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    Rare Steakhouse

    3.8 (393 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndSteakhouses, Seafood, American
    Closed Closed

    Rare Steakhouse Photos

    RARE STEAKHOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Upscale
    Moderate noise
    Dressy

    Recommended Reviews - Rare Steakhouse

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    Amy M.

    You will not be disappointed if you order the Manhattan to accompany the charcuterie and tuna tartare boards and jumbo shrimp cocktail. Next order a cab to compliment your medium rare capitol cut with a side of mushrooms. Drool over your dinner companions menu choices of scallops and halibut and make a note to order those next time. The private dining room and exceptional service topped off the wonderful meal.

    Beste B.

    The place where we celebrated our wedding ceremony with family and friends! We've been visiting from now on for our special occasions. I usually get their new york strip which is great!! And never skip cream brûlée because I just love that desert ‍

    Japanese A5 Waygu
    Shawn P.

    Hubby treated me to Rare for my birthday! The food was superb and the overall experience made me feel fancy. We started off with the sweet chili shrimp followed by lobster bisque. The hubby tried the japanese A5 wagyu which is a rare find for a Wisconsin restaurant! He absolutely loved it! The texture was not for me. I enjoyed my perfectly crisp and tender filet mignon and our side of lobster mac & cheese. Follow me on Instagram at yelpershawn for more reviews!

    Lobster Mac
    Donavan R.

    This place is absolutely delicious! I loved everything I consumed, the service was top notch, and it's a nice relaxing setting! My favorite thing was by far the tableside made bananas foster with a little "history" lesson of the dish! I highly recommend checking this place out especially during their weeknight happy hour 4-6 for half off quite a few menu items! I believe I served was Damian, he was incredible and very attentive! 10/10 will be back!

    Ashia E.

    Came here for my anniversary. I wish I could remember my waitress' name. She was amazing. She even bought us a complimentary dessert. We were brought out champagne for our celebration and our waitress actually chose our champagne, which we happened to love! It was very sweet and we ended up getting a bottle of that same drink. The food was not a disappointment. I had the NY strip and it was so juice and tender. My partner had the captain cut which was great as well. We got the truffle fries on the side which came with a good sauce. The ambiance is very nice, it's dim lit and it has an intimate vibe with music. I was impressed. Keep in mind this restaurant is very expensive. We only got two entrees, one side, a bottle of wine and it was $200. The price was definitely worth it.

    Filet (wet-aged) and watermelon salad:)

    Fantastic experience for my 1st visit to Madison. I chose the medium-rare Filet which tasted very good. Watermelon with mint makes the salad refreshing! People are friendly and caring, excellent service! A good place for date with others!

    New York Strip
    Chone M.

    You will not be disappointed, but you will not leave itching to come back. You know what you are getting yourself into price-wise, but you are better off dropping a band at a better steakhouse in the area. Service is mediocre, and my New York Strip was overcooked and not medium rare like I ordered. Drinks were great though

    Japanese style cheesecake with seasonal berries
    Gabby N.

    We decided to dine at Rare Steakhouse for our wedding anniversary, and we couldn't have been happier with our choice. We arrived to our 7:30PM Saturday reservation 20 minutes earlier. We were greeted enthusiastically by three staff members at the host table, and were seated immediately, along with greetings of "Happy Anniversary!" We were seated in a cozy and large booth, and were served complimentary champagne to celebrate. The restaurant was darkly lit, which we loved, and each individual table had its own candle. The dining room gave off a sophisticated and cozy ambiance. Luciana was the most attentive and kind waiter. Before we ordered, Lucy made sure to go over the menu highlights in great detail, and shared the daily specials with us. At one point in the evening when she was making a banana foster for a nearby table, she made sure to send over another waitstaff to check on us and deliver the dessert menu. She also warmly wished us a happy anniversary throughout the evening. Luciana helped us decide on our steak order: two 8oz rib caps, and they were cooked perfectly to our medium request. I asked for additional au jus on the side, but the steak was already so juicy, I barely touched the saucière. The mashed potatoes (with the cooked skin included) were the best restaurant potatoes I've ever had! They melted in your mouth, and were light enough not to dominate the steak. My only food critique is the complimentary bread basket with honey butter that's served at the beginning of the dining experience. The bread was extremely tough and chewy, and did not taste fresh. We had some of the best food and the most incredible service in Madison at Rare Steakhouse, and we're excited to dine with the staff again. All the little details and warm hospitality made our visit perfect. Thank you for making our wedding anniversary so special!

