Hannah McClung

I’ve lived in Madison for seven years now and have made it my goal to visit as close to 100% of the restaurants here. I love food, always have and started a running list of places I need to eat at in Madison. After eating at a lot of different restaurants over these seven years I’ve created a list of must do’s in Madison (which for me includes outlying “suburbs” as well). This list has grown substantially over the years and will continue to change as I keep visiting more Madison restaurants. I’ve seen other versions of this list that include all of the expensive restaurants by the square and none of the local, community gems. I tend to go back to those places and visit the restaurants on the Square only once or twice. I’ve also included my current list of places to visit and a list of places that I’ve had bad meals at.  I’m always up for new places to visit so please add your favorites in the comments section! Let me know if you disagree with my placement of a restaurant…I’d like to hear other people’s experiences!

Must Do’s (in alphabetical order)

• Alchemy (the brisket sandwich was a revelation! sweet potato fries don’t meet expectations)
• Banzo
• The Blind (great poutine, great beat salad, great drinks, great view)
• Brasserie V (moules et. frites are a must!)
• Buraka (get it with the rice, not the injera)
• Cafe Hollander – great frites, great brunch, great bloodies, great salads
• Capitol Chophouse
• Chocolaterian Cafe (macaroons!)
• Club Tavern (best burgers in Middleton!)
• Coopers Tavern
• Coppertop Family Restaurant
• Craftsman Tap and Table (salmon and crispy brussel sprouts)
• Crema Cafe (great coffee and food in Monona)
• Crostini Sandwiches
• The Curve (corned beef hash special = BEST. CORNED. BEEF. HASH.)
• Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery
• DB Infusions Chocolates (the Fromage de Bleu is a must, trust me!)
• Dhaba (great Indian food in Middleton)
• DLux
• Dumpling Haus (Hilldale)
• Eldorado Grill (the brunch is way better than the lunch/dinner)
• Ella’s Deli (anything with their Russian dressing)
• Fitzgerald’s
• Fraboni’s (amazing meatball sub)
• Freiburg Gastropub
• Fresco (go before a show at the Overture)
• Freshii (the green smoothie is super tasty!)
• Forequarter (Favorite place in/around downtown)
• Gates and Brovi (maybe best cheese curds in Madison!)
• Gino’s (meatball sub)
• Graze (roasted beet salad, fried pickles)
• Greenbush Bakery (duh!)
• Greenbush Bar
• Ha Long Bay
• Harold’s Chicken Shack (sketchy, but great fried chicken!)
• Haveli (good option for Indian food in Fitchburg)
• Heritage Tavern (No. Words.)
• Himal Chuli
• Holstein Kitchen
• Humble. Sweet and Savory Pies
• Husnus (has not yet relocated from closed State Street location)
• Jac’s (probably best spot on Monroe Street)
• Johnson Public House (a cortado and granola/yogurt for breakfast)
• Jordandal Cookhouse (if you like Braunschweiger this is the place to get it!)
• Kabul (must try the ashak)
• Karben4 Brewery
• La Baguette (quiche and fruit tarte)
• La Brioche (cinnamon roll)
• Liliana’s
• Loan Girl Brewery (good option if you’re in Waunakee)
• Madison Sourdough (tuna sandwich)
• Maharani Indian Restaurant
• Manna Cafe and Bakery (best breakfast potatoes in Madison)
• Mariner’s Inn
• Mediterranean Cafe (falafel platter to go!)
• Merchant
• Mickey’s Tavern (SEXY FRIES!!!!)
• Minerva (Indian buffet on west side)
• Monty’s Blue plate diner (my favorite place!!)
• Nau-Ti-Gal
• Novanta (two words – Nutella pizza!)
• O.S.S.
• Old Fashioned
• Oliver’s Public House
• Orient House (Chinese take-out!)
• Papa Bear’s BBQ (food truck with legit BBQ…get the brisket, get the pork, get the chicken…they’re all good!)
• Paisan’s (iconic view)
• Paoli Local Foods (amazing coffee, great breakfasts, fantastic apple pie, super genuine owners!)
• Paul’s Pel’meni
• Quivey’s Grove Stable Grill
• Rolling Pin Bake Shop
• Schubert’s (Mt. Horeb)
• Slide (food cart)
• Smoky’s (strong martinis, best old-fashioned steaks in town)
• The Spot
• Soho (best fried calamari in town)
• Sol’s on the Square (great Korean food!)
• Stalzy’s Deli (the Brisket Rachel is the 2nd best sandwich in Madison, behind Alchemy’s)
• Sushi Muramoto (lettuce chicken wraps!)
• Sunroom Cafe (whole wheat blueberry pancakes)
• Taigu (Middleton – they make their noodles by hand)
• Taqueria Guadalajara (the lengua taco is a must!)
• That BBQ Joint (ribs!!)
• The Terrace (brat, popcorn, beer, Babcock ice cream)
• The Thirsty Goat
• Tornado Steakhouse (best steakhouse in town)
• Watertowner Chophouse
• Weary Traveler
• Wisconsin Brewing Co. Tap Haus
• Villa Dolce (the arugula and prosciutto pizza is the best pizza I’ve ever had!)
• Yola’s Cafe (waffle Wednesday)

