Madison's — Restaurant in Madison

I need to start out by saying that I NEVER give an establishment a 1 star. That is, until I experienced Madison's tonight. Immediately upon handing my ID to the bouncer, I felt an unwelcome vibe from him. He told me "we don't allow hats in here so you're going to have to take it off". Really? It's been below freezing in this city for months now, and if I want to keep my hat on, who are you to tell me to take it off? I thought this was the 21st century. Any bar in the city of Madison that has a dress code and still tries to PROFIT off a crow that large deserves a capital "D" for "Douchebaggery" especially one that would take the city's name and go off with the idea that they represent the common bar dweller. Except Madison's doesn't want the common bar dweller if he happens to have a backpack on him. Yes, while Madison's had a coat check, they simply would NOT check my backpack in there. They literally had no justification for refusing to hold onto my backpack. Did they not think I was going to buy drinks at their bar? Guess not. Instead, they told me straight up: "Looks like you're going to have to leave" I'm sorry, but any bar that has employees as rude as that deserves no business from the common Madison drinker. Madison's may claim to hold the same title as our city, but they certainly do not reflect on the common charm of the people from Wisconsin's capital. Instead, they would rather treat you as if you're not welcome there just because you want to keep your hat on your head or check in a backpack at a coat check. I even asked the bouncer "What if someone had cancer? Would you tell them to take his hat off then?" his reply: "Oh well" Talk about inconsideration. I work at a bar in Madison, and I would find it unacceptable to treat any of my...

The house made ranch is impeccable!! Madison’s has an awesome, lively atmosphere and it’s a very clean pub. I was impressed upon arrival at the upkeep and quality of the bar. The indoor plants as well as the location on the corner with natural light filling the space opened up the pub and made it welcoming. The manager greeted me happily when I walked in. Everyone enjoys feeling joyfully welcomed and I knew right away from the smiles of the staff that I was going to have a great experience.

I sat outside and enjoyed the weather and my book. My server was so friendly and bubbly. She wasn’t pushy and got me extra ranch when she saw I was low. I ordered pretzel bites and jalapeño cheese sauce to begin with and an order of 10 dry rub wings and oh my word I am still blown away at the flavor!

The pretzels were soft and warm, lightly salted and honestly were phenomenal alone but dipped in the melted, savory jalapeño cheese; that combo was made in heaven! The dry rub wings were lit!! The rub has a mesquite flavor with a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar. They were juicy and had the crisp was perfection. The prices were affordable and honestly for the quality of food, service and ambiance; I was so blown away with the final ticket of $22!!

The next best part of my experience was they accepted Apple Pay right next door at Good News Ice Cream where I was also able to enjoy a Vegan Mexican Ice Cream!

Madison’s will be my top recommendation for places to stop by when visiting Madison, Wisconsin. I highly recommend visitors and locals to enjoy the food, drinks, vibe...

I experienced poor customer service from the new owner, Andy, while trying to officially book a rehearsal dinner here. I had "booked" a date with the previous owner last fall, but she did not want to take a deposit from me at the time given uncertainties with the ongoing pandemic. When I reached out recently to make a deposit for my event date, Andy stated that it would not be possible to book an upstairs space that the previous owner had offered for our event, and we would only be able to hold our event in the basement space. I can understand if restaurant policies had changed or were miscommunicated, but my issue was with how Andy handled the situation. He started off by stating that we could only book the basement for our event, no apology or explanation as to why. When I pointed out communications I had had with the previous owner stating otherwise and then requested that he help to remedy the situation, his reply began with "It is definitely not in my interest to turn away business but..." Even though he offered to continue with booking the basement for me after that, it seemed pretty obvious that he had no interest in keeping my business, and I had no interest in holding my event there...