This is hands-down our favorite date night spot in Madison, and we've tried just about every other restaurant downtown but none meet the service and quality of Tempest. Food: Everything on the happy hour menu is delicious! We love the oysters, shrimp (they're huge!), and scallops. Some of the best scallops I've ever had. And the variety of West Coast and easy cost oysters is amazing. Their Caesar salad is also the best we've had in Madison, we order it every time. We haven't had many of the set entrees because we typically order off of the specials menu. On Friday we got a crab soup which had SO much crab it was insane. The only downside was that the crab was cold so the soup cooled off too fast. We also ordered the other special which was a lemon and almond crusted fish that was spectacular. You get extra lemons with most dishes but the fish dish definitely doesn't need any more! Drinks: we always use the happy hour deals to get either red wine, beer, or cocktails. My favorite cocktail is the Awniker and my partner's is the Jib. He also loves the painkiller on tap so that one usually comes after happy hour since it is so reasonably priced. Photo attached of our end-of-meal coffee which was SO good and strong not like other restaurants' mass-produced coffee. Service: spectacular, always. Servers are so hospitable and well-mannered. I love their relaxing demeanor in such a potentially high-stress environment. They also come around often enough to resolve any issues, which we rarely have, but not so often to be suffocating. Final thoughts: book a reservation for happy hour 4-6 M-F! Sitting in the boat room is always fun otherwise I like the bar counter. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Upon entrance of the residence modified to be a restaurant you will see a cool old boat; however you will also smell something like a fish market that could throw you. We went ahead with ordering the conch fritters which we decent. My wife ordered the sea bass which had a lot of dark meat with a very fishy overtone. I had the swordfish which was ok lots of sauce. My daughter had the lobster roll which they liked. FYI both my wife and daughter had digestion issues this morning. I think if you have seafood there it should be during the week or at least close to their delivery day since they are probably not turning a lot of seafood. read more

We didn't have a reservation but they were able to squeeze us in on a very crowded night. I really appreciated them helping us as my son was in town for business and we wanted somethg nice. Drinks were poured well. Oysters were amazing and my fish was outstanding. It's a little loud but it was a busy night. read more

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This might sound silly, but I absolutely loved the Cesar salad! The Clams with Chorizo (Daily Special) were delicious, the lobster roll was very good, a tad bit pricy, but nevertheless worth it since we don't have many options in Madison. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Clams with chorizo, Lobster Roll and Cesar salads - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

not a bad spot for seafood in madison!!!! happy hour here is daily from 4-6 and it's a great deal. we got $2 oysters, $6 conch fritters and a discounted price on the scallops as well. also $10 cocktails!! really enjoyed the wianno oyster but all were delicious. my favorite appetizer by far was the scallops. it's seared in brandy and brown sugar with bacon bits - which lended to the perfect sweetness in every bite. conch fritters were alright, could be crispier imo. bread was good (though i wish it was toasted more and warmed) and the butter had flaky salt pieces embedded into it. we ordered the clam chowder, lobster roll and brussels sprouts for our entree. lobster roll was surprisingly good, the aioli was smeared along the bottom but the pairing with the butter made it overall pretty tasty (obvi can't compare to lobsters in maine but who can??). fries were perfect as well. clam chowder was creamy but i can't really remember getting much of a bite of the clams?? maybe i wasn't paying enough attention. but the brussels sprouts were incredibly mid and maybe even undercooked. wish it had more of that vinaigrette taste. service was great though and i liked that the ambiance gave upscale seafood restaurant vibes, kind of as if you were on a fancy cruise ship or something lmao read more

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So yummy! We have zero complaints :) We came here for a light appetizer and drinks and they did not disappoint. The shrimp are huge and the horseradish cream was perfect! The oysters were also phenomenal. Definitely will be back read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

