Our waiter, Pete, was amazing. The cornbread is phenomenal- best on the planet. The pork chop is also very good. Enjoy!

A rare five stars from me. Service by Robbie was outstanding. The wine list is so complete and interesting that I ignored my beautiful companion for 10 minutes (not recommended!). I had the duck; she the filet. Both cooked perfectly and seasoned enough to enhance and not hide the favors. You must try their grits. These will change your outlook on this Southern staple. The peach/raspberry cobbler (shared) put a perfect end to a perfect experience. If you are on a budget you need not apply. read more

We love this place. Go there every year that we visit NC. I am a calves liver fan and it is probably the best ever at Madison's. My husband loves their hamburgers and desserts. We go at lunch time to save a little $$ but it's definitely worth it. Waiter was great too! read more

I expected first class service and perfectly prepared main dishes. But the veggies exceeded all expectations and made this my favorite meal ever. Everything was perfect. Scallops were slightly pink inside, and had the right crispy pop when eaten. Mahi mahi was moist, and the texture reminiscent of lobster. My wife had the meatloaf which was as smooth as paté, and avoided the typical tanginess of ketchup, instead pushing the smoothness to an extreme by using a brown gravy base in and on the meatloaf. We loved the appetizers, with my charcueterie plate and my wife's soup of the day. And the vanilla souffle with gingerbread ice cream atop a hidden layer of wild berries, was an amazing mix of sweet and tart, plus hot and cold. But the most amazing thing about this meal was the treatment of the veggies. I don't usually care much about broccoli, but this roasted broccoli was so flavorful, and like the scallops, the chefs hit the perfect point of crunchy crispiness and buttery softness. Same with the cauliflower, the purple carrots, and the onion. My plate included local mushrooms, "hen of the woods" and these were roasted to perfection, with a bit of oak smoke layered on a buttery sauteed base; just magnificent. Although I am an avid meat eater, I wish this restaurant would offer a plate of just the veggies; they were perfect. The server took great care of us for one and a half hours. The completeness of this dining experience will be remembered for many years. Going in, I wondered if the prices would be justified, and from my experience, the answer is "yes"! I hope to return for special meals here in the future. read more

See all

For sure the best spot to grab dinner in Highlands. We really enjoyed our meal, however some of the dishes got a little too busy and missed the mark, but not by much. I loved the service and the kitchen was quick. We had a chance to each much from the Old Edwards Inn establishment. We attended a wedding rehearsal dinner the next night and everything was spot on. The night following that, we had dinner at the wedding. That's where some kinks came through (super dry halibut), but all in all delicious and the service was some of the best in any town I've been to. I wish you would export your service ethic to my town. read more

I was passing through town in the Highland's and decided to give Madison's a try. Madison's is located inside the Old Edward Inn. They have indoor seating and a large outdoor patio. Eat outside if the weather is good. The atmosphere is amazing! I ordered their tri tip sandwich, which is one of the best sandwiches I have had in forever. It was so good! Madison's is a must stop for lunch or dinner if you are in town. The restaurant is a bit pricey, but it is well worth it. read more

Great food with some game options. Had fantastic pheasant. Ok wine list, friendly service

Love the outside Bar ! Food was amazing and staff was VERY helpful. Wine kept flowing and music on Thursday Night was so great

I never write bad reviews for restaurants. I just don't. But I had to make an exception for Madison's due to a terrible experience here. Let me start out with the food - 5 stars. The chef is absolutely amazing and everything we had was incredibly well composed and delicious. We ended up trying 3 of the starter plates, with the intent to get more as we go. The terrible service led us to cut our dinner short, but I'll go into that later. As for the starters we did try: the lamb sausage, the fried artichokes and the foie gras - they all were fabulous. The foie gras in particular was probably the best I've ever had. But for as good as the food was.... The service was absolutely terrible. Word of advice: be prepared to order three courses per person right at the jump or else you will be treated like second class citizens for the duration of your dining experience. Our waiter was rude, presumptuous and should seriously consider another career not in the service industry. We felt as though we were being talked "down" to the entire time and were ignored for most of our meal. We watched as other tables received wonderful service by other waitstaff but did not get that same dining experience. I've been to some of the most upscale (and admittedly "stuffy") restaurants in the country but have never felt this way by a server before. Our stay in a beautiful hotel was considerably blemished by a upsetting dinner on our last night there. I can't express enough how seriously bad the service was. My advice would be to just grab dinner at one of the other places in downtown Highlands rather than wasting your money on a dinner here. read more

