OMG!!! This family owned streak house has 3 locations: Madison WI, Milwaukee WI, and Washington DC. From start to finish... simply awesome! Best bread... don't turn it down when offered. Cream corn with a tasty kick. And steaks prepared out of sight out of mind. This place rocks! Genevieve (Manager) and my server are two of the BEST in the business. I'll be back for more, no doubt! read more

This is simply the best dining experience in the Midwest. Dry aged beef in the style of the 19th century, and what has to be the biggest wine list in Wisconsin. What sets Rare apart, however, is the service. I have been to The Cloister in Sea Island, and Skibo in Scotland, and none compares to the personalized experience you get at Rare in Madison. You must go. And bring your gold card! read more

Rare Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The ambiance at Rare is nice, and is a must try if you are in the mood for a good sit down dinner in Madison. The crab cake appetizer is a must try! The salmon nachnos were alright. For dinner, our group got some of the steak options and I got the scallops. All were cooked to perfection. The offer sides family style and we got a few of them to try. My favorites were the asparagus, mashed potatoes, and mushrooms. I really liked their desserts. They were the perfect size after a nice meal. My reccomendation would be the creme brulee. read more

Rare has one of the most interesting dining rooms of all the Steakhouse options near the square, wood paneled and well lit rooms compliment the comfortable seating arrangements, whether it's booth or chairs, and you'll need that, because you're likely going to be planted in that seat for a couple of hours for your experience here. Service: Our table's server was excellent, very knowledgable about the menu, the meat, and prepared a wonderful Ceasar salad at our table, which despite not ordering, I ate anyway since the 3 who did order it did not care for the taste at all. I enjoyed it and found it preferable to the Lobster Bisque I had chosen (a bit too salty, but still good enough that I nearly finished it all). The drink/silverware server unfortunately was not on her game at all, very curt and borderline rude behavior coupled with poor body language, sighing etc...diminished the experience a bit, I had to convince two of the ladies at our table not to ask for a manager (I understand people have bad days, and she didn't do anything that was overtly offensive so I really didn't want to make a scene about it, but her unprofessionalism must be noted here). Food: The second roller coaster of the evening, the Ceasar and Lobster Bisque as I mentioned were both pretty great, fresh and flavorful (despite the slightly too salty bisque). The popovers are also extraordinary, warm, golden, flaky, begging to be pulled apart and slathered with regular or strawberry butter. High marks as well for the shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and duck fat fries our table of 6 shared. Onto the Steaks, the supposed highlight of this venue, I was leaning towards the 10 oz. Filet but opted for the special, 14. oz dry aged strip "Oscar style" mentioned by our server. It arrived Medium Rare as I had requested, the cut was mediocre at best, and should probably have never been thrown on the grill in the first place, consisted of 4-6 oz. of tender and generally inoffensive but not particularly flavorful beef, accompanied by large portions of fat and gristle that rendered most of my meal inedible, though I must note that the crab and asparagus that topped my steak was outstanding. Across the table, my friend was so disappointed in his Porterhouse, it had to be sent back, although it should be noted they removed it from the bill despite him not protesting to be charged for it, even though he only had a few bites. My date had picked the 10 oz. Filet and was thrilled with it's tenderness and flavor and demanded I try it as well. Though she prefers her steaks Medium, I still found it to be very tasty and easily the highlight of what I had eaten that evening. Perhaps my experience would have been different had I just gone with the Filet I wanted originally, but the bottom line is, in a place that has a reputation for being a top notch steakhouse with cuts that you're paying top dollar for, you need to have better than a 1:2 hit to miss ratio. read more

I wanted something new, and delicious. This hit the nail on the head!, the ambiance right away was incredible. The location, right on the square across from the capitol, our server was the best.. and the food was absolutely outstanding.. if you have a special event, go here, you won't regret it. read more

See all

Was excited to celebrate our son's graduation. Meal started out great with fantastic service from Genevieve. We were sat in their front room - however the vibe changed when a huge extremely LOUD party took over the room. We were one of 2 table not associated with that party. Food was good but our experience was horrible as we could not even hear the person sitting next to you. Our server was apologetic but management was no help. Will never return - could have a cheaper similar experience at the local sports bar. read more

