Iconic location on the UW Madison campus. Patio was PERFECT for a sunny early spring afternoon lunch. And at night, it turns into a lively bar scene. The portions are large, and we probably could have shared a meal... but we didn't want to. Highly recommend any burger with waffle fries. My son likes the brats, but I don't. Service was ok - you order inside from the bar, and someone brings it out to your table. Food 4/5 Service 3/5 Ambiance 5/5 read more

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Really popular spot on the main drag of downtown. If you're looking for brats and beers is a good place to be. When I was there during lunch, it was nice so people are sitting on the outdoor patio mostly college students so lots of high energy good vibes. read more

State Street Brats - Red Brat* White Brat* - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Came for the Wednesday trivia (it's very crowded), they have some dangerously good food. Great fries, had a solid cocktail, brat was small but solid, burgers look promising, mac and cheese was spectacular (particularly the cheese). Also at some point had a brat burger here, and that was not bad. Great bar food, strongly recommend if it's not extremely crowded (it's crowded for good reason, maybe not necessarily the food but the food's there) read more

State Street Brats - Red Brat* - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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While visiting our son in Madison, we went to lunch Friday at this joint. I got a Belgian quad beer and a white brat. The beer okay, the brat excellent. I added jalapeño mustard and jalapeños to the brat. read more

State Street Brats - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Quintessential Wisconsin establishment! Delicious brat and cheese curds. Ordered at the bar and got our food very quickly. read more

State Street Brats - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

FRAUD BUSINESS!!! Overcharged me $90 for a mega mule!!! My friends were so excited to have me try my first mega mule but this has been a nightmare experience. Claimed that they explained their "policies" regarding mega mule and having open tab but absolutely no one explained this. There is also nothing listed about this anywhere that we could've known. Refused to talk to me and hung up when I asked them to look at the cameras or to prove I did not add things to my tab. I had to open a fraud case with my bank. ABSOLUTELY ABHORRENT establishment that has no care for customers. read more

Patio has uncomfortable seating, but damn these wings were bussin. Pretty expensive but other than that, definitely recommend read more

State Street Brats - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We were in Madison for a work conference, and being as it was our 1st time in Wisconsin, we wanted to try some brats and fried cheese curds. We overheard a couple of people talking about State Street, so that's where we headed. The brats were good but not much different than those we get at home in PA. The curds were fabulous, though!!! We have since tried them at another place, but State Street's were definitely the best. Theirs are square and have just a slight coating on them, so they seemed more like they were freshly made. The other place definitely just came out of a bag of frozen pre-made curds. As others said, State Street is a must when you visit Madison! read more

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My daughter and I were passing through Madison on a recent road trip and I wanted to see UW's campus and eat at one of the local staples. One of "those places" that you want to be able to say you've been to if you run into an alumni of that school. State Street Brats is definitely that place! Just steps aways from campus, this place is definitely a UW institution. Great atmosphere and an incredible college bar. We of course had to have a round of State Street's famous cheese curd cubes and they were amazing! Not sure it's still a curd in cube form, but whatever, they were delicious! We followed the cheese curds with brats. My daughter had the standard white brat and I had the "world famous" red brat which is half beef, half sausage. Admittedly not the best brat I've ever had, but the atmosphere more than made up for it. I also washed mine down with a local Varsity lager which was really good. Apparently, a percentage of proceeds from that beer go to supporting Badger athletes. If you're up for drinking, State Street's 96oz Mega Mule looked awesome. The giant vodka mule even comes in its own oversized metal mule glass. Definitely worth visiting if you're in Madison. read more

Exactly as I remember it. Only downside was they had the upstairs closed off for an AYCE $25 special on Sunday. We did not want to participate so we had to find a shared table downstairs. Good beer selection and some good bar food options. The tenders with fries were great. Also tried some of their cheese cubes. Those are not my favorite since the batter tastes almost sweet like a funnel cake. Otherwise, everything was great, even our server. They make you pay via toast console and we weren't able to see our bill beforehand. Had we been able to, we would have seen that there was a 3% charge to use a card. I would have used cash otherwise. Not crazy about that system but can just remember for next time. read more

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I left here pretty underwhelmed after trying the food here-- it was probably our group's timing in arriving after the lunch rush, but the food left more to be desired. You really only get a small portion of cheese curds, they were alright but nothing too special. The brat and steak sandwich was dry and bland, as if someone pulled some beef and bratwurst off the grill that's been sitting there for hours and served it with some stale buns. I had to douse the thing with sauce to have some semblance of flavor (and to overcome the popeye's biscuit-like dryness of the overall sandwich). The place is a nice little college town bar however! Could totally see why college students would love to hang here for drinks as the vibes are pretty energetic, just needs to improve on the food. read more

State Street Brats - Cheese Curd Cubes* - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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It is honestly a really great environment, but if you want the driest burger of your life, please come here.