We loved it here! Fabulous staff. They really know their wine. Highly recommend the hummus and pimento cheese apps. Hope you get Robbie - he is an awesome server! read more

Wine Garden for lunch. Awesome ambiance excellent food reasonable prices. Great menu.

My wife and I had breakfast there this morning and were very excited when we saw the menu. The service was good but the food was disappointing. The cheese grits were lukewarm and the toast was too cool to melt butter, which they didn't supply anyway. The bacon was not high quality and over cooked to boot. The eggs were scorched and obviously cooked in a pan that was too hot. Overall very poor experience and overpriced read more

Excellent service and attention to detail. The vanilla pear salad was wonderful with. Many flavor that blended nicely with kale, pear, goat cheese fritters and a butter nut squash jellae. My wife enjoyed the duck and I loved the barrel fish. The vegetables were superbly prepared and crisp. The Caramelized carrots were like candy. The sweet potato soufflé was not what we expected. The top was a delicious, mildly sweet potato cream with the bottom made up of bacon. The bacon detracted from the flavor and would best be left out. Overall, Madisons was excellent. We highly recommend it. read more

Top notch food, service and ambiance. Perhaps the best food I have ever had. Pricey, but 100% worth every penny. I am still salivating over the heirloom tomato and jalapeño soup. It was so delicious we considered getting another serving for dessert, but the sweet tooth won out and was also not disappointing. Will go home and try to replicate the soup. read more

Fabulous experience! We celebrated our anniversary in this elegant restaurant in beautiful Highlands. The food and wines were fantastic and the service excellent (thanks, Charles!). The restaurant gave us a wine course on the house for our anniversary. They knew just how to make us feel extra special. Pricey, but worth every penny! read more

A little pretentious and over-priced. Eclectic menu, small portions, nicely presented. Wine selection by the bottle is amazing, but pricey. Wine selection by the glass is sub par. And the corkage fee is $35. This is our third visit, but we would probably look elsewhere next time we are in the Highlands. read more

Amazing restaurant... from waking in the door to leaving! Welcoming, warm, and hospitable staff during our whole time there. Beautiful atmosphere. Delicious food! Will definitely be going back based on both the awesome lunch and dinner experiences we had! read more

What an amazing impromptu birthday dinner at Madison's! The atmosphere was perfectly romantic with a window table overlooking the gardens. The menu was upscale without being pretentious and the service was superb. Our waiter, Bryan, was exceptional and incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. (He helped this indecisive diner pick the perfect meal and wine.) Thank you for a wonderful and delicious evening. We will definitely be back! read more

First visit to Highlands. Highly recommend Madisons Restsurant there. Elegant atmosphere, lovely international staff an excellent food an drinks. read more

What a fantastic place to end our last night in the highlands. From the moment you are greeted you feel like you are the only guest. Service and menu are equally amazing. We both had items from the grill menu. Pork chop and ribeye. The fall specialties from the beverages, vegetables to desert were all wonderful. Sweet potato soufflé was outstanding. We will be back! read more

Very nice place. We went for lunch and had bloody Mary's and shrimp grits - not the best I've ever had but good.

