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    Badger Tavern

    4.1 (83 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:30 AM (Next day)

    Badger Tavern Photos

    BADGER TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Grilled chicken sandwich - lettuce, tomato, with french fries.
    Lindsay K.

    I can't believe I haven't written a review for Badger Tavern - I've loved this place since it was Tony Frank's and continue to love it. It is a great neighborhood bar with surprisingly great food and a nice variety of beers on tap. While the food isn't anything fancy, the menu has a good range of stuff and everything I've had is always delicious. Bartenders and servers are attentive and provide good service. It's a small place so sometimes it can be hard to find a spot at the bar or a table, but it's worth the trip. They have one of my favorite grilled chicken sandwiches - again, nothing fancy, but always well cooked and very tasty. My mother swears by their fish fry. Parking lot is usually full and a bit haphazard, but there's plenty of parking down the street if you can walk a tiny bit. Highly recommend!

    Amanda F.

    I heard the Badger tavern has one of the best Reubens, so I had to try it for myself. They were not wrong! The Reuben was excellent!! It tasted not only fresh, but it was packed with flavor. French fries were fresh and hot as well. Service was prompt and friendly as well. I'll definitely be back to try other items. But if you're looking for a great Reuben, this is the place!

    Shrimp wrap
    Sho R.

    I stopped by on a Sunday for an early lunch. The place was only getting filled. Prices were reasonable. Tex mex roll was flavorful. Ribeye steak sandwich was my favorite entree. It had a solid piece of steak in it. They serve fish everyday. I went for a 1 cod and 4 shrimp platter as well. It was very nice. Side soup was flavorful. Shrimp wrap was my other entree.

    Chicken tortilla soup and bacon cheeseburger
    Lori H.

    Great neighborhood bar with friendly service and better than average bar food. Prices are very reasonable and they have one of the best burgers in Madison. If you go on a Friday for fish mid afternoon is the sweet spot. Right after the lunch crowd and before the dinner rush. The place is small, maybe 10 tables inside, and 7ish outside during warm months. They do have a long bar and a lot of regulars. For those in the know you can get the fish fry everyday of the week. Soup change daily and I highly recommend them. Portions are large so my husband and I usually split. They don't charge a split fee like many restaurants do. They also don't up charge you for extra sauce or ranch dressing for your fries.

    Tom S.

    We stopped here on a Friday night, after we were excited for a local fish fry. It was a packed house, we got there about 5:30 after work and waited a half hour for a table... The food was great and solid burger with cheese curds. The only downside was with how busy it was, once we got a table we could barely enjoy it due to the noise and constant bombard of people. I definitely want to stop back on a less busy night and truly get a chance to enjoy the place! This is added to our list to continue to explore!

    Turkey melt and shareable large fries
    Andrea G.

    Our go to bar for amazing and fresh food with friendly service and cold drinks! Things we always order are: the chicken wraps, burgers, jalapeño wontons, fries, cheese curds, ok everything! Plenty of parking out front, and easy to get to right off the beltline.

    Bucky burger
    Tiana M.

    All around solid bar food, you literally can't go wrong. Small place but worth the wait. Quick staff.

    Jalapeño WONTON
    Ernesto d.

    Great food amazing service and cozy atmosphere The service was great everyone was very nice and kind I like this place

    Exploding Pig

    Ordered takeout for work. Everything was amazing. The ribeye sandwich was cooked to order (med rare) with pepper jack and seasoned really well. The Southwest appetizer combo with the Tex mex egg rolls and jalapeño whipped not s was excellent. The egg rolls very mildly spicy but very flavorful, the wontons are delicious but if you don't like heat do not order them (I do like heat so I loved them). They come with a sweet and sour type sauce which was ok, but I ordered a side of pico to go with them and that was perfect. Also got the Exploding pig, which was extremely delicious, a couple cheeseburgers and fries/onion rings which I didn't get pics of but were reported to be excellent by the people that ate them. Staff was also really friendly when I went to pick it up, and it was done quickly. Our only problem is we want to try everything and our stomachs are already full, so will definitely be back.

    Outside dining
    Shsron F.

    I was surprised that at 5:20 all the tables were full. Fortunately we were first in line and got a seat outside. The service was stellar. Fast and accurate. Maybe too fast. I felt a bit rushed but with people waiting I suppose that is to be expected. We ordered a salad for an additional charge in stead of the fries and it came on a separate plate. I had only eaten half of it when the blackened walleye arrived. I slipped the remaining salad next to the fish and then it didn't look so skimpy. The Cole slaw and fish were delicious but we still were hungry after eating. I think if there had been a piece of rye bread included I would have not left hungry and would have given 5 stars. Eating the fries would have solved the hunger issue too but I am on weight watchers so that is a no no.

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    4 years ago

    They're burgers are always a top notch. Cheese curds are delicious. Even when busy, food still arrives extremely fast.

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    Jordan's Big Ten Pub

    Jordan's Big Ten Pub

    (183 reviews)

    $$

    South Campus

    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.

    Quaint little corner-ish bar in the middle of downtown Regent street…read more Got the sour cream and chive potato wedges for an app, which came out piping HOT and fast. Great seasoning! Ordered the soup and half sandwich special for $6!!! Soup was good flavor but the consistency was chalky, you can tell it was on too hot and milk had split. Sandwich was perfectly grilled and served with a pickle. Nice portions for how extremely reasonable. Servers were helpful and quick, they both helped each other and had a good time behind the bar.

    Players Sports Bar

    Players Sports Bar

    (82 reviews)

    $

    Schenk - Atwood, Williamson - Marquette

    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!

    A couple bites into my burger and I said to my husband I don't know if it's because I was starving…read moreor if this is the best burger I've ever had. He said no it's the burger - they're super good and it's fresh and not a frozen patty. Seriously so freaking good! The bar is great with an old school vibe and the staff and cook were very friendly.

    Badger Tavern - sportsbars - Updated May 2026

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