The food was tasty and the staff here were polite. I ordered the ribeye steak sandwich with a side of waffle fries and an extra side salad. Everything tasted pretty good. The most enjoyable part of the meal was the condiments area where you can put whatever you'd like on your sandwich. I made it partway through my fries. At the very bottom was a burnt one. I'm not a fan so I removed it. The next bite surprised me because there was a strand of hair in it. I removed the hair, and sat my fries aside. Yhis was disappointing because I really wanted my fries at this meal setting. When the waitress came to check on me, I informed the waitress and she shared she'd remind the staff to put their hair back. After paying for my meal, I was surprised to see the restaurant still charged me for the fries and stood FIRM in that. I requested a fresh batch of fresh fries since I was still required to pay for them. Needless to say each restaurant has different policies. Despite how tasty the food was here, I won't com back. read more

We had first tried to eat at Bassett Street Brunch, but the service was so bad that we came here instead. Service here was great. We immediately got water and drinks, and soon after that our food came out. They have several different hamburgers, brats, appetizers and salads. I opted for the original hamburger and it was great. It came with bacon, hot pepper cheese, and a cheesy bun. I added the seasoned waffle fries and they were great. My husband had the burger and brat sandwich and really liked it. The place was very crowded and popular, with a good ambiance. read more

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Classic....great college ambiance, food is OK, burger was very dry but I fixed it with some delicious beer. The kids loved the experience and we always hit it at least once when we go to Madtown. read more

I took out lunch from here. The ambiance was good for a pub, to sit down and have a couple of drinks. I decided to go for red brat, as brat is in the name itself. But that happened to be a mistake. It was rubbery and dry. May be after a couple of drinks, I wouldn't have noticed. Cheese curd tasted good. But after eating cheese curd I got super thirsty. All I could think for the rest of the day was drink more water. read more

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We booked the State Street Brats truck Food Truck-style for our company on two separate occasions. In both instances, the staff were friendly and the food was delicious. To our detriment, we did not provide enough sales (75ish customers over two hours) for them to come back for a third visit, but we would absolutely have them back if they'd want to! Thank you to the SSB team! read more

Visited 10/20/2022 Was in Maddison for the night and wanted some Famous Wisconsin Bratwursts. This was the best I could find. Very nice trendy bar & grill with great service and A small but nice menu. Started with a couple of shots Jack Daniels. Ordered a Sampler Plate to sample one of each White Brats and Red Brats and The White Cheddar Cheese Curds. The Cheese Curds were amazing left us wanting more. The Red Brat was good but The White Brat was our Favorite. Not a bad place to go hang out at in a collage town. read more

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First time at SSB. Arrived at 10:30 am on Badger game day and the place was packed. Brats for breakfast! We walked through all three seating options--inside, upstairs, and outside before we found seating for two!! They offer a couple of different style brats, we tried the red bratwurst. It was the size of a hotdog, but tastes nothing like a hotdog. The meat is a premium beef--salty. Reminds me of a bigger, more substantial smoky link : ) This place is very festive and fun. Great place to be on game day and the food is pretty darn good, if you're a brat guy or gal. Highly recommended. read more

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HAVE TO BE 21! Been to state street brats before and it was totally amazing! Food, service and environment was an authentic wisco experience! Tried to bring my 20 yo sister here and were turned away at the door ON A MONDAY AT 5:30! Bouncer said that that check IDs at the door starting 4 every day. Good place but wish we could've gone just for dinner. read more

Swung by for lunch in the middle of the week and ordered a brat. Service is relatively quick but based on the price, you get more bang for your buck in the nearby brat spots in the Terrace. read more

State Street Brats - Indoor - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Came here for an early dinner during a work trip with our team. We all ordered different types of brats, cheese curds, and some drinks. There's tons of condiments to add. I got I think the white brat and some cheese curds with a cocktail. We sat inside and they were able to accommodate our large group of over 10 people. Service was good, we were able to pay individually and the server took our orders accurately. Definitely a bar feel but good they had food. Close to campus and not too hard to find parking. read more

