spot on and overall portion and quality of then entire entree was executed flawlessly. If you have not had the pleasure of the Heritage Tavern, make sure and add it to your short list when in Madison. read more

My husband and I had an absolutely outstanding evening at Heritage Tavern to celebrate our anniversary. Our food was incredible, every bite a complete treat! We opted to share everything and enjoyed the Assorted Deviled Eggs, Wagyu Beef and Crispy Lobster, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Summer Sweet Corn Beer Cheese Soup and Suckling Pork Chop and Seared Foie Gras and the Melon Sorbet Dessert. The standouts being the Deviled Eggs (these are not your standard pot-luck eggs) and the Suckling Porkchop with Foie Gras-intense, rich and decadent! Not to be overlooked, the crudités and the craft cocktails which were both unique and fantastic. The featured ingredients were all delicious as expected but all the vegetables and garnishes were so fresh and full of flavor there was a reason that we all but licked every single plate clean. I would give this 6 stars if I could because the food was really great, but the wait staff is what really knocked this out of the park. They were so genuine, attentive and gracious that we felt like VIPs all night! We went to celebrate our anniversary but we certainly won't be able to wait until we have another special occasion to go back! The late night menu looks very tempting. read more

Items Selected: Cheese Plate - Alemar Camembert, Satrori Extra Aged Goat Cheese, Hooks Paradise Blue Cheese, Poppyseed Crackers, Fruit Bread, Figs, Mustard, Pickled Radishes Berries, Chocolate, and Cream - Chocolate Cake, Macerated Mixed Berries, Vanilla Cream, Strawberry Ice Cream, Roasted Almond Caramel Profiteroles - Wisconsin Maple Ice Cream, Chantilly Cream, Cardamaro Caramel, Toasted Pecan Unabashedly willing to dine in excess when visiting a new city it was only as I was setting my GPS back to the hotel after dinner at A Pig in a Fur Coat that I noted the late hours of Heritage Tavern, a quick reroute leading me past the illuminated capital to the understated front door just ten minutes later. Old-school in ambiance with locally sourced ingredients and craft cocktails at its core it was with options for bar seating that overlooks an open kitchen versus a more subdued dining room that I was presented on entry and eventually opting for the latter as the bar was still bustling my next sixty minutes was an utterly delightful experience, the service matching Chef Fox's whimsical yet refined restaurant. Having already partaken in several meals that day with more planned for the next it was with eyes focused largely on dessert that I approached the ever changing menu and although tempted mightily by several styles of pork and local produce I (for once) showed some restraint, the Wisconsin cheese plate and a duo of desserts arriving with excellent pacing and presentations on par. Obviously leaning towards bold flavors with bloomy Camembert, briny goat cheese, and a particularly punchy blue suffice it to say that I'd have liked the cheeses served with larger portions of accoutrements given the $18 tariff, but with each option save for overly-dry fruit bread proving reference standard this is a small quibble - the following $13-$14 desserts each excessively portioned and so rich that either could have easily been shared...though, at least in the case of the caramel-topped maple profiteroles resting in a pool of silky Chantilly, certainly not by me. read more

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Part of the reason I dine out is because I value the service as much as the do the menu. Heritage Tavern is one of the few places where you can tell that the staff is well trained and attuned to the cadence of proper meal service. From the hostess to the waiter to the bar staff, Heritage Tavern's service is above the norm, which in itself is four stars, but the menu kicks up the experience even further thanks to the classic-french-meets-asian-fusion dishes that make you pause to think and then say, "oh, heck, why not." The assorted deviled egg platter reads banal and "safe" until you actually try the trio of flavors and textures brought to the table. Here, they treat eggs as a canvas to apply wonderful touches of surprise and delight. As a fan of mid-century modern, I personally loved the colored glass egg platter that felt like an heirloom "heritage" piece. We decided to be conservative with the small plates in anticipation of the braised pork and tuna, which fortunately was 1) a smart move and 2) worth the wait. When we read the dish's description, we all cocked our heads to the side and made the same inquisitive face wondering why anyone would pair cold sushi-grade tuna with warm, braised pork. It was safe to say that we were intrigued and threw caution to the wind. The kitchen needs a little extra time to prepare this shared-plate feast and our waiter give us fair warning, which was fine because our table of four enjoyed exploring the short but satisfying wines-by-the-glass list as we waited. Then the moment of truth came where the course was brought out. It looked like a centerpiece from a Hawaiian luau. It was a sight to behold and we all took some time to evaluate the best point of entry and appropriate cutlery. It's amazing that one plate can offer so many flavors and we were continuously surprised that every forkful was an opportunity to try new combinations of protein, vegetable and sauce. The braised pork fell apart with the right amount of fat and flavor in each bite. The headcheese was actually refined and homey at the same time. The roasted vegetables were smokey and almost sweet. The tuna was cut into larger chunks that felt like the crowning jewels. The bib lettuce and Korean red paste on the periphery offered a chance to make a DIY lettuce wrap which totally changed the the flavor journey with sweet, tangy and spicy notes. Heritage Tavern certainly delivered on a unique experience--one that was equal parts fun, delicious and accommodating. The holy trinity when it come to dining out. read more

Handcrafted food that's accessible. This is one of the "fancier" places in Madison. Very good food.

Our favorite place to eat when we want to go out for very nice food. We are foodies and it is hard to find place that do the food better than we do at home. read more