Gates & Brovi — Restaurant in Madison

I've been here a few times now. The staff is usually great. The bartender working was slaying, host was really nice however I've gotten really mean servers on two separate occasions. They act like your existence is an inconvenience.

I've had a range of bar food, apps and entrees. The entree's were fine. The menu sounds great but the execution is usually slightly off. Either over cooked, poorly thought out (bacon on white fish) or sloppy.

The apps and pizza have been really great. Cheese curds, kalimari and the clam chowder (more on this). The prosciutto pizza could use some acid (balsamic, figs, w/e).

Really what I found incredible was there sandwiches and bar fare. If you come here for a beer and a Korean chicken sandwich you'll leave happy. Well done, fresh ingredients reasonable price.

The reason for the three stars is because the lack of consistency. I love clam chowder. I've ordered it three times and each time it's been different. The first was a classic preparation that was the best thing I've had in a while. The second time I got it, they must have ran out because I was served a red clam chowder with chunks of carrots (wtf), the base was very obviously tomato. Best I can guess they took the vegetable soup off the day added cream, clams and called it a day. The third time they must have ripped off the base of the broccoli soup of the day. This fit a little bit better but was still not good.

They are pretty dang close to nailing it but trying to serve food you don't have is embarrassing. Just say something... Dial up the quality control a knotch and I'll...

I really don’t write a lot of reviews but it occurred to me tonight that I’ve probably been to G&B more times than any other restaurant in Madison so I feel like I can speak with some authority. Here’s the thing - sure it looks like a casual neighborhood joint — and it is — but the standard is so consistently excellent that it’s like a fine dining establishment. The food? Always amazing. The service? Warm, welcoming, attentive. The cocktails? Incredible - only complaint is they come up with new ones so much that I don’t get to try all the ones I want to. Vibe? Perfect. And what’s amazing is that this is true for every time I’ve been there. They hit it every time. They don’t miss! I’m not even going to recommend a dish because everything is fantastic. Order whatever you want - it will be great! Full disclosure: I am feeling particularly endeared to them tonight because we took my six year old there tonight a few days post recovery from a nasty flu and, like, it was curative. He lost his appetite days ago and it didn’t even come back after he got better. I don’t think he’s eaten more than half a popsicle in three days. It’s been TOUGH. But then it occurred to me - I just needed to get a plate of G&B chicken tenders in front of him. He ate every. single. one. And lest you think I’m a terrible mother for curing him with fried chicken, I will point out that the chicken tenders here are incredible, homemade and with super high quality chicken meat. Homemade ranch. Perfect fries. Anyway, long story short, I could not love this...

We had a very disappointing experience here. Our large party waited over an hour for a table, only to watch multiple smaller groups who arrived after us get seated first. At no point were we offered the option to split into smaller tables, which would have been a reasonable solution—especially since we had teenagers waiting with us.

When I politely asked the hostess about this, she gave us attitude. When I further asked why no one suggested splitting the group, she turned her back on me and walked away, then went to speak with (what I assume was) the manager. Instead of apologizing for the wait or offering any solution, the manager came over and rudely said, “Do you have a question?” His tone was dismissive, and when we asked again about splitting the group, he simply stated, “I’ve been here 12 years and we don’t do that.”

What made this worse wasn’t just the long wait—it was the lack of professionalism and courtesy. A simple apology and acknowledgment of the inconvenience would have gone a long way. Instead, we were treated as if our concerns didn’t matter.

Unfortunately, this experience left us feeling frustrated, unwelcome, and...