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    Laurel Tavern

    3.5 (77 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Laurel Tavern Photos

    Business Info

    LAUREL TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Laurel Tavern

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    Onion Rings
    Dana C.

    Warm & welcoming spot with lots of booths & a cozy fire. Very pleasant and attentive staff. Food was okay, I had the mushroom Swiss burger I would have liked a toasted bun and a char on the burger. I asked for it medium rare, it wasn't. It fell apart & was a real mess. The onion rings were from a bag not fresh.

    Walleye dinner with fried cheese curds - YUM!
    Steve F.

    Friday fish fry at the Laurel Tavern remains a highlight of my visits to Madison and today was no exception. We arrived a bit after 4;30 to secure a table, which turned out to be a good strategy, as the place was packed by the time we finished. Erica, our server was so great, helping me out with a beer selection and letting us share a dinner with extra sides. The walleye portion is huge, with three generous fillets. Hash browns and a green salad made it good, but adding fried cheese curds as an additional side made it great. This is a place for happy diners, like me.

    a pool table in the foreground
    Tom S.

    This tavern screams nostalgia! Not sure if it's the red lights, long bar, pull tabs or cheap bar food! You can't go wrong with Laurel Tavern! In an area such as Monroe St. where things are only becoming gentrified... it's nice to have a low cost bar with a quality Friday night fish fry and simple menu to call home! Quick note... be prepared to wait on a Friday night if you want the Fish Fry! Tables go fast!!

    pool table
    Grant L.

    So I have been back to the Laurel for the fish fry not once but a few times now. I can honestly say that it is very consistent and delicious here. The price is a bargain for the plateful that you receive. This place does get packed on Friday, yet the waiters and staff are great about moving the line along. The Laurel Tavern fish fry is one that I would highly recommend.

    Brandy Old Fashioned - no muddled fruit here
    PJ C.

    We heard about this place from a friend otherwise it would never have been on our radar. We stopped in for a late dinner on a Thursday evening. The place was somewhat empty except for what I am guessing were some regulars given the stares we got when we entered. My main question is: what's with the weird pink lighting throughout the place especially in the dining room? It appears someone really likes pink because the ladies' room is all pink. In the dining room the lighting gives the food an unappetizing glow. Really odd. The waitress was friendly and kept things moving. The food prices were actually cheap - a surprise these days with everything going up. The fried cod sandwich was solid. The reuben while tasty but was mainly sauerkraut with a bit of corned beef. It definitely needed more meat. The old fashion was disappointing - guessing a mix and tiny for the price (this was not a bargain). We've now been here - no need to return. Plenty of other neighborhood bars to try out.

    Laurel Tavern on Monroe
    Helene S.

    Ask a local. Driving through Madison on a Friday night, stopped for a pickup on a friend's recommendation for an amazing neighborhood fish fry. Friday night fish fry included 3 pieces of fried walleye pike, potatoes (baked, French fries or hash browns with onions and peppers covered in Wisconsin cheese), a roll and soup (clam chowder), salad or coleslaw. The fish was delicious with tarter sauce. Get the hash browns. Ordered take out while driving and it was hot, fresh, and a perfect dinner. Buy local!

    Side salad
    Cam B.

    Classic WI fish fry. 3 pieces of walleye for $14 and it's delicious. Fish came out piping hot, coleslaw wasn't overdressed and you got a whole soup cup full, and both the baked potato and fries were solid. An extra side salad was not expensive and yummy- blue cheese dressing was actually chunky! Quality beer was cheap (think $4.50 for pints of moon man and ale asylum). We'll definitely be back.

    Mozzarella sticks!!
    Ericka B.

    Great neighborhood bar that's very welcoming and easy going. It's a great place to watch a badger game. The food is pretty much what you would expect from a bar, but the appetizers are definitely better than I've had at most. The fries were crisp,the mozzarella sticks were just what I wanted, and my friends really liked the burgers! I will definitely need to come back to try the fish fry some friday night.

    Clam Chowder
    Miranda W.

    We really like the atmosphere of Laurel Tavern - typical Wisconsin small town bar feel with great service and good bar food. I really liked the clam chowder! Fish & hashbrowns were yummy too. For a Friday night, we got seats right away and they were pumping out a ton of to-go orders. You can tell this is a Madison fav!

    Fried Cod Dinner to go Friday 6/5/20

    Disappointed fish fry dinner. This afternoon ordered 2 fried cod dinners one with French fries the other with hash browns to go! Food was delicious as usual. Only problem was one of the dinners (mine) only had two small pieces of fish. The other (my wife's) had three pieces and each piece was larger than mine. I guess that's one of the risks one takes when they order take out

    While the bread on the Reuben sandwich looked burnt, it was not.  It added a nice crunch to the sandwich.

