We had heard good things about the fish fry at this classic Wisconsin dive bar on the near north side of Madison. We also heard it is jammed on Friday nights for the fish fry so we arrived super early to grab a table in the bar area. The place was hopping by 4:30 and people were waiting for a seat! You order your food at the bar. On Friday the menu is pretty much fish fry and not much else - no problem since that is why we were there. We started with some old fashions - always my test of a Wisconsin bar - it was OK. I had the perch fish fry and my wife the cod. The perch was excellent. I really liked their batter it almost tasted like the Colonel's. The cod was also good and a big serving. I also liked their coleslaw which was very flavorful. The fries were very good. They did screw up my order - I asked for fries and got a baked potato but we did a quick switch and resolved that issue. I know food inflation is high these days but we were surprised at the price of these fish fries! The drinks were reasonable. It's not a big place so come early on Fridays. read more

Stopped in with my daughter on a Friday night to grab their much ballyhooed fish fry. We popped in around 6:45 and the place was packed to the gills (pun intended!). We bellied up to the bar to grab a drink and post up to wait for an open table or a few barstools to free up. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long for a spot at the bar to empty out. The interior is nothing to write home about-cozy, a little ramshackle but the food they churn out is absolutely amazing. They were advertising "ohio sized" lake perch from Lake Erie so I had to go with that. Nowadays, most places advertise perch but hide the fact they aren't true hard to get lake variety. These perch were absolutely massive and the sweetness under their most amazing breading was addicting. I love how they batter their fish-it's unique and has almost fried chicken like qualities. My daughter went with the cod which was equally delicious. The accompanying tartar sauce was clearly homemade and spiked nicely with clove. Fries and the bread/butter were ok but not really necessary with the generous amount of fish. Just a classic place to have a classic fish fry. Highly highly recommended! read more

Villa Tap - Low Ceilings. Small amount of booze. And a tiny kitchen. Yet this dive bar churns out great food. - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Tried there fish fry for the first time. We got the Deep fried cod. Very delicious. French fries and Cole slaw that came with was also very good. Will try again sometime. read more

we waited over a hour for our order of blue gill and we were not informed it was going to take so long. Then they bought us perch because they were out of blue gill. Talk about a wasted night. read more

Best burger I've had in awhile. Haven't been to Villa in decades. The burger was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The Nueske's bacon was a game changer the service was amazing. Kind, polite, accepting what else would one want? No reason not to stop here for good people and great food. Didn't eat any appetizers but next time that menu is in danger! read more

Villa Tap - Bacon cheese burger - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Ordered take out this week and everything was great. Ten minutes from the time we ordered to when it was done. Got the walleye and the shrimp. So good! read more

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Chico's Villa Tap: holy Wisconsin Friday Fish Fry - *amazing*, went with Lake Perch, but I don't imagine there's an incorrect choice. Madison, Wisc. friendly service & sensibility. Aside from a few flat-screen TVs, it'd be hard to tell what year (or decade) is it inside - timeless. This is an outstanding bar-based fish fry, give it a try. read more

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There is a lot of hype about the fish fry here and it's all true. It's a cozy neighborhood bar with friendly staff and patrons. There was a couple in their 60s next to us and the wife said she had been coming here since she was 6 and it hasn't changed. I got the walleye and my wife got the lake perch. The breading was very flavorful and the meat was savory. Perfectly fried. On a separate occasion I've gotten onion rings here and they were the same quality. Also, the onions don't slide out when you bite into them - one of my pet peeves with onion rings . 100% would recommend this place! read more