    Porterhouse (dry-aged)
    John T.

    What an excellent dining experience. I'll keep this review straight and to the point: The waitstaff are very kind and knowledgeable, I was amazed that they knew every step in the cooking process that takes place from where the cattle is raised to how it is prepared. I thought I could stump my server with my questions but I was wrong! The ambiance of the steakhouse is very clean and sleek. You can tell a lot of care went in to craft an excellent environment for dining. The food!! Everything on the menu is of the highest quality and cooked to perfection. I ordered a porterhouse steak (bone in steak with a new york strip on one side and a fillet mignon on the other) and I have never had a fillet tase as tender, cooked perfectly and flavorful. Appetizers were also such high quality. Example: we ordered a charcuterie board and I thought I would be able to find a sour/bad grape but every single one was fresh and delicious. If you are looking for a high quality dining experience, this is the place in Madison.

    Menu for Valentine's Day dinner
    Anthony V.

    We went for Valentine's dinner, and Rare Steakhouse did not disappoint. The mgr was kind enough to find a booth for us.... So much more romantic. The atmosphere was perfect for Valentine's. Our server was so nice & friendly. Everything was just excellent. The Oysters Rockefellers were perfect. The lobster bisque was so creamy good. The filet was a perfect medium, tender, juicy and full of flavor. It cut like butta. The lobster was tender and sweet. The bartender mixed my Mudslide very well, not watered down. In the end, we left satisfied and looking forward to our next visit to Rare.

    burger and steak
    Yun C.

    Went during their happy hour. Service was quick and polite. Happy hour deals are great, but don't get the steak--it's a tiny, tiny little thing. It's a bit dark inside the restaurant, but there are nice candles that add a flair to the environment. Overall, good happy hour spot.

    Banana Foster dessert and chocolate cake

    Food and experience were amazing in celebrating our anniversary! Our server Jahar was very welcoming and knew his menu and definitely gave great recommendations and history behind the Banana Foster which was so great to hear. I highly suggest the tomahawk steak and sea bass. The old fashion drink had a very nice presentation and taste. I am definitely coming back and highly recommend this place!!!

    Whipped Burrata

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    Ask the Community - Rare Steakhouse

    Is there a dress code for this restaurant?

    The restaurant has no dress code.

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    Tornado Steak House

    Tornado Steak House

    4.0
    (845 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    I got into town far later than I wanted to on a Thursday night due to air travel issues and this…read morewas the only thing that was open near my hotel. Thankfully, I had already pinpointed as somewhere I wanted to go. The vibe was absolutely excellent .. a dark bar is my happy place so I was pretty thrilled. The bartender was super helpful, immediately got me the late night menu, and continued to deliver excellent service until I walked out the door. I had an excellent steak sandwich with a baked potato on the side and was very happy that I had found something to eat at such a late hour. Food was delicious, would definitely recommend. An authentic Madison experience for sure.

    I had been really excited to show this spot to my friend who was visiting from out of town, but the…read moreexperience was not as special as I'd hoped. We came for the special late night menu. After waiting to be seated, we waited nearly another 20 minutes before our waitress came over. I can understand getting behind, but this pattern continued all night. Our appetizers (escargot) and then food both took forever to come out, and the waitress rarely checked on our table. We nearly got up to leave before the appetizer arrived (which I've never done before). To top it off, the steak sandwich was mediocre and overcook, and my friend's steak was also unimpressive. Still giving this review 2 stars since the atmosphere is neat and our escargot was tasty and buttery, but I doubt I'll be coming back to the Tornado Room.