Had grilled chicken breast sandwich with soup ($15) Chicken was severely overcooked. My wife had a caesar ($11) with added chicken ($5) and a "bowl" of soup ($9). The "soup" was pretty good and was actually chili not soup again her chicken was even more overcooked and dry than mine. After my wife alerted the waitress about our overcooked chicken we were comped the beer ($6) and the chicken added to the caesar ($5). Total after being adjusted was $49.11. We will not be going back.... read more

Madison's exceeded our high expectations in almost every regard. The attention we received from the wait staff made it feel like we were the most important people in the restaurant. The servers were patient, well trained, personable, and the highlight of the experience, somehow outshining the delicious food. Pete was fantastic. Also the sommelier makes purchasing a bottle of wine an experience unto itself. I highly recommend eating here whether you are staying at old Edwards or not. It's the perfect place to celebrate an anniversary, birthday, of just a Thursday and be sure you don't leave without dessert as it was the highlight of an exceptional meal! read more

Front desk restaurant staff not welcoming, overtly rude. Cannot review menu, never seated. Would not recommend based on first impression. Visiting from Atlanta over the Christmas holidays, staying @ 200 Main -- desk personnel had suggested Madison's for dinner, disappointed when told of my experience. Though I frequent Highlands, especially fall -- Wild Thyme, a much more welcoming and delicious alternative! read more

First visit we really enjoyed the food and service, our waiter was friendly and attentive. We had the meat and cheese tray app which was delicious. I ordered the burger the jalapeno sauce was delicious not to spicy just right, my husband wanted something lighter so he chose the chicken salad sandwich and really enjoyed it. Both of our kids had the kids burgers and they were a good size with french fries. We will return for dinner next time we are in the area. read more

We were in the Highlands and discovered the Madison's Restaurant. The reviews have been very good so we gave it a try. We arrived for lunch and were seated within 5 minutes. Our service was excellent. Our waiter was very good and knew the menu well. The service was worthy of a 5 star rating. The atmosphere is very formal but there were patrons in jeans, shorts, and formal attire. Overall we had a very nice experience. Our food however was a little disappointing. My wife had fish and chips... we love fish and chips in London and were hoping because this place had the British motif it would hopefully have great fish and chips... unfortunately this entree was disappointing. I had the chicken breast sandwich with tomato soup. The soup was very good but the sandwich was nothing special. The bread the breast was served on didn't compliment it! I found myself eating it just because I was hungry. Maybe we just caught them on a bad day but overall lunch was just average. The staff and the facilities are excellent and worth the visit. read more

I stopped going to Madison's a few years back as the menu seemed best suited for a bridge group. Against my will I joined a group for a birthday luncheon and BOY was I surprised. A new chef is in the kitchen serving a variety of delicious and interesting dishes. The flatbread pizzas change daily and would make a great starter. After there lunch experiences, I can honestly say Madison's should be on your list of the best Highlands has to offer. read more

The decor/ambiance is plush, beautifully formal in a style that seems to be vanishing - art, soft lighting, superb attention to detail .... BUT NOT SNOBBISH! The clientele tend to be middle-aged to ancient but the last time I was there only about half the men wore jackets and one guy in his fifties wore a golf shirt and shorts. I recently had sturgeon, a slab as big as a 14 oz. fillet. It was delicious but think about it - do you ever see sturgeon offered? Suffice it to say the food is great and greatly expensive. Our waiter, whom we now request, was very, very knowledgeable about the preparation, ingredients etc. of the menu items. He claims (we believe him) to have found an error in a SAT question and to have had the College Boards acknowledge the error. read more

My husband and I were on vacation looking for a nice restaurant for dinner. This place is very upscale and we were not prepared for the formal attire. The host was extremely rude and passive aggressive making part of our dining experience very uncomfortable. However, the food was exquisite and a reasonable price. The waiter was very kind. They had 2 complimentary small dishes prior to our dinner being served. The decor is somewhat older and more traditional versus modern. Therefore the food is a 5 star rating, however I had to bump it down to 3 stars because of the host. read more