Exactly what Yelp rating meant. This is as good as it gets. If this is in NYC, i would give it a 4.5, but definitely a 5 here in Wisconsin. It felt like Capital Grille in NY with slightly higher price, but given i have been disappointed many times prior for good steak in Madison. This was great. Steaks / lobster/ sides were all done correctly with proper and clear utensils plus spotless glasses. Will come again (with Vendor... lol) read more

Went there for my Husband's birthday for the first time! Had a wonderful experience! They have great happy hour drink specials and all of the food was delicious! Can't wait to go back again soon read more

This was one of my worst dining experiences. We got a table on the patio on a busy night. And our waiter completely ignored the front of the restaurant. We had to keep going inside to get his attention for drinks and to keep inquiring about our food. After 2 hours, we finally got the managers attention who comped us for our meal and apologized for the horrible service. I couldn't really enjoy the food after waiting so long. I hate to give them a bad review because what happened to me could be just an isolated incident. But I don't have anything else to judge it by read more

Rare Steakhouse - Scallops with creamed corn - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I have eaten at Rare twice. Maybe it's because I'm from Chicago and we have the BEST steakhouses around but I have been unimpressed with the food at Rare. I do love the decor with the leather and chandeliers which make it very cozy. The service has been great and very attentive. It's the food. It just does not WOW me. And for the prices of the food, I expect to be wowed. I will say the lobster bisque was delicious as was the creme brûlée. The steaks just don't impress and I also was not impressed by the crab cakes. Very small And I felt there was a lot of filler. Unfortunately I think two visits was enough. read more

Maybe I just don't like steak houses, but I was not impressed by Rare. I have walked past Rare so many times thinking it was too fancy and expensive for me, so I jumped at the chance to try it for restaurant week. The place gives off a pretty swanky vibe when you first walk in. All the dark wood and dim lighting makes you feel like you're a character in Mad Men. Honestly though, I couldn't care less about the atmosphere; I just really wanted to try a high quality steak. I started off with a stuffed shrimp with remoulade and a vinegary cabbage slaw. It sure was tasty, but I finished it in like 4 tiny bites. Although it was perfectly cooked and seasoned, I just didn't love it that much. It was kind of boring and uninteresting. For my entree, I opted for the baked truffle mac and cheese with an a la carte 10 oz sirloin that cost me an extra $22. The cheese sauce had a subtle truffle flavor, but it mostly tasted like anyone's homemade mac and cheese. Fight me, but I'd rather eat Velveeta shells. The crunchy bread crumbs on top were a nice touch though; they gave the dish some contrast in texture. The sirloin steak was okay. They cut it pretty think and tall so that it was similar to a filet mignon, so there was a healthy amount of medium rare goodness in the middle. It was a little underseasoned for such a thick cut; I had to make use of the salt and pepper shakers at my table. They managed to get a decent crust from the sear, and that gave it a nice tough bite to go with the soft, rare meat inside. For dessert, I got the chocolate tart. This was the best part of my meal. The chocolate was super rich and sweet, and the graham cracker crust was salty and buttery. It was pretty much sweet and salty fudge. Simple and delicious! Overall, I didn't love my meal. While the presentation was nice, the flavors were pretty boring. It was slightly better than eating banquet wedding food. Plus, I could have a better steak at home using my sous vide and spend less money. If Rare is supposed to be a prime example of a steakhouse, maybe that genre of restaurants as a whole just isn't my thing. read more

This is probably my favorite restaurant in town. The steak was cooked great! It was somewhat crispy but still delicious. Last time I was here, they had mussels on their menu but they don't have it anymore so I just got filet. The people there were so nice and helpful and the service was great. read more

Rare Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

Amazing food experience and service. We had a large party of a and service was a impeccable. amazing steaks, and awesome mushrooms as a special dish. read more