    Photos
    Dining Room
    Dining Room
    Wedge Salad
    Wedge Salad
    Bar entrance

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    Bar entrance
    Kettle Black Kitchen

    Kettle Black Kitchen

    4.7
    (73 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    Was a little disappointed at first this isn't the kettle black kitchen I thought it was going to…read morebe...HOWEVER the food was still incredible! The cocktail menu had excellent choices as well. They were accommodating to our dairy free request. Every dish was well seasoned and cooked to perfection. Portion sizes were perfect. The Mac with the short ribs had a bit of spice I wasn't expecting but tasted great. The elote was also spicy! Overall I'd recommend this restaurant however I'd warn it's not the French restaurant it was a year ago and a lot of the pics shown on Yelp are not offered anymore.

    Updating review as the restaurant changed ownership (but kept the name). We stopped in on a…read moreSaturday night post game-it was jumping! Special hats off to our server who allowed us to grab a table in the back. A cute and homey interior with random artwork-it was loud with the full house. An eclectic menu which leans southwestern offers a decent variety of dishes although vegetarians might not have too many options. I wasn't that hungry so opted for the biscuits and the poblano risotto. The chef doesn't hold back on the flavor-bold, spicy, intense. The biscuits were dipped in a smoked chili butter and honey-best eaten with a fork. The risotto was well prepared although a little soupy. Again, big bold flavors. Opted for the house made carrot cake-it didn't disappoint. One of the best I've had. Definitely a place I will come back to as it's a 7 minute walk from home.

    Photos
    Menu
    Menu
    Alcohol drinks menu
    Alcohol drinks menu
    Dining area

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    Dining area
    The Old Fashioned

    The Old Fashioned

    4.1
    (2.6k reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    This was my second time visiting. I swore I wrote a review the first time but it didn't pop up…read more Anywho, this time my daughter and I were in Madison for the day and visiting the museum across the street and decided to come for dinner. It was Thursday evening and they had a ribs/pulled pork special. We waited about 10 minutes at the bar for a table. The bar and atmosphere is great. Pretty bar lights and an old wood bar. We were seated by the window with a great view of the capital. My daughter and I shared the rib dinner and had plenty of food for us. Our waitress was new and learning but was doing a good job. I'd definitely come back.

    I heard lots of good things about The Old Fashioned, but my experience was just meh. It was fish…read morefry Friday, and I probably should have gone with that, as it was the special and seemed to be what everyone was ordering. I don't eat a whole lot of deep fried foods and that just seemed like a lot. I sat at the bar, and the bartender got to me pretty quickly and asked me if I wanted a drink. I ordered a glass of wine and a water, but had to ask him for a food menu. I opted for the grilled chicken sandwich with the side salad instead of fries. And then I waited. So long that the woman next to me made comments. People who showed up after I had ordered were eating fish before my sandwich showed up. The chicken was perfectly cooked, but completely lost on the sandwich. There was so much swiss on it, I could only taste cheese and bacon on greasy lightly toasted bread. The salad was barely dressed and just lettuce. I couldn't tell you what flavor the dressing was, but I piled the lettuce on top of the sandwich to try and cut some of the richness. I like cheese as much as the next gal, but it was a chicken sandwich. Even the mustard was lost. The prices are good, the actual restaurant was cute and just across from the capital. The portion was large, it just was lackluster.

    Photos
    Inside bar
    Inside bar
    The Old Fashioned
    Schlitz beer with a pickled egg on the side.