I was very underwhelmed by a stop here for dessert. We ordered pecan pie a la mode, which was served cold with a cup of coffee and baileys one evening. When we asked for the pie to be heated, they acted surprised that it was not warm. And then still returned with it barely lukewarm. The servers were very nice but I've never been served cold pecan pie in the South, and certainly not with ice cream. Aside from this, it really was not very good pie - very one note and was in dire need of a dash of salt to bring out the flavors. We had a wonderful stay at the Old Edwards Inn (and enjoyed their Spa Cafe), but Madison's was definitely a disappointment for dessert so we never went back for a meal. read more

Cannot say enough positive things about the service and food at this lovely restaurant located inside the Olde Edwards Inn & Spa. The entire staff is attentive, friendly and helpful. Our server, Sarah, was charming and knowledgeable about menu items. Everyone we encountered was equally pleasant and honestly appeared to enjoy working there and interacting with guests. The staff appears young but is very well-trained. The food choices were varied although limited to two seafood dishes for those seeking lighter options. The choices tended to be generally meat-based although there was one vegetarian option on the entrees. The charcuterie board was fairly standard but tasty. I choice the trout and it was light and delicious and served with a sweet potato purée and grilled vegetables that well-complimented the dish. My friend enjoyed the short ribs and said they were delicious. A solid 5 star experience! read more

Great food and great service. We had Jamie as our server and he was excellent- charming and funny. Timing of the food was perfect and he did a great job making us feel at ease since we don't normally dine at such nice restaurants! Prices were reasonable compared to portion size and taste. read more

So I had walked past Madison's numerous times and was always a little skeptical about trying it out. I am very much a "stick to the things you know" kinda girl. But one night the hubby and I decided to go out to a nice, quiet dinner. It was amazing! I have never had a dinner "experience" like this one. The service was impeccable and each dish was a foodie's dream. I cannot wait til our next dinner here.... read more

Good news: Food was excellent Bad news: Service was horrendous. Our "Wine Navigator" opened our bottle of wine-did not offer to have it tasted and simply left. We never saw him for rest of evening. 30 minutes later, the bread server had to ask if we wanted our sitting wine poured. Our server took our order and we did not see her again until 90 minutes later when after waiting 20 minutes with our empty meal plates just sitting in front of us-came out to ask if we wanted anything else! We told her that we would like to take the wine with us...but she did not return. We then flagged down the manager and advised her about the total lack of attention we experienced from her staff and she seemed really surprised. We told her exactly what we experienced from her team and how utterly disappointed we were with the service or should we say, total lack of service. Very disappointed in our experience...perhaps Madison's does not care since they have a corner on market restaurants in Highlands. read more

We LOVE this restaurant. A true gem and worth the travel if you just want to enjoy a drive and relaxed , first class meal if coming from the Atlanta area. Dinners also fabulous. Can't rave enough about the staff who are well trained and don't rush the meal to clear the tables. Try the chocolate desserts when you can and anything that is the chefs composition. YUM YUM YUM :) read more

I was so excited to visit this restaurant after reading the Laurel Magazine review. In fact I ordered the Caesar salad with grilled chicken for lunch that is pictured in the article. Much to my dismay when mine and my friends came out there were no dark greens anywhere on the plate. Everything was pale green and white rib pieces. The chicken was so dry I could barely swallow it. I really should have sent it back but that's not my favorite thing to do. The service was good, friendly but slow. I don't mind having a leisurely lunch but this was a little much. I don't see myself going back anytime soon. read more

Fine dining is not just about the food, its about elegant presentation and service. The food at Madison's is first class, and the presentation is top rate. If you order soup, its "platted" at your table, if you have four at your table, when your meals are presented, four waiters come out and serve all meals simultaneously, when you enter the Historic Inn the staff stands up to welcomes you. This is what makes dining at Madison's at the Old Edwards Inn a special experience. If you go, get there early and have a drink at the Hummingbird Lounge, a dark paneled bar with fireplace in the winter. If you enjoy fine dining, this is a must in Highlands. read more