An excellent Wednesday evening. We got there a little before our 5pm reservation and were seated in…read morea booth immediately. The booth seemed a little small compared to other places, but doable. The area we were in was low to mid volume, which made for easy conversation. The wider open area was quite a bit louder and much more crowded. The folks in that area looked like they were having fun too. Water came immediately and then our waiter shortly after. Beers all around. The tap/bottle list is not extensive but covers most common types. I and my son lean toward IPA's, and the example we had three pints of was really good and really cold. The pint glasses were filled to I swear within 1/16" from the rim. How our guy got them to our table without spilling a drop remains a mystery. Babe had a Miller Lite (no accounting for taste...). We had a starter platter of bacon-wrapped dates, firecracker shrimp and cheese curds. All three were terrific. "Firecracker" means spicy, and the shrimp were moderately spicy without ripping your lips off. Too hot for Babe but just right for son and I. Curds were above average. The dates were filled with something, maybe cream cheese? Good stuff. My entree was a full rack of ribs. Fall off the bone delicious. It came in two stacked halves to fit on the normal size dinner plate. I could only eat a quarter of it - so much meat! Son had firecracker shrimp pizza. It looked to be between 12 and 14". He said it was very good. Babe had some sort of salad with chicken, and was very happy with it. Our waiter was quick, efficient, friendly, and stopped by several times to unobtrusively ask if anything was needed (yes, more beer please). Thanks to the portion sizes, we all took a bunch home for later. The prices were reasonable for what to me is an upscale eatery, made even better by the fact that I'll get another two meals out of my leftover ribs. Completely satisfied - I'll be back.

Although we weren't super hungry, we wanted a nice restaurant with outside seating for a good drink…read moreand dinner! Service was prompt and we ordered drinks which were excellent. Loved the ahi tuna salad and the salmon entree with 2 sides... perfect meal!

This is one of my fav casual lunch spots in madison. I usually get the turkey sandwich with a side…read moreof potato salad. You order at the counter and the staff bring your food out to you. If you're a millennial like me, you will likely enjoy the ambience of this place - it has wall to wall memorabilia from my youth, and it's always playing peak millennial movies. Highly recommend.

We went here before a concert at the Sylvee and it was a great choice. The service was quick and…read morefriendly. I think we got our drinks within 1-2 minutes of ordering and our sandwiches in less than 10 minutes. There were a couple outdoor tables and the indoors were retro and cozy. I would return!

At first glance, the place presents itself as a neighborhood dive--a worn-in local haunt where the…read moredécor is secondary to the conversation. But the illusion fades the moment a Bloody Mary arrives at the table. This is a bar that takes its craft seriously. The cocktail was thoughtfully prepared and balanced, revealing an attention to detail rarely found in establishments trading on casual charm alone. The atmosphere is equally compelling: lively without being chaotic, welcoming without feeling manufactured. It possesses the kind of authenticity that cannot be designed or replicated. In an era of increasingly curated hospitality, this remains a genuinely local gathering place--unpretentious, distinctive, and unmistakably its own.

We like our walleye and eggs for breakfast, and decided to try out the Squirrel's Nest. It is a…read moresmall establishment with a bar to the left and seating area, to the right, with two smaller tables on the side of the bar. We arrived about 10:00 am, and it was packed. It was very loud with people talking, due to the small space. We sat at our table and waited awhile for a server, but didn't know if we needed to order at the bar. After a while, a waitress arrived to take our order. She was very joyful and friendly. We both ordered the walleye and eggs, which included hashbrowns and toast. My husband added cheese and onions on the hashbrowns at no extra cost. We also ordered a Bloody Mary, which came with a chaser. They arrived with a spear of mozzarella cheese, pimento olive, smoked sausage, and a dill pickle. The walleye had a nice thin crust and the eggs and hashbrowns were cooked perfectly. My better half said that he didn't taste any onions in the hashbrowns and they used American cheese, which made them runny. It was a good breakfast, and we enjoyed our time there. However, due to the loudness, we probably won't go back, as it was hard to have a conversation. Be aware that they only take cash, but they do have an ATM in the building. This establishment definitely had a great atmosphere and service, with friendly staff.