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    Schlitz beer with a pickled egg on the side.
    Lallande

    Lallande

    4.7
    (58 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    It was our first time here, so we asked for seats at the bar, which looks directly into the…read morekitchen. We had so much fun, and we could see that all of the staff were also having a good time. Nothing but positivity, and it transfers into each and every delicious dish! We absolutely loved the complimentary cheese puffs (Gougeres). It was the perfect start to a fantastic meal. I enjoyed a starter of beet, walnut and cheese tart, and my dining partner thought his French Onion soup was stellar. I chose Monkfish stew for my main dish. It was incredible....silky, savory broth with melt-in-your-mouth monkfish plus tender shrimp and asparagus. The bread served with the stew was so delicious to soak it all up. My dining partner thoroughly enjoyed his Bistro steak with king trumpet mushrooms. The mushrooms were so elevated and so delicious. We shared a side of charred carrots and thought very highly of them, too. We closed out our epic meal by sharing one slice of Gateau Basque cake. It was served with a side of a tart cherry compote, and together this dessert was perhaps THE BEST dessert outside of France. Incredible! Sitting at the bar, our server was bartender Nina W. She was entertaining and didn't mind all of our ongoing questions. She added a another level of true enjoyment to our experience. Just as we were finishing up our dining experience the orchestrating chef stopped over to introduce herself. Once Annemarie said her name, I knew she was one of the founders of Lallander and next-door Bloom Bake Shop, having been a customer ever since their first bakery in Middleton. I told Annemarie how impressed we both were with the food, and how all the staff seemed so happy. She said something like a restaurant is only successful with good people. It seems she is keeping her people, and her customers, very happy.

    This French inspired place was on our list to try so with a reservation made two weeks in advance…read morewe arrived on a cold snowy Friday evening. We were ten minutes early and they had just opened - strangely they would not seat us though our seats at the kitchen bar were open. So we huddled on the bench five feet away from our seats. It was not a great start but that was soon forgotten given the rest of the evening was fun. When I went on-line to make a reservation the only seats available were at the kitchen bar - that turned out to be fortunate because it was highly entertaining. When we return we will book these seats again as a couple (if you are with a group it is not a good place to hold a conversation). The bartender/ our server Jackson was super friendly and did a great job answering all our questions as we quizzed him on the action in the kitchen which was right in front of us (it's a small tight space). We ordered a beer and a wine followed by a small cup of French onion soup which was very tasty and a serving of their pate which was also very good. It was good that we had these front row seats because for some reason the kitchen appeared to be running a bit slow so the wait for our mains was pretty long. We did notice that when the owner arrived she started to direct the kitchen staff and the pace picked up! I got the pork tenderloin which was very flavorful and done with a bit of pink so it was not dry. It was a large serving. My wife got the sea bass in a puff pastry which was beautifully presented. The sauce was essential otherwise the dish would have been a bit plain. She really liked it. We were too full for desserts but they looked tempting though they did give us some savory cookies from their Bloom Bakery which is next store. This is not an inexpensive place to dine but it was well worth it. We will be back!

    Photos
    Open kitchen.
    Open kitchen.
    Beet, walnut & chevre tart
    Beet, walnut & chevre tart
    Aviation cocktail. Pretty and delicious!

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    Aviation cocktail. Pretty and delicious!
    North and South Seafood & Smokehouse

    North and South Seafood & Smokehouse

    4.5
    (447 reviews)
    5.6 mi
    $$

    The food was EXCELLENT. I had the Blackened Blues. Wonderful combination of brisket, bacon and…read moreblue cheese crumbles. Host greeted us with smile and welcoming voice. We felt like we belonged. Server was amazing. Great balance of friendliness and checking in without feeling overbearing. It was our first time but definitely won't be our last.

    Went here for lunch on a Saturday for a birthday meal since the birthday girl wanted fish and…read moreshrimp. The place had a decent lunch crowd, but was by no means packed, so we figured it would be quick to get food for the kids. Our waitress came to get our drink order pretty quick, but then service slowed for receiving our drinks, ordering food, getting our food, and getting her attention for a to-go box and our bill. As for the food, we ordered the Bangor, which had shrimp and haddock and choice of two sides where we chose the corn muffins and beans. We also got the Nashville hot chicken sliders with sweet potato fries, kids chicken tenders, and kids burger with fries. The kids meals were both quite generous portions, especially the chicken tenders. The tenders were nice and juicy with a crisp exterior and one of the best things ordered. The kids burger was overly charred and had a little burnt taste, so the child wouldn't eat it and ended up eating the shrimp from the other meal instead. The Nashville hot sliders were decent sandwiches and quite large, but were by no means Nashville hot, more like somewhere between mild to medium spice. The sweet potato fries were great though and went well with their bbq sauces. The fish and shrimp received mixed reviews from the two people that ordered it. The corn muffins were definitely something that we would get again and also worked great with the bbq sauces. Overall, it was fine with some good and some not so good. The price is a little higher than some restaurants with similar offerings, but the portions are quite large, so maybe that's the tradeoff. Not sure if this is going to get added to our rotation, but they did seem to have some good happy hour deals, so maybe for that.

