An awesome hidden-gem, locals spot. I was in town for work and looking for a place to get soup on a particularly cold evening. Found Madison's and sat at the bar to order. Meg behind the bar was amazing and quickly took my drink and food orders, giving me recommendations. I enjoyed a couple local beers as well as the combination salad, but the real winner here was the clam Bisque which was loaded with mushrooms. Portions were very large. Conversation at the bar with the locals was awesome, would definitely come back for some great food, drink, and company. read more

See all

New owners are running this place into the ground. Talk of the town is to avoid this place. The patio sucked us in. Service was okay, you could tell she was overwhelmed. Our food came out and it was cold. Not lukewarm just straight cold. Told the manager. They reheated it back up. The same chicken. I was told they prepared it fresh. Well she didn't see the pieces of chicken that we had cut. In the same position. They 100% simply just reheated the meal in a microwave. It wasn't good. We were lied to. And unfortunately. The town is catching on and staff moral was incredibly low. A few of the other tables by us also had complaints. Won't ride the coattails of the old owners much longer. Don't trust me? Look at the other recent reviews. Nice patio though read more

See all

I've been going to Madison's Café for over 10 years, and it used to be one of my favorite spots in town. Unfortunately, since the new ownership took over, it has changed for the worse--and it's honestly disappointing to say that about a place I've supported for so long. The food is just not what it used to be. Dishes that were once reliable and comforting now feel lower quality and inconsistent. The overall experience feels off, like the care and attention that made this place special is gone. What hurts the most is knowing how good Madison's used to be. This isn't a one-time bad visit--it's a clear shift since the ownership change. I really hope they can turn things around, because longtime customers like me miss what this place once was. read more

Let's face it this place is tired. It has needed a total renovation, a facelift for a while now. My husband and I have dined regularly at Madison's for 30+ years. The ownership has changed. No one can fill the shoes of the previous owner. Don't try, is my advice. Make it your own. Megan waited on us in the bar seating and she did a great job! The food was on time, hot and delicious. The Ambiance needs help. To the new owners, make it your own and give the place new life. read more

Apparently they have new owners a it is not a good change. Worst dining experience in Jefferson City I have had. Wife and I went out for a nice dinner and our food was cold. So cold the butter on my steak would not melt and when they took it back to the kitchen my medium rare steak was microwaved into a medium well steak. The wife's Salmon was cold as well. Waiter tried hard to apologize but all in all will not go back and would warn people about how awful it was. Definitely not the same as what it once was. New owners need to do better at providing better service and food. Truly awful. read more

Madison's Cafe - Italian Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

If it weren't for having experienced the past 40 years under the old ownership, I'd say Madison's is a pretty good restaurant. Sadly, the current version of Madison's simply is not as good as the old Madison's. Although the menu hasn't changed much, the food has. It's just not as good. I don't know if it's the ingredients or the cooking but the old Madison's food was better. The vibe and service has fallen even farther than the food. The place simply doesn't feel like a treat any more. The most recent time we went to dinner at Madison's the server acted like she was running a relay race. She was frantic and in a hurry every time she came to our table. When she brought food she practically slammed it down before rushing off. If we wanted to be treated like we were eating at a diner, we'd go to a diner. We go to Madison's expecting a leisurely, relaxed dinner. We go expecting attentive service. That is not what we got. What's the point of eating at Madison's if you're going to be treated like you're at a fast food place? When we heard the folks who own the winery bought Madison's we were worried since the food up on the hill has never been particularly impressive. Our hope was that the goodness of Madison's would rub off on the winery and the food there would improve. Unfortunately, the opposite (and predictable) thing happened. The unimpressive traits of the winery have flowed down the hill to Madison's. We've eaten at the new Madison's five or six times now. I don't think we've ever had a remarkable experience yet (not a positively remarkable one anyway). As I said initially, the new Madison's is not bad. It just pales in comparison to the old standard. I hope management takes these comments in the spirit intended. You can do better. read more