One of my favorite places for seafood in town. Never disappoints each time I go. Went for happy hour and got basically everything on the HH menu. Oysters are so good and fresh. Shrimp cocktail with the sauce is amazing! Creamy and rich. Smoke stack is always good. Scallops were melt in your mouth. We also got the lobster Mac and cheese and the pieces of lobster were so delicious. Can't wait to go back! read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Oysters, Smoke Stack, Shrimp Cocktail - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I so badly wanted to love tempest as we love fresh seafood which is hard to find in the Midwest. But unfortunately we left underwhelmed -SERVICE - efficient but no recommendations were given. When we asked for recommendations she replied "oh I didn't even look at the features tonight". Not at all helpful -OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER - was plain bad. Fishy tasting, almost gritty. Awful and I don't know why. Luckily things did improve after this -MUSSELS - good. Probably favorite part of the meal -RED SNAPPER - pretty good actually. The sauce accompanying it was tasty but unfortunately they didn't provide much. Needed more sauce -PAN FRIED FLUKE - also pretty good but not a standout. read more

I heard a lot about Tempest from friends. The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice and cozy with a cute theme. The waiter was knowledgeable about oysters, which was great for us since we were new to oysters. We decided to try each one, which was a good decision because I was able to compare them. We ordered the salmon smoke stack because it seemed popular. I was a little put off by the presentation of the dish and the flavors were okay. The oysters rockefeller, however, was my favorite dish! The flavors were really outstanding and went well together. The tuna was also ok. I didn't really enjoy the outter crust, but other than that, it was good! Finally, the mussels were good too. Overall, I felt like each dish had unique flavors and characteristics that I haven't seen in other restaurants. I would definitely be open to coming back to try other dishes. (: read more

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Went with a larger group (11 people) on a Sunday night. Appetizers (scallops, oysters, mussels and shrimp) were all amazing and came out in a timely fashion. Bread was very good, and sides were delicious. 50% of the drinks were not made properly and sent back. Main courses took an hour and forty five minutes to come out and every steak was sent back due to under cooking. Another fish dish was sent back and all dishes were under seasoned. Steaks were reheated and second time around we're cooked mostly to temp, but cooking steaks a second time dries them out. Others who have been here before mentioned normally it is significantly better but hard to justify a return trip based on the experience. read more

When the temp touches 50 in December in Wisconsin, this is definitely the place to be! Started with a Jungle Bird cocktail on tap, the Duxbury and Bosu oysters. Shared an amazingly prepared Ono and a King Crab leg. Perfect! Thanks to Eric, professional AND friendly. read more

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Best place to get oysters and seafood in Madison Wisconsin. They have a wonderful cocktail called the awnicker which is a spicy tequila drink, it's very unique and delicious. Oyster happy hour is from 4-6 and oysters are only $2. Vibes of the restaurant are nautical and the bar is a nice place to grab a drink if they're not to busy otherwise make sure to schedule a reservation. Sitting outside on the patio in the summer is lovely as well. Favorite dish: Shrimp , Scallops , & Grits read more

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Ambience in the bar area is way cool, would love to sit here again. Prices are way too high for what you get, even on the happy hour menu. Food is fine. We stopped for happy hour and had everything on the menu. My favorites were the Oysters and Scallops (though prices for the scallop is outrageous!). Everything else was just okay. read more

Been here three times, food and service always amazing. Came here for valentines and the crab cakes were delish and would love to see them pop up on the menu again! read more

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We took advantage of Restaurant Week to try a place we had not been to - as newcomers to town that isn't too hard. With a reservation in hand on a Wednesday night we entered this very interesting space. The old speed boat in the front room was different as was the seashell cove in the back of the bar - what was this place originally? Anyway we were seated in the too quiet back room but in the end this didn't matter since the food was the star. I started with the she-crab soup which was excellent with a bit of spice. My wife got the smoked whitefish cocktail which was also very tasty. For our mains I got the jerk seasoned and grilled mahi which was seated on a johnnycake. The johnnycake had pineapple inside and with the pomegranate seeds made for a sweet balance to the jerk. This dish was superb! The flank steak with the creamed spinach was perfectly medium rare and excellent. The dessert course on the special menu made for a tough choice. I ordered the creme caramel which very good and my wife got the key lime pie which was solid. The service was attentive and very friendly. We will definitely return so for all parties it was a successful restaurant week. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Awesome Mahi entrée during restaurant week - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was really excited to try this place after reading recommendations, but it didn't match the expectations. There was some really good food and some that wasn't great. We went during happy hour, cheaper apps and drinks. There was about 20 minutes left and we kept trying to wave down our waiter- he ended up coming over at 6:01 PM and refused to let us get our last drink. A total bummer. We tried many of the appetizers, our favorite was the scallops! $8 a scallop, but delicious! We also liked the fritters. We loved the biscuits (not on happy hour), they were like Red Lobster's but wayy better! Highly recommend. The big disappointment was the Friday Fish Fry- for Tempest being a seafood spot, you would think this would be top notch. Unfortunately, the fish didn't have great flavor and the fish and fries came out cold. read more

