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    Bear & Bottle

    3.8 (216 reviews)
    ModeratePubs, Tacos, Sandwiches
    Open 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Bear & Bottle Photos

    Business Info

    BEAR & BOTTLE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Reviews With Photos

    Denis D.

    You know? I am not a vegetarian, or a vegan, nor do i have a problem with glutenous foods, But the grilled asparagus at the bear and bottle are a delicious steak treat for anyone who has these said traits! Absolutely magnificent!

    Brioche blt
    Michael B.

    Legitimately couldn't find this place even in the parking lot without checking my phone. It's tucked in the corner without much signage. The place itself is modern warehouse garage windows and very clean. The light fixture is impressive. There's not a ton of brunch items, and many over $15. The cheese curds are decent. Most of us got the hangover burger. The let us know they may be out of the sausage patty's but the burgers came without them, or bacon, or spicy mayo. The brioche blt and other item someone got was okay. The server was fine with us splitting the bill.

    Old fashioned and banana Mai Tai
    PJ C.

    Even though we live on the east side of town I had never heard of this place until my father-in-law and his brother told us how they stopped here and had a great meal (I don't want to give their ages because it might deter some from trying out this fun and vibrant place). They did say it was one of the biggest bars in town and I think they are right. We stopped on a Friday night soon after it was featured in the Madison Magazine - thankfully it wasn't jammed. The space is airy and nicely done. Given the cold weather in late April the garage doors were closed so we do want to return when the weather is nice because those doors being open would be great. The waitress was very friendly and warned us of a couple items not available including no dessert (odd). We ordered a couple of drinks but neither the Banana Mai Tai or Old Fashioned wowed us - they were OK. One reason we did come here was that the menu was not just your typical Madison cheese curd, burger & fish fry selection. Yes they have all three but they have a menu with a number of interesting items. I tried the Tenderoni- a pork tenderloin sandwich with avocado and tapenade - it was very good and tender(oni). Pork can be easily overcooked so I asked for it pink and it was! My wife order the Bahn Mi sliders and gave them a big thumbs up - we told this to the waitress and she said it was lucky she got this because they had run out - at 6pm? Boy I guess supply chain issues impact everything. Overall we had a very good meal and we will return to enjoy this space when the weather is better.

    Chorizo Fritters
    Vicki A.

    Really cute place-natural brick and lots of interesting photos and some watercolors. Will be even better in summer- nice patio and glass walls that open up. Which might be why it was so cold inside! Put my coat back on and noticed I wasn't alone. Went for Restaurant Week. Made it for Happy Hour-had emailed-said till 5 and $2 off. When tap brought bartender said till 9 that night. Overheard next bartender said all night and 1/2 off. So they need to communicate better-affects my order! Food: Started with chorizo fritters. 2 big ones-1/2 through first one they brought out my asada burrito! Felt rushed-asked me if I wanted to pack up my fritter?! (Which was good-would have liked it spicier). Beef in burrito chewy and tough. Again- some hot sauce would have been appreciated. The chips and salsa verde was best part. Again generous portion. Molten lava cake-good but bottom hard and half was cold and not melted. Ice cream fine. Was at bar and place was full-with one bartender. Amazing-but took a while to get bill and leave. Overall will try again-but maybe for a Happy Hour in summer-if they figure it out!

    Dorthy X.

    I know this isn't a taco joint--but when there's a Taco section on the menu, you think, this might be good!!! Unfortunately this didn't hit the spot. We ordered after 9PM, on a Friday night--cheese curds, street chicken tacos and carne asada tacos--and was told it'd be ready in 10 minutes (WOW, that's fast!). Pick up was smooth and the bar had a good amount of patrons. People were spaced out and masks utilized appropriately. They were true to their word and my food came out timely. At first glance, the curds did not seem appealing. They weren't crispy but flavors were there. Definitely tasted better when dipped in sauce, tho. Street chicken tacos had roughly a table spoon of seasoned meat (which was cold), corn and cheese in double-flour tortilla. Two sauces came with it, 1) elote flavored mayo and 2) spicy mayo, which were pretty good. The carne asada meat was a bit warmer than the chicken but lacked flavor. The salsa verde did not help either. Not worth $40 (that's with tip!) in my book. :( I would have not minded if they took an extra 5 minutes to make sure the food was the right temp. This was my first time here, so am willing to give them another shot. Besides that, the space looks beautiful and seems like it would be a great event venue!

    Ask for the lemon curd cheesecake. It's AMAZING!
    Eva S.

    I stopped by while in town celebrating my birthday solo; I was feeling a bit lonely but thought it might be weird to ask for attention while out on my own, so I wasn't going to say anything. The extremely welcoming and kind server chatted with me and made recommendations; I had a huge, delicious sandwich and greens with the best strawberry vinaigrette I've ever had. I felt comfortable enough to mention why I was there, and he brought me a slice of heavenly lemon curd cheesecake as a birthday treat. I stopped feeling lame and just enjoyed being celebrated. I so appreciated the kind reception and will happily visit this spot again next time I'm in Madison!

    Wonton nachos
    Kristin S.