Food was good, 3 or 4 stars. Steak and pork chops pretty good. Oysters and wedge salad not great. Servers told us the wedge was the best ever - not so much. Bacon was rock hard chunks. Desserts were good. Service was very disappointing, 2 or 3 stars. They told us when we were seated that we, a party of seven, would have two people looking after us. Wow, we thought. But it didn't take long at all for us to wonder where they were. We waited a LONG time for drinks. We had to ask for refills (ie they were not monitoring when we had finished) and it took ages for each drink to come. Generally slow service all night. Not sure where our two people went as the place was empty. No more than 1/4 full! read more

We were in downtown Madison trying to hit up another location but there was a 1.5 hour wait. We ended up at Rare. Its your typical steakhouse. Our waiter was very knowledgeable of the whole menu. We started off with Pork Belly and Crab Cake. Both were very delicious. The Crab Cake was very tasty and had a nice amount of crab to each bite. The Pork Belly was good as well but I wasn't ready to try the duck fat. The popovers with the strawberry butter that was provided was so delicious. The popover was very hot and fresh. I ended up ordering a 10 oz filet migon. It was cooked to my liking and our waiter made sure we were satisfied with our meal. Everything was really great here. read more

Gave Rare a second chance after a bad experience during graduation weekend... The staff was very professional. Very informative about menu as well. Food was delicious! I am so happy with this experience and glad I have rare a second chance. read more

Fantastic vibe. Great food. Expensive but worth it. Great bar. Wait staff was nice. Great for a special occasion.

I was captive as soon as I heard, "Chimay on tap". I was still full from Hubbards diner but really wanted to try the short ribs that I saw on the online menu; unfortunately, the short ribs were replaced by bone in pork chops. ... I was soo looking forward to the short ribs. Before the main course, I had a serving of popovers. They were delicious with a scoop of whipped strawberry butter and regular whipped salted butter. The strawberry butter was strawberry and made me wish for a scoop of strawberry ice cream. It was amazing but I was conflicted by sweet butter on a salty popover. The 2 pork chops were cooked perfectly with a hint of pink and juicy throughout. The broccolini were the size of my fingers and al dente. I subbed the duck fat fries for the mashed potatoes. There was easily enough food to feed a small family. The meal was tasty but for my tastes it was too salty. By the end of the meal all I could taste was the salt. Next time I will have to recommend the low sodium special. I would have loved to try the chocolate cake but my taste buds were shot and I was super full. read more

See all

This place can rival any Steak House in Chicago where I am from. My wife and I dined there on a Wednesday night and the service was awesome. Our waitress was amazingly attentive and she made my favorite dessert Bananas Foster table-side and explained every move and made one of the best Bananas Foster I've ever had. The Steaks were cooked perfectly chard on the outside and medium rare on the inside, with the sides being equally delicious. We were pampered and had a wonderful evening eating delicious food. This is a must go to when you want a romantic evening. read more

This sort of place is typically out of my price range, but my father asked where I wanted to go for my birthday (and he told me to pick anywhere) so of course I chose Rare. It did not disappoint! The ambiance is very high class, but also open enough where I could bring my 4 month old son and not get glares from other restaurant-goers. The steaks are, of course, scrumptious, and the side dishes are enough to share, although that doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Ordered a few drinks, since it was my birthday, and had a great time chatting with my family. I will definitely be back on special occasions! read more

Took my wife here for her birthday last night. Her and I both love a good steak and were very excited to try this place out due to the great reviews we have read. We were greeted by a very friendly gentleman in the front and were seated immediately. It was pretty empty so the service was definitely on par! Unfortunately the food did not live up to the hype and we left a little disappointed. We ordered the premium platter to start (oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster, lobster salad, tuna poke, and king crab legs). The presentation was beautiful but that was about it. You could immediately smell the fishiness coming from the platter and nothing tasted fresh. In fact, we were wondering if items were frozen and then thawed out. Nothing was terrible, but for $60 it could have been better. We also ordered the chopped salad which was delicious. It was light and refreshing. For our entrees we ordered the bone in rib eye and also the sea scallops. The sea scallop dish was tasty but way too salty. The scallops were also gritty which is a big NO NO. I could feel sand while I was chewing. The corn that it was on top of was delicious and crisp. Unfortunately, we ordered the rib eye medium and it came out medium well/well done. We weren't going to complain about it but my wife insisted that for the price we were paying we should mention it. Our server was so nice and took it back immediately for a new one. Sadly, by the time the new one came out (was cooked perfectly this time) we were too full to eat it. Our server was very attentive and so apologetic about the mistake that he offered a free dessert. We ordered the bananas foster (which is prepared table side). This was probably one of the worst desserts we have ever had. It was basically half a banana sitting on top of melted butter (which was supposed to be a homemade caramel). The vanilla ice cream that it came with was good but honestly how can you screw up vanilla ice cream? The only reason I am leaving two stars is because the service we had was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable. BUT for a $250 meal the food was not good. read more

