Another year of the taste of Madison, in the books!!! So much fun as always!! Great food and…read moreeveryone was really nice and helpful.

I am a big fan of all festivals, specially when there are great foods and music to enjoy. Taste…read moreof Madison fits this bill very well. I haven't attended for a number of years, and I was excited to be back once again. This year we got there early on opening day. The weather was clearing, but there was a little rain still coming down. We decided to take one "lap" around the square to make a plan of attack for the many food choices. Fortunately, within that 30-45 mins, the weather cleared.... But it also brought a mass of humanity! The lines at all of the "blue ribbon" winning stands where extremely long. Pretty much a 15 min wait, which was a bit of a let down because we were heading to the Badger Game and just didn't have the time to wait that long at all the stands we wanted to try. I was also let down by the prices. Like everything, I know things have gone up. But $4.29 for a bottle of water? Come on... I'm used to these prices at many events, but why at Taste of Madison? Not sure if I'll be back. With each dish being $5-6 and drinks being the price they are, I'd rather just read the web sight and just go to the businesses that look most intriguing, without waiting in line and standing while I eat with a plastic fork. Maybe it was the day and time that I attended that led to the longer lines than I remember. This event is still something I'd recommend. The capital square is an awesome location for this event, and it IS fun to listen to the great music, and if you are going to make a whole day out it, the lines may not bother you.

We enjoyed a lovely Sunday morning at the Northside Farmers Market. This farmers market is located…read morein the parking lot in front of Willy Street Co-op. It's a really large space and has plenty of parking all around it. They had everything you could hope for; micro greens, baked goods, produce, meat, personal care items, live music and more! Several booths were offering samples to try before purchasing. We enjoyed trying cheese curds and baked goods from various stands. The live music was a really nice touch. People were dancing and singing as they were browsing the different booths. It was a lovely morning and we got to take plenty of delicious produce home with us. We will be back!

Wonderful small farmers market with....actual farmers! Eggs,…read morelamb, cheese, beef and pork all local. Alot of whatever is seasonal and not alot of everything else. A few truly authentic food stands and more friendly folks than you could chat with. I love its intimate size and knowing that I now have 'a guy' for nearly anything local and organic.

The Monona Farmer's Market is where it's at!…read more IF you like the following few things... 1) A smaller market, with fewer people. 2) A good selection of products, ranging from fresh produce, to bake goods, to dog treats, to FRESH lemonade. 3) FREE parking, right next to the market, let me say this again, FREE parking RIGHT NEXT to the market. I do have a couple vendors that I regularly visit. 1. Chippy's popcorn- the popcorn and fresh lemonade are delicious 2. K and C bakery- Ohhhhh the cookies!!!!! 3. Spark Spices- the spice blends are AMAZING 4. Natalie's Greenhouse- the fresh veggies and hanging basket flowers are top notch!

One of the smallest farmers' markets in Madison, but also one of the friendliest. They have live…read moremusic every week and picnic tables where you can snack, enjoy the music, and soak up some sun on an easy Sunday morning. Of course they have fruits, veggies, popcorn, interesting looking mushrooms, jellys and jams, salsas, and flowers, but Farmer Johns' Cheeses, Stalzy's Deli baked goods, and Stella's famous cheese bread is represented here too. You can even score some rare items like ghost and fatali peppers toward the end of the summer. They even have a Hmong family that have a stall that pumps out egg rolls, stuffed chicken wings, bubble tea, and chicken for there or to go. Feel free to hang out and make the rounds, talk to the farmers, have a bite, and listen to a few tunes. If you are pressed for time before football starts on a Sunday, simply park in Ahuska Park, grab what you need, and be out in less than 5 minutes. Enjoy and support local businesses and families.

I stopped by this place on a Sunday noon. The place was empty at that time. Inside the place had…read morenice vibes. There were a lot of toys. This is a good place to go with kids. I had a mini pancake and thought it was good. Horchata was ok. They also have CedarCrest ice cream.

Really fun and unique eats and treats in a cute setting. Games at every table for the kiddos and…read moreeverything was fun and tasty to eat!

This is a small neat shop in slightly outside of Madison. It is mostly chocolate shoppe ice cream…read morehere. Most of the folks were having a wafer cone (which I think is home made) with one or 2 scoops of ice cream. There was some nice lollipops and candy as well in the store. I went for one of their photogenic milk shakes. Cherry chocolate chip shake with a new york cheesecake on top. It tastes as good as it looks.

