Damn good Friday fish fry. Friendly servers and staff with a laid-back atmosphere and good drinks. Can't miss with the Settle Down Tavern

I came here on my last day in Madison to experience a Friday fish fry, and I was not disappointed!! The fish was super crispy and the fries were really good as well. I liked all the different dipping sauces and the slaw they served with it had a nice unique flavor. We also shared the chocolate chip cookie, which was huge and served warm. It was loaded with chocolate chips and had some flaky sea salt on top. I think this had to be one of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! All of our servers were super kind and helpful, and the food came out pretty quickly. The ambiance is really nice, we ate in the patio area and it was super cute with nice natural lighting. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Warm chocolate chip cookie - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Actually one of the best smash burgers of my life. And I love smash burgers. My brother said the Chicken Sandwich Tuesday special was amazing too. Staff was great too! read more

The burger and fries are so good here. Might be one of my favorites in town. The chili dog on the other hand was very mid. Definitely come for the fries and burger instead. read more

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I was in Madison for work and stopped by Settle down for happy hour, they offer $5 draft beer and wine specials (I think it was 5 or 6 dollar glasses). I decided to get their cheese puppies and pickle puppies after looking over the reviews and they did not disappoint. If you're deciding between the two, the cheese puppies almost melt in your mouth, they are a bit greasier and heavier than the pickle puppies though. I did prefer the cheese puppies, though I'd recommend both. They have quite quite a few dipping sauces, I got ranch and their paprika sauce which I thought was good with the cheese curds. Ella was working behind the bar and she was wonderful, friendly and helpful. The IPA on draft was a local one and juicy and cold. I'd definitely come back here again when in town! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Pickle puppies, cheese puppies - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

PROS: -Unique/good cheese curds -Unique cocktails that don't disappoint -I loved the Good Idea Smashburger -Molly, our server was GREAT! (other staff was equally friendly) -I enjoyed the overall vibe Music playlist was really good as well,...to the point where I tried to Soundhound /Shazam two or three songs, but due to the acoustics, it proved difficult - all in all still appreciated. They have a good special every day of the week, all of which look enticing. -This was my first time here, but I will be back! -History Lesson: building was once oldest hotel in Madison (1841?) CONS: -The TP in the restroom could improve -Coat hooks somewhere would be nice (in the winter, in a booth, coats take up space) read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese curds - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Awesome space! We had a reservation for 2pm Friday and got into town a bit early and starving so we popped over at 1:15 and were greeted by a super nice gentleman who had us seated immediately. We opted for the bar area. The atrium dining area looked super cool. The craft beer tap list here is very limited. Huge cocktail list. I didn't love my Old Fashioned. Way too much bitters. My wife enjoyed her IPA. We ordered up their fried curds (cornmeal) and fried pickle chips. Both were fantastic. Curds were heavily battered and humongous so an order is plenty for 3-4 people. Same for the pickle chips but they were lightly battered and super yummy. I had their house smash burger and it was fantastic. Lots of pepper as advertised and served without any side. My wife enjoyed the Friday fish sandwich very much. Our server was so friendly and took great care of us. This would be my local if I lived in town. read more

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Finally visited SDT! It's pretty spacious inside! I went on a Wednesday night with coworkers for BINGO! Super fun! Ordered their version of the old fashioned, settle down burger and fried pickles! Everything came out fast and hot. Coworkers also ordered curds and ghost pepper fries for the table. Curds were not our cup of tea, but everything else was great! Service was EXCELLENT! Bingo was super fun! Note: they don't split checks so make sure you're ready to pay someone else via cash, venmo or Zelle! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Settle Down Burger - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Great burgers, fries and cheese curds. The cocktails were a tad stingy in size for the price is our only complaint. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese puppies (curds) - fried in cornmeal, delicious. - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I've been here a handful of times and while the food itself is pretty average, I still enjoy stopping in because the place has a fun local tavern feel. My friend and I usually go on bingo night, and it's become a little tradition to order cheese curds and grab a drink while we play. The servers are always friendly and make the place feel welcoming, even when it starts to get busy. Seating can be tight, so getting there a bit early helps. It's also a convenient spot to grab a quick drink before heading over to the Majestic for a show. Even though the food is not my favorite in the area, the atmosphere and the kind staff keep me coming back. read more