Nothing beats sitting in the elegant bar at Rare on a cold, snowy evening, enjoying a great happy hour. We returned later that night for dinner in the bar. The burger was, as always, great. And the crab cakes! The best I've had in a long, long time. Drinks at Rare are always superb. Victoria and Tony took great care of us. Thanks, Rare, for a great night. read more

So so disappointed! Four of us went there to celebrate my sister's birthday. The hostess announced when we walked in, 'I see you're here celebrating a birthday.' That was the last mention of the birthday. Not even a cupcake! Steaks, one being a porterhouse, were mediocre at best. Lots of fat. The sides were better than the steaks. The steaks were brought out before we finished our salads. On the way out of the restroom, I saw the manager, Sarah, and mentioned the above to her, her response, 'What can I do to fix it?' I sensed she is an inexperienced (although nice) manager, because she turned the problem around to the customer. In hind sight, I should have asked her what she thought she should do, instead I said, 'nothing.' Spend your hard earned money elsewhere. You'll be disappointed if you go to Rare Steakhouse. read more

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary here. The ribcap was recommended to us and it did not disappoint. We will definitely be back.

Very classy steakhouse on the pricier side nice for like an anniversary but not everyday unless you got it like that also it was so cold when we went that the draft beer had frozen but the snow was beautiful read more

The moment you step inside Rare, you will know you have entered a classic Steakhouse. Every cut is hand selected and custom dry-aged with their seasonings; ensuring the most tender and flavorful steak. And don't let the name fool you, they make a killer seafood and have the most amazing scallops. Save room for desert! read more

Our office is on Mifflin Street very close to Rare. I've dined here for company events, client dinners, family and friend dinners, and just drinks & appetizers. I can't say that I, nor the people I was with, ever reported bad food, bad drinks or bad service at Rare! And I don't think they were holding back and just being polite. We know good food from bad. It's been mainly excellent and occasionally just good to very good. I am more than a little baffled about the bad reviews! Not to say that I have the most sophisticated palate, but I have traveled the world and go to Paris and throughout France every year, including occasional Michelin-rated restaurants. I've had a few mediocre dinners at Fleming's, but never Tornado Room nor here. Even if I did, a single poor meal doesn't mean it's a bad restaurant, just maybe an off night or a bad steak. Anyways, I really enjoy coming here. The only thing slightly negative is that if a waiter asks if I've eaten there before, I don't need to have things re-explained for the rest of the evening, but most of the time that doesn't happen. read more

Came here for a date night with my husband. It was our first visit. Jose was our waiter and he was wonderful. He was very attentive to our needs. We sat in the library which was a little dark but seemed much quieter than the main dining room. The food was great, although pricey. We might come here again if we have a special celebration. read more

