Village Bar — Restaurant in Madison

First time eating here, and it was excellent across the board. My brother and I rolled into to town late looking for a place to eat, but there were not many options on the West side apart from a few bars and fast food. So glad we decided to come here.

We got the Brickburgers with large fries and it was perfect. The menu is simple, but if everything is as good as what we ordered, then you can't go wrong with anything. So many bars/restaurants over think the burger with all the special sauces, unnecessary toppings, and then they over cook the meat or ingredients are too salty/just don't work which leaves me disappointed and out $15-$20. I've become so disappointed with many restaurant burgers, that I usually just make them at home instead. I just want a good, solid burger for a decent price...

ENTER VILLAGE BAR TO THE RESCUE!!! Their burger was basic (buns, caramalized onions, brick cheese, pickles), but very affordable ($7-8) and absolutely delicious. The chef was not only hilarious and great to talk to at the bar, but he cooked everything perfectly. Meat was juicy (not close to overcooked), generous amount of cheese was well melted, caramalized onions seasoned nicely, (not too salty), buns were soft but had a nice toast crisp, and pickles were spot on. This location has restored my faith in bar/restaurant burgers, and at the price there is zero reason/excuse to go to a fast food joint especially when this place is serving this quality at this price. The fries were also spectacular. Big, crispy, well seasoned but not too salty, and the large basket is a perfect size to split.

The chef said that he is trained in multiple areas of the culinary arts for many years, so it was fun to talk to him briefly about food. It seemed like he could probably start his own Michelin Star restaurant, but his gastronomical overqualification did not diminish his energy and passion for cooking something as "simple" as a delicious burger to serve a hungry customer. His sunny disposition, energy, and masterful cooking really made it an excellent experience.

The atmosphere is cozy but not overly small, and it has enough decorations to keep you visually stimulated for a while. It also has quite a few large TVs, so it would be great for watching sporting events.

Maybe it was coincidence or maybe it was fate that brought us into this bar late last night, we are so thankful that we chose this spot and that our glorious gastronomical gourmet guardian kept the griddle going. I don't live in Madison and I rarely eat out, but if I did, I would become a regular here. An absolutely outstanding establishment that has restored by faith in the good ole burger and fry combo. Ditch fast food (for a variety of reasons) and restaurants that overcharge for mediocre burgers and come here instead. More is not always better for a burger, and you won't regret adding this location to...

The Village Bar is a very cozy, clean, and comfortable place. It's a small bar with some tables, on the corner of Mineral Point Road and Glenway in Madison. The service is very friendly. You can tell this is a place where a lot of regulars have hung out for years. But they're not a closed clique. When I went there they were very welcoming. I had a brick burger, fries, and a soft drink which added up to a little over $14. The soft drink was a can along with a glass of ice and a straw. It might be nice to offer soda on tap so that you can give free refills. The fries arrived very fresh, which is important. The burger was competently made, and was generously encased in yummy brick cheese. Unfortunately, the bun was disappointing. It was an untoasted plain white bun. It actually took away from the taste of the burger overall. It would be a good idea to toast the bun or get buns with a little more interesting texture and flavor. It came with some pickles, but no lettuce, tomato, or onions. It would have been good to be offered those options. Overall I would say that the service and atmosphere here is great. Nice people, a clean place, and not overly loud. I would say the food is good, but not great. I think a few tweaks would take the food to the next level, but until that happens, I'll leave...

Usually love it here, but the service was quite bad this visit.

Additional info - we visited around 7:30 on 6/25. The bar was full, but most of the tables were open. After taking a table I went to the bar to order, ordered a couple burgers, fries, a beer in a can and one on tap. Got the can right away. Stood at the bar for 5 minutes for the tap. The younger female bar tender was at the other end of the bar engaging with patrons that seemed to be regulars. I finally got the attention of the guy at the grill and he got the beer. Food delivery and food were fine. Same type of delay when I paid. Waited and waited at the bar while the same bartender was serving a group that she seemed to know. Finally, another customer at the bar flagged her down. I...