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I can see why people rave about Tempest! You walk in and instantly get this magical feeling with all the under the sea vibes. Everything is ocean themed and the decor is super creative. It's definitely an upscale environment with a laid back vibe. It feels very fancy inside but people we're really dressed up and everything felt very chill which was nice. We came for happy hour so pricing was pretty reasonable for fresh local fare. We got shrimp cocktail, oysters, and a few cocktails. I only ate the shrimp because I'm nit a big seafood person and it was really good. Definitely tasted fresh and the presentation was beautiful. The price point is high but totally worth it for high quality food and a high quality experience! read more

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Went to Tempest Oyster Bar with my girlfriend for Valentines Day. Due to the venue being very packed, I was only able to reserve seats at the bar. I was hesitant at first because bar seats can be very noisy and not as cozy, but at Tempest the seating was fine. The bartenders were very engaging and friendly. I really enjoyed the happy hour oysters (we got 2 dozen of them) and their cocktails. For entrees we had the fried snapper and New York strip steak. Overall, very nice experience and service. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Oysters (Happy Hour) - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I went here for a birthday dinner. It was really, really good. We had kumamotos and the conch fritters to start, which were all top notch. Their black cod dish was killer, probably the best I've had. Environment was super lively and the service was awesome (we loved the vintage lake boat in the waiting area). This place was as good as the places we have in California. We're definitely coming back! read more

As soon as I discovered this place, it honestly changed the game. It is so very rare to find good and fresh seafood in Madison-- Tempest NAILED it. Everything is beautifully plated and absolutely delicious. The smoke stack packs so much flavor and the tuna is one of the best I've ever had. Don't even get me started on the scallops because before this I didn't even know that I liked them. Definitely go for Happy Hour and score some deals and try a ton! Also-- the service. The best server I've had at Tempest was Eric. Absolutely brilliant. Came with my parents and the kindness and customer service blew me away. One of those experiences that really is made by the people and the food. read more

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Amazing oysters, service, hostess, and bartender. I highly recommend, you will not be disappointed.

This place is absolutely fantastic! I've never ever had a bad experience here. From the kitschy boat room to the more upscale dining room and band "shell" stage, the vibe is perfect. The staff are always accommodating and will go out of their way to make your meal a wonderful occasion. Oh and the food is actually amazing too lol! read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Ono special - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Could not have been happier with our experience here. We sat at the bar and enjoyed excellent oysters, drinks and entrees. Pork chop was substantial and perfectly cooked. Walleye was an enormous meal and very tasty. Service was spot on. I'm ready for my next visit. read more

I love tempest with my whole heart. I grew up by the chesapeake bay and consider myself a snob in many areas, but ESPECIALLY seafood. Needless to say, I was blown away to find there's a place in Madison, WI that satisfies my cravings. The fruits de mer is *chefs kiss* and during normal times, my fav entree was the shrimp, scallops, and grits one. Steaks are great too, if seafoods not your thing! However, during the pandemic I just wanted feel good food, and I must say the Fried Walleye was hitting the spot pretty well until I tried the fried chicken. GOOD GOD. Crispety Crunchety, with honey butter and biscuits. Doesn't get better, and I am FROM THE SOUTH. (I also can never get a picture because I can't wait the 4 seconds it takes. sry.) PS Portions are hefty, and if you go in person, service is kind and the awniker is a fantastic cocktail. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Walleye - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Always a stop when I'm in Madison. Great variety of fresh oysters on the menu and all the dishes never disappoint! read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Seafood Tower #1 - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place has always been a place for celebration!! Always is the key! I will always choose to go here for GREAT seafood and SUPERB cocktails. Service is always warm and welcoming. Friendly staff is an understatement! The ambiance is spot on and always paired to perfection with the feeling of why I came. I will always suggest this place for a great dining experience. read more