Catie and Nick W. came in from out of town to join Danielle K and I for dinner during Restaurant Week at Rare. As this is a busy week for restaurants, I lowered my expectations and my experience here didn't even measure up to the diminished level. I will give the restaurant credit as it is absolutely beautiful inside. But because you dress up your place as a premium steakhouse doesn't make it one. Throughout the evening, Rare and its staff failed to hit the mark on several things. As the experience was painful enough, I don't want to rehash it to death so here are the lowlights: 1) Reservations were for 7:45, not seated until 8:30. Other than a quick apology, no other effort was made to try to recognize the fact of our wait. 2) Hostess mentions that during the wait we could order appetizers. Bartender informs us that only restaurant week menu was being served so out of luck for any a la carte nibbles. 3) One first course option was ceviche. Little did I know Rare's interpretation of this was two corn chips each with a single shrimp on it. This was served on a huge plate which only made the appetizer look even more minuscule and ridiculous. 4) Three of us ordered steak (2 at medium, 1 at medium rare). As the server was quick to dish out the entree, we asked which one was the medium rare option. The server was unsure so they brought over our waitress. The solution she recommended-"Just cut into them". Add insult to injury that no steak knives were served with the steak. 5) One dessert option was a cheese board. One of the featured cheeses was a 3 year Hook's Cheddar. Yes-I am aware this sounds like first world problems but when the price point normally is $23 for the cheeseboard, serving a very pedestrian cheese is a joke. 6) The perfect end to this trainwreck of a meal is when the waitress informed us they were "out" of bill holders so she just laid the receipts on the table. Again, this was close to 10:00 pm at night and nary a person was in the restaurant. She then came back and asked if we could share a pen as there were no more pens left. Really? Where did they disappear to? I was expecting the Mystery Machine to pull up and have Scooby and Gang try to solve this mystery. Rare simply didn't deliver. It was a very amateur experience for a place that wants to be (or at least priced) for the big leagues. Looks alone can't carry a restaurant. Are they not aware of at least 3 other steakhouses that are just on the Square? All of which deliver not only a better experience but better value. Or are they preying on the out of town visitor that gets lured in but then turned off by it's food never to return again? I don't know the answer to that question but I do know this-without some dramatic improvements there is no way this place survives in the hyper-competitive restaurant space that exists within Madison. read more

Confession: I'm a fraud. I have no business being in a place like Rare. Their regular price point is out of my league, but when I had the opportunity to visit them during restaurant week I jumped at the chance. I enjoy steak but I never order it because I am a terrible steak eater and want it well done; the cost of steak plus the side-eye I tend to get for ordering it how I like it has put me off of ordering it out. Anyway, back to our glorious night. Upon entering we were offered coat check, which was very nice. Our table wasn't quite ready so we were directed to the bar and then we were seated a few minutes after our reservation. Our table was taken care of by a team of a server and a Captain. Our server was very sweet and funny (Nate, perhaps?) and our Captain Jahar (I am terrible with names, so that might not be it) was very knowledgable. Service was impeccable - the in-house sommelier was happy to answer our questions and chat with my friend about a vineyard she had discovered on a bike trip out west, and our food came out perfectly timed; we never had to wait long between courses but they also weren't being pushed on us. They do a great job of keeping a watchful eye without being intrusive. Both my friend and I ordered the crab cake and the filet with whipped potatoes; she ordered the mousse and I ordered the cheesecake. Crab cake: I hate seafood, but I've found that I've enjoyed the crab cakes I've been adventurous enough to try at weddings. I was a little nervous because those have been predominantly breading, but among the appetizers this seemed like the best bang for the buck. So glad I went for it - it was delicious. The serving was very generous; it definitely didn't feel like they scaled it back for the special. Filet: the Captain asked if I wanted my filet butterflied and I was down - I figured that was my best chance for even cooking. Even as I was cutting into the steak, I knew this would probably be the best piece of steak I've ever had. It was well seasoned, tender, and had the beefiest flavor I've had in a steak. At 6 oz, it was the perfect size for me. The whipped potatoes were clearly made with real butter, and while I wasn't a fan of the mushrooms that's more to do with me just hating mushrooms than any deficiency in the accompaniment itself. Again - I am a fraud. Cheesecake: definitely the right way to go. It was New York-style and came with a fresh strawberry sauce. The serving size was just right for the meal - after eating everything I was satiated but not uncomfortable. I tried a tiny bite of my friend's mousse - very tasty, but a really small serving. I could have polished it off in three bites. My friend and I wanted to treat ourselves on our visit, and we were definitely well taken care of. The only thing I was not a fan of was the up-selling. Neither of us were interested in drinking, but we had drinks offered repeatedly despite our declining multiple times. Same for the menu - they had several add-ons and upgrades to the base restaurant week menu and it was a little aggressive how it was presented and re-offered. For people who normally eat at Rare these things are likely in their grasp, but we were interloping on a budget and it was uncomfortable to have to keep turning them down. Overall, though, the night was lovely and I look forward to visiting them and their gorgeous interior again during a future restaurant week. read more