    This place has a lot of potential. I like the ambiance and large bar for seating. We came here after work on a Tuesday for a drink and to try some food. The place was pretty empty. They had a fun list of seasonal cocktails out but no drink specials or deals/happy hour. The menu felt a bit scattered to me like they are trying to do too many different things. They have Ramen, tacos, salads, etc. I got the wonton nachos and my partner got the Ramen. As you can see in the photo the nachos were absolutely drenched in this sweet and sour type stuff, which was a bit off putting for me. It was disappointing because I think this could be a really fun dish if it was executed differently. The ramen was also surprisingly flavorless, almost like it was missing its entire flavor base. I would not recommend it. It's possible we just got two dud apps/entrees but overall my impression was that this place is underwhelming, especially for the prices.

    Crab Rangoons
    Dynae S.

    Went to bear and bottle a few weeks ago for a business meeting. I grabbed the Crab Rangoons & Birria tacos. Crab Rangoon's were amazing and perfectly crisp. The Birria meat in the tacos tasted so processed and over cooked it was mush and the Birria sauce was flavorless. The walleye was flavorful and the bacon broccoli salad was fresh and full of flavor. Burger was great too. This was the second time I've been here and both times My expectations haven't been fully met. It's a great atmosphere and location but the flavors aren't there for me.

    Lime salt beer

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    8 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Caesar salad night, crispy chicken, no croutons, extra corn, extra avocado, extra dressing. And the brewers are on the television!

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Just amazing food! The meatball bahn mi was outstanding. Great casual atmosphere and outdoor space. Can't wait to come back!

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    St patty's day and no specials, no corn beef embarrassing for neighbors bringing friends. Sorry you don't care more about your locals.

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    1 year ago

    Very good! Enjoyed my meal. Went back a second time and enjoyed my meal again. Worth the drive from Verona for a change.

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great service, awesome beer selection, and a menu with something for everyone. Love watching the world go buy on the large patio.

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Went here for Valentine's day, great service, nice lighting and a few TV's to peek at during dinner.

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    Page 1 of 6

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    Bandit Tacos & Coffee

    Bandit Tacos & Coffee

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    Have you ever wanted to grab a short rib taco alongside some pozole and maybe even a churro and…read morethen wash it all down with a nice cold brew or old fashioned all while enjoying a stellar playlist while sitting next to a train car? Well if so, do I have the place for you! Bandit Tacos & Coffee is a mashup of a few of my favorite things that I never knew I needed. While the tacos and Mexican inspired dishes and drinks are more focused on via the menu, the coffee shop vibe is the true essence of this space. The vibe is coffee shop that happens to serve tacos and margaritas too. The space is delightfully thought out from the seating to artwork, plants and even the music. We popped in for coffee and went with a classic Nitro Brew with Oat Milk and a Dirty Horchata. The drinks were stellar. I sipped on my cold brew for a while, and my buddy enjoyed his horchata. The horchata is fairly thick, so when he needed a little more coffee so he could get every drop they were happy to top him off at no charge. The tacos and food here are elevated taqueria style with fresh made masa/corn tortillas with the location from and the actual corn on display near the coffee tap. Prices were standard for both the coffee and food. Well worth on either end. Overall, we really enjoyed Bandit Tacos & Coffee. I have a growing list of repeat spots to visit and this spot is high on that list!

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    4.3
    (103 reviews)
    6.2 mi
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    Finally got in here to dine in, and it was just as lovely as expected. We came here for lunch with…read morea group of six and had a wonderful time. Service was fantastic and they were very helpful with taking our order and explaining anything on the menu. We found a table and they brought us over chips/salsa/queso. All of these were so good and it was a struggle not to eat it all... I wanted to enjoy my tacos. Everyone in our group enjoyed their food and there were absolutely zero leftovers remaining! My two pastor and one steak tacos were overflowing with yummy goodness and I was definitely full afterwards! It's so nice that you can order tacos a la carte (or you can go the full meal and get the rice and beans etc, but I never eat them) for a reasonable price. I did squeeze my limes over the tacos, but they were so good as is I didn't even sample the salsas they brought to the table. It was the start of my day so I didn't get to enjoy an adult beverage, but certainly plan to be back again.

    I think the first time or two I was at this place I didn't have as good of an impression of this…read moreplace. My previous view was based hugely upon the poor customer experience that I had endured. But two weeks ago I returned because I was seriously craving a taco and the other nearby place had finally convinced me they were second rate. (I wrote a small bit, about that location, not more than a couple weeks back. I won't name it, but I rather hope these words will be taken to heart and affect change) But upon my reentry to this place I was beyond pleasantly surprised. Eduardo, the owner whom I have since met, is the reason why I have returned. An active and dedicated team needs their captain. So trying to reimagine the perfect taco place I had a fresh mindset and I think I was accurate about that choice. Today marks the 6th time in roughly 2 weeks. Basic ground beef tacos with onions, cilantro and some lime. Cheap and delicious. Absolutely not a bastardized low fat gringo taco. Not at all. Heavy on the filling and tasty. It's only missing one ingredient: spice. The orders include a pair of sauces, a green and red plastic cup with something resembling a hot sauce. Tuesday is a $1 ground beef taco. Sparse but not lacking in the meat. So glad I tried again. Eduardo has a key quality that makes a place feel welcoming. Friendly, and informative about the foods that are available. I don't speak Spanish, aside from simple jargon that every English speaker has to have as their basic vocabulary, even in regular American speak day to day situations. The place vibrates with a lot of ethnic authenticity right here in my Middleton neighborhood where I've lived now for 15 of my 25 years in Wisconsin.

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    Pastor and Steak Tacos
    Pastor and Steak Tacos
    Chips & Salsa brought to the table
    Chips & Salsa brought to the table
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    Bear & Bottle - pubs - Updated June 2026

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