The Botanist Social — Restaurant in Madison

Exceptional service, food and atmosphere. I came to the Botanist Social for my Birthday dinner with my Husband and my 15 year old. I made a reservation online the night prior, for 7:00 pm and we were seated right away when we got there. The restaurant has a moody, but lively atmosphere. There is a large window at the front that they had open. I enjoyed the fresh air while dining, but still being inside. At the time it was lightly raining which was really nice. The lighting and decor is really beautiful. Everything was clean and well maintained. For drinks my husband got the pain killer which he really enjoyed. I stuck with a Diet Coke and my daughter wanted to stick with water. Our waitress kept all 3 of our water glasses filled without having to ask. She was very kind and hospitable. The waitress and hostess went above and beyond for us. We asked if we could move to the corner booth because it was bit more cozy, secluded and had really nice decor. Our waitress spoke with the hostess who then checked with a manager to make sure it was okay we switched tables. That was very kind of them and I know it was probably a bit much to ask, but my husband insisted to me we ask because he wanted my Birthday dinner to be a little more special. I really appreciated how sweet and kind the hostess and waitress were about it and made it seem like it was no big deal, when I know it was an above and beyond request. I really wish I could remember their names, but they were amazing. The food was really, very good. We got cheese curds and lettuce wraps for our appetizers. The cheese curds were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they were very good, but could have used a little more cheese. The lettuce wraps were outstanding. The lettuce was crisp and fresh and the chicken was juicy and tender with a delicious teriyaki sauce. We all ate both appetizers right up and were basically full before our food came, but then we somehow managed to almost finish all of our dishes. For entrees I actually got an appetizer, I got the forest mushroom flat bread. The caramelized onion, fontina, and white truffle oil all worked really well with each other. It was delicious and very easy to eat. My Husband got the steak and mushroom pasta. He said he was full, but could not stop eating it because he said it was so good. I tried a bite and it was melt in your mouth good. The pappardelle noodles were huge and balance really well with the pieces of steak. The garlic cream sauce was also notable and very good. My daughter got the lobster roll with the truffle fries. It was her first time trying a lobster roll and she really enjoyed it. She also really liked the fries. I had a couple and they were very good. I had to take the rest of my flatbread home because I was so full. I wish we could have tried dessert, but we were far too full. I highly recommend The Botanist Social for dinners, or even just for drinks. It has a really nice vibe overall. It is on the pricier side, but the food quality, the atmosphere and presentation of their drinks and food justify the cost, in my opinion. They also have a large bar, a nice little lounge area at the front and plenty of tables for seating for dining. I would recommend making a reservation to be safe, because they do get busy from what I saw. I will definitely be back in the future, I really enjoyed my...

Do not go to this place if you are a person of color. Me and friends were racially profiled, the police were called on us by someone in the restaurant and we were told it was a “routine inspection” then asked to give our ids to them when nobody else In there was asked to. We were never told and it was never advertised that after 9pm if you are not 21 you can go in there, we were given 400$ tickets for just being in there after 9. Again When making the reservation and even first going in there that rule was it was NEVER advertised. The waitress then asked us right when we walked in if we were coming for drinks and we were old her no we have a reservation. We were polite not Loud disturbing nobody. As she took our order she asked what we wanted to drink and we asked what she recommended, she told us and we got that We we’re never id!!!! Nobody asked for id coming in or taking our order. The bartender told the police we were all id at the door when we first came in… we were not the waitress also told the police when asking what we want to drink she id us… she did not. My friend was pat down by the police after telling them she did not have a fake id but they said they did not believe her and began to search her… this is not ok we should not have to be ok with this. AGAIN WE WERE NEVER ID. Maybe if you and your employees did your job right and Id us but THEY DID NOT. Nobody asked for anyones age. WE DID NOT GET A TICKETS FOR UNDERAGE DRINKING BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ID SO THEY COULD ONLY GOVE US A TICKET FOR BEING IN THERE AFTER 9 BUT THEY DID NOT ID THIS WAS NOT ADVERTISED!!! As a customer who payed and was polite I’m disgusted that I spent money there knowing they are continuing to lie on me...

Came into the bar around 11pm. The bartenders mostly ignored us for the first 10 minutes or so but they came over and realized we were never given menus. After another 15 minutes after that they came over again and we got our first round of drinks and then one of the bartenders left the bar to go sit with a table by the window and was there for the next 45 minutes. The other bartender disappeared about 10 minutes later to also sit with some patrons at the bar. At 12 the bartenders both came back and exclusively served a group that we learned was with the cast of “Hamilton”. Then they made an announcement for last call…but only served the cast of “Hamilton”. After sitting at the bar with our cards out for another 5 minutes the bartender finally realized we were there. He came over and said “we did last call and you didn’t say anything, but I can do shots” which makes zero sense. Not only did he and the other person working ignore us but they went out of their way to ask the cast of “Hamilton” if they wanted anything multiple times. Ultimately they closed the bar an hour before google said you closed (maybe update those hours, or hire bartenders who close early when it’s actually slow, because your bar seating was pretty much full), ignored anyone not on the cast of “Hamilton” at last call and only spent around 15-20 minutes of the hour and a half we were there actually behind the bar making drinks. The drinks were solid but id rather drop money at a bar that makes lower quality drinks where the bartender serves me equally. Will not be going back if either of those bartenders are working OR if the cast of “Hamilton”...