I could not be more excited that we have something like this in the Madison area! Creekside has so…read moremuch to offer; ice cream, milkshakes (n/a or boozy), root beer or sherbet floats (n/a or boozy), tons of Candy, party decor, and so much more! These fun milkshakes are the type you see in NYC and LA. They decorate the sides of the glasses, load up the toppings with local desserts in the milkshakes (like the cookie cups and cakes from Miggy's Bakes), have the cutest rainbow logo on the glasses, and are just delicious! The store itself is SO cute and instagramable. They have a gorgeous selfie wall that basically looks like a mural of Candy land. There are cute rainbows and decor everywhere that really adds to the vibe. They also go all out when decorating for private parties, go check out their Instagram, it's insane! The service is great and the staff is super friendly. They're really quick at making these complex desserts as well. They do a lot of cool things like handing out ''kindness tokens'' when employees see people in the community doing any acts of kindness. I love the concept of the business; focused on kindness, crafting unique and delicious desserts, supporting other local businesses, and making the inside cute and welcoming to all! I'm already addicted and keep returning for more. Go check Creekside Scoop out!!

Just off highway 12, you can get a real taste of Wisconsin from the Piggly Wiggly parking lot…read more A local cadre of Boy Scouts/Kiwanis/Assorted Other Local Organizations faithfully maintains a brat stand here in warmer weather. Eager scouts and their beaming parents will hand you a hot brat, homemade kraut, chopped onions, and all the toppings, ready for you to look out over the scenic view of....Phillips Blvd. But hey, it's kind of awesome! You're eating a brat. Next to the Pig "The First Self Service Grocery Store". Which is also next to a Culvers with a plaque commemorating that the first location was established in Sauk City (Whoa!). It's just a very happy Wisconsin feeling.

The brat was amazing…read more This stand seems to be manned by different folks, depending on the day, but with onions and sauerkraut, it's a great stop. I've passed this place a dozen times without stopping, but after today, I'll be stopping every time.

Let me set the record straight on this one!…read more For the last 3 years I have been coming here just about every Tuesday when the market is open. They have just about all the essentials of a perfect Madison farmers market. Farmers Johns' Cheese with its ever popular, extremely fresh cheese curds and award winning cheeses. The Christensen's Farm holds down the organic produce with squashes, greens, cukes, kolrabi, melons, corn, eggs, and always delivers with a smile. Thanks Kady and family and I have had a marketshare with them for the last 3 years and keep returning. Adam at Roots Down provides the tomatoes, sprouts, garlic's, some of the hottest peppers in the world, and everything in between. Origin Bread brings the pizzetta, foaccia, and baguettes, plus some granola. Try the date and goat cheese focaccia, it is pretty bomb. The Bachhuber Family Farm comes with the spiciest arugula around, green salad mixes, herbs, and a variety of other fresh produce. Chrysalis Pops has the local popsicles for sale that acts as supported employment for folks with mental illness and are perfect on a hot day. Sitka Salmon Shares have the Coho and Keta frozen from Alaska. Plus, other vendors have flowers, baked goods, apples and ciders, frozen meats and pizzas, berries, jams, and honey. There is always live music and if you are lucky enough you can catch Madison's own, Beni Daiko, a Korean drum band play some unique tunes! So stop by McPike Park and get to know your farmers and cheese and meat mongers, picnic on the grass, enjoy some free music, have a beer (BYOB), and be thankful that this is the opposite of a food desert. Enjoy!

Love this market. It's just big enough to have everything you need and still easy to access. Even…read morehas some more unusual veggies, mushrooms, and meat.

Great variety of vendors, tons of parking, and consistently fantastic produce and baked goods.read more

I love this farmers market. It's especially fun on a fall Saturday morning. They have beautiful…read moreflowers, pumpkins, produce, etc. I stopped and made purchases at many vendors but I was specifically looking for apples. I love the Ten Eyck Orchard stand. They let you sample different apples. All of the vendors are so kind, friendly, and helpful. I love supporting these local farmers. I always end up with something I wasn't planning on getting. This time I got some delicious pumpkin honey and I came home with a few white and pastel pumpkins, they were too pretty to pass up. I typically try to arrive just before 8am. I like to make sure I can get some bread from Madison Sourdough before they sell out. The parking is really easy and nice that you can park so close so you can make trips to your car if needed. I really enjoy this farmers market because they have many vendors but it's never too crowded and has a nice neighborhood farmers market vibe. There aren't tons of tourists like the downtown market, it's all locals. Highly recommend!