I came here for restaurant week. Overall, this was a decent place. The ambience is that of a typical steakhouse and can be a little uncomfortable I guess if you aren't prepared for it. The waiters were all very attentive and constantly asked about our food. I thought this was a really nice touch and I really appreciated that aspect of my dinner. Onto the food. To start, the crab cake was really great and reminded me of my time back in Baltimore. It was full of crab with not too much filler. Definitely one of the best ones I have had in the area. I had the salmon as my main entree and I was pleasantly surprised. The salmon was cooked perfectly but the portion was a little too small (understandable since it was restaurant week and usually would be MUCH more expensive). For dessert, the cheese plate was amazing. I can't remember what the cheese was called but be sure to ask about it if you do come here. That cheese was heavenly and I really wish I could have brought some home with me. Overall, a good experience. I would not come here if it wasn't for restaurant week as the prices really are quite high. read more

Let me first paint the picture of how we arrived at Rare. Group of 6 for a 7:00 dinner on a Thursday night. When we arrived out table was being set. I would say the restaurant and bar were both about 75% occupied. The rest of the story has 5 chapters - Problem 1, Problem 2, Problem 3, Dinner and How To Treat A Customer. Chapter 1. We were shown our table and waited for or server. Then we waited a little more. After waiting a little more we all verified that we were not wearing our Invisibility Cloaks (we were not). Shortly thereafter our server came to the table. Since we had ample (understatement) time to decide what we wanted, we ordered food and drinks all at the same time. Pretty easy process. After ordering food I ordered a bottle of wine. The wine list is massive. It exceeds amazing. It is larger than life and that's a good thing. I picked out what I believe was a great bottle of Italian Red and smiled. Life was about to get really, really good! Chapter 2. Did we put our Invisibility Cloaks on after ordering? No, we didn't. Did we wrap ourselves in "Police Line Do Not Cross" tape? No. What happened over the next 35 minutes was stunning in a bad way. No drinks. No service. Nothing. Our server arrived with several drinks that had been ordered but regretted to inform me that the bottle of wine I ordered wasn't available. No biggie. I get it - it's a wine list bigger than Lincoln's hat. Let's pick out a new one. Done and my smile returned (although I expected a bit of a wait before I had something to drink. I was thirsty at that point). Chapter 3. Salads delivered to the table. The wedge salad is tremendous. I think it is awfully tough to mess up a wedge salad and this salad went the opposite direction. It was so good that it left a memory. Of the things eaten, the salad left the biggest impression (don't know if that's a good thing or bad). Things were getting back to "normal" but I was thirsty before and now I'm really thirsty. Where is our server? Many, many minutes later I'm told that the 2nd bottle of wine isn't available. Huge wine list is no longer impressive. In fact, I now believe the huge wine list can probably be whittled down by at least 50% and one page instead of two. Pick a NEW bottle from choices brought to the table (so they ARE indeed available). Informed that the restaurant will take $10 off the bottle because of the problem. We're starting to find a groove. Chapter 4. The food arrives. The steaks are great. Cooked perfectly. The sides are great. The creamed spinach and corn made it to the top of the list. Brussels sprouts at the bottom. Hash browns and asparagus in the middle of the list. I may have been spoiled by "other" steak houses but nothing screamed "WOW". The food is great and prices are in line with expectations. I believe the prices are also supported by location. Tough to find a spot like this right on the Capital square. Chapter 5. Time to leave. The server brings the check and informs us that the bottle of wine that was chosen as the replacement to the replacement would be on the house and no charge to us. Okay. Now I'm wowed. That's customer service that exceeds expectations. That's a free bottle of $80 wine. That move alone will make me go back to Rare and will make this whole review become a positive recommendation to anyone I talk to about this restaurant. The food is good here. Service is questionable (I'm going to say it was an off night for them and they normally operate better than this). Customer experience is clearly valued and part of their culture. Give Rare a chance and regardless of your experience I'm willing to bet you'll enjoy your dinner and leave happy. read more