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Ohhh boy!! This place lives up to the HYPE. Best fish fry in Madison you say? Well, I can attest to it, as I have been to over 25 restaurants in Madison for their fish fry and it ties for first depending on the mood. If you are looking for a good old fashioned wisconsin bar, order at the bar, cash preferred experience. This is the spot for you. For the fish fry you can call ahead and place your order, but the real challenge is finding a seat. They recommend you come about 30-45 minutes before to wait out a table or early, like before 530 to grab a space. When you come in, place your order at the bar- drink and food, but make sure you grab a. Seat first because they need to know where to deliver it. As mentioned cash is preferred but they will take a cc down to hold the tab. The old fashioned was classic, perfectly balanced. And have you the choice of a topping! But really let's get to the food, we got cheese curds which were great, def 8.5/10 status but the star is the fish fry. We got perch and walleye and mmhmmm goooddd. We were so happy and satisfied. The fish was fresh, moist, juicy and the breading was light but super jam packed with flavor. You get a bread roll, coleslaw and whole plate of fries with your meal. I will say the fries could be better, crispier and more seasoned but the fish steals it for me. And their tartar sauce was some tang to it which I love. I am a fan of this spot and would love to come and sit at the bar or grab a booth with friends, so I'll be back and def for the fish fry! Happy eating! read more

Villa Tap - Walleye fish fry - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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If anyone knows me, they know I love food AND absolutely love bluegills! This place does not disappoint at all. Hands down, THE BEST bluegills I have ever had. I search constantly for a fish fry with bluegills. I think I have honestly found my fish fry place for ever. read more

Flight delayed at the Madison (MSN) airport? Take a $5 uber to the Villa Tap. Classic Sconnie bar in all the best ways. If you have an hour, get perfect cheese curds (with a chipotle ranch dipping option) and an old fashioned. More time? Locally sourced burgers with Nueske's bacon are popular. I got a ribeye steak sandwich rare with grilled onions to eat on the plane - because the curds and Miller pint filled me up - and now everyone on this plane is like...what is that amazing smell? They are jealous they didn't read this review and get their own. read more

Hands down - the BEST fish fry in Madison. Not only is it the best, we also find it to be the most reasonably priced. The staff are such gems. It is evident Chico (the owner) cares deeply about both his employees and customers. We've been coming here for years, and whenever we stray away for a different fish fry we always regret it. The setup of ordering and getting your food is a littler different than most places. You order when you walk in (if you're seated at a table) and there is very little table service. Don't let that deter you. If you're a smaller party I highly recommend eating at the bar. read more

After years of torturous temptation every-time I drove down the street on Fridays and smelled that buttery goodness. I was beyond ready to try their Friday fish fry. Staff is friendly, you CAN order your dish ahead of time for pickup. The fish is perfectly cooked, super crispy with a crunchy batter and served with lemon. The fish is superb and confirms everything the smells were relaying! read more

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Fantastic food and unbeatable service. I order carry out from here and I've never received such friendly service on a carry out order from any other place. The cook always greets me, bartender even offers me water while I wait. What other place does that?? Their food is top notch. They have a charcoal grill so everything has a good "backyard barbecue" kinda flavor. Love the vintage ambience too. read more

Great food. Nice people! Great food, nice people. This is the stupidest app. All I want to say that the food is good and the people are nice but this STUPID app needs 85 letters or some damn thing. Once again...! Good food, nice people!!!! read more

Another Friday, another great fish fry! This local hidden gem isn't so hidden! Right off Packers Ave- you can find Villa Tap. If you're stopping by for fish fry, you'll need to call earlier in the week to place your order. You pick a time and give your order. Show up 30+ minutes early, grab a drink and keep an eye out for a table to open. It's first come for tables and bar seating. Once you find a spot, you'll let the bartender know where you ended up and the food will be brought out during your designated time. We got cheese curds, the walleye dinner with baked potato and cod dinner with fries. The cheese curds were good, typical bar food, but great nonetheless. They come with a dill ranch- which I loved. Walleye dinner stole the show, it was perfectly breaded and cooked, the baked potato, coleslaw and roll were also great. We would come back for this!! The cod was also yummy, the breading has an interesting flavor, almost a light cinnamon taste- it's unique and good! The fries were crispy and hot. Everyone was super kind and the drinks were strong! read more