The food was very good! Although I will say that the portion sizes for the price are a little skewed towards the smaller side but the vibes were nice and the staff were amazing! We ordered two burgers, the deviled eggs, and the fried pickles. Coming from Texas the fried pickles were a little too chewy and dint have as much crisp as I would have liked but the deviled eggs were AMAZING! The burgers were okay but I'm giving them a 5/5 for how nice and fast they were with catering towards us! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Fried pickles - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Friendly server. My double smash burger was less beefy tasting than the Culver's burger I had last week. I love pepper. But as stated in other reviews, what is up with the pepper overkill?? Good Lord :-I No salt, pepper. ketchup, mustard, or any other condiments on the tables. There were two sauces that came with my burger and fries. One must have been the Settle sauce (orange), and the other I don't know. No matter. They BOTH tasted like plain mayonnaise. Homemade pickle slices were very bland. You could have fit the fried onions into a tablespoon measure. The fries were OK. I wish I could have liked it more. To each his/her own. read more

Almost everything about this bistro is amazing. Service is impeccable. Bar is fun. Atmosphere presents a great vibe. One problem. They overthought the smash burger. The beef tastes weird. Like overly unctuous and too beefy, if that's a thing. The homemade pickles added nothing but overpowering compensation. The cheese seemed non-essential. Like you could see it, but it added nothing to the overall taste. We ordered several appetizers and they all delivered! Very good. If I lived in Madison I would definitely make this my hangout. As a retired professional chef I would love to amend their smash burger and make Settle Down Tavern just about a perfect 10. read more

Settle Down is still at the top of its game. We made a reservation for a large group of 10 in the atrium on Saturday night. Amazing ambiance and energy there. Busy as expected but still felt like we were having an intimate dinner and able to hear conversations completely. The food and service were outstanding. Cheese puppies and ghost fries to start and we loved the inventive drinks. My favorite was the PB & Jelly Hot Dog Bun (a delicious bourbon drink). We ended the evening sharing two large chocolate chip cookies hot out of the oven to celebrate two birthdays in the group. Keep doing exactly what you're doing Settle Down! read more

Not going back. Food was ok - nothing to write home about and the choices were limited. Only high point was the jalapeño burger had really fresh and delicious produce. Service was poor - waitress definitely didn't make it easy or help when kids were ordering. Won't be back Prefer hitting Graze, Great Dane, or Old Fashioned if in that neck of the woods again. read more

Place is kind of a rip off. $15 for a burger that barely fits in the palm of your hand with no side. Wasn't even that good either. $8 for two unsweet teas because they ask if you want a refill but neglect to tell you it's not free refills.. lol read more

Best burger I have had in years!!! Cool place and great service. Will be going back soon!!

Very cool spot! We were in search of a great representation of an "official" smashburger so this is what brought us to Settle Down. Had early dinner reservations and were running a couple min late due to the unanticipated road closure near by. When we finally got in and settled, the space is super cool: entryway of an older building of shops. There's a nice atrium enclosure of glass above so there is plenty of light. Some folks were walking in from the other entrance of the restaurant. It was a weekend so I would like to see how they operate during the day with the surrounding shops and businesses open and attending to customers. Our server was great! There was a special PB&J burger that I tried and loved! It was not overly sweet as the jelly they used was their in-house strawberry jam and in-house made peanut butter. It was delicious. We shared fries and curds. Everything about our meal was great. A couple of rounds of cocktails made the night very memorable and a good time. read more

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With the closing of DLux, I was on the hunt for a new favorite burger. Found it! Just wish it was a little bigger and didn't take all of 2 minutes to finish but to be fair - I was hungry! I haven't been here and walking in I was struck immediately by the unexpected space! The bar area itself isn't huge, but they offer seating through the common lobby area space that the building shares. Fun lights and large plants and entrances to various office spaces and other businesses mean there's always something to look around at. Made me want to work in one of those little tidy offices upstairs! The night my friend and I went they had free bingo going on, which was fun for about three rounds and then we wanted to get down to business with eating and catching up. We moved inside because it was otherwise distracting to listen to bingo but not play it. I was able to enjoy my new favorite cider company as well as a burger and fries. The fries were that perfect level of salty and crispy and also went down way too fast. My only complaint is that I had ordered a burger and fries to go for my daughter, and they sent me on without the fries - my bad for not looking, but frustrating. I'll be back and I'm looking forward to it. read more