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Charlie is amazing!!! This is my favorite restaurant in Madison and he made it so much better. The oysters are obviously phenomenal and the bucatini is to die for. read more

We love a good Tempest happy hour from 4-6. Nestle right up to the bar and grab a drink, plenty of oysters, and french fries. The order of french fries comes out in a heaping bowl and for $6 they do not disappoint. Friendly bartender that waited on us and offered up his opinion on the current oyster selection -- Better oysters than Sardine in my opinion! A good mix of east and west coast. Try them all to find your favorite! Cool, upscale ambience that's a bit more casual for happy hour. They sometimes have live music so keep an eye out for that if that's your thing. read more

The service was great and the appetizers such as the seafood and oyster tower were both wonderful. I was not impressed by the main courses at all and would probably go back there just for an appetizer and drink. read more

The food and the service was excellent. I had the salmon. The atmosphere was very enjoyable and allowed for good conversation.

Came back here to try out the happy hour menu as previously mentioned and still maintain the same review. I can see the charm in the place. The ambience is nice, swanky and perfect for a nice romantic dinner or a place to go with friends and coworkers. When we came in, it took awhile before we were seated. After we were seated, our waitress tried to take our order by memory and ended up mixing up a couple of things and having to come back and ask us again. We tried the scallops, oysters rockafellar, conch fritters, smoke stack, and oysters. The oysters we chose were west coast and were tasty but small. The oysters rockafellar were a little disappointing, just standard. They were a bit overcooked and dry and the topping was nowhere near the oysters casino we had tried before. Conch fritters were alright, tasty, but our waitress forgot about them until we had finished everything else and reminded her. Scallop was perfectly cooked but I agree with some other reviews that it was way too sweet, and wasn't a fan of the caramel sauce. I enjoyed the smoke stack and felt that it was the most bang for your buck in terms of ingredients and items. It was a strange hodgepodge, but worth a try. At the end, we left with a bill over $50 for some disorganized pre-dinner appetizers. I've given tempest a couple of tries and wanted to like it more but was not blown away. There are plenty of other restaurants in Madison to try in the area and I might give them a try first before coming back. read more

Tried this place for the first time. We were able to make a same day reservation online for Saturday night. The restaurant had plenty room to social distancing, masks and reservations are required at this time. We were given a table for two in a quiet room, which I'm sure would be great for some people. We prefer noisy and less formal so we asked if we could sit at the bar instead. They quickly accommodated us at the bar even though the bar also requires reservations at this time. The restaurant also has patio sitting, it was raining that night so it was closed but it looked very pretty. Our bartender was very nice and helpful. We love oysters but definitely know nothing about them so he kindly explained the different varieties and made some recommendations. They were so fresh and delicious we didn't get any pics of them lol sorry, not sorry! The Rockefeller oysters were very oily and bacon overwhelmed the whole dish. I even took the bacon off and they were too heavy for me to eat a second one. We also tried the lobster bisque. It was delicious but it arrived a bit less hot than ideal. I'm sure they would've been happy to warm it up but we didn't bother. The Fruit de mare appetizer was ok. Nothing too impressive or original about it. Just fried seafood. The original cocktails are definitely a must try! Overall I would give them my business again but most likely wouldn't order the same dishes. Oysters were very fresh and fairly priced. I would definitely go back for oysters and cocktails read more

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I am not a big seafood person so I can't review that. I loved the set up of the restaurant, very unique and inviting The margaritas were very good and fresh. The espresso martini was delish! I ordered the New York strip for dinner with a side of scalloped potatoes and it was very good. I know my dinner companions enjoyed the oysterS very much so! The desserts were amazing! read more

