We were in town and looking for a good place to eat and excited to try this joint, with a 4.4 star…read morerating. We've always had good food in Madison and even though we wanted to get home after a long day, we thought it would be worth the delay. Unfortunately, this time, it wasn't worth it. I feel like it's time and money wasted. I'll get to details, but I'm mainly basing this review on the quality of the food I received. Before getting to the food, our service was great. Our server was a bit slow considering there were only 3 tables (including us) occupied. Or it's more of a relaxed atmosphere, so she was just giving us a lot of time to look over the menu. But aside from that, she was friendly, helpful, and kind. Atmosphere is on the dark side. There are two screens to play games (golf, etc) on two corners of the building. I think there are plenty of options, but we were mainly in for food, and didn't really get much info on the games. I did ask whether they were run on a reservation basis, and the hostess (who was also our server) said yes. She didn't mention any pricing, so I'm not sure what the details on that is. Margarita special $5 This was great. Not overly sweet, and just the right amount of booze. It came in a whiskey cup rather than a margarita one. 3sheep chaos pattern on draft Price for draft beer is not cheap, and the beer was great. The glass it came in was super clean, but also warm. I think it just came out of the dishwasher... So clean, but beer glasses should be cold on principle. Wings The description says these are baked, and then fried before tossed in their sauce. The sauce is yummy. The wings are a fairly large size. But I think they forgot to fry it. The skin on the wings weren't at all crispy, but kinda mushy. The meat was well cooked, but also on the dry side. The celery sticks and carrot rings on the side were super fresh and crispy. Blind burger with side salad I ordered it done medium. It came out very well done. For a wagyu, it lacked fat content, and cooked for too long, so it was very dry. We had just hiked 4 hours at Devil's Lake and quite hungry, but I couldn't finish it. Seasoning was great though. And the side salad was also very fresh. Brussels sprouts Something I haven't done in the last 15 years... I had to ask them to redo it. It came out with underdone Brussels. Interestingly, after I asked them to heat it up more for me, it came out perfect, with the right amount of searing on all the cut sides. Overall, it feels like the kitchen was having a bad day and bad timing - wings needed to get in the fryer for longer, burger should've been out of the pan sooner, Brussels should've stayed in longer. For the prices I paid, I expect better food. Especially since the kitchen knows how to fix their stuff! It was like they put 70% into all the dishes until I spoke up. Would I go back? Nope. Not convinced that the 4.4 rating is justified for me.

Great Eastside find... other than the complete lack of parking. Great craft cocktails and…read morereasonable bar prices. The service was good and the place had a nice vibe.

Great club decor and atmosphere. Best "Old Fashions" in the city (the ones at the bar "The Old…read moreFashioned" admittedly are pretty good). Enjoyed the Thursday night 5:30 Latin Jazz -- no cover!--and a great vibe to dance to later at night.

The Cardinal Bar is both retro and classy. Stopped in for some pre-dinner beverages and listened to…read morethe live conga band get set-up and play their first few songs. The service was really good with cool bartenders and a mellow vibe. Didn't try the food although it is on the menu. A bit further from campus, the CB seems to be a place catering to a more mature crowd rather than a UW student bar.

I REALLY wanted to love Crystal Corner, but sadly after our recent visit, popping back by on my…read morenext trip to Madison is not looking very likely. Crystal Corner is located in the famed Willy Street area of Madison, sitting on the corner of Willy Street and Baldwin Street. Crystal Corner has the vibe of the neighborhood, as is it divey, funky, nostalgic and truly local. However, even with all those things, this spot missed the mark for me and my buddy. We swung by on Sunday afternoon for a few drinks while wandering around Willy Street. We bellied up to the bar and ordered a couple of Bloody Mary's, to which the bartender said "Oh, I need to make up some mix. I can't believe people still drink those things around here.". Which was odd, as that was about to be our third bloody of the day, with neighboring restaurants going as far as having special bloody menus. The bartender pulled a can of tomato juice out, dumped it in a pitcher, added a few dashes of hot sauce, Worcestershire and some seasonings. And that was it. She then took some rail vodka, mixed it all up, and topped with an olive and pickle. While I know this sounds phenomenal, it was in fact one of the worst bloody's I have had. Additionally, the olive and pickle were a weird, almost rubbery texture. The combination of everything was off putting...and that was just the start. Next up is the space itself. While I appreciate a good dive bar that is full of nostalgic artwork, furnishings, lighting, etc...but it shouldn't be visible that the place hasn't been cleaned since these things were added. The ceilings and floors were the worst part, with the ceiling tiles being caked with black dust and dirt. Again, being worn is part of being divey, but being dirty doesn't have to be. In addition to the the main room ceilings, the bathroom ceilings were awful, missing tiles, moldy pipes exposed and just an overall feeling of ick that is beyond a normal bar bathroom. Last, but certainly not least, was the service and vibes. They were off, and kind of weird. When we arrived, there were a few locals and regulars, and then a few folks, including us. While the bartender was friendly with us, she was very rude, uncomfortably so, to another patron when he pulled out a credit card instead of cash (cash only spot). There was a little back and forth, then he left. Even after he left, she was calling him names and such to the other patrons. Again, uncomfortable, especially as a new patron to the bar. Overall, the bloody wasn't the only thing that left a bad taste here. From the bloody to the service to the dirtiness, this place needs some love and was just not it for us.