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Okay we both loved our burgers. I got the smash burger and my friend got the normal 1/4 pounder. Soft potato bun, great flavor and sauce. Fries were fresh and good amount for just a small. Inside was super cute, great decor. Food came out fast as well. However, we got the cheese curds and were very dissatisfied. They had no flavor, texture wasn't quite right either. Great portion and fresh but just not something we would ever order again. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Good idea, the foundation, fries, cheese curds - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Delicious falafel burger & spicy margaritas. Definitely will be back. Our server was great & knowledgeable read more

Everything we look for in a restaurant, Great, cocktails, and friendly service in a nice venue

Just generally wasn't very good. It was nice to be out of the house, nice to have a couple beers, but neither of us liked the food. It wasn't terrible, just an undercooked burger, the pickling spices weren't for us, and nothing was really enjoyable beyond the beer. read more

I only ate the cheese curds here as a quick snack before a dinner reservation elsewhere, but they were fantastic. The portion was large which made great for sharing. We sat outside and while the outdoor seating isn't special it was still very enjoyable. Service was okay. Nothing great, but no complaints. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese curds - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Delicious apps and drinks. Lots of happy hour deals and we did not have to wait to be seated. Their breading on their cheese puppies was unique and flavorful. Would def stop by again to try out more menu options read more

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Had a group of 5 on a Friday night. Fun vibe, great food & tasty drinks! The service was fast & friendly, thank you Molly! read more

I took out lunch from here. Good idea burger was my entree item. That was a nicely done flavorful smash burger. I could convert the burger into lunch basket for just $3 extra. So made it into a lunch basket. Ghost fries has a good spicy kick to it. The ginger beer they have has nice flavor to it. Defenitely go for ginger beer as the drink. read more

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I never even realized Settle Down had moved into this place. A friend recommended checking it out and I'm very glad that we did. We grabbed a spot outside (they've mad an outdoor patio of the former street parking spots) so I don't know what the ambiance looks like inside, but outside was just fine. Not usually a cocktail person, but their beer list was underwhelming to me so figured I'd try the "Uecker? or Euchre?" since I liked everything in it. I prefer my cocktails without ice, and staff was very obliging. This was a delicious smoky cocktail balanced just right with the ginger beer. I'd order it again, and I don't usually say that about cocktails. I had the veggie burger (prit' near) and it certainly ranks among my favorites in the area. It had a slightly charred crunch to it on the outside that was unique and really gave it an interesting flavor. I would have preferred goat cheese over feta on the burger, but maybe that's just personal preference. I scarfed it down either way. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Prit' Near veggie burger - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My husband and I came here for happy hour and dinner on a random, cold Monday evening. Right when we entered the building, we were pleasantly surprised by the well-decorated atrium area of the building and saw that the area was also dog friendly. We decided to sit inside the tavern area and thought it was cute and had good music. We got here around 4:45 pm for their happy hour and ordered a couple of drinks and also got the deviled eggs, fries, burger, and their fried chicken special (available on Mondays) that comes with coleslaw and mashed potatoes. The drinks were good and well worth coming back (especially during happy hour) but the fried chicken was definitely my favorite part of the meal. It was well seasoned, and my husband LOVED the mashed potatoes. I really enjoyed the overall ambiance of the restaurant but also the food and will likely be coming back for another night for happy hour or date night. read more

Found a hair in our mushroom bowl and an eyelash in the Caesar salad :/ wanted to like it here. Service was good. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese curd and fried picks - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Menu is sparse, most restaurants with minimal selection on their menu do what they do very well. Unfortunately, the food was the worst I've been served in a long time. Burgers were completely underwhelming and skimpy, the fried chicken was burnt and not edible. To their credit, after politely giving our feedback (three times) on the quality of our meals, specifically the chicken, the manager did remove 2 chicken dinners off of our bill. Service equally underwhelming. High price for the food quality served. We won't be back. The inside is decorated nicely. read more

Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. I love Jesus and I read my Bible daily. Come to this bar every Friday starting at 6 PM in the evening up until closing time we hold a Christian Bible study group. The owners are Christians and love Jesus. read more

Ambiance was 10/10 very beautiful, flowed well and felt open Service was pretty good asked waitress a couple times to get us more water and extra plates she may have just had a lot of other tables and forgot no biggie Food was pretty good, good portions and well made. Wish they had a bigger menu so we could eat more like the Americans we are ALLOWS DOGS!!! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Enjoying her meal at the table - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Amazing burgers. Settle Down sauce is so good. Sat at the bar. Friendly staff. There is a super cool "outside" space that is inside. Plenty of actual outdoor seating. Would definitely go again! read more

Super welcoming staff who are clearly having a good time at their jobs. We started at the bar for a delicious Bloody Mary (the house Bloody is concocted by someone who literally wrote the book) and some snacks. I can recommend the cheese balls, but I think we got a "bad" batch of the devil birds. I hear they are very good, but ours had surprisingly no flavor except bitter. Didn't even taste like eggs. Thankfully, those are only $3. My veggie burger was superb, the fries were super crispy, and the cheese puppies were heavenly. I also recommend the Moonsong! read more

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The smash burger was an amazing combo of burger, grilled onions, subtle pickles and an sauce and a soft bun that was perfection. Caeser salad was also great. Fries were crispy. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. The restaurant has a glass ceiling making it bright on a cloudy day. Definitely will be back next time we are in Madison. read more

Cute little restaurant/bar. Stopped here on the way back to MN from Milwaukee. Their menu is very small with little options but they are very accommodating. I'm gfree and they went out of their way to make French fries prior to cross contamination since we were there first thing. I got the burger as well with a lettuce wrap. Burger was okay but wasn't as thick as I would've liked. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Met a friend for lunch in Madison today. She suggested Settle Down Tavern because they had her favorite burger in Madison. We started with Deviled Eggs and Cheese Puppies, which were a cross between hush puppies and cheese curds. Both were great! Loved the cheese puppies, in particular! The burger lived up to the hype! Two patties smashed and cooked on the griddle, topped with cheese and pickles. It was awesome! The fries were simple and well-executed, frozen shoe string fries, fried and salted. I would eat here again! read more

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Hours are changed... Open T, W, R 11:30-2pm ; F and Sat 11-2:30pm for lunch They also have Sunday brunch 10am -2:30pm Whole party ordered the smash burger. Nicely cooked- very tasty. Highly recommend. Pickles, cheese nicely melted... 2patties smashed just beautifully.... Really great flavor. Service wasn't the best- it was lunchtime- but some of our table had to get back to work... and we had to flag them down to order. The rest of us could stay and drink... Servers were friendly- and one ended up stepping up and did a nice job taking care of us in the end. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

After hearing so much about this place and multiple visits to their sister restaurant we finally decided to visit. It was a warm day and we opted to sit inside. We walked inside to find a sign that said to check in with the host outside. When we went back outside to check in with the host, she instructed us to check in with the host inside. She was slightly puzzled when we told her about the sign, but got us menus and walked us back inside and seated us and brought us water. I appreciated that she took the initiative to find out what was happening and didn't just tell us to go back in and wait. We opted to sit at the bar in the Tavern, as opposed to a table in the atrium. The bar staff was very friendly and got our orders in right away. They answered our questions and also shared info about their cocktails as well as about the history of the restaurant. The food came out very fast! I ordered the lambwich which included slices of gyro meat, with arugula, feta, and harissa. The sandwich/burger was not very big but I thought the portion was perfect for a light lunch. This was complemented by a side of shoestring fries that came with a paprika mayo. The taste and quality were excellent. I was satiated but did not feel uncomfortably full at the end of the meal. For drinks I had the Settle Down Lager which is a nice crisp beer to enjoy on a hot day. I followed this with a cocktail named The Lion, The Spritz, and the Wardrobe which had rum, aperol, citrus, and bubbles. I typically don't like orange flavor things but this was very well balanced. If you are in downtown Madison it is definitely worth checking out. Great food, drinks, and a very friendly staff. We will be back! read more

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