I give them credit for trying. It's ok. Rice and chicken were ok. Space itself is clean but lighting is downright terrible. Owner and workers seemed eager to please and seemed like good people. I wish them luck. read more

Stopped here while visiting Wisconsin. All the food we ordered was pretty favorful and good. Butter chicken is solid, chicken biryani and chicken Tikka roll were also well made. read more

This place has delicious, authentic, and affordable food. Ive been looking for a good place to get curry downtown and this place fills the need. Order from whatever they have for specials that day and You wont be disappointed. Even the vegetarian dishes are great! Also the staff are all friendly. read more

The food is good, but the guy over there was very rude and was yelling because we asked for our food...

This is the first Pakistaní restaurant I have ever been to. The food is pretty good and a personal favorite of mine is the chicken tikki roll. It's chicken and yogurt and spices in a wrap. I would say it had a very mild kick to it, however I am extremely sensitive to spicy foods. The place is well kept and the customer service is always great. There is an older man who works there who is always very nice to me. The food is made very fresh and I believe they prepare it as you order instead of reheating frozen foods. I definitely would recommend this place! read more

Just tried it out today as a takeout dinner option and I was very impressed with the cheap prices and the food was much better than expected, it was great really. Especially the bread and amount of meat they give you in the sandwiches. However, if you are thinking about grabbing a bite really quickly it should be noted that from the time I ordered it took about 20 minutes until I got my sandwich and I was the only one in the store. But all in all great food and prices. read more

Hands down, the most delicious Pakistani food in Madison!! I make sure I go here whenever I'm in town because it outshines all of the Middle Eastern restaurants I've been to in Milwaukee! Owned and operated by a local, experienced family who make high quality, mouth-watering, from-scratch dishes at (very) generous, student-friendly pricing. They're quick to bring out your order and maintain a clean, comfortable environment. Try their mango lassi, samosas, and literally ANY special (all are fantastic). A great place to go if you've never tried Middle Eastern food before - the staff are so friendly and welcoming, and will answer any questions you have. I have so much respect for this business - Madison is lucky to have them. read more

I see a lot of good reviews here. I agree with two points. Good staff and good price. Unfortunately for me it ends there. The food needs a lot of improvement in terms of both, quality and taste. The chicken tikka roll had shredded chicken. When I asked why that was, the answer was that was quicker to cook. Not the answer I was expecting. Also, the falafel seemed to be cooked in stale oil. If they get away from daily specials and focus on perfecting the core menu, it might get better. Good luck! read more

Wonderful fragrance of spices combined with the very energetic and enthusiastic welcome provided by the couple behind the counter!

In town visiting the University of Wisconsin and Madistan is right next to my hotel. Amin greeted us with a big smile and great food! Not expensive. Great service. Vegan options! I had the shawarma and my fiancee had the falafel sandwich. Both of us were very happy. I admittedly went back for seconds... Thanks, Amin! We'll definitely be back : ) read more

I am going there again for sure. I had the biriyani, beef kabab roll and the Golap jamun. The biriyani was good, portion size is slightly small. But taste wise very good! I think there is still some room for improvement. Still I am giving the 5 start specially because of the Golap jamun and the beef roll. These two are mouth watering. Beef is moist and juicy, very well seasoned and delicious. For the gulap jamun I believe this is the best Golap jamun I have tested so far in Madison Altogether price wise taste wise I would love to go there again. read more

Excellent gyros, lasse, samosas and even hamburgers. The staff is also very welcoming and always puts a smile on my face.

Decent food that is priced well. Yummy in our tummy without a big dent to our wallets. The staff are very friendly and helpful to any in need. Wish the dining area was more friendly to the buttocks. And the restrooms a tad cleaner... read more

Great option for a quick dinner or late-night snack. I tried the falafel platter and was really happy with the chewiness of the falafel and the huge serving size! The place is very small so I definitely recommend getting the food for take-out. read more

Reasons why I love Madistan: The restaurant is super clean. It's a family run business. The owner is there daily and takes pride in serving his patrons delicious, authentic food. He was very friendly and personable. The owner's wife is the main cook - she makes everything fresh from scratch. The food is delicious. We had the chicken biryani, a gyro and beef samosas. The samosas were to die for. The beef was seasoned perfectly and wrapped in a thin, crispy wrapper, then fried until golden. I would order a whole basket of those things. Just amazingly good! The prices were very reasonable. Definitely one of our new favorite places in Madison to grab a quite bite. Thanks Amin and Naheed. You are wonderful! read more

I've lived across from Madistan for 5 months before trying it and man am I sorry it took me so long. The gyros are awesome - ask for extra sauce though. The shwarma was so so but I'm excited to try the falafel and samosas soon. Get the gyros - you wont be sorry. read more

Not the most professional service. I got the halwa puri which is like cholee bhature but it was very bland. Quantity and quality was not worth the price. Won't go again! The guy seemed nice though. read more

Bland, uninteresting food. I am not sure why most people think the prices are good. I think it's overpriced for what you get. $5.99 for a meal is well and good, but if you are going by the actual amount of food your are getting for the price, it's not a good deal at all. Much better tasting Mediterranean food (and better price per quantity) at both King of Falafel and People's Bakery. Avoid. read more

Nice Pakistani eatery for a quick grub. Perhaps your best options after a long trip to bar Saturday night. He food is okay but owner was very welcoming and nice. read more

Tasty! Big thumbs up for a casual bit to eat! I like that they have specials that sell out quickly, maybe next time!

