FYI - Cash only! ATM on site…read more Had a delicious cheeseburger and fries! It was cooked to order medium rare and had so much flavor. Fries were really good too! They have quite the variety of burgers. I'll definitely be back!

Players Sports Bar has the best burgers in town when you are on the hunt for the ultimate burgers!…read moreTheir burgers are massively huge/filling, well seasoned, and deliciously made with love! Players Sports Bar & Grill is a fun, casual, cash ONLY, typical Wisconsin neighborhood dive bar nestled in the Atwood neighborhood of Madison, WI. They have a great beer selection, classic bar games, pool tables, and ping pong! This place has plenty of tvs to catch your favorite sports! It was super busy when we arrived on Wednesday night. It seemed to be a diverse crowd of neighborhood locals, blue collar, younger folks, and just people having a great time! It's a great place when you are craving greasy, fried, delicious bar food, and snacks! They serve not only burgers, but cheese curds, wings, and lighter far like salads. They need a round of applause for coming up with some of the tastiest unique burger creations ever such as their Poker Ho Burger, Lotza Motza Burger, and Players Burger. My husband and I were blown away by the burgers! My favorite is their Big Daddy Burger with a side of onion rings and my husband's favorite is their Lotza Motza Burger with fries! The Big Daddy Burger is made with Bacon, Ham, Swiss & American Cheese with spicy garlic mayo. It is served hot, made fresh, juicy, made with a huge 1/2 pound well seasoned patty! The side of onion rings takes it to the next level being fried hard, crispy, golden brown, and hot out the grease! The Lotza Motza burger which is a super fun burger made with Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks, Vito's garlic sauce, pepperoni & Mozzarella Cheese. Its like eating an appetizer and burger all in one! Players Sports Bar is your casual dive bar hooking you up with delicious bar food but don't expect sit down type of service or what you would expect for service at a restaurant. You have to order at the bar. Players Sport Bar is a great option if you are looking for a fun, casual dive bar serving up delicious rememberable burgers!

No offense but- not so attractive on the outside- however…read more $6 half sandwich and soup?? Huh?? And delish!!! Artichoke and steak soup- ridiculous Son had an awesome burger- of course he didn't get the special!!!

I came here for Friday fish fry in the winter - I think there was a basketball or hockey game, but…read morenothing causing a crazy wait or crowd. We had some old fashioneds before ordering food, and I thought they were good. Service was super attentive, especially as we delayed ordering to enjoy drinks and an appetizer for a bit. I ordered the beer battered cod fish fry (my staple), and overall it was yummy to eat. The two pieces that came out were enormous and a bit wonky shaped... made me wonder what on earth this fish looked like in its swimming days. The batter was quite tasty, crunchy but not too crunchy/hard, but it was so incredibly think I'm not sure I got fish in every bite. I took one piece home and give the fish part to my pup as a meal topper, and the ratio of breading I had to pull off compared to fish was a bit (quite a bit) much. Still, everything I ate was tasty. I got the salad with my dinner, and was so happy that it came out with quality greens instead of a chunk of iceberg type lettuce. Overall, I'd come back again if others wanted, but wasn't wild about the batter to fish ratio.

Love this place. Good food and great beer…read more They have the best Fried Cheese Curds in Madison with a delicious chimicurri ranch sauce. Their I-5 IPA is an english style, lower carbonation more frothy. Truly delicious. The wings were spicy and good Salad was a salad and my wife ordered it so... Service was quick and friendly. Pub atmosphere. Next time in town I will come back.

We arrived on a Friday evening around 7pm, the place was busy due to all the pre beer festival…read moreevents going on that day. We sat at the bar and ordered a few beers and some food, the girls behind the bar were great.. attentive, helpful and friendly. I ordered a Rueben sandwich and some nachos for my girlfriend. The food arrived in a timely manner but the nachos had sat under the salamander (or in the oven) too long; to the point that the cheese was crispy and not melty. The sandwich was ok, the corned beef was tough and big pieces would pull out of the sandwich when I tried to take a bite. Some beers were good and some were not, the highlight of our visit was the service at the bar.

Unfriendly bartenders. Bartending staff gave me grief about my order of an espresso martini, which…read moreis on their online menu of classic cocktails. I know it's a dive bar, technically, but their website emphasizes the availability of cocktails. I was thrilled about the prospect of being able to order such a drink at a bar in Madison in general. And no, it was not busy, I was the first customer there. So unnecessary attitude about an order despite it being available on the menu. The drink was good though, so that's why this review is higher than one star!

Rating the erstwhile Red Shed and new baby sister of Wando's solely on the #Guinness pour, as my…read morecompanion was suffering through dry January on my first visit here, pregaming for a UW hoops game at the Kohl. First pour looked like a pint they'd serve you in Dublin -- bartender poured it, let it rest, topped it off. Outcome: unblemished white foam, domed above the rim of the 20 oz., G-split-friendly Guinness glass, stopping above the harp. First sip smooth, not a hint of bitterness, drank easy all the way down, light foam coating most of the empty glass. Just how you'd draw it up. Fluke? Had to find out, so I ordered a second, same as above. Heat check? Got a third (stopping back in after the game to wait out traffic), and it was same as above. Sláinte! One visit to a new place does not make it the king of pours in town -- maintaining the lines, having enough staff to know the proper pour, etc., but Jay's is off to a solid start toward finally getting us a proper pour on the campus side of downtown.

