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    Hot Lunch

    4.7 (66 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Hot Lunch Photos

    Business Info

    HOT LUNCH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Hot Lunch

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    Reviews With Photos

    Italian beef
    Aurora A.

    What a fun place!! Very throwback in the decor and vibe inside. Love the servers saying "find a menu, find a seat, when you know what you want, come see me". Ordered the Italian beef with Muenster cheese. AMAZING. Didn't even need the jus but it was also delicious. Loved how they used a Pokémon card to show your order instead of a traditional number. Only took off a star because you can't add or take items away on the menu. I get it, but how hard is it to slap a piece of cheese on another sandwich. The bathroom also smelled pretty bad. Other than that I would definitely try other menu items!

    Ellena K.

    Chill, nostalgic sandwich spot with great late-night hours. Order at the bar and bus your own table. Service was fast and staff were super friendly: The pulled chicken sandwich was my favorite very flavorful and the chicken was super moist. The slaw was not my favorite, it was very acidic, but good if that's your preference. The pork belly was good too, but not as good as the chicken. Drinks were creative and cheap. Wish I would have tried the dirt cup for desert!

    Tomato Bisque
    Isabella K.

    Went and checked this place out with my partner on a whim. It was good, but nothing mind blowing. The tomato bisque was their seasonal soup when I went yesterday, and it was yummy. My partner had a turkey sandwich and said it was better than he expected. The space itself is small, but really nails the retro theme (80s/90s, specifically). The menu is pretty limited. The staff was great and service was quick. I don't think I'd go out of my way to recommend Hot Lunch to anyone, but I won't discourage people from trying it out. I might return again in the future and try out a sandwich. If I do, I'll be sure to update my review.

    a man sitting at a bar
    Latifah A.

    My second time here and I loved it even more! I love the tuna sandwich and the house orange soda is sooo good! Service is always great. It's such a chill environment. I love the nostalgic decor with the hot wheels and ninja turtles.

    Olivia G.

    I've been here a few times and the food is consistently good and never fails to disappoint. The atmosphere is good, we sat on the patio and it was a beautiful day. The service was fine as well.

    Inside the place
    Anne Marie H.

    I have to be honest that I had a difficult time deciding how many stars to give this place. Today, my daughter and I went there for lunch. We were hoping for a quick bite, but because we got there after four different groups placed their order, we had to wait for about 20 minutes for our sandwiches. I think only two people were working. We paid the counter and then sat down at our table. The staff member served us the food at our table when it was ready. I truly love the vibe of the place. It was a lot of fun! Brought back a lot of memories. I just wish it had been a little cleaner. The dude working behind the bar was awesome; he had a great personality and even sang along to some of the songs playing (like The Cure). Our sandwiches were delicious. My daughter got the classic, and I got the vegan banh mi, which was spicy. I enjoyed the flavor of it, but had a hard time eating it like a sandwich because it was stacked high and the bread was toasted. I probably should've used a fork. I genuinely appreciated the vegan option, but I always wish there were more options than just one. Would like to go here again when I don't feel rushed and can just hang out. Summary: Ambiance 5 stars Staff 5 stars Food 4 stars Wait Time 3 stars Cleanliness 3 stars

    Htx Herbivore H.

    Came here for dinner with friends and really liked the vibes! The sandwiches taste good and are reasonably priced for the portion size. The vegan banh mi was pretty decent. Overall, good service, decent food, and cool atmosphere!

    Hot beef sandwich giardiniera muenster and roasted bell pepper
    Sho R.

    I took out lunch from here on a weekday. One thing I have to agree is that food was really hot when handed over to me. My sandwiches were nicely wrapped in aluminum foil, it was hot even after 30 minutes. Hot beef sandwich giardiniera muenster and roasted bell pepper was my favorite item. It had good flavors. Pulled chicken sandwich was good as well. There were some complimentary candies in the cover. The place has some tables. But the time I went only very few people were dining in.

    Pork belly
    Dynae S.

    This place is for the cool kids! Loved the vibe, the playlist is fire, the decor is nostalgic and the food delivered everything I was seeking and more! I got a meatball sub and my love got a pork belly sandwich. He got the "this is not a sandwich" beer and we definitely will be back! Staff was friendly and attentive. Meatball sub portion was perfect. Definitely go there! Hope this place stays around indefinitely!

    Vegan bahn mi
    Olivia B.

    This place had excellent service and really inventive menu items. Very retro space with a nice bar as well. This place was also very clean and homey/was the perfect pit stop for dinner.

    Classic 2.0
    Naomi C.

    Day 3 in Madison. Saw a neon sandwich sign across the street from my new place. Well, how lucky am I? The Classic 2.0 was perfection. Friendly staff and a chill atmosphere with good music. Wonderful. I see late night sandwiches in my future. 10/10 would recommend.

    Amazing!!! Such a cool spot. Love the decor. Food was spectacular. I will be back!! I had the turkey style Reuben sammich. I want to try the whole menu. Great spot! Service was great too!

