This place harkens back to a '50's era steak house and bar where women wore gloves for an evening out and the men discussed the space race while watching the Kennedy Nixon debates. The Tornado is so dimly lit it takes a moment to adjust, even when entering at night. We sat at the bar for a late night burger. It was after midnight and our bartender from 2 blocks away told us to come here for a late night meal. They have a late night menu from 10am to 1am that is value oriented for the late night crowd. The bartender/server was professional in appearance and demeanor. I had a Smoked muenster burger with fried shallots and Russian dressing. Huge and juicy. Next time in Madison I want to start my night here and sample the regular menu - I will spend a few more dollars but if the burger is an indication, the steaks must be incredible. read more

Tornado Steak House - Smoked Muenster burger - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Just had my first experience at Tornado and boy was it a huge disappointment. My son and I had high expectations but were let down. We waited an hour for our orders to arrive. We were told that a party of 20 had ordered before us so that was the reason for the wait. Fine, I can wait for great food. Unfortunately the food was 180 degrees from great. My duck dish was mediocre at best and the accompanying "roasted" brussel sprouts were maybe blanched just this side of raw. My son's prime rib was poorly cooked. Such a huge disappointment. I'm going to give the kitchen the benefit of the doubt and blame the 20 top. I'm also, however, going to give the management team an F for booking such a large party and not preparing the kitchen to handle such a large order and putting out quality meals for the rest of us. read more

Food was delicious. I had the 8oz filet and it was perfectly cooked. The people I was with had the bison filet and raved about it.

Traditional intimate & attentive steak house seating and ambiance. Professional and timely service from an obviously well trained and professional staff. Most importantly excellent meals at reasonable prices for a 5 star location. read more

A local bartender recommended this place while in town for our anniversary. We didn't make a reservation but they got us in no problem and had a wonderful dinner. read more

The late night menu is great. Once COVID blows over, try going after 10 p.m. and order the steak sandwich. It's cheap, and it's wonderful. Only reason I can't do 5/5 is because it is too busy. Sometimes, it just feels crowded / loud. Even at night. So if you can go on a random day, that's helpful (e.g., a Tuesday). read more

Nice cozy steakhouse and very lively. We had a reservation and seated immediately. Our server was extremely friendly which I love. We had oysters raw and Rockefeller which both were good. For my entree I had the lambs chops which was cooked and seasoned perfectly in this sauce I cant even describe. Very tasty. I will definitely be back before leaving Wisconsin. read more

Tornado Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Truly a classic - when you go in to this place you feel like you are stepping back into the 40's or 50's (especially when the weather is warm and you come in through the very dark bar area with the tiny curved booths and dozen bar stools). We always make a point to dine here when attending a Badger football game and ALWAYS are sure to make a reservation well in advance. I have probably eaten there 5 or 6 times and always enjoy the ambiance, service and food. This is first and formost a steak place although there's usually one in the group that always gets the walleye (easily enough for two people). Your steak will come on a sizzling hot plate with a nice crispy onion ring on top along with your choice of potatoes and soup or salad. They've got a nice french onion soup but you really should have the classic wedge salad that comes with both french and blue cheese dressing. Be careful because the meal also comes with a huge bread basket with about 5 diffferent types of bread and rolls - I especially like the foot long sesame bread sticks. Also, right after you sit down someone will place a tall water glass on the table with a couple of carrot sticks, celery, pickle and olives. They've got a decent wine list, but are also adept at all the classic cocktails like old fashions (a Wisconsin tradition). Definitely one of the better steak houses in the area. read more

Wonderful bartenders , had a drink at the bar before dinner. Then had a nice booth for a romantic anniversary dinner , shared the nicely done 28 oz bone in rib-eye steak Our waiter was fantastic. And really went the extra mile Thanks for a great evening read more

Fantastic ambiance. Kaylie was a very delightful server and helpful with any questions we had. The frog legs were spot on as well as the French onion soup. The warm bread was nice and my filet was prepared well. My husband really loved his duck breast and the sauce that accompanied. We would make an effort to eat here again! read more

Much belo w the expectation, the steak is over cooked, very dry. The frog leg is full of fishy smell. The time we have to wait for the dish is quite long about one hour and twenty minutes, but it is fine for a popular restaurant. The problem is that the food is really far from expected... read more