Villa Tap - Walleye on the left, cod pieces on the right. - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Love it here great place. My favorite in town by far. Fish and service great. Always fast and nice workers

Fish fry and jumbo shrimp!!! Amazing! The service is fantastic and the place is really cool. Definitely will stop in again. They have a pool table and a few other lotto games. read more

Villa Tap - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

One of the best fish fry's in Madison! Love that they offer the full menu at lunch too. We grabbed a mid day Bloody Mary and meal, shocked it was so busy. We've been going there for years on Friday nights, but never thought to go for lunch. The atmosphere is cozy and understated. The bartenders do a great job keeping up and you can often find the owner cooking. This one will be on our rotation for a long time. read more

Villa Tap - Bloody Mary - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I'm always on the hunt for a good fish fry, and after seeing all the raving reviews for Villa Tap, I decided to stop by last Friday for takeout. I called at ~4:30pm to place an order and was told the earliest I could do a pickup was at 7:30pm! Wow, these guys must be popular. We ordered 2 bluegills and a walleye dinner, with fries and a baked potato. The total came to $45 before tip, which I think was a great deal, given how much food we got. Both the bluegill and walleye tasted great. The batter on the bluegill was a little salty, and I personally found the walleye to be a little "fishy", but this fish fry was still probably one of the best ones I've ever had. My boyfriend said the "fishiness" of the walleye was very nostalgic and reminded him of the fresh lake bluegill that his family would catch and grill, rather than a rotten "fishiness". The sides were fantastic as well! The fries were perfectly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and came in heaps! The leftover fries from two fish fry dinners ended up being my whole dinner the next day. The coleslaw was also pretty good - cabbage was still very fresh and seasoned well but a little watery. I would definitely pass on their standard dinner roll though - pretty dense, flavorless, and not the standard rye bread that comes with a good Wisconsin fish fry. Lastly, the only person we interacted with was John - on the phone and through curbside pickup. Villa Tap better keep him around because he is a hoot! If you call the restaurant and find yourself enjoying talking to whoever's on the phone, I'd bet you're talking to John. He was very friendly and attentive and regularly updated us on our order when we showed up 15 minutes early. Can't wait to go back! read more

Villa Tap - bluegill fish fry dinner - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I used to enjoy coming here from time to time, until I overheard the owner telling another patron he purposefully serves undercooked chicken to patrons he doesn't like. I'm pretty sure he was joking but certain things you don't joke about! The ambiance is that of a typical dive bar. Overall the food is overhyped and mediocre at best. Fish fry is ok if you don't mind waiting over an hour. read more

Terrific bar Friday Fish Fry! The walleye was meaty, tasty, moist- breading crisp and flavorful. The cole slaw and tartar sauce were both exceptional. A good sized baked potato, and roll rounded out this delicious fish fry. And great service! read more

Best bar in Madison. Chico makes everyone happy! Don't miss out on the Friday fish. Go Early!

Excellent fish and shrimp. The best neighborhood bar on the north side of Madison. Great owner and bar tenders. read more

Villa Tap - Dive Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Best fish fry in Madison. I have yet to find anything better. The deep fried shrimp is absolutely over the top and they are huge. The staff is amazing than the old fashions are always flowing. We go at least 1 to 3 times per month. I heard that their other food items are great as well particularly the steak sandwich. read more

Nice takeout fish fry on Fridays. Three big pieces of Cod with a baked potato and slaw. Curbside pick up. Very busy on Fridays but if you stick to the time you have been assigned things go smoothly. Call early in the week because they general sell out. They close at eight. read more

