Love this place, a definite need for gamers in Madison! One part LAN computer gaming, one part…read moreopen tables for collectible card and board games, TV video game lounges, and most importantly a bar. It's rare these days to see such variety in one spot, and their prices for both drinks and rentals are completely reasonable. My friends and I hung out for hours and got great service from the staff and had an overall fantastic time. This is the hidden gem that needs to be less hidden, highly recommend a visit. They have Magic the Gathering casual commander games on Thursdays, a discord, VR simulators, and excellent long hours. Finca and JDs are next door too for some delicious food to sustain the long sessions in addition to snacks onsite. Grab a few friends and definitely check them out! 10/10

I had the opportunity to be a regular and go to isthmian 2-3 times a week during my temporary stay…read morein Wisconsin for an internship and Isthmian and its employees made me feel so at home! The feel of the place was so nice and the low lights made the gaming experience even more immersive! I really appreciate the employees who knew me by name and were there whenever i had a gaming itch! I would definitely recommend this place and would absolutely go back if I was still in the city!

Gotta love a sports themed bar hosting a Harry Styles night!…read more Hook & Fade showed up in my Instagram last October. I presume this is because I follow Harry Styles. Advertised as a if you could not make it to Harry's concerts in Chicago (I was at the Friday night concert and Harry had been in residency all week) to party here, this Saturday night special event at Hook & Fade was a great post-concert event for me. And I would venture other HS fans in the area who went to the shows. I've never heard of the bar before and I'm not a golf player. In talking to staff I learned they'd been open about a year and the golf simulators rent by time. My party arrived about 9 o'clock and asked for the themed drink menu. We found an open golf simulator room and it had plenty of casual, comfortable seating and tables. Loved the music playing throughout the bar went all the way back to One Direction's first album up to Harry's current release! It was a chill vibe, good volume on the tracks so fans like me could groove but also talk to group members! Not a golf playing group, there was interest in coming back another day to try the simulators. Golfers should come here like now. I liked that there was privacy to each room even through the open concept. Only negative was we went back to the bar to order the fourth of the four Styles themed drinks and were told they were closing. This was 10 before 10 o'clock pm on 10/15/22. So felt a little rushed when we had another hour or two and a try at the golf sim left in us. Hours show midnight now. Going to a bar we expected later hours. You may want to check hours before you go when planning your night!

If you're an avid golfer, winter in Wisconsin can be a real downer. Thankfully, there's been a…read morerise in golf simulators in our area. A friend and I were itching to hit a round, so we headed over to Hook and Fade. He had been there before, but this was my first time. The place is really nice - very clean with a dark-wood upscale feel. They only have a bar - no food, but you can bring some in (or have it delivered). When we were there, it was right at opening, and it was pretty quiet, which I really enjoyed. We selected from the many courses available, and played 18 holes. I loved it. Their simulators have great technology, utilizing two cameras to monitor your swing. The tee platform will tilt and change depending on your lie, so there's an element of realism there. I felt the simulators interpreted my game pretty accurately. Putting on simulators will always be sketchy, but I thought it was acceptable. If I worked downtown, I'd likely get the general membership ($99/mo gets you 4 rounds - 2 off peak, 2 during peak). That's quite the value. I will definitely come here again. I wouldn't say it beats a real, live round of golf - but it's a great "fix" during bad weather, and probably the only way I'll ever golf Pebble Beach, Spyglass, St. Andrews, etc!

My group and I came on a Monday afternoon to complete the Military Espionage room. I was already a…read morelittle off put by the lobby area because it felt more like an office than an escape room. The room we went into had some cool gadgets and gears but lacked a lot of props and decor. I took off a couple of stars because our room was not set up properly prior to our start. We spent most of our time on one puzzle and we were still able to finish but had to use many hints. When we walked out, we asked the game master about this particular puzzle and he realized that it had not been set up so we would have never been able to get our next clue. Had this room been properly set up, we should have gotten out with almost 30 minutes to spare. It's only $20 per person which is cheaper than most escape rooms. However, I felt that the puzzles were more simple than my past experiences. If you've never done an escape room, give this place a try! But if you consider yourself a veteran, maybe pass on this place.

This is a great escape room. It's well thought out and a lot of fun to solve. They indicated they…read moremay be moving soon and we'll definitely be back to try the new rooms. There are red herrings for larger groups so as to make it more difficult. There can be easy, medium or more challenging adventures depending on the size of your group. If you want to have a fun family or a team building experience, definitely give this a try.