Ate lunch at Circ today and ordered the salad bar. There was a nice variety including fajitas and a…read morecouple dessert choices. My husband suggests they offer bread or rolls with the salad bar and I agree. We parked in the underground parking and they gave us complimentary parking but you have to ask.

CIRC proclaims itself as Madison's favorite salad bar and I can now confirm that it is mine. Just a…read moremassive salad bar overall with all the fixings you could wish for. Also included, small hand sandwiches, soups, and deserts. Oh that must cost a ton right? Wrong--$15. The starters were great to start with as well. I went with the meatballs and the walleye strips and they were both fantastic! CIRC inside the concourse is definitely a solid place to come for lunch.

Food: 5 Service: 5…read moreUniqueness: 5 ---------------------------------------------- This is my favorite restaurant in Madison. Full stop. I had to leave a review because I'm incensed at how low the rating somehow is. Chef Tori is dope. We've been here twice - both times for our anniversary and each time the meal was 100% memorable. The staff are warm and have a way of making the meal feel like a secret being shared just with us. They had personal recommendations and favorites and the wine pairings were absolutely outstanding. I'm more of a beer guy, but this place might convince me to try some new things. Both times we've been the menus been completely different so you know they're being creative with what's in season. The bites are hard to describe how they can be equal parts comforting and familiar yet wholly unique. Last year they had some sort of white fish ceviche type thing that may have been my best bite of my life. I got a second order because they explained how items don't really repeat because chef tweaks even familiar ingredients as they rotate in. It's a hefty price tag but well worth it for a special occassion.

Hello! L'Etoile was just what we like. Coursed meals and foodie type dishes. Here is our…read moreexperience: As we are new to area we were given a champagne as a welcome gift and it was very nice, then a small treat like a cake crouton with a cheddar and kimchi spread on top with a sparkling Rose, kinda of a savory treat and palate cleanser, then a Amuse Bouche like a deconstructed BLT bite, very tasty and creative! 1st Course: Fluke Crudo, with a drizzle. Had apples, grapes, and cucumber with peanuts something was spicy maybe the drizzle but not a put off ..just a punch I was not expecting ..this was pretty good. For a 6 course meal as the first dish it was quite large. Wine: Dry German Riesling. 2nd Dish: Gorgonzola and pear ravioli, in a sage butter cream sauce ..tasty and good portion. Ravioli was perfect aldente ... Wine: French Vouvray was nice But then they bring you baguette with mushroom butter..I mean kill me with the carbs!! lol the bread was amazing in the sage butter sauce we forgot about mushroom butter . 3rd dish: Alaskan Halibut over an eggplant ragu, although it was very good the eggplant ragu was not my favorite so the fish by itself was a bit salty. But the entire dish in one bite with ragu and sweet relish/paste on top was a balanced bite and I appreciated the flavor balance all together . Wine: Pinot noir: thought it might be strange but paired well with the red sauce and eggplant 4th dish : heirloom Tomato and some poached tomatoes, with a masa topping in a buerre blanc type sauce the sauce was tasty . Seemed like a play on a salted tomato steak, with some greens on top. The masa came off very salty and the dish was very acidic. I understand the play between two savory dishes for the palate..just was not our favorite. The smaller tomatos were delicious. Wine: herbaceous white wine almost poured with green hint , but paired well. 5th dish: ribeye with broccoli, smoked bacon, small potato ball, in a wine reduction . This was pretty good..again certain things individually were over salty..broccoli salty, wondering if steak was dry brined or aged but it was still delicious, bacon by itself pretty smoky. When all of dish together was great flavors. Wine: a leap frog cab: had a very earthy Brettomyacin type yeasty smell and tip of tongue..or it was going bad but I doubt that. They also gave us a small taste of another cab that was more traditional dry and fruit forward cab . This was much appreciated. 5th dish: maple cake ..wife had this but I subbed for basil ice cream...wow basil ice cream was amazing with the wine pairing. The maple cake was a lot for my palate so glad I subbed so i didn't waste a desssrt. Wine: a semi sweet bubbly moscato. Not my favorite usually but balanced well with basil ice cream, although it was paired for maple cake and under why the cake was heavy spiced like apple maple cake..not my palate lover but I got the concept ... Would recommend people who have the funds or adventurous please come visit this place, awesome people, atmosphere, and views of the capital. Overall we give 4 stars : volume of food for money incredible, but smaller portion and pleasurable bites versus not finishing plates and over stuffed would be better value IMO. Service: our host and server were amazing, they were engaging and checked on us often. Only compliments to them well done. The runners of food were awesome also. Summary: really good food, great service, wine pairings and food volume great for people who can eat that much food. At end of day we got 3-5 extra bites, and bread on top of taste menu, a couple dishes were salty but overall we had a great experience ..we will be back thank you very much for a wonderful experience. The place is beautiful and we enjoyed our experience. Thank you L'Etoile