Good food that's not quite worth the wait on a Friday night. This is definitely a spot that has a huge draw of regulars who make a visit their entire Friday night plan. As first-timers, we were not prepared to wait nearly two hours for a table and another 30 minutes for food. I think the key is either showing up for early-bird hours, our wait until closer to 830/9 PM. When you arrive, make your way back toward the men's room and put your name on the poster board hanging on the back wall of the bar. Be sure to include the number of people in your party. Seating appeared to go in order regardless of table size if they could fit you - we saw a group of three get seated at a six-person booth, and standing right next to the list gave us a pretty good view of the order. We also did see a group get delayed because they put themselves as a party of two but really had 5. Long story short: honesty is the best policy. Eventually we lucked into two extra bar stools that were tucked around the corner, and that made the wait slightly less painful than having to stand pressed against the wall and constantly in the way of servers and people trying to get to the restroom. Once we were seated we were quick to order since we'd had plenty of time to peruse the menu. We started with a basket of fries with ranch to dip, an order of spicy fried ravioli, a Pepsi, and a Shirley Temple. For entrees I opted for a cheeseburger and my boyfriend got the walleye fish fry. Even though I didn't order fish fry, I was also served a bowl of coleslaw and a roll when our drinks came. The roll was cold but soft and helped quell the hunger pangs. The coleslaw was okay, but I'm not a huge fan of creamy coleslaw on its own so I only tried a bite. After twenty minutes or so our apps arrived. The fries were actually really good and the ranch tasted homemade. The ravioli was a good portion and we think the spice came from pepper jack cheese (though we didn't see any pepper chunks present). Our food came ten or fifteen minutes later. My burger was also very good though basic. Soft bun, quality beef cooked to my requested temp, and a slice of cheddar cheese. Toppings like lettuce and tomato were extra so I skipped them, and your only condiment choice is the ketchup on the table. I wish they had mustard - maybe you have to request it from the kitchen? Despite being a plain Jane, it was delicious, but not wait for 2.5 hours delicious. The chips that come on the side were disappointing - I had high hopes since they list warm chips with dip as an appetizer choice, but these were just run of the mill, off-brand bulk-bagged potato chips. I would definitely skip them in the future and just sub in the fry appetizer. My boyfriend enjoyed his walleye, and it was a gigantic piece that was nearly a foot long. Overall, I'd return on a less busy day for an affordable and tasty meal, but I'm pretty sure we'll never be back on a Friday. There are a lot of great restaurants in town with a fraction of the wait. Also, due to the high volume of people the air was thick with the smell or burnt grease that made the wait a bit unpleasant. I totally understand why this is a neighborhood staple and I want to love it, but I think I'll keep my Fridays open to other options. read more

The comments, crowds, and wait time did not let down how amazing the fish fry is here! It was really impressive to see the teams routine and process as what seemed was hundreds of togo and dine in orders were being pushed out. The regular menu looks great as well. We will be going back often I feel. Best luck I've had at pull tabs in a while too! This is a neighborhood gem! read more

I'm a Northsider, so this was always the place to go for the best fish fry in Dane County. Yup, I said it, and I meant it. I'll fight you on this.... Fry aside, the Villa has been excellent about safety and social distancing the few times I've been inside. They have disinfectant spray bottles on the bar every 12 feet. Stools are spaced. Bartenders wear masks. Everything is very clean. My only complaint is that they don't have more space outside in the parking lot, which they could pull off. read more

Crazy awesome home style gregarious wait because it's so good place An unassuming exterior hides the genuine family style bar loved by the masses. Don't come here as a claustrophobic you have to accept and become one with the miasma of fish and people . It's worth it. Drinks are potent and served with smiles go here you won't regret the journey . read more

Villa tap is one of my favorites. Chico runs a wonderful bar with absolutely excellent food. We all know their fish fry is by far the best in Madison, but all the other meals are no slouch either. You won't find a better place on the north side to have a drink at. read more