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Local historical dive on State Street. Fun to visit but the food is nothing to write home about. Service was friendly and speedy. read more

State Street Brats - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was here 5 years ago and tried my first basket of cheese curds and remembered how delicious they were. Light and crispy on the outside in their curly shapes. The slight cheese pull and it's squeaky bite, it was so good! Feeling nostalgic, I brought my friend there to try it herself in the place where I had enjoyed them Such a disappointment as they were nothing like the original. These cheese curds were in square shapes with no real cheese pull & the coating was not light and crispy. The only thing we did enjoy was our waiter who was very pleasant with us. The place still looks the same though I'm happy I was able to visit again. Thanks! read more

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Cool atmosphere. College bar with a friendly staff. First time here and ordered the white brat with side salad. Salad was a good portion and brat was ok. Same I make at home. My brother got the red brat (German) and said it was great. Husband got the Nashville chicken sandwich and loved it. Drinks were kinda pricey but good. Loved the condiments bar. Would probably stop in and try the red brat when in town again. But overall there are a lot of better quality food places in Madison to see. read more

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Ellie my bartender was amazing last week such great experience. Will definitely be coming back.

State Street brats never disappoints. The servers change every year because it's a university campus, and the neighborhood gets updated a little bit here and there every year, but State Street Brats remains classic! The brats are never out of control blow your mind amazing but they're consistent, tasty, with plenty of condiment options, and they're fast. For the first time ever, I had a red baraat, which is like a combination of beef and pork. It was really good, in fact I may have enjoyed it more than the regular white bright. The bar is a classic campus bar. An event weekends, it's where the tourists go... Like me. There's parking nearby but it is best to walk if you can. read more

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The square curds have an excellent texture, though, the cheese is a little grainy. They're unique, they don't really come off as cheese curds? A different product. Brat was good with a great toppings bar. Decent prices, lots of decent taps. I like this place best its less packed. Watched the incredible Michigan Bama Rose Bowl game here and it was great to enjoy the game without too much surrounding bustle. read more

State Street Brats - White brat - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I ordered a Red Brat on the Toast platform on Easter Sunday, but when I arrived to pick it up, the restaurant was closed. A few days later, I noticed that the charge was still pending on my credit card, so I called the store to request a refund. However, I was told to contact Toast directly, which I found impossible to do since there was no phone number or email available on the platform. The next day, I checked my credit card statement, and the pending charge had disappeared. A month later, when I checked my statement again, I noticed that the charge had gone through. I called the restaurant and spoke to the manager, who answered the phone aggressively and demanded to know which platform I had used to order. He then told me to contact my bank and file a claim, adding that it would only be processed if it was legitimate. When I asked why the restaurant couldn't just refund me directly, given that I had proof via email confirmation of the date and time of the order, he flippantly told me to reply to the Toast email (which you can't because it's a no-reply email) or to the restaurant's email, which he rambled off quickly. When I asked him to repeat it more slowly, he became even more irritable. Throughout the entire process, the restaurant never once apologized for the inconvenience caused. Dealing with all of this hassle just to get $6.60 back for a hotdog I never ate was incredibly frustrating. From the restaurant's allowing orders to be placed when they're closed, to the employees' lack of knowledge about the Toast platform's customer service options, to the manager's aggressive attitude, it's safe to say that I won't be returning to this establishment. read more

It's hard to believe that after all of the yearly visits to Madison and now living here the last two that I had never eaten at SSB. We stopped in the night before Thanksgiving when we found the nearby Dotty's closed. Ok maybe not the best night to visit because it was absolutely dead. Only one other couple was dining. At least the Badger basketball game was on. Down load the QR code menu and go up to the bar to order your food. At least they do deliver the food to your table. I started with an Old Fashion - I have been trying them all around town since moving back. This one was just OK. For dinner we both had the Graduate burger. The burgers were surprisingly very good and done medium rare as requested. Three kinds of cheese and cheese curds on a Stella's bun. We will have to stop in again when it is a bit more lively but not on sporting event weekends when we have thought about this place but there are lines out the door. read more

State Street Brats - Bar - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I was hosting a brunch for 11-13 folks and wanted some good brats. These brats were easy to prepare and tasty! I will definitely order them again. They arrived on time and in a temperature controlled container. Very worth the price! read more

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Why are the brats at state street brats so bad. The brat is white and chunky etc. Maybe it's a Sconi thing because the Union has bad brats too. Try von Hansons or Kramachucks. read more