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    27 days ago

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    2 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Great burger and onion rings, excellent pub food. I get takeout here frequently. Friendly people.

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    2 months ago

    Love the Laurel! Warm, cozy atmosphere for a quaint college bar! Food is always delicious! Every time!

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    5 years ago

    Great soup, great service, decent food. Not sure why this place isn't busier! Will definitely be back.

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    First time I ordered from this place- disappointmented; order was wrong, called, guy didn't seem to care...food was substandard.l

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    Players Sports Bar

    Players Sports Bar

    4.5(81 reviews)
    4.4 miSchenk - Atwood, Williamson - Marquette
    $

    Players Sports Bar has the best burgers in town when you are on the hunt for the ultimate burgers!…read moreTheir burgers are massively huge/filling, well seasoned, and deliciously made with love! Players Sports Bar & Grill is a fun, casual, cash ONLY, typical Wisconsin neighborhood dive bar nestled in the Atwood neighborhood of Madison, WI. They have a great beer selection, classic bar games, pool tables, and ping pong! This place has plenty of tvs to catch your favorite sports! It was super busy when we arrived on Wednesday night. It seemed to be a diverse crowd of neighborhood locals, blue collar, younger folks, and just people having a great time! It's a great place when you are craving greasy, fried, delicious bar food, and snacks! They serve not only burgers, but cheese curds, wings, and lighter far like salads. They need a round of applause for coming up with some of the tastiest unique burger creations ever such as their Poker Ho Burger, Lotza Motza Burger, and Players Burger. My husband and I were blown away by the burgers! My favorite is their Big Daddy Burger with a side of onion rings and my husband's favorite is their Lotza Motza Burger with fries! The Big Daddy Burger is made with Bacon, Ham, Swiss & American Cheese with spicy garlic mayo. It is served hot, made fresh, juicy, made with a huge 1/2 pound well seasoned patty! The side of onion rings takes it to the next level being fried hard, crispy, golden brown, and hot out the grease! The Lotza Motza burger which is a super fun burger made with Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks, Vito's garlic sauce, pepperoni & Mozzarella Cheese. Its like eating an appetizer and burger all in one! Players Sports Bar is your casual dive bar hooking you up with delicious bar food but don't expect sit down type of service or what you would expect for service at a restaurant. You have to order at the bar. Players Sport Bar is a great option if you are looking for a fun, casual dive bar serving up delicious rememberable burgers!

    A couple bites into my burger and I said to my husband I don't know if it's because I was starving…read moreor if this is the best burger I've ever had. He said no it's the burger - they're super good and it's fresh and not a frozen patty. Seriously so freaking good! The bar is great with an old school vibe and the staff and cook were very friendly.

    Photos
    Players Sports Bar - Bar area

    Bar area

    Players Sports Bar - Classic burger and fries

    Classic burger and fries

    Players Sports Bar

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    Jordan's Big Ten Pub

    Jordan's Big Ten Pub

    4.3(183 reviews)
    1.2 miSouth Campus
    $$

    I came here for Friday fish fry in the winter - I think there was a basketball or hockey game, but…read morenothing causing a crazy wait or crowd. We had some old fashioneds before ordering food, and I thought they were good. Service was super attentive, especially as we delayed ordering to enjoy drinks and an appetizer for a bit. I ordered the beer battered cod fish fry (my staple), and overall it was yummy to eat. The two pieces that came out were enormous and a bit wonky shaped... made me wonder what on earth this fish looked like in its swimming days. The batter was quite tasty, crunchy but not too crunchy/hard, but it was so incredibly think I'm not sure I got fish in every bite. I took one piece home and give the fish part to my pup as a meal topper, and the ratio of breading I had to pull off compared to fish was a bit (quite a bit) much. Still, everything I ate was tasty. I got the salad with my dinner, and was so happy that it came out with quality greens instead of a chunk of iceberg type lettuce. Overall, I'd come back again if others wanted, but wasn't wild about the batter to fish ratio.

    Quaint little corner-ish bar in the middle of downtown Regent street…read more Got the sour cream and chive potato wedges for an app, which came out piping HOT and fast. Great seasoning! Ordered the soup and half sandwich special for $6!!! Soup was good flavor but the consistency was chalky, you can tell it was on too hot and milk had split. Sandwich was perfectly grilled and served with a pickle. Nice portions for how extremely reasonable. Servers were helpful and quick, they both helped each other and had a good time behind the bar.