This place had the best fish fry I've ever had. As a resident of Wisconsin for 30 years, I've had quite a few. We ordered take out and the Walleye (which was huge) and fries stayed fresh during the ride home. Sometimes fried food can get a little soggy. We also ordered the shrimp (also huge) and those were in the star of the meal. They were huge and I think they are bought fresh that morning from Jenifer St. market. Fries were excellent as was the Cole slaw. We had had dexters the week before and that was very good, but this fish fry was clearly much better. Can't speak to the rest of their food but we'll be headed back to try it soon. read more

So it's a Friday night and I've tried several fish fries that were sub-par to say the least. I've been told by several you have to try Villa Tap. My friend and I were driving around with her puppy in her lap and I said..."time to stop and try"...she agreed and in I went. As I entered the establishment I looked around and knew a lesser man would have turned around and left, but being a lover of dive bars and fresh food, I forged on, around the bar to a spot to order take out. A few "do nots" for Villa...do not expect to order take-out on a Friday night and leave in any less than 30 minutes...do not expect lots of open seats....do not expect pre-cooked fish sitting under a heating lamp. I was attended to very quickly, placed my beer order and my food order...two fish fries (cod) with fries and cole slaw. And I waited...like everyone else did....enjoyed a beer and the lively, fun crowd. I watched as every meal with freshly cooked and served...no heating lamp needed. Eventually my food presented itself and I headed to the car (to a mostly patience friend and puppy) and headed home. Once home, the food provided to the best fish fry we have had in town...the right amount of batter, the fish cooked perfect and it all tasted so good. Long story short...we will be back! read more

Food and service was great! Would definitely recommend. Staff was super friendly with a great sense of humor

My wife and I love the burgers here. They're the only burgers I get a craving for. However, the reason I'm writing this review is to let you know that the hours of operation information here is wrong. They're not open on Sundays at all. read more

Best fish fry in Madison? Possibly. It's up there for sure. Longest wait for fish fry in Madison? Probably. Worth it, but be ready. I've only been here on Friday's for fish, so I have no idea what this place is like otherwise. But on Friday's, it's a ZOO. The bar is packed to the gills. You write your name on a board with how many are in your party and then just wait. And wait. And wait. Once you are finally called and shown to your table, though, everything changes. The table are in the back, away from the chaos of the bar. It's dim and quieter. Service has always been great for me when I have been in, and once you order, the food comes out pretty quick. All of the fish is great, but I recommend the walleye. Nom nom nom. read more

Eat this burger! You know you are eating the best burger in the city when the owner is almost always there to great you as you walk in and ask how well you like it cooked. Villa Tap is a friendly neighborhood place, no pretense, no frills but it's been delivering excellent food and beverage at a fair price for as long as any of the countless regulars can remember. Go there, eat this burger! read more

I FINALLY had the Friday fish fry. It goes from 530PM until 930... but I'd strongly suggest getting in there by 9. My friend had the perch, which was kind of chewy and too salty. The potato he got was a bit tough, too. I had the walleye and a side of fries- it was a whole different experience. The piece was huge (see pic), and the fish was just delicious. Really, perfect. They also offer cod and a jumbo shrimp dish, neither of which I've tried yet. All come with slaw, rolls and butter. Service was good, and they do have malt vinegar if you want it (I felt sheepish because I brought my own just in case...). So, get the walleye, not the perch. And play the jukebox. read more

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Just a very comfortable and friendly neighbourhood bar that has bartender's without attitudes and food and drinks at the upper end of quality and value! read more

I walked in and felt immediately at home with the wood paneling, string lights, and thick Wisconsin accents. We walked in to a pretty packed house, and luckily another customer tipped us off to the waiting system: write your name and number in your party on the neon yellow poster board duck-taped to the wall. And then wait. And maybe wait a little more. Do yourself a favor and order an old fashioned while you wait, they're only ~$4! Solid fish fry, arguably some of the freshest in town. Get the perch or the walleye. Wish they had bluegill. Baked potato on the side was pretty standard, as was the coleslaw. My only qualm was the service. Albeit friendly local folks, I asked for water twice without ever getting anything but dehydration. read more