We decided to make the trip (July 31st, 2025) to this beautiful, quiet little 50's style diner and we were greeted with tons of space and things to look at (an aquarium with delightful tropical looking fish, wall art featuring local photos from 75 years ago onward, cool cultural photos and posters from the 50's, lots of antiques, etc.). The food was very enjoyable, I got the Chicken Strip basket and it was delicious, real chicken, good fries and toast. My family got the Pickle Burger ("really good"), the Cod Platter ("flaky and delicious") and the Reuben ("needed more sauerkraut, but otherwise good"), as well as the Cheese Curds which I think we all liked. The Waitress was fantastic, friendly and helpful. We did arrive directly before a special event that they were closing early for but they still let us sit and order even though we made them a little late, which we are extremely grateful for! That does not go unnoticed. A very friendly environment, it seems like a place that would be a local favorite. I'll definitely visit again, although we do live about 45 miles away, but it was rather enjoyable and a rare, unique little spot. read more

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Great little breakfast spot for the big town of Madison. This place is perfect if you are looking for a hearty and affordable breakfast for the cold weather! I had the build your own omelet with sausage, bacon, cheese, onions, and peppers with a side pancake. I ate it all quickly. read more

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I was very very happy with this diner. While it served the typical food the ambiance was pretty nice! Had a build my own omelette with ham, sausage, and cheese. It came with either toast or pancake, chose a pancake. What surprised me is that didn't come with potatoes, a good relief as in most cases they're bland and tasteless. After ordered went out and brought in my own real maple syrup, can't have pancakes without that. Then something strange happened. A lady from the back came out and wondered what was in my bottle. Explained and she was curious as to why. We had an impromptu taste test of their maple syrup (with corn syrup) versus my real maple syrup. The butter flavor of the fake syrup was nice yet I personally prefer the real stuff. Was good exercise. Will definitely repeat next time in area, very happy! Shows people are real out here! read more

The service is slow the food ok we only eat breakfast here . My wife had dinner with a friend there she said her hamburger wasn't good. The bun was hard couldn't eat it read more

Amazing food, I go here around twice a week to get actually good food, I'm a freshman at the college and this is the only place In town worth going! Seems a little understaffed with one waitress/waiter But the food is the best I've had at a restaurant! read more

Service was timely! Food was satisfying! In and out in under 1/2 an hour! That's bonus points when it comes to lunch! Additionally, all that for $10.07 + tip! read more

2nd Street Diner - Desert and coffee - American Near Me - Madison, South Dakota

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I stopped in late one morning while in town for a training seminar. I had a tasty, good sized omelette, with the pancake option vs. toast. Served hot, so good that I didn't leave a morsel behind. The owner served me, very friendly, said business was down due to Covid so, please support them. They're doing an awesome job here. read more

Visited 2nd Street Diner during the week at lunch. There were plenty of seats available to choose from and our waitresses greeted us promptly. I ordered the Reuben sandwich with ham and bean soup. The Reuben was toasted nicely with plenty of corned beef and sauerkraut. In addition to the regular thousand island sauce, this Reuben sandwich came with a cheese sauce. If you don't like cheese, I would recommend to have that left off. The bean and ham soup is homemade and had a variety of beans. I noticed kidney, pinto, white and garbanzo beans. The ham pieces were lean and tender. I enjoyed the combination of soup and sandwich options. read more

2nd Street Diner - Reuben sandwich with bean and ham soup. - American Near Me - Madison, South Dakota

I arrived 45 minutes before close, was told by the hostess to pick a seat, sat down across from another couple. Made eye contact with multiple servers, and was ignored. Left after 10 minutes of being neglected. Extremely unprofessional, and rude. Place was filthy inside, and had a strange odor throughout. Please don't waste your money or time here, they don't appreciate either. read more

Fantastic food, prices and staff. We've been in town all week for business and have eaten at multiple places. 2nd Street Diner is hands down the best food we've had in town. It's not even close. The prices are very reasonable too! Don't miss out on this little gem of a restaurant! read more

All I can really say about this place is...Meh. Their food isn't terrible, but it's not amazing. And their prices are higher than they logically should be. Their only competition, Marlin's, is farther out of town than most people wanna go. ahh, the wait staff here is pretty bad also. Some of them are nice enough, but many are pure evil. The only way this place could get more star action out of me would be to be open 24 hours. I would kill for breakfast at 2 AM. That's the way it was intended to be. read more

Tried this place for breakfast. We went with the buffet, because we were short on time....Wasn't a smart choice....trust me. The menu items I saw from people around us looked much better. I wouldn't go back personally. read more

Traditional diner fare. Monte Cristo sandwich was good, has fresh average size salad bar. This town doesn't have a lot of options for eats, but nice to have more choices than fast food garbage of McDonalds which is here. Definitely worth stopping in for. It's got the 50's diner atmosphere. read more

This place is ... okay. Kind of a greasy spoon place, food is of lower quality, and breakfast in particular can be a bit expensive. If you like a average dinner experience, this is your place. read more

I've eaten here several times. The owner is a very friendly person and she has great stories to tell. It's worth a trip just for the homemade soups, which are delicious, especially on cold winter days. The homemade pies are even better and the flavors change daily. I look forward to eating here when I am in Madison. read more

Saturday at 3:30pm, place was dead - only 3 other customers who already had their food. Ordered right away but waited 20 minutes for our food. There were only 3 of us. Two ordered chicken fried steak and both said it tasted like maple syrup which was not a pleasant experience. I ordered the turkey club but was given the wrong order so I had to send it back. How can you get the order wrong when there are only two different items to make? Didn't take long to get my sandwich but it was mediocre. The place was filthy - the blinds had thick dust on them, the ketchup bottle had crud stuck to the nozzle. The prices are ridiculously high. We would have got up and left but we were tired and hungry so we just dealt with it. The only positive thing (why I'm giving it a two star) is that the waitress was super friendly. read more

The food is what you would expect from a diner. I've tried quite a few things here, and I would say the best item on the menu is the "good ol' number 1." The Bacon is perfect, but the hash browns were a little undercooked. I ordered eggs over hard and a pancake with the number 1, both were perfect. Service was good. read more