Came here for my birthday with the girls and had a fun time! The space was clean, trendy and open…read more There are a total of 6 simulators (1 in a private room) and many sports options, to my surprise! The simulator rate is $20/hour (weeknight rate). Plenty of seating at the bar--along with a lounge'y space with a cute backdrop for photo-ops! I recall four beers on tap, and no drink specials. However, the menu did have a variety of "upscale" bar food! We ordered a fair amount but I only remember eating the curds (3/5) and fried green beans (5/5), which was my fave! PROS: I loved that we were able to try a variety of activities at our own pace! Each area had seating, enough for 6-7 people (sofas or bar stool/counter). Alcohol wipes were available. Music level was good and lighting slightly dimmed--great ambience! We got to chat with Collin (the owner) about his vision and learned that the simulators can pretty much play anything! This means events held here can be both adult AND kid-friendly--woo hoo! Just try not to bring a stroller here, as it's on the second floor with steep steps. Looking forward to more events here...and to what becomes of the outdoor space! CONS: We came on a Tuesday, so there was only one person working the bar + kitchen. Service was a slow as it got busy, and later into the night. There are only two private restrooms (which were nice and clean!). I can see this being a problem, especially for a place that can hold 100+ people. Will be back for more indoor fun!

I absolutely love going to 7 Iron Social! It is located downtown Madison right on State Street and…read moreis perfect for groups! We've booked a simulator for several birthdays and other special occasions. They have tons of games to choose from on the simulators; golf, baseball, basketball, zombie dodgeball, soccer, and more! It is so much fun when you get a good simulators! We've noticed that some simulators don't work as well or maybe aren't aligned. Some of the equipment they provide is faulty as well. When everything is working well, it's a 5/5 star experience! They also have food and drinks you can purchase while you are playing. I've only tried one of the appetizers but I haven't tried the rest of the food. The appetizer my group got was delicious and the drinks are always good as well. The bartenders and servers are wonderful as well. They are alway super helpful and friendly. They do have happy hour and other specials as well so keep an eye out for those. Overall, if they make sure the simulators are working properly and replace the broken equipment, 7 Iron would be a consistent 5/5 experience in my opinion.

I highly recommend this place for get togethers. Clean, spacious, good…read moreacoustics, delicious food, great service & good specials.

I love coming here! They keep the drinks coming even with busy crowds…read more It's a total Wisco vibe with memorabilia for days! I mean... thousands of priceless/highly collectible items. Bartenders on Wednesday are always the same. They get to know you and order preferences. Lots of options for playing pool, shuffle board, darts. Volleyball and cornhole leagues year round.

Took my 3 year old here and he LOVED it! I personally preferred the course outside on the right…read moreside and didn't really care for the indoor one, but still all fun. Restaurant was good. My kiddo ate most of his burger and chips! Bathrooms clean. Ice cream place was yummy!

Babe's at Vitense has excellent food and drinks right where there's lots of fun to be had! Their…read morecovered open air patio even has cooling fans and sports TV. Such a lovely space. We tried out Babe's at Vitense for a weekday lunch. The restaurant has lots of natural light and beautiful golf-related photo enlargements covering the walls. We both were impressed by the food: Fried cod sandwich with side salad and a cheeseburger with house-made potato chips. The breading on the cod was stellar with the perfect crunch and peppery flavor. Memorable dishes that make us want to return!

Literally have no idea how this place has 4 stars. The regulars are absolutely terrible (minus a…read morefew decent ones) and basically own the bar. Good if you want to be overcharged for drinks unless you're an old man.

I walked in this bar and could not stop laughing, the crowd that was there was such a hoot…read more Gretchen the bartender was great, it was an all around fun time. It is a neighborhood bar so everyone knew everyone.

We have a great time every time we visit high noon saloon. We usually sit in the very small seating…read moresection upstairs but occasionally get down right to the band on the floor. This time we opted for upstairs seating and went downstairs to grab a couple of drinks just prior to the show starting. The beverage service is generally prompt even though at times there can be a long lines. The biggest joy is hearing these small bands perform and hoping for them that they make it to the big time!

A lovely 400 seat capacity venue complete with a loft that features tables and chairs. From the…read morestreet, the space is available for lease, but on the backside it's all business. The wife and I were in town and had come to see Not Quite Brothers (Iowa) which have a phenomenal mixed set list that covers more decades than their age would suggest. In fact, I'm pretty sure the majority of the crowd were older than the band. Regardless, a good time was had by all. I'm pretty sure this Saturday night show was wrapped up and had a bow put on it by 10 or 10:30pm. I would totally come see a show here again and would totally see NQB again. One interesting thing to note about NQB, is that once they hit the stage, they played non-stop until they were done, no breaks, came back for an encore set and done \m/