It looks like an average corner dive bar from the outside but wow, was this a fantastic place a see…read morelive music in Madison! Heads up: cash only at the bar. Come prepared. Bartenders were very nice. Tip them. There is an ATM near the restrooms if you run out of cash. The acoustics are fantastic and I loved the St. Patrick's Day weekend concert! It was packed, but we still found space to dance. Plenty of free street parking. I'm not used to that as a Chicagoan. That was a nice surprise.

Awesome place. The drinks were very good. The bartender had good dialogue classic movies playing in…read morethe background. All around this is a stand-up place.

This is my favorite spot in Madison. You can take anyone from parents to coworkers to a first date…read morehere and feel comfortable. Its got a great vibe, cool bartenders, and the owner is approachable and friendly.

Bouncer with the one earring is incredibly rude and judgemental. He was disrespectful to my…read moreroommate.

Absolutely love Wednesday dancing and socials with Luis Armacanqui…read more Wednesday beginner Latin dance lessons and intermediate dance lessons now run simultaneously at 7:30 pm typically alternating salsa & bachata. Wednesday March 20, 2024 was Bachata, Wednesday March 27, 2024 will be Salsa Sometimes Luis will mix it up but it's always posted on his capitol social Facebook page There are three dance floors to choose from. Near the bar, in front of the DJ booth which has a great location, and a little behind the DJ booth. The bar floor is typically sticky & often has tiny pieces of glass that drag on the shoe so don't wear your favorite shoes. There tile and wooden floors usually aren't sticky and usually do not have glass on them but anything can happen. The front door men are great. The bartenders are great. The ladies room has been in good shape each time I've gone. We appreciate them greatly for helping Capitol Social host their weekly dance lessons.

Summer nights on the picnic tables with good friends outside Woof's just hit different ya know!…read moreAlways the last stop of the night! Meet ya there!

Fun cruzing-style dive gay bar in the heart of downtown Madison. Everyone was so friendly and…read morewelcoming to this out-of-towner. Loved meeting the local Lushes and Daddy Bears. Wheelchair accessible!

We had heard good things about the fish fry at this classic Wisconsin dive bar on the near north…read moreside of Madison. We also heard it is jammed on Friday nights for the fish fry so we arrived super early to grab a table in the bar area. The place was hopping by 4:30 and people were waiting for a seat! You order your food at the bar. On Friday the menu is pretty much fish fry and not much else - no problem since that is why we were there. We started with some old fashions - always my test of a Wisconsin bar - it was OK. I had the perch fish fry and my wife the cod. The perch was excellent. I really liked their batter it almost tasted like the Colonel's. The cod was also good and a big serving. I also liked their coleslaw which was very flavorful. The fries were very good. They did screw up my order - I asked for fries and got a baked potato but we did a quick switch and resolved that issue. I know food inflation is high these days but we were surprised at the price of these fish fries! The drinks were reasonable. It's not a big place so come early on Fridays.

Stopped in with my daughter on a Friday night to grab their much ballyhooed fish fry. We popped in…read morearound 6:45 and the place was packed to the gills (pun intended!). We bellied up to the bar to grab a drink and post up to wait for an open table or a few barstools to free up. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long for a spot at the bar to empty out. The interior is nothing to write home about-cozy, a little ramshackle but the food they churn out is absolutely amazing. They were advertising "ohio sized" lake perch from Lake Erie so I had to go with that. Nowadays, most places advertise perch but hide the fact they aren't true hard to get lake variety. These perch were absolutely massive and the sweetness under their most amazing breading was addicting. I love how they batter their fish-it's unique and has almost fried chicken like qualities. My daughter went with the cod which was equally delicious. The accompanying tartar sauce was clearly homemade and spiked nicely with clove. Fries and the bread/butter were ok but not really necessary with the generous amount of fish. Just a classic place to have a classic fish fry. Highly highly recommended!

Great customer service and food! We stopped here on a Sunday to have our anniversary dinner and…read morewe were very happy we did. The vibe here is intimate which is perfect for couples or groups celebrating a special event. There is a cool bar area where you can order fancy libations. As far as the food...everything tasted delicious and was well cooked. We ordered the calamari appetizer and we thought it was a 4/5. I am only docking a point because it was slightly too salty and some of the octopi were slightly overcooked/chewy. We had the soup of the day which was fantastic paired with bread. I ordered the lobster tail with the 6 oz filet mignon and both the lobster and filet were cooked to perfection!! Our sides were mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts which tasted delicious. We also got a little surprise, we got dessert on the house. Overall, a great experience.

Another great happy hour! Our server Tanisa was so friendly, helpful, and fun. We tried the loaded…read morehash browns for the first time, and they were excellent. I got the happy hour steak salad. The meat and mushrooms portions were very fair for the price. The meat was cooked as ordered, but the marinade was very sweet and a few of the pieces were gristly. Other than that, everything was good. We love the round cozy booths by the bar.

Great venue for parties, craft shows and so much more. Beautiful area with lots of windows & open…read morespaces. Reasonable prices and good area on the East side of Madison.

We had a large 50th anniversary party with a sit down dinner for over 100 guests in the Evjue and…read moreMerrill Lynch rooms. Everything went very smoothly. Many of our guests commented on how tasty the food was. The service was very professional and efficient. This is a fantastic venue for a large celebration.