Overall great food and experience. The Old Fashions were outstanding. Three at my table had steak; I had scallops. Two steak eaters were blown away by their steaks. The third steak eater was displeased with the amount of fat on the bone-in filet, especially since he was promised it was extremely lean. However, the waiter felt terrible and gave us dessert on the house. My scallops were perfectly done and the accompaniments were a good pairing for the dish. The ambiance and decoration were beautiful so this spot would be the right place for a special occasion or business meal. read more

My husband and I visited Rare for my birthday. Hands down, one of the best, if not the best dining experiences I've ever had. From drinks at the bar pre-dinner, to the full course meal, all our needs were met and cared for. Very elegant and warm decor. Not stuffy at all, thanks to the vintage style tin ceiling and mahogany wood. From the bar I ordered the Royal Bermuda. Wonderful!! Fruity and dirty (if that makes any sense). Must be the Cane and Abe rum that gives the earthy flavor, I'm guessing? On to dinner... I absolutely loved the crab cakes. Like everyone else has said, wonderful chunky meat, no icky fillers. We also ordered the ahi tuna poke. Loved it! I think it had a salty teriyaki or soy sauce dressing. Steaks were amazing obviously. I ordered the 8 Oz filet, and it melted in my mouth. I got the stuffed potatoe as well and it was jumbo sized! Since it was my birthday (a big one at that) they kindly offered me a dessert on the house. So my husband and I chose the bananas foster to share. Well, I mostly ate it by myself until I started to feel sick from just way too much food and drink in a short period of time. Gluttony at its finest, people.... All in all, a very positive experience, but the price for people like us, is a real "sock it to ya" kind of feeling. Definitely once in a lifetime for the whole shebang. I wouldnt be opposed to stopping in to the bar sometime just for drinks and maybe an appetizer. read more

See all

We had a party of 5 for dinner at 7:00 on Saturday night. The restaurant was fairly empty for what would normally be a prime time, but there was bad weather in the area which may have encouraged some to stay home. We started with drinks at the bar, which were good if not slightly overpriced for Madison. We were seated promptly at 7, and that is when things went down hill. The waiter presented the menu and went into such detail about each and every dish without taking a breath that it was overwhelming, and most of the party just zoned out. We were brought popovers with artisanal butters which would have been amazing if they weren't burnt to a crisp. I'm actually shocked that whoever plated them thought they were acceptable to eat. Finally, our main courses arrived with more issues. One member of our group ordered salmon, which, surprise, surprise, arrived burnt. Those of us that ordered steaks thought they were quite good, but the steak knives weren't sharp enough to cut them. We ordered duck fat frittes, asparagus and onion rings as sides. The frittes and onion rings were great, but the asparagus was nothing special, especially for $10. When the bill came, we were offered nothing in exchange for the burnt meal and rolls. Again, for a restaurant that prides itself on service, this was surprising. I likely won't eat here again or recommend it to anyone else. For the price of a meal here, I expect better. Especially when there are so many AMAZING restaurants within walking distance of this one. read more