    Photos
    Bar
    Bar
    Shrimp - Two Styles BBQ Brisket Beans Mac 'n' Cheese
    Shrimp - Two Styles BBQ Brisket Beans Mac 'n' Cheese
    Passion fruit martini

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    Passion fruit martini
    Johnny Delmonico's Steakhouse

    Johnny Delmonico's Steakhouse

    3.8
    (253 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    Celebrated Mothers Day at Johnny Delmonico's and from start to finish things were an A+. Our…read moreserver Ashton was friendly, knowledgeable of the menu and made great recommendations. He was a consummate professional and was always available without hovering. We started our meal with a couple cocktails, and I have to say the Pear Martini was delish! The guests in my party were equally happy with the Bees Knees and the Gimlet. Very nice drink menu, lots of choices for everyone and all drinks were well made. Food wise, we started with a couple appetizers. The Oysters on Half Shell, the Stuffed Mushroom Caps and the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. We also tried the French Onion Soup. Not a complaint to be heard, and we practically licked the plates clean if that gives you an idea of how tasty everything was. Entrees included the Salmon, the Seared Scallops, The Waygu Burger and the Manhattan Surf and Turf with the addition of Marrow Butter. Absolute perfection... each and every one. I would not hesitate to recommend you give it a try, you will NOT be disappointed! Thanks for making my Mothers Day so incredibly special.

    A fancier downtown restaurant with coat check and lots of comfortable seating…read more Great steaks, cooked to near perfection. Comes with a starch side. Okay cocktails and large selection of liquors and wines (on the pricey side). Good service. It was a Thursday night and wasn't busy. Server was a bit slow but steaks came out fast after our order was placed.

    Photos
    Entrance
    Entrance
    Creme Brulee
    Creme Brulee
    Ahi tuna

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    Ahi tuna
    Pig in a Fur Coat

    Pig in a Fur Coat

    4.4
    (563 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$$

    Crowded as expected but nice atmosphere, I got sat at the bar pretty quickly. The staff are super…read morekind and good at making conversation and being helpful. I got a cocktail and the 4-course. The cocktail tasted really smoky yet incredibly smooth. The fois gras mousse was kinda ok but also 4 small bites maximum. The salad proved that even basic vegetables can be perfected. The casonelli was one of my favorites dishes for sure. Extremely satisfying texture and flavor combinations. The pork collar was also pretty pretty solid with flavor combinations, and texture was a little chewy depending on how you cut it (in a good way). The dessert was not bad, to me it kinda reminded me of really fancy whipped cream on top of vanilla pudding. Would come back here again (if they weren't closing!)

    Wandered into this restaurant with a group and enjoyed a lovely dinner!…read more We tried a few different cocktails, all of which were nice. We tried a range of dishes and some of the favorites included the lamb belly, the beet salad, and the duck breast. Many items were beautifully cooked, such as that duck and the octopus on top of the risotto. However, overall we felt that there were some missed opportunities for stronger flavors. There were many bites where I felt that everything was tasty but just missing the full flavor potential of such lovely ingredients. Service was perfectly fine and friendly and everything came fast once we ordered! I would certainly return for another visit and hope that this restaurant, which is clearly a community staple, takes some bolder flavor risks in the future!

    Photos
    Sicilian sfingi
    Sicilian sfingi
    Storefront
    Storefront
    Pig in a Fur Coat

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    Rare Steakhouse - steak - Updated July 2026

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