Tornado Steak House - Oz . New York Strip - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I've been doing the late night menu at the Tornado room for 10 years now. I've never done dinner here, so this review is exclusively regarding the late night menu. Tornado once was great, then hit or miss with quality and service and now steadily going downhill. Sad to see such a powerhouse of a destination restaurant slip so far. If you want appetizers before the entree you must ask to course out the meal, otherwise they will bring everything at once to a tiny table that just can't hold it all. read more

It's a good time,great coquille,as is expected! 10 ounce tenderloin with peppercorn crust? Just what the doctor ordered! Wedge salad was good but it didn't have any bacon , hash browns were outstanding! Desert? Ordered caramel crunch, got caramel flan. Freaking busy though,so I can see the mistake or maybe they had already done sold out? read more

We had high expectations for this place. Granted we are from Texas with some of the best steakhouses in the world so maybe we are jaded. It was so bad though that my husband legitimately thought we were on the set of Curb Your Enthusiasm. First up, this is not a supper club in the slightest. A supper club has music, dark wood, leather seats, and all around rat pack feel. At least in the main dining room, it looks like Kristof from Frozen was the interior decorator. Basically it was a Scandinavian Cracker Barrel. In terms of the food, the bread was mediocre and nothing to write home about. The glass full of veggies was super strange. Who in their right mind would eat a whole green onion? We couldn't tell if it was for consumption or decoration. We got the Scallops which were the best thing all night. However they were drowning in sauce and served on top on mashed potatoes...like...why? Moving on to salads, my husband got a Caesar salad that had whole anchovies on it. That wouldn't be an issue normally but these guys were STRUGGLING. They werent crispy or flavorful. I legit thought they were purchased at a bait shop. My wedge was an atrocity. Firstly it was so over dressed I didn't even know there was lettuce under all that. There was zero bacon (which is a staple of a wedge salad) and for some horrid reason they put thousand island dressing on this monster. The sweetness mixed with blue cheese literally tasted like vomit. Also the tomatoes served with it weren't cherry tomatoes (as is traditional) but seriously half a fricken tomato. My husband was crying laughing about how bad it was. When it came to the steaks, my husband's au poivre was unflavored. Pretty sure the entire state of Wisconsin had run out of cognac because it was no where to be found in this sauce. My filet was over seasoned and salty as hell. My husband's steak was over cooked and mine was undercooked...At this point we ordered dessert just to see how they could possibly screw that up too (it was basically a game now since we had gone this far down the road of mediocrity). The chocolate cake wasn't bad but it's basically a four tiered brownie. The pineapple upside down cake was descent and the ice cream was pretty good (dairyland come through in the clutch there). Now for the good things, our server was super nice (Jas from New Zealand) and the price as super cheap compared to anything we see in Houston. This place came so highly recommend from legitimately everyone we talked to that we were convinced that Madisonians (Madisonites?) have been deprived of ACTUAL good food their entire lives. Please for the love of all that is holy STOP calling this a supper club and get rid of the atrocity that was the wedge salad. read more

Great ambience. Good cocktails. Food was....meh. I had heard so many good things about The Tornado, maybe we caught them on an off night. Started with oysters, which were fine. Their take on a classic Manhattan was pretty damn tasty. My wife had the steak au poivre and it was pretty good. Not nearly enough sauce, had to ask for more which never came. Her wedge salad was swimming in dressing....way overdressed. I don't want to sound overly critical but it didn't look like any care was put into it. Just get it on a plate and get it out of the kitchen. I ordered the duck, which was way undercooked....and I like my meat medium rare. This thing was still quacking. Actually, the leftovers tasted great once reheated the next day. We both ordered the beets as a side dish we were disappointed to find out that they were boiled, not roasted. A side dish of boiled beets with a 45 dollar entree? I'm being critical because of the cost of the food here. We had pretty high expectations which certainly weren't met. I'd like to try it again, hoping it lives up to the hype next time read more

The food is delicious and the portions are generous. I l usually have the lamb or the steak. The vibe is super non-pretentious. Sometimes it is loud and the service is slow but that usually doesn't deter us from going there. read more

This was my very favorite spot in the country for a very long time. I guess all great things must come to an end. The staff and food quality have both went way down hill. Didn't even receive my appetizer. Bartenders are extreme rookies at best. This is not the quality steak I used to dream about between visits. Sam at the bar was so rude to a guest next to me, they actually got up and left. I did relay my experience to the host who said he is the manager......he seemed indifferent. Very disappointed. This WAS my favorite spot in town. I will never be going back. read more