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I've always enjoyed this place whenever I visit! Once was during restaurant week where the food was AMAZING and super generous portions! They also still have their happy hour from 4-7 even during restaurant week so that was really great. The happy hour menu has so much variety and the seafood is fresh. We always start with fresh oysters and move on the a jumbo shrimp for the cocktail. The Rockefeller oysters had a nice crunch. Conch fritters and the fish cake were delicious too! If you are getting something out of the regular menu, one of my top picks is the Lobster Mac! Love the cheese blend and that they use shell pasta to grab all that goodness. Many generous pieces of lobster in there that you can eat one with every bite! This will always be a go-to restaurant in Madison for me! read more

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They had a very different atmosphere here than any of the other places we hit while in Madison. Boat in the ante room, old classic wood boat at that. Old motors, props, etc. Dark lighting. Our table was in the bar area, same room had the shell like build out at one end that you can see in other people's pics. Leg area at bar had old cut off wine bottles for the finish with lights behind it. Cool. We did not come for oysters, which you might expect, they specialize in. Instead both of us had shrimp poor boys. Shrimp was deep fried. Light aioli sauce. Fries came with it, nice and crisp. They had Dragons Milk on tap, a nice surprise for me. Sourdough bread alongside whipped butter cones with your meal. Unique, thin tall water glasses. Nice place, plenty of fish and shellfish options to choose from. read more

Best seafood in Madison! Location is central to downtown near the capital. Service is always excellent and their happy hour is worthy!

If you're looking to try oysters and the most delicious scallops I've ever had so far, then you don't have to go too far except downtown at Tempest Oyster Bar for a steal during happy hour each day from Monday to Friday from 4PM to 7PM! Alternatively, restaurant week would also be a good opportunity to try this place out if you're trying to stay within budget but also would like to have that one special meal with your significant other or if you wish to just splurge on yourself! read more

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I absolutely loved this restaurant. This restaurant has served me phenomenal dishes. It got better as the night went on and the vanilla bean crème dessert was a beautiful finish to the night. My husband had the lobster and had no complaints. I had their snapper and I really hope this dish goes on their menu someday. I personally hate oysters but their Oysters Rockefeller made me like oysters. Their Scallops were beautifully seared and paired beautifully with apples. I recommend this restaurant to anyone in Madison. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Vanilla bean crème - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Okay, so when I think of Wisconsin I don't really think of seafood other than fried lake fish, but I'm an oyster lover and their happy hour specials looked good. My partner and I ordered a dozen oysters, half east coast and half west coast, scallops, the smoke stack, and shrimp cocktail. The food came out quickly and everything was super fresh. We dined on the patio, our friendly server wore a mask, and they gave us a bottle of hand sanitizer to use and take home. Even with the pandemic, I had a great experience here. read more

Tempest Oyster Bar - Smoke stack and shrimp cocktail - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Wow oh wow! Rarely do I give 5 stars to a $$$ restaurant but tonight is an exception. It's restaurant week in madison and we are going around town trying out restaurants on the list. Tempest blew me away tonight with their menu. Frog legs and she-crab soup for appetizers followed by one of the best fried fish I've had in madison for a long long time, like 35 years! You see, I'm from Singapore where seafood is prepared is many ways, other than seared or pan fried or baked or broiled. Deep frying a whole fish is difficult but tempest nailed it with their red snapper. The skin is very crispy and the meat is still moist and sweet. There is no need to put any sorts of crust or toppings. Simple seasoning, lightly coated and deep fried to perfection. The fins and tail were so crispy, they felt like chips in my mouth. Every bit of meat is still moist including the meat around the fish head ... yes it is a whole fish. The place as you already know has a marine decor to it so that's already very cool. The energy level was high and so was the chatter. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their meals. Come on down for Restaurant Week in Madison at Tempest. You won't regret it. Hint - get a reservation to avoid long waits and disappointment. Say hi to Henry, the owner of the restaurant. Friendly chap. read more

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