The Bur Oak — Restaurant in Madison

The last time I was in here, it was a Norwegian community center that looked like your grandparent's basement, only above ground. Normally I am against remodeling, upgrades, any cousin of gentrification. Leave cool old things cool and old. But this place had nothing redeeming that I could see.

From the outside it looks mostly the same. Inside-- woah. I did not recognize it at all. They made it huge, and open, and slightly rustic in decor. Absolutely a major improvement.

I was there playing with a wedding band. Their brunch hours were ending and they were closing to set up for the wedding. As I walked in, carrying equipment, I smelled the most delicious bacon smell. I asked the young lady behind the counter, was the bacon I was smelling for any particular dish? She said, the bacon egg and cheese sandwich is one of our top sellers. I said, is it too late to order one? She said, I'll find out. Some time went past and I figured it must have been, but after 30 minutes or so, she brought one over to me while I was setting up, no charge! I knew right then they would be getting five stars unless one of the staff killed someone in front of me, or used the N word, or something.

I normally dont go for bacon breakfast sandwiches because the proportions arent to my liking-- bacon is thin so you need a LOT of it. This could have used a little more bacon, but the flavor was strong. The bread was flaky and whatever sauce they put on their MADE the sandwich. Some sort of aioli aka boughie mayo I assume. Whatever it was, it was wonderful. It was a very large breakfast sandwich and came with fried potatoes that were good but slightly underwhelming in flavor.

They have some kinks to work out in their sound system. Otherwise everything went very smooth with the band and event. They did provide food for the wedding, I sampled a little of it, and it was good, possibly better than average, but not noteworthy.

I know friends who have gone there to see bands and also thoroughly enjoyed everything about the venue.

Only caveat, parking is VERY limited.

I'll be...

My wife and I held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Bur Oak, and the staff and location were a large part in making the day go smoothly and wonderfully. Throughout the process the two event coordinators we worked with were exceptionally communicative and helpful. We had many planning meetings that were productive and did a great job helping us navigate the coordination and planning required to pull off a wedding. On the day, the coordinator was an incredible asset in navigating problems and helped take a tremendous amount of stress off our plates. Besides putting out literal fires, she helped manage guests, sort out timings, connect and coordinate the additional contracted help, and set up the furniture. We’re also incredibly grateful that she was able to be flexible and offer us access to the space (free of charge) the day before to drop off a tremendous amount of decorations. The space itself is gorgeous, with the barrel ceiling, exposed wood, and beautiful stage. We paid the extra for the downstairs bridal suite and reception area, and it was worth it. Having a second space for guests to move down to for dinner while the upstairs was turned over for the reception was well worth it. As well as that, it gave the bride (my wife) her own space to get ready while I met guests and finalized preparations upstairs. We highly recommend the Bur Oak for your wedding space. The space is beautiful, the employees were on point, and moreover they were eager to help and be a...

I have to give it 4 stars. First time I've been there and it was still early so not terribly bust just a 10 min wait or so. The food was good. The drinks were great. If you like spicy pop I would certainly go with the ginger minion or the black widow. Let's talk food. Walleye sanwhich was good. Chips were a good mix of floppy and crispy with herbs and garlic. Yummy!! The salad on the side has a vinegary spicy pop. The reason it's not a 5 star. The grilled cheese sanwhich leaves too much for the imagination. It is riding along with all these other amazing plates and it falls very flat. Yes have a grilled cheese but make it shine and sparkle! If making homemade bread do something other than white, maybe a marble or even whole grain and thinner slices. Use some sort of stone ground mustard or jammy something, and have a cheese that has personality but not too fancy. The cheddar was flavorful but the bread was just blah. I could see a Harvarti with dill and mustard or cheddar with garlic something! Honestly I kept putting my side salad on it to get more flavor added. The dressing would be a good addition to the grilled cheese. It needs to stand up with its friends!!! So this is why I have to give this place 4 stars. I hope the grilled cheese gets a revamp! But otherwise a...