I haven't tried the food yet but I have been in here for 45 minutes. It took 15 minutes to get through the 2 person line and I have now been waiting a half an hour for one gyros. I have no idea what's going on but none of the food requires a lot of prep or should necessitate this kind of wait. It's not very crowded it just seems super dysfunctional. read more

The food is simply amazing! Not to mention super cheap. Also BEST owner ever. Dude is super friendly.

Was in the mood for some fried chicken so I stopped into Madistan on my way home. Fried chicken was so undercooked it was actually bloody. Their gyros are good, but don't compete with The Parthenon a block away. But they have really good shawarma and falafel for very reasonable prices. Overall a pretty good restaurant with reasonable prices for decently large portion sizes. read more

Great chicken biryani (chicken and rice), great butter chicken, friendly staff. Would recommend even for people who think they don't enjoy Indian food read more

I like their chicken biryani, I will suggest them having more homemade dishes in menu: Nihari haleem Chicken jalfrezi Aloo ghost Chicken karahi Great Owner and friendly staff. very reasonable price considering the quality and the location. read more

Loved the chicken Biryani with a mango fruit juice on the side. The seasoned rice was memorable, the chicken was tender, and the sauce was delicious and a great contrast to the slightly spicy dish. The chef was friendly and Amin is one hip and modern restaurant owner. Sounds like he's got some new things in the works, like a coupon in the cap times and a tandoori oven to make nan bread. read more

We drove from Chicago and needed a halal place to eat. The food was delicious!! BEST cheeseburger!!! Awesome chicken tikka role, chicken biryani, fries, shawarma, falafel! We basically ordered everything off the menu. Super cute restaurant. read more

See all

Madistan seems primarily oriented as a takeout place serving Pakistani and Mediterranean food. A few daily specials (3 on my visit) and a limited regular menu--e.g., Pakistani rolls, gyros, falafel and fried chicken--round out the selection. Food is served in styrofoam boxes with plastic utensils. Limited indoor seating is on backless stools at a counter or high table. Counter service is friendly. The dal special served with naan was very tasty and satisfied as a quick, relatively healthy lunch. The spicy sauce with the chicken achar was flavorful but the three small chicken pieces were very pink near the bone and did not appear to be cooked enough. This definitely put me off on the dish. Overall, Madistan seems to fill a niche for ethnic food aimed at students but is not a place one would go to have a sit down lunch and chat. read more

You can never go wrong with this place, the quality of the food and service is phenomenal.

What a surprise this was! We were visiting from Boston and were craving some desi Pakistani food. The biryani and rolls were to die for. Must visit for some authentic awesome food! read more

Great new spot. As ppl have mentioned, the owner is friendly and funny. Food is phenomenal for the price. Had the chicken biryani special and loved it. Good takeout option for those in the Bassett area. Will definitely return to try another one of their lunch specials! read more

Came to Madison for work and randomly found this gem, the biryani is fantastic for the price, very well seasoned. The chicken is little dry, but where else can you get biryani for so cheap? AND they have beef samosas which I hardly see at south asian restaurants, the chutney they come with is pretty splendid. read more

Super sweet girls helping their parents (?) run the family restaurant. Yummy biryani. ..portions are a bit small.

Wow, simply amazing. I'm not going to lie, I was hesitant when they said they were switching owners. However, they just did not disappoint, if anything they keep me coming back and wanting more! I would also like to note the customer service. When I came in and suggested they adjust their Thursday night hours, they respectfully listened to my suggestion but respectfully declined. I am actually on my way over to get a gyro as we speak! yum! read more

Best and authentic Pakistani samosas in town. Their food is very close to real Pakistani home cooking. I tried Chicken Qorma and it was great. The owner is not Mediterranean so don't expect great shawarma or falafel. Love this place and definitely will go back. read more

Overpriced. They charge you an absurd amount for not a lot of food. I'd recommend Naf Naf or Parthenon instead.

Awesome place! I've only been once and had one of their home-style vegetarian specials. It was super yummy. Well spiced and lovingly prepared. Can't wait to go back to try more of their delicious offerings. read more

I had heard good things from a colleague about this place so decided to try it out one late evening. We ordered veg. falafel wraps, and those were abysmal. I managed to finish mine because I was hungry, but my wife couldn't finish hers and we threw most of it away. read more

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much when I saw the humble exterior but I was VERY pleasantly surprised. The staff was super friendly and the food was extremely good. Yum! I would definitely go back. read more

Great place. I have tried the shawarma, gyros, tikka roll and beef samosay, all good! The staff if friendly too.