I was in town for a week of training, and I'm not quite sure what all the hype was that I heard all week from the locals. If you do want to try this place, which I'm not recommending you do, make a reservation a few days in advance. We got there just before 8:30, and placed our order. As we waited for our food we sat with empty glasses, both water and alcohol, for extended periods of time. I really love bread, and don't think I've ever been to restaurant where I didn't finish off a loaf by myself. The bread they brought was really dry, and didn't have any flavor. We let them take half a loaf back. The butter was so cold you couldn't spread it. We ordered escargot for an appetizer. This was my first time trying them, so I really can't comment on them. i was told they come with bread or crackers before they came out. They did not come with either. I ordered the bone in rib eye medium rare, french fries with the wedge salad. I had never heard of wedge salad before. I was a bit surprised when it came out and it was a quarter head of lettuce not chopped, a 3" long chunk of cucumber, and half a tomato on a plate covered in dressing. One of the guys I was with had the broccoli beer soup, took two bites and pushed away, a couple others got the french onion. They all said it was the worst french onion they had ever had. When the steaks finally came out, upon initial bites, there was a good flavor. As I got more into it, it was burnt on the outside, and dry on the inside, and was over cooked. Id say medium well. As for the ambiance, it's very dark, couldn't read the menu without the aid of our phones. General consensus of the 6 of us is we wouldn't go back. It's very pricey and we felt it wasn't worth what we paid. It was 10:15 by the time we got out of there. Sorry Madison, but maybe I'm spoiled with my local steak houses that are cheaper, and better quality. read more

Apparently the late night menu causes issues with the staff, which resulted in my daughter and I getting rude, bad service. Our first time here was wonderful, but after last weekend, we won't be going back again for the late night menu. The locals love it, highly recommend it, but this restaurant just makes it too hard. There was a lot of drama, a lot of confusion, and general rudeness. They really should just discontinue the late night menu (which, for the record, is on their website, and it begins at 10:01, no matter what they tell you). Steak sandwich was really good, always is, and costs $12, but again, just not worth all the drama. I would rather go somewhere where I can get good service. read more

This was our go to steak house / supper club when we lived in madison. Been several years so we were happy (1) it was still here and (2) it still rocks. Bonus treat was we sat downstairs for the first time. Its like its own club and has a frank Sinatra / Sammy Davis vibe. Like either guy could just walk in at any time. Food was solid as always. I had a 16 oz NY strip cooked and seasoned perfectly. Wifey had 8 oz fillet. Hers was perfect too. I splurged and had their world famous hash browns. Omg good. Mixed with steak jus its heaven on a plate. If you are on the square stop on in. read more

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Old school supper club in an urban setting great service at the bar appetizers entrées steak cocktails a must if you're passing through Madison last there March 2023 read more

Over priced steakhouse . So many better restaurants than this place . Very rushed to get you in and out and server was just rude. Save your money and go to a place that appreciates you read more

We came here after watching Al Madrigal 'Shrimping Ain't Easy' where he talks about it. It was SO delicious! It is a total throwback to steak supper clubs of yesteryear. The french onion soup was really good. Everyone in our group had some sort of steak and we all raved about how good they were. Highly recommend if you are in the cool, fun town of Madison. Kyle doesn't know what he is talking about in his review. read more

I have been wanting to check out their late night menu for the longest! I finally found myself in the area starving at 10:15pm and knew it was time to scope out Tornado's. I ordered the steak sandwich and salmon burger. The salmon burger was really good, but I eat a lot of salmon burgers and it didn't wow me too much. However, ommmmgggg the steak sandwich is to die for! The steak was thinly sliced and stacked quite high. The sandwich came with a dipping sauce that paired excellently. The ambiance in the bar area was perfect. The area was dimly lit with table seating on the side of the bar. The service was also very good. read more