Visiting from California, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Madison's whilst visiting Jefferson City. We started off with some drinky-drinks and a sliced French bread baguette with butter. For our main dishes, I went with "The Burnt", an open faced filet sammich. My wife selected the chicken japaleno pasta. The sammich was VERY good. I've never had a filet sammich before, and it did not disappoint. Now, that pasta... was... FIRE! Not only because it was SPICY, but also because it was OUT-STANDING. My wife and I like spicy food, but whoa mama! We did not expect the level of spice we got on this pasta. In addition to the spice, it was full of flavor and big thick slices of moist and deliciously seasoned chicken breast. We were so stuffed, we didn't have room for any of the dessert options. The waitress was friendly, and the service was very fast. The interior of the restaurant was huge and beautiful. LOTS of beautiful wood (the floors, the tables, the chairs, the bar, and even some walls) have this place a lot of character and charm. My wife and I both loved our visit to Madison's Cafe, and we highly recommend a visit for anyone visiting Missouri's capitol city. read more

Madison's Cafe - "The Burnt" - open faced filet sammich on frenchy bread - Italian Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

This place has completely changed from the last owner. The food is completely different. The quality is completely different. The portions are completely different. The pricing is extremely higher. Rob had a great restaurant and ran a great products. It's sad to see that change. This was always one of my favorite places to go in the city. read more

I am giving it a better rating because of service. It was great. However when coming into the reception however it was rather unwelcoming. It seemed to burden them to seat us. The dining room is nice but hasn't truly been updated in years. We ordered drinks and I ordered a dirty martini and it wasn't good. Really wasn't even dirty just vodka. My food was which was so dry I could barely swallow it. Not how delicious it has always been in the past. Sad another Jefferson City tradition has rapidly gone down hill. I would definitely choose another restaurant read more

This place in Jeff City is a pretty good place to frequent. The place shoots for an upscale old school casual vibe. Even has a fair amount of outside "cozier" setting, outside searing. The house dressing on the combination salad - is one you should get! A smooth creamy, sweet...of "I don't know what all is in it....but let's have more of that"....kind of dressing. Salad that came with the dinner entree, was certainly a good sized portion. Plenty of a provolone derivative cheese. Red onion. But then on this night - (1) black olive and (1) cherry tomato. Something about the singularity of each item - and calling it a combination salad - that seemed to conflict a touch. But, in the end, who cares...the dressing is the centerpiece attraction with this one. Seafood bisque: a tomato based bisque, this one is a pretty good soup. Built on a stock, that is flavorful...while also have plenty of seafood all throughout the bowl of soup. There is a fish..cod most likely, that puts a certain dryness texture n the dish...compared to all the other tender, sweeter seafood items, that doesn't add to the dish at all. But still, a great overall soup to start off with. Prime filet on lava rock. The meat itself was a very good cut of meat. We did this as an appetizer...and frankly..I always find these sorts of things...as more gimmicky/fun to mess around....versus anything great to eat. Meat was not pre-seasoned. Which, given the dipping sauces, maybe not needed, right? Well...I didn't find any of the dipping sauces...that good at all. Even the sea salt smoked pepper...was quite off-putting. The giardiniera vegetable side that comes with: we cooked those a bit...but boy, are these vegetables tart. My wife enjoys tart things...and she had to screw her face up a good bit on this one. But hey, to each his own..maybe you'll like it. Fettuccini Carbonara: This dish is pretty good. The pancetta bacon is distinctly forward in this dish...with a rich sauce. I personally would suggest having more Parmesan mixed within the dish...to give it a richer taste. Shrimp Katherine: This dish....I've had it twice and don't know about this. I read the description and the "scampi style" is what draws me in. But look at the picture....the shrimp sit in a River of cream sauce. Now, I can eat sauces and gravies, until the cows coke home. This dish....you better be a lover of dipping the crostini toast in garlicky sauce...ans want to. Do it about 50 times. It's a River of sauce...not a ton of shrimp. That leaves me thinking...a pasta needs to be in the dish...rather than served on the side. This place has plenty to choose from, I've had in the past, and don't talk about here. Give it a shot...find your dish....and I think you'll enjoy your experience. read more

See all

Five star service from Amanda who was welcoming, full of recommendations and attentive with taking care of us for dinner this evening. It's a busy restaurant but at a booth, it was quiet enough for my friend and I to talk, dine and enjoy dinner. A LOT of food was consumed this evening. Fried ravioli were excellent with a marinara sauce for dipping. Calamari was hot and crisp and delicious. For main course, I chose the Chicken Agee, which was served in a piccata sauce with provel cheese and crushed red pepper. Just a little heat and it was delicious. Amanda tried to get us to order dessert but after a two appetizers, two beers and a main course? Yeah, that's not happening. Sorry, no photographs of dinner. The interior lighting made everything very red and not photogenic. [Review 19747 overall - 224 in Missouri - 719 of 2023.] read more