    Photos
    Jordan's Big Ten Pub - Fun times!

    Fun times!

    Jordan's Big Ten Pub - Smoked brisket and cheese toasted sandwich with pub chips

    Smoked brisket and cheese toasted sandwich with pub chips

    Jordan's Big Ten Pub

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    7 Iron Social - Seltzer Bucket

    7 Iron Social

    4.4(8 reviews)
    2.1 miCapitol

    Came here for my birthday with the girls and had a fun time! The space was clean, trendy and open…read more There are a total of 6 simulators (1 in a private room) and many sports options, to my surprise! The simulator rate is $20/hour (weeknight rate). Plenty of seating at the bar--along with a lounge'y space with a cute backdrop for photo-ops! I recall four beers on tap, and no drink specials. However, the menu did have a variety of "upscale" bar food! We ordered a fair amount but I only remember eating the curds (3/5) and fried green beans (5/5), which was my fave! PROS: I loved that we were able to try a variety of activities at our own pace! Each area had seating, enough for 6-7 people (sofas or bar stool/counter). Alcohol wipes were available. Music level was good and lighting slightly dimmed--great ambience! We got to chat with Collin (the owner) about his vision and learned that the simulators can pretty much play anything! This means events held here can be both adult AND kid-friendly--woo hoo! Just try not to bring a stroller here, as it's on the second floor with steep steps. Looking forward to more events here...and to what becomes of the outdoor space! CONS: We came on a Tuesday, so there was only one person working the bar + kitchen. Service was a slow as it got busy, and later into the night. There are only two private restrooms (which were nice and clean!). I can see this being a problem, especially for a place that can hold 100+ people. Will be back for more indoor fun!

    I absolutely love going to 7 Iron Social! It is located downtown Madison right on State Street and…read moreis perfect for groups! We've booked a simulator for several birthdays and other special occasions. They have tons of games to choose from on the simulators; golf, baseball, basketball, zombie dodgeball, soccer, and more! It is so much fun when you get a good simulators! We've noticed that some simulators don't work as well or maybe aren't aligned. Some of the equipment they provide is faulty as well. When everything is working well, it's a 5/5 star experience! They also have food and drinks you can purchase while you are playing. I've only tried one of the appetizers but I haven't tried the rest of the food. The appetizer my group got was delicious and the drinks are always good as well. The bartenders and servers are wonderful as well. They are alway super helpful and friendly. They do have happy hour and other specials as well so keep an eye out for those. Overall, if they make sure the simulators are working properly and replace the broken equipment, 7 Iron would be a consistent 5/5 experience in my opinion.

    Photos
    7 Iron Social
    7 Iron Social
    7 Iron Social

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    Good Fellas Tavern

    Good Fellas Tavern

    4.8(25 reviews)
    33.2 mi
    $

    If you're in the area you have to give this pizza a try. The crust is the most delicious crust I've…read moreever had, Monday night is pizza night and they always have specials for pizza night! Definitely a good pick!! They also have an amazing assortment of fresh breaded cheese curds, try them all they are absolutely fantastic

    We stopped here for drinks and dinner because it wasn't far from where we were staying and it's…read moredefinitely the place to be because it filled up fast. I'm not a snob so I can do a nice place, a dive and anything in between which was how the weekend went. The bar was pretty busy for a Saturday night and I was going to do a fresh patty burger but pizza after pizza was going out the front door so I might rethink my burger. The place is your typical Wi small town bar and not a dive but old looking that is CASH ONLY with a full bar and restaurant. The menu is decent for a bar and they take the food seriously with fresh beef burgers and real pizzas. I had a couple beers and gin tonics which were ok and not top shelf. The place is pretty loud and it was hard having a conversation but it was the place to be. We ordered the 16'' Soprano pizza with sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, fresh mushrooms, onions, green peppers, green olives and black olives. First off they don't skimp on the toppings because they were plentiful and the pizza was really good with a nice saltyness from the green olives that worked so well. I doubt that they make the crust and I could be wrong but it very good because it was not thick or cracker thin but a nice in between that was like a fresh chewy crust from good fresh baked bread. It was weird to bump into the owner of the bar that we usually go to for drinks and pizza like we were cheating on him but it was all good but unexpected. Overall the pizza is good, the drinks are ok and the prices are very reasonable for a casual dinner and drinks and I see why they were packed and the lady's working the bar did an outstanding job keeping up with all the people.

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    Good Fellas Tavern
    Good Fellas Tavern
    Good Fellas Tavern

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    Laurel Tavern - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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