The ambiance is awesome! Love the music variety on the patio and dog friendly vibes. Great menu options service was quick and so friendly. Food was nothing special. Decent burger. Chicken was really good. read more

State Street Brats - My avocado Swiss burger and Cole slaw (right) and chicken burger (left) - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Came here during 4th of July for a late lunch! We got seated quickly, and our server was very attentive! For food, I opted for small snacks-- pretzels and cheese curds! Also, what's a meal in WI without Spotted Cow? Bread was soft and salted to perfection. The cheese curds were amazing too. Paired with spotted cow, everything hit the spot. I also loved the vibes here! Outdoor seating was a bit packed and hard to move around by, but nonetheless everything was chill vibes! Great place to wind down or just enjoy some brews with friends. read more

State Street Brats - Traditional Wisconsin Cheese Curd Basket & Spotted Cow - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Always a good beer selection on tap. Fast service and a full condiment bar. Is there anything else one would need for Madison Wisconsin. Red brat was very flavorful. White tastes a little blander. But overall very good read more

State Street Brats - Bavarian Pretzel Bites - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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"Yeah we'll take 3 red brats and 1 white brat. Wait make that 2 red brats, 2 white brats. Ope better do all 4 red brats. One more time, 1 red brat, 3 white brats." This is how our attempt to order went at State Street Brats. Here's to hoping yours goes better. Great place to watch big ten football teams punt the football. 5 stars read more

The red brat was very good. Better than I expected. The bun was toasted and had a nice crunch. You could add any condiments to the brat you wanted to. There is a condiment station in the middle of the restaurant. The restaurant is in a cool looking building. Reminds you of Germany. It has a nice outdoor seating area but the inside of the restaurant has some history. Service was good. The truffle waffle fries were good. Unfortunately they ran out of truffle dipping sauce when we were there. They do have burgers and chicken strips if you are not a brat person. We will definitely go back. read more

Everything is delicious from the brats to the cheese curds. Sometimes huge lines will deter but I guess that's a staple of State Street Brats. Everyone goes there cause it's so good. Big stars. Also it's a fun time the ambiance is chill and family friendly also fun during games. read more

Always, one of our 1st stops when we get into Madison. We were all hungry for the cheese curds and Brats. The brats were delicious as always. But the cheese curds have been replaced to what I can only describe as very gummy and not cheesy enough. read more

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This hurts.... State Street Brats is one of my old friends from my past (when I lived in the Madison area), and I do stop there frequently before or after a Badger Football game for some tailgating. This night I was there after a UW Hockey Game, and we all ordered some food. For tailgating or a beer with friends this is a great spot. Lots of action, plenty of beverages to chose from, and multiple TV's to watch the game. But for food, (at least tonight) it was a big let down. First of all, unlike most bar/restaurants, this place has plenty of help. Unfortunately, some of them really had no clue what they were doing. But I will say, that overall, the good servers made up for the bad (maybe some were in training?). Example, when I got my food, I went to the self service condiment station to get some ketchup for my fries and the large pumpable tub was completely empty. I went up to a employee, who was behind the bar, and told her the ketchup was gone. She said '"okay". A few minutes later she came out and took the tub behind the bar where it stayed, as multiple people tried to figure out how to change the ketchup bag. I finished my meal, my second drink, and at least 10 mins later I left..... Never got any ketchup, nor did anyone else in the restaurant. Adding to the issue was that some people (Including a couple of my friends) accidentally put BBQ Sauce on their food, because the tub looked similar to the ketchup (especially with no ketchup on the condiment bar). Now for the food. I know this place is called the State Street Brats, but for some reason I decided to try the steak sandwich with waffle fries. Mistake! The steak sandwich was a small rectangle that kind of resembled a McRib sandwich from McDonald's. It was tough, dry and the meat was not tasty at all. The savior was the well stocked (except for the ketchup) condiment station. Got to add some pretty great onions and A1 Steak Sauce to give it some flavor. The waffle fries were also terrible. Lukewarm and stuck together, I can say I make way better tasting ones from a frozen bag in my air fryer at home. I'm sure these were from a frozen bag too... but probably sat for a while, getting clumped together before they were put on my tray. This is a fun place with great nostalgia. The location is right on State Street, near campus and the Kohl Center, so it's an excellent place to meet for small groups or a few friends. Based on my meal tonight, I will stick to a drink or two, and eat somewhere else. read more