Our waitress was great, but super overworked and had too many tables. We sat for way too long with empty glasses. Food quality was meh. I don't think we'll come back. read more

Madison's Cafe - Cannelloni with mushroom sauce - Italian Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Tonight (Friday) six of us went to Madison's. Of the six, four of us had pasta entrees or pasta sides that were cold. Cold to the point that we just boxed them up to take home and microwave i have enjoyed going to Madison's off and on for 30 years. I was very fond of the original owner, Rob Agee, who always saw that things were done right. Sadly, this restaurant was a huge disappointment. When I told our server about all the cold food, she disappeared and the hostess came over. She offered to take 10 percent off our bill. We were underwhelmed by the weak attempt at service recovery, We probably won't go back. Should have known something was amiss when the restaurant was pretty deserted from 7-8 p.m. on a Friday night. read more

Disappointed in the wait staff, prices are ridiculous, service was mediocre, food was OK. For $30 lunch, only water to drink, one would expect to be full. I finally ate enough bread & salad to feel satisfied. Once i considered this one of the best places in town. Never again.​ read more

Food was nothing special. For the price, I was expecting something better. Service was slow, wasn't crowded. Cant recommend.

Just lunch on a Thursday: took forever to order, food was fairly tasteless, took forever to get a second glass of wine (which we tried to just get our ticket and forget it) and forever to get our ticket - won't be going again for lunch read more

We were there for a birthday dinner at 5pm. I was excited because it's the first time we have been back since the new ownership. Prices definitely are up and portions are smaller. It was way to bright in dining room the lights should have been dimmed. The highlight of the meal was the combo salad thank goodness the recipe hasn't changed. But FYI you only get 1 olive now. I was shocked to see the waitstaff huddled at the front, Rob would not have allowed that and pretty sure he wouldn't have allowed the male manager to step out front to smoke 4 times. I would definitely go back foe the salad but can't say I would for anything else. It's a shame because I have fond memories of many meals there. read more

This spot really, really came in clutch for us on a short stay in Jeff City. Great service, a nice meal, and an overall five-star vibe. Amtrak cost us our original destination with an insane delay, so we were found ourselves calling an audible and staying in Jeff City near the Katy Trail to salvage our annual bikepacking trip. We stared down two options: curse Amtrak for completely throwing a wrench in our adventure, or make the most of it. Thankfully we opted for the latter, and Madison's Cafe was a key part in turning things around! Our last bike trip stay in Jeff City was pretty meh, surrounded by massive thunderstorms and not a lot of opportunity to explore. This time around was different, and the whole main street area around Madison's was great, especially with a summer cold front blowing through. The patio was where it was at on this Friday night, and from hostess to server (and surrounding patrons), we were treated well. We chowed down on: -Complimentary fresh baguette and butter -Starter salads & mozzarella sticks -Some sort of creamy pasta with broccoli and mushrooms It was all very tasty, and again, the vibes were on point. We really started coming around on Jefferson City and our surprise detour at this point. We were absolutely loaded up on food, perfect for our full day of riding the following day. We lightly cruised around the area after, seeing the capital building and all the folks out on a late summer night. If I'm in Jefferson City again, Madison's is now in the "must-visit" category! read more

It's a stable in Jefferson City. Why it gets 3 stars. The food honestly isn't that great. The service is never much better. There are much better spots in Jeff or the surrounding areas to frequent. read more

Madison's Cafe - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Excellent customer service and wonderful food. The perfect place to sit down for a meal in a quaint atmosphere.

I've been to this place multiple times, and I absolutely love it! Their food is amazing. You get complimentary bread too. The people are wonderful and care for you. I would recommend going here if you're looking for a place in Jefferson City to eat. read more

Went to Madison's with a few of my coworkers and had a great time! Our service was excellent and we were checked on frequently during our dinner. One of the people I was dining with ordered the zucchini sticks and I wasn't sure I'd be a fan but they were amazing! If you like fried pickles these are definitely worth a try. Got the seasonal Madison's salad as a starter and then added peas to the carbonara for my meal. Would definitely go back in a heartbeat- only complaint was it was extremely filling couldn