My “to visit” list

• A Pig in a Fur Coat
• Anchor Inn (Edgerton)
• Angelo’s
• Argus
• Baldwin Street Grille
• Base Camp Cafe (Mazo)
• Big Sky (Stoughton)
• Black Earth Lanes (burgers)
• Blowin’ Smoke BBQ (Waunakee)
• Brews Brothers Pub
• Brickhouse BBQ
• Buckhorn Supper Club (Milton)
• Cafe Costa Rica
• Christy’s Landing
• Cow & Quince (New Glarus)
• Crandall’s Peruvian Bistro
• Curry in the Box
• David’s Jamaican Cuisine
• Del Bar (Wisconsin Dells)
• Delaney’s Charcoal Steaks
• Dexter’s Pub
• Dorf Haus Supper Club (Sauk City)
• Essen Haus
• Fat Jacks Barbeque
• Field Table
• Fitz’s on the Lake (Lodi)
• Fleming’s
• Forage Kitchen
• Francisco’s Cantina
• Grampa’s Pizzeria
• Graft
• Green Acres (Sauk Prairie)
• Hamilton’s on the Square
• Harvest
• Hi Point Steakhouse (Ridgeway)
• Ishnala (Lake Delton)
• Jamerica
• Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club
• La Concha
• Lao-Laan Xang
• L’Etoile
• Louisianne’s Etc.
• Lucille
• Maria’s Pizza (Oregon)
• McFarland House Cafe
• Melly Mell’s
• Merrill and Houston’s Steak Join (Beloit)
• Mixing Bowl Bakery (Sauk Prairie)
• Naples 15
• Next Door Brewing Company
• One Barrel Brewing Company
• Osteria Papavero
• People’s Bakery
• Plaka Taverna
• Quivey’s Grove Stone House
• Redamte Coffee House
• Roast
• Rockhound
• Rossi’s
• Rubb’s Steakhouse
• Sa-Bai Thong
• Salvatore’s Tomato Pies
• Seafood Center
• The Shack Bar and Grill (Black Earth)
• Tempest Oyster Bar
• The Fountain
• Tip Top Tavern
• Toby’s Supper Club (McFarland)
• Umami
• Vin Santo
• VIP Asian Cuisine
• Wah Kee
• Wendigo (Stoughton)
• Willie Ty’s Eatery (Sun Prairie)
• Windmill Pizzeria & Sourdough Co. (Sauk City)

Places I’ll be avoiding (don’t avoid these based on my experiences but be aware that I’ve either been disappointed or not thrilled)

• 4&20 Bakery
• Bandung Indonesian Restaurant
• Bassett Street Brunch Club (food wasn’t so great, coffee and donuts were pretty good)
• Batch Bakehouse (good, but there are better options)
• Benvenuto’s Italian Grill (almost a full step down from Olive Garden)
• Bloom Bake Shop (if I’m going to eat a cupcake, I don’t want a vegan or GF one)
• Blue Marlin
• Bonefish Grill
• Brocach (the one on the square)
• Buck and Honey’s (overrated)
• Captain Bills (great service, but the “waterfront view” is basically non-existent and the food is only OK)
• Creamery Cafe (food is fine, the art is pretentious)
• Dobhan
• El Pastor (food was bland, restaurant smelled like cigarette smoke)
• Eldorado Grill (Their brunch is amazing. Their lunch and dinner are not so great.)
• Estrellon (the tapas are good, but not amazing)
• Fit Fresh Cuisine (good, but pretty pricey)
• Flying Hound Pub (great kale salad, heavy pub food, prices a little too high)
• GiGi’s cupcakes (way too much frosting for me)
• Graze (overrated)
• Green Owl Cafe (review No. 1)
• Harmony Bar
• Hazelnut Cafe (not worth the distance)
• Johnny Delmonico’s (high prices, small portions)
• La Mestiza (except for their guacamole)
• Lane’s Bakery (Scott’s is better)
• Layla’s
• Lazy Jane’s Cafe and Bakery (annoying seating, mediocre food)
• Los Gemelos (not nearly as good as Taqueria Guadalajara)
• Luigi’s (awful paninis)
• Natt Spill (too trendy)
• New Orlean’s Takeout (the shrimp creole and corn bread were good, but everything else was forgettable)
• Nonno’s
• Marigold Kitchen (good but not fantastic)
• Mickey’s Dairy Bar (everyone should go once, but it’s not a regular place for me)
• Monk’s
• Oliva
• Otto’s
• Pancake Cafe (breakfast is decent, lunch is not good)
• Pairie Cafe and Bakery (they only take cash, food was not memorable)
• Rare Steakhouse
• Rigby’s (their fried pickles and cheese curds were fantastic, but the burger wasn’t)
• Saigon Noodles (not my favorite type of food, but the Thai tea was great)
• Samba (the food was great and it was a fun atmosphere, but the prices are way too high)
• Short. Stack. Eats. (High Prices. Small Portions.)
• Sofra Family Bistro (breakfast was lacking)
• Sophia’s
• Sujeo (nothing spectacular…but I would go back to try the dim sum)
• Swagat
• Takara
• Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace (good, but not great)
• University Club (I wanted to food to be better than it was)
• Veranda
• The Victory
• Village Bar
• The Vintage (nothing special)
• Waypoint Public House (tried it twice…bad meals both times)
• Wise (good food, awkward location, not great service)
• Zuzu Cafe