    House Grape Soda

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    7 months ago

    R U kidding me this is by far the best laid back bar and grill around. Parking is so easy off street parking!

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    2 years ago

    Great sandwiches! Had the turkey, great flavor, awesome rye. Others had the Classic, and roast beef, all good. Nice vibe too.

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    Ask the Community - Hot Lunch

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    This stylish bakery and cafe is a great place for lunch or dinner…read more I had the golden beet Reuben with sauerkraut on their caraway rye bread, which was absolutely delicious! This is a great vegetarian sandwich - I'm not sure if it can be made vegan. The kid's turkey sandwich is really nice and comes on a freshly baked roll with a generous side of fresh fruit-it doesn't come with mayo or another spread, so you might want to ask for. The bread was delicious and I was sad, but not surprised, there were almost no loaves left for purchase. The only negative was the greens served with the sandwich. The mixed greens were fresh, but had almost no dressing or any other veggies or toppings included.

    Date of visit: January 25, 2026…read more This was highly-rated by fellow Yelpers and a quick two-block drive from our hotel, so we were anxious to see what Madison Sourdough had to offer. Staff were very friendly, especially Onah R at the register. And the treats that we took home were fantastic: - Chocolate Chip Cookie. Slight crunch on the rim and then soft on the inside. - Molasses Cookie. The same as chocolate chip, but even better with a thick chewy center that I didn't want to end. Kouign Amman - Not as good as what we had in Paris, but a solid entry! Unfortunately, breakfast was not their strong suit. My Croque Madame was dry, and the bread was just too thick to enjoy as a sandwich, I had to open it up to be able to eat it. My husband went with the biscuit sandwich and that too was dry from what I had as I helped him finish it. On the plus side the Banana Caramel Latte was a winner. Would definitely come back for the treats, just not breakfast!

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    We absolutely loved the immersive experience at Nook! The shared dining experience was social but i…read morewas still able to have conversation with the person I came with. We could tell a lot of thought went into the design and flow of the evening. Every dish was beautifully presented, flavorful, and full of creative twists on classic favorites. Like the strawberry tomato soup and the corn blueberry ice cream. The bison and other meat dishes were perfectly done and high quality. t's clear that the chefs take pride in crafting dishes that are both inventive and approachable, with local ingredients. I was also happy to find out they'll box up any courses you can't finish, which is great if you want to plan ahead for what to eat and what to take home. Already hoping I can get a reservation to go back.

    I have been WAITING to come here and I was not disappointed. Honestly, if you want to try Nook (and…read moreyou should if you can) I would go in with no expectations and just experience it -- meaning stop reading this review after the first paragraph because it might give some spoilers. To start, reservations. They open a few months in advance at midnight on the first of the month... sucks for anyone not usually up at midnight but worth it. I locked in my reservation date at 12:03am, a coworker was also trying to get a reservation for the same month and it was sold out by 12:06am when he tried. So, know your date ahead of time, click refresh constantly starting at 11:59pm, and Godspeed! Now to my experience. I'm not usually wild about the 12course restaurants you see in Chicago or New York. The space is uppity, the people are obnoxious, and the food is... usually just fine. This is truly a Madison and a Wisconsin spin on that pretentious kind of environment, and it is so down to earth. It's a personal experience with the chef and staff that you can't get in the big city. They explain each meal and often would tell you where the ingredients came from nearby... sometimes the chef's backyard. There is one seating per night at 6:30pm and everyone is sitting together. The plates are served individually to each person, and technically there are six 2-person tables assembled together about 3-4 inches from one another to make a sort of single long table. I'd sort of been picturing one single long table, but this worked just fine. My party of 2 was near the middle, so it was fun to be able to have some inclusion on conversations on both side of the table.  And the food. Wow. Continuing the Wisconsin spin on a 12 course (this being 13 course) meal, these are not tiny plates. While each one is not a solo big meal, they are larger than I expected and I was legitimately full after course #4. And we hadn't even gotten to the "mains" at that point! They do box parts of the meal up for you if it's conducive to leftovers. That gave me dinner the next night as well. So pace yourself, and if it's something that would function as leftovers, try it and move on. I did the wine pairing with it, and they were also generous pours (9 of them) -- consider an Uber. I'm not a wine-o, but I figured when in Rome.... go all out. The wines actually did complement each meal really well.  This is a unique experience of fine dining you WILL not get at the fancy restaurants. If you are a foodie, this is a must. It's super low key, come as you are. We had people at our table in hooded sweatshirts and people in nice dresses as if they were ready for the symphony. All were welcome and nobody was judged. The chef is hilarious, the staff is so much fun and I was laughing constantly. They are truly part of the experience almost as much as the food itself. If this in in your budget, it is worth the stress of getting a reservation. Bravo. Oh, and if it's not obvious -- yes, the food is incredible.

    Hot Lunch - sandwiches - Updated May 2026

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