The Coopers Tavern is a local pub-style restaurant in downtown Madison that has the neighborhood…read morevibe combined with a rustic-almost European energy, which makes sense when you learn the owner is from Ireland! The menu is filled with elevated pub food, a few classics and then a few twists on those very classics. Come hinge, because the menu is carb-driven, so be ready to eat! To start, we went with the poutine, because why not! The fries were crispy, gravy was velvety and the curds were firm, yet melty enough for a good cheese pull! For our mains, we both went sandwiches. I went with the Celtic Burger, which is their standard burger with added caramel iced onion, whiskey bacon jam, Irish cheddar and a garlic aioli. The burger was good and cooked well, but it was less impressive than I expected given all the goods they added to it. While the aforementioned additions sound like a flavor bomb, it was still fairly one note in overall flavor. It was still tasty, but again, not as expected. My buddy went with the corned beef sandwich. He enjoyed it, no major issues! I did appreciate that exchanging fries with fried curds was an option, especially after loaded up on fries as a starter. The curds were well fried, pillowy and quite tasty. Perfect side for sure! In addition to the food, they are known for their bar offerings so you know we had to grab a few cocktails! I went with the Golden Dew and my buddy the Old Fashioned. Golden Dew was delightful, however the old fashioned was a bit sweet, but that's possibly the brandy. Service was great. We walked in and hit the wait list, however was able to scoop up a few seats at the bar before our table was ready. The bartenders were friendly, helpful and an overall joy to interact with. Overall, definitely a fan of The Coopers Tavern! When back in Madison, I would certainly swing by again!

Love the atmosphere of Coopers. I only ordered the cheese curds and unfortunately they were really…read moregreasy and lacked the cheese pull I was expecting. The service was quick!

We were looking for a fun soccer vibe for the World Cup and we definitely found it ! Place was…read morepacked with energy . Service was still great. We didn't eat but the food looked amazing. Has the charm of an authentic brew haus in Germany.

A solid spot for good German Beers and the best pretzel in Madison…read more My wife is soup crazy and she really enjoyed the beef stew. The bratwurst was ok, nothing special. They play 80s music, lots of new wave stuff which really brought us back. Service was solid and friendly.

Had the grilled shrimp it was very tasty done well. Service was good. Felt very cozy great ambianceread more

Holly is great! Food is consistently good, and staff is friendly. Prices are very reasonable. Has a…read moregood outdoor space but seating is limited.

Awesome time at the LovB game- watch of the USA Women Olympic Volleyball game today (vs Serbia)…read more Great service. Good bar food and a great crowd Yeah!!! Nothing like being at a bar on a Wednesday at 9:30 in the morning - very Wisconsin!

My friend and I went there on a suggestion before an AC/DC concert. The food was awful who puts…read morebeans in the chili for a chili dog. It might've been a different story if the chili was good but it wasn't. What kind of hotdogs do they use they're not good either. Just disgusting. They aren't good. My friends burger was he described as meh. Why doesn't any place know how to make fries? Seriously watch a fry making video. The service was OK. I won't be coming back.

Echo was one of the few restaurants in town open during a snowstorm. When we had arrived the…read morekitchen had just closed early for the night. Seeing we had just arrived the kitchen stayed open later to get out one more meal for us. The staff was so kind, drinks were great, and there kindness was so appreciated on a snowy night. Ps the Bacon, Apple, Burboun Burger was one I will be comparing all future burgers to. It was SO GOOD.

(This is only a food review) I got the Friday night fish fry. The texture was on point: hot, crisp,…read moreand juicy fish and fries. But the flavor was just completely missing. It was weirdly bland. The lemon and salt were not enough to offset. The burger was disappointing. No toppings, too dry and overcooked, and the chips on the side were too salty. Our friends got a pizza and I ate some leftovers. Granted it was already cold, but it was a gloopy, greasy mess.

Wow! I was in Madison working for a few days and just happened to find this place while walking…read morearound the capital one night, and man, was I impressed! Such a great vibe and nice atmosphere! I was with a coworker and we ordered beers and found a table and watched as the locals piled in, and suddenly it was packed and hopping! I ended every evening here, the beers were cold, and even though busy, service was friendly and fast. Downstairs is great, but the upstairs is even cooler, and had an even better vibe. If I lived here, I would definitely be here every night!

Cue the music... "Where everybody knows your name!" This is the absolute vibe of Genna's and even…read morethough no one knew our name, we felt like they were at least interested in learning it. We belied up to the bar and ordered a few cocktails. The bartender was super welcoming and friendly and had the best pour of my trip! As the afternoon progressed, more locals and regulars continued piling in, each welcomed personally and in some cases were greeted by their favorite beverage. The space is divey, but not dirty. It's eclectic, local, retro and homey. Downstairs has a simple local dive bar feel, while upstairs has more of a "scene" vibe. Overall, really enjoyed Genna's and is definitely on the "visit list" for my time in town!