Sometimes it's the last impressions that matter. Low-grade mass-produced ice cream for your signature dessert dish... in the Dairy state??? Eleven hours and a night's sleep after leaving the restaurant, and I'm still upset about dessert. More on that below... Overall my first experience with Rare was inconsistent at best. Some high highs, some low lows, and enough "meh" to not warrant the pricetag. Open for just 2 months so far, I hope they continue to refine, because I really, really wanted to love this place. Highs: +Beautiful old-school Chicago steakhouse feel +Wine list is amazing; can stand up to any big city restaurant +Crab cakes and pork belly appetizers were both outstanding +Tableside Caesar salad is the best Caesar salad I've ever had - dressing is not too heavy and the croutons were amazing +Table service strategy of having a table Captain and assistant was spot-on, with the right amount of attention "Meh": +Steaks - our table of 4 ordered 3 steaks - all dry aged; my husband and I shared the Tomahawk Chop - an impressive looking piece of meat, but was prepared medium rare (warm red), not medium (warm pink, as described & requested). We all agreed we had had better steaks elsewhere. +Sides - we ordered the steamed broccoli, vegetable of the day (zucchini and cherry tomatoes), Yukon Pave, and Duck Frites. Our friends enjoyed both forms of potatoes, but I thought the Yukon Pave was served a little cold, and my husband and I both agreed we'd had better frites in town. +Servers - while attentive, servers could use a little more polish Lows: +Bar service was excessively slow when we ordered pre-dinner cocktails (bar was not full) +Dessert - Rare's signature dessert, Bananas Foster prepared tableside ... with cheap, disappointing ice cream. On top of this, we were charged for 2 orders of the dish when we had ordered one to share. Our table Captain said he had brought two boats in which to serve the dessert to make it easier to share, but then he charged us for both. When I questioned it, he paused - as if I was in the wrong - but agreed to take one off the bill. Now let's get down to the butterfat. As our table Captain prepared our Bananas Foster, I asked who makes the ice cream - wondering if it's one of the many local sources of wonderful ice cream (Chocolate Shoppe, Sassy Cow, Babcock Hall, Purple Door, etc.), or - better yet - do they make their own? The server replied honestly that it was "just a Kemps product." I was in shock. I realize I am making a big deal about ice cream. But this IS the Dairy State. And Rare is a high-end steakhouse on Madison's Capitol Square, trying to prove it can play with the Big City steakhouses. They source their dry aged steaks from Chicago, and mentioned the ingredients from the soup and vegetable of the day were all sourced from the farmers market on the Square. And yet someone made the very poor decision to serve grocery-store ice cream with its signature dessert to seemingly save a few bucks. When done right, the ice cream in Bananas Foster should melt into a creamy pool of wonder, swirling with caramel. But the lack of butterfat meant that was lost, and the empty "ice" flavor in this mass-produced ice cream was NOT successfully covered with the gooey wonder of caramelized butter and brown sugar. So very disappointing. This cheap decision was a slap in the face after spending so much on the rest of the experience. Our table of 4 spent $450 on four courses, a bottle of wine, cocktails and espressos - not unreasonable for a big city steakhouse, but still a pretty penny. If there is a next time, I'll save the $10 and walk down the street for REAL Wisconsin ice cream... read more

We came to this place to have dessert, we ordered their mix seafood plate and share it, it was incredibly good, their service is also outstanding and you need to try the bananas foster dessert. read more

Rare Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A dressy upscale steakhouse with good ambiance and a nice setting on the capitol square. I had a martini, caesar salad and lobster bisque. The martini was great! The service was friendly, and the waitress raved about the caesar salad, so I tried it. It was poor. It looked like Cisco Systems pre-chopped romaine, with generic dressing. It didn't taste very good, and it didn't look good. I like caesar salad, and there are many good caesar salads in town -- Lombardino's is outstanding, Tornado Room is great, Tempest is excellent, 43 North is good and unusual (grilled), etc. The Rare Steakhouse caesar doesn't come close to any of those. The chef should try one of those to see what the competition is offering. Then the lobster bisque arrived, and I hate to be negative, but honestly, it was inedible. You would think that someone who works there would have tasted it and said "Uh, we really need a new recipe." So, it's a nice setting to meet friends over a cocktail. If you want to eat, there are many better alternatives. Actually, I can't think of a worse alternative. read more

Super secret restaurant week review! OK, so this was hands down my favorite Restaurant Week experience - we did lunch, 4/5 of us did Tennessee Browns (Louisville brown? it's like a shepherds pie sort of thing in a silver dish). It was AMAZINGLY good. I had been here for happy hour, but never for food, and the chefs outdid themselves. The food was rich, without being overwhelming. Tasteful pairings, good (not boring) spice levels, and the dessert was to die for. Will definitely return to see what the chefs come up with next year. Oh, also, our server was awesome! The staff here are great. read more

$69 steak was tough, sides were flavorless, worst $300 dinner for two I ever had. Delmonicos is way better