Madison Wine & Tap — Restaurant in Madison

This place is the definition of a hidden gem. The plates are very small but INCREDIBLE. Our waitress was amazingly competent and (though we were a solidly chaotic party of 10) got everything we ordered correct and even remembered who ordered what. Our party, some of us having gone to culinary school and some from countries of great cuisine, had high expectations - Madison Wine and Tap Room excelled those. I work in food service and our view into the kitchen looked clean and organized, with just three chefs getting food out within ten minutes of ordering.

Keep in mind it’s not a big entree per person type of vibe. Might be more suitable for larger parties so you can order an array of their menu. My only critiques would be that it IS pricey. My very small portion of pork belly was insanely good, but $20 for 2 small pieces. Also they have an odd policy for cake - they let us know a $50 surcharge would be added to our bill if we brought in our own cake for my mom’s birthday, which is odd since there are only 3 items on their dessert list.

For what to get, the pork belly was amazing but not a large portion for the price. The Rustico pizza is a MUST, as well as the very generous Salumi board and steaming-hot homemade breads (which come with an incredible pâté and onion dip).

The food, however, makes everything worth it tenfold. My mother announced at the end of the dinner that we simply HAVE to come back - which we surely will be :) Thank you so much for an...

The name of the restaurant is very appropriate, you go there for drinks, but pricey drinks. Their prices are like those in Manhattan.

Food wise, we were able to order a very good sampling of what they offered. Food were photogenic. The $19 Hamachi Tataki and the $16 Crabcake Sandwich were the most “OK” out of all the VERY SMALL plates. For the $22 Salumi and Cheese, cold cuts weren’t fresh, the blue cheese wasn’t delicious. The $12 Chickpea Fries were interesting but not also delicious. There was nothing special about their $17 Cheeseburger with MWTR sauce. The $16 Shrimp Cheviche were three HALF PIECES of shrimp! And please don’t order the $20 Braised Pork Belly! The “tomato paste infused” pork belly was about 1.5x2 inches big, and almost two inches thick was all fat.

We ordered a bunch of pizzas. Also photogenic but taste wise, nothing stood out.

The service was very friendly and eager. Good job. Commendable.

The ambiance seemed bright, inviting, and recently renovated.

The Men’s restroom was clean but the sensor of their faucet didn’t work right. The sensor couldn’t decide to pour out water from the faucet.

The food experience was borderline acceptable, the wine and cocktails were good, but everything was very overpriced.

For the owners, please don’t make the state of the economy an excuse for over pricing. The restaurant has potential and I’d like neighborhood businesses to succeed, but customers want good value and...

Was hopeful trying this place for the first time. Came for an early dinner with my parents. Noise level wasn’t very loud at 5:30. Tried the pizza special which was great. Steak tacos were tasty as well. Quinoa and garbanzo salad was ok but needed some more flavor (lemon and salt?). Disappointed in the steak frites - steak was dry and flavorless and the cuts weren’t very good. My family was split on the burger - one loved it and the other thought it was too greasy. Most disappointing was the service - or rather the lack thereof. Waiter was slow to come to the table, but after apologizing the first time them took over 29 minutes to get us our drinks. He only came back to check on our table once we had our mains when we were almost done eating. My husband and I would have liked to order a glass of wine for our main course but we’re never offered the opportunity. Even refills on soda and ice teas were limited. There was no excuse for the poor service. The restaurant wasn’t busy. Even though we were celebrating a birthday, dessert was out of the question. God knows how much longer that would have taken. Plus $18 for an awful glass of Chardonnay? I...