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    Up North Bar

    4.1 (30 reviews)
    InexpensiveDive Bars, Music Venues
    Open 2:30 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Up North Bar Photos

    UP NORTH BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Great dive bar. perfect set up. live music and tvs and peanuts. good people watching.

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    13 years ago

    Great bar. Free peanuts, taxidermied heads & fish on the walls, good beers, good prices, & good music.

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    14 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Up North Bar

    Very very rarely do a few drunk frat boys dribble in there if the Essen Haus is too busy.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Crystal Corner - Ahhh the lights

    Crystal Corner

    3.9(49 reviews)
    0.9 miWilliamson - Marquette, Willy St
    $

    It looks like an average corner dive bar from the outside but wow, was this a fantastic place a see…read morelive music in Madison! Heads up: cash only at the bar. Come prepared. Bartenders were very nice. Tip them. There is an ATM near the restrooms if you run out of cash. The acoustics are fantastic and I loved the St. Patrick's Day weekend concert! It was packed, but we still found space to dance. Plenty of free street parking. I'm not used to that as a Chicagoan. That was a nice surprise.

    I REALLY wanted to love Crystal Corner, but sadly after our recent visit, popping back by on my…read morenext trip to Madison is not looking very likely. Crystal Corner is located in the famed Willy Street area of Madison, sitting on the corner of Willy Street and Baldwin Street. Crystal Corner has the vibe of the neighborhood, as is it divey, funky, nostalgic and truly local. However, even with all those things, this spot missed the mark for me and my buddy. We swung by on Sunday afternoon for a few drinks while wandering around Willy Street. We bellied up to the bar and ordered a couple of Bloody Mary's, to which the bartender said "Oh, I need to make up some mix. I can't believe people still drink those things around here.". Which was odd, as that was about to be our third bloody of the day, with neighboring restaurants going as far as having special bloody menus. The bartender pulled a can of tomato juice out, dumped it in a pitcher, added a few dashes of hot sauce, Worcestershire and some seasonings. And that was it. She then took some rail vodka, mixed it all up, and topped with an olive and pickle. While I know this sounds phenomenal, it was in fact one of the worst bloody's I have had. Additionally, the olive and pickle were a weird, almost rubbery texture. The combination of everything was off putting...and that was just the start. Next up is the space itself. While I appreciate a good dive bar that is full of nostalgic artwork, furnishings, lighting, etc...but it shouldn't be visible that the place hasn't been cleaned since these things were added. The ceilings and floors were the worst part, with the ceiling tiles being caked with black dust and dirt. Again, being worn is part of being divey, but being dirty doesn't have to be. In addition to the the main room ceilings, the bathroom ceilings were awful, missing tiles, moldy pipes exposed and just an overall feeling of ick that is beyond a normal bar bathroom. Last, but certainly not least, was the service and vibes. They were off, and kind of weird. When we arrived, there were a few locals and regulars, and then a few folks, including us. While the bartender was friendly with us, she was very rude, uncomfortably so, to another patron when he pulled out a credit card instead of cash (cash only spot). There was a little back and forth, then he left. Even after he left, she was calling him names and such to the other patrons. Again, uncomfortable, especially as a new patron to the bar. Overall, the bloody wasn't the only thing that left a bad taste here. From the bloody to the service to the dirtiness, this place needs some love and was just not it for us.

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    Crystal Corner
    Crystal Corner
    Crystal Corner

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    MadisonTap

    MadisonTap

    4.4(25 reviews)
    0.4 miWilliamson - Marquette
    $$

    A nice little local spot that's a bit hidden. MadisonTap is classy without being pretentious…read more Disclaimer: I did not order food here so my review may be a bit biased. The bartender assured us that their vegan options were incredible. MadisonTap features many local Wisconsin beers on tap. They seem to often rotate the beers and keep a solid selection. MadisonTap was spacious with bar seats, tables, and booths available. The design and decor were well thought out. The crowd seems to be young professionals in their mid-20s to early 30s. I don't recall the beers I got here but I do remember prices being ~$7-10 range mark. The bartender and owner place special emphasis on being vegetarian and vegan friendly. Even one of the cocktails used vegan butter. There was a single bartender when I visited but it was a bit slow. We had a great conversation and watched Christmas movies on the projectors. Overall, solid experience. 5/5. Favorited in Madison, WI.

    This was a fun find for us while we were in town. It was a bit hard to locate - we heard live music…read morebut couldn't tell if we could enter from the back. We entered from the front of the building. It looks like they feature a different brewery every month. The interior of the bar was pretty classy and new. Their patio was very cool and spacious. A great patio for evening drinks! The live music was pretty good too. Can't speak to the food however, since we didn't eat there.

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    MadisonTap - Summer gonna be wild

    Summer gonna be wild

    MadisonTap
    MadisonTap

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    Up North Bar - divebars - Updated May 2026

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