Such a cute concept for a converted old mill! Nancy and her team do tasty, fresh-milled bread…read moreloaves and serve a delicious meal of comfort food. The tossed garden salad was fresh. The mashed red-skin potatoes were very flavorful. Baked chicken and shredded meet with au jus - yum! We dined in the spacious upper room. The stiff back chairs were not comfortable after hours of driving, but we were there to focus on the region's history and the stories. Service was efficient and inviting. The moist carrot cake was a standout. Do try it! All in all, a good time.

Sunday brunch features mostly very delicious food: fantastic chicken wild rice soup, extra crisp…read morebacon, savory meatloaf, powerful bread pudding, etc. Some things should have the salt dialed back. Very friendly staff. Nice atmosphere.

We had been at this spot a few years ago when it was a different establishment so we were eager to…read moretry it under the guidance of I believe the folks who own Rare (we love their happy hour). We grabbed an outside table on their small patio since it was a nice night. I did not get a good look at the inside but it appeared that one end was dedicated to arcade games.... Our waitress was friendly but both times the drinks from the bar took a long time to get delivered. The second time the woman who appeared to be the manager was outside and we asked about our missing drink - she did get it but she seemed a bit surly. We ordered some cheese curds for our visitor from out of state - they were pretty typical. Two in our group ordered the Walleye fish sandwich which they both thought was very good. I opted for the lobster roll - it was disappointing. Tiny bits of lobster and alot of filler. Definitely not worth the price (especially since I recently had a really good one at a new seafood place in One Social Food Hall downtown). Overall a mixed bag.

Came here to partake in Burger Week and enjoyed the fun decor and creative food combinations…read more Servers were friendly and our order was accurate. They have a small game room with skee ball and slots. Added an extra layer of competitive fun to our evening. There is a parking lot behind the building and some street out front.

Fantastic vibe in this place. Great service and good drinks. The standout is the food. 4 of us…read moresplit a bunch of items. Spicy cheese wontons were amazing - the sauce was the star. Dumplings were also great - super dipping sauce with lots of peanuts (might have been a special that night). Dan Dan Noodles, 3 cup chicken were also very, very good. I am a pizza lover and I'd say the Sausage pizza with Chevre, red onion and pepperoncini is in my top 5 all time! I wholeheartedly recommend this place. Unless you are stuffy and pretentious and hippie-types turn you off.

for me this place was recommended from one of the other restaurants or bars. It was OK I would say…read morefor me. It was nothing to write home about the food was very mediocre at the service was OK and the ambience was old and great if you're looking for something different this might be a good place for you to visit