After a show at the High Noon (Snail Mail - check her out, she's 17 and rocks!), my partner and I were both a few drinks in and in search of some yummy grub. I'd heard good things about the Tornado late night menu so we decided to walk over to satisfy our late night cravings for red meat. It was Saturday night and the weather was amazing for January, so the place was pretty busy with people who presumably had had a few and were hungry too, but we didn't wait too long to be seated. My partner and I had the steak sandwich, which was absolutely scrumptious. The meat was juicy and tender, the caramelized onions were a good touch, and the bun was well toasted and crunchy. There was a lot of horseradish sauce on the sandwich so I'd probably get it on the side next time. For $9 for a steak sandwich, you really can't beat the price. So if you're looking for a cheap satisfying eat on a Saturday night, look no further than the Tornado Room. read more

Tornado Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

What can I say oh my God the absolute best bone in ribeye I've ever had Service Food atmosphere Everything was top notch read more

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Visited for my husband's 55th b-day with our daughter. They are meat eaters and enjoyed splitting a large steak which the server was happy to do. I am a pescatarian and ordered the Walleye. Also enjoyed a bottle of wine, broccolini, green beans, potatoes, flan and incredible chocolate cake. EVERYTHING was GREAT. The bread assortment and veggie precursors to the meal were FANTASTIC. This will be a go to place for us for special occasions. We were in the general dining area but thought next time it would be super fun to eat in the lounge. Such a retro and nostalgic feeling to it. Our server and her helpers were excellent and we recommend this gem of a place:-) read more

This may sound inappropriate, but the food is so good, that it reminds me of the first time I kissed a boob

I have been a satisfied customer here for over 20 years along with my family. We enjoy the varied menu (from frog legs to Yorkshire Pudding) as well as quality steaks. It is everything a Wisconsin supper club / steak house should be. read more

As you can see I do not Yelp restaurants hardly at all but tonight im making an exception. I wish I was doing so for a positive review but alas I am not. Walked into the Tornado Room tonight which is a lovely place and im certain would have very good food, should I have been given the opportunity to order. I sat at the half empty bar and was promptly told they were unable to serve me there because the kitchen is too backed up. It was suggested I get a table (for one) and eat in the dining room. Yes, yes... of course this is ridiculous as why would ordering from a table or sitting at the bar have any effect on how busy the kitchen might be? Believe me I felt exactly that as my $100+ meal and I walked out the door. I'm an understanding guy, I understand kitchens getting backed up and not being able to handle large orders. However telling me I can't order my steak at the bar but I can sit down and order it at a table, because somehow that would have a positive effect on whatever is going on in the kitchen, is so completely ridiculous that I felt I needed to post about it. Just broken down into simple terms, the very idea that a business would let a $100+ check walk out the door based solely on if the customer sat at the bar or at a table is absolutely horrible customer service at the very least. I hope that decision was worth it to them..... read more

Thumbs up: 1. Biggest 20" breadstick in the midwest. I was equal parts intrigued and alarmed by it. 2. My favorite f*%$& restaurant of 20+ years. Everything is on point whether it is or isn't on that given day. 3. They have all of my favorite foods: escargot, steak, coquille st Jacques, oysters, a sexy Caesar salad, etc. 4. Service is always reliable. Thumbs down: 1. Food isn't consistent. Sometimes the scallops are tough or the escargot is cold and gritty with not enough garlic oil to warrant a 20" breadstick. 2. But I will still keep coming back to you like a confused lover because no other madison restaurant gives me what you do. read more

I've been to Tornado twice now. Both for birthdays celebrations, and both fantastic! On both occasions I felt like everything was moving at a slower than usual pace. From drinks to appetizers to meal, it was slow and drawn out. Maybe that's the point here? I don't know. Our meal this evening with a group of 8 was roughly 2.25 hours start to finish. I wasn't in a hurry either time, so that doesn't really matter to me. Just keep in mind upon visiting, it wont be a quick ordeal. Service, however, was amazing both times. The wait staff is on point, for sure. Aside from slow delivery of food (and they were busy) everything was great! The food itself... omg. So good. I had salmon the first visit and filet the second. Both were incredible. The filet was some of the best steak I've had in Madison, hands down. I had asparagus the first visit and Brussels sprouts the second as my sides - both wonderful and cooked perfectly. Daily soup offerings were potato and then crab bisque. Both were very good. The bisque - excellent. Overall - do I recommend checking this place out? YES. You will not be disappointed. I am a fan! Final note - bathrooms suck. Small, old, cramped. If I am paying $60 for a steak, give me a nice restroom please. read more

Tornado Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Very disappointing visit. Can someone turn on a light !?!?! Our party was neglected from the time we sat down to the time we left. We watched our server tend to all the guest in from of us. We never received the initial bread offering, the length of time to get what we ordered was unacceptable. All 4 of our meals when they arrived 2 steaks, Rabbit and the pork loin were like warm at best. Pretty sure our orders were forgotten about. Very disappointing visit. read more

Our waitress at another place told us this place has a great late night and she was right! we loved it!

Giving three starts not because of the service but quality of food. Service was excellent (Sam at the bar area did a great job and was very attentive). Ordered: shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, New York Strip (Medium well) Shrimp Cocktail - they were either twice frozen or over steamed...dry and no flavor (majority of shrimp have been frozen at least once) Caesar Salad - best dish of the night New York Strip - this was a disappointment... considering this is what the establishment is known for. Ordered medium rare and received close to medium well. Meat was VERY chewy, over salted and overall bland lacking flavor. It's my own fault for not sending the steak back, but didn't want to wait for a re-fire. Ambiance at the bar was nice, but will not come back for the food. read more

Ever since we moved to Madison over a year ago we've been wanting to try the Tornado Steak House. It gets great reviews and everyone raves about it. We've tried a handful of times but they were always already booked up. Finally we were able to make reservations for 7:45 Friday night in mid-June. We were seated quickly after arrival. Our table was in the back corner. Everything is wooden and has a very stereotypical supper-club feel. I appreciated that they had the relish accouterments (carrot, celery, olive, cherry tomato, cucumber) in a high-ball glass. I like the originality. Our server was prompt and friendly. She told us the specials. She made a comment that it was about time, so I had the impression the menu does not change very often. Speaking of the menu, this leads to one of my only two complaints. It was quite dark where we were. I think this is supposed to be romantic but I had to hold my menu up to the faint light to read. My second complaint and this is the serious one, is it was ridiculously hot. They obviously know this is a problem and there were numerous fans blowing in our room. But where I was sitting there was no breeze. Twice I had to get up and walk outside to cool off. Sitting in the booth I couldn't stop sweating. This was the only downside to the evening but it was a big one. Our beverages were unique and perfectly concocted. Our entrees were everything we heard they would be. I had venison and my partner had a filet. Perfectly cooked, excellent flavor, tasty sides. I would go back and try the Tornado Steak House again but I don't think I would go during the summer months. The heat definitely skewed my experience and I'm lowering my rating because of it. read more

Probably one of my favorite places in Madison. I love their filet and it is always cooked to perfection! The bread tray and veggie glasses are also very good and appealing to the eye. If you are planning a work dinner, highly recommend. If you are looking for a date night, highly recommended. If you are looking for a cheap meal, not recommended!! Unless it's late night (see below) If you are looking for a late night meal, they're late night menu which is after 10 PM has a steak sandwich which is exceptional. ~$10 or so. If you are not a big fan of horseradish ask them to put it on the side as they put a generous serving on it. read more

This place used to be my favorite in Madison but it's gone way downhill. Went for graduation last May, after contending with a rude and obnoxious reservation process. Food was terrible. Then went in late (9:40) tonight, Friday night of a football weekend. Seated. They are not serving dinner anymore but the late night menu is available. OK. Wait, not until 10:30. OK. 15 minutes later they push it back to 10:50. That's over an hour of not serving food. Feel like I've been scammed to stay and order drinks while they keep pushing back the late night menu, which is just a variation of what they always serve. Ridiculous. We left and unfortunately I won't be back. read more

Old time supper club The outside of this bar and restaurant does not tell the story of the inside experience. This was recommended to us by a friend as having a great atmosphere and amazing martinis. We ended up having dinner here and can't say enough about the service, the food and the ambiance. read more

Tornado Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was looking forward to our reservation at Tornado Room for several months. for the most part, it was a good experience. our waiter was great- friendly, attentive, and fun. the food was also yummy but not the best steak I've had for the price point. after we paid our bill, we were finishing up our drinks. we had just paid the bill for 5 people (not cheap) and had full drinks to finish. about five minutes after paying the bill the house manager came to our table and started rushing to clear everything off the table except what we were drinking. it was clear she wanted us gone. when someone at the table asked if she wanted us to leave, she replied "yes we have a lot of people waiting for a table". that was extremely disappointing . for the money we had just spent on dinner to rush us out the door without letting us finish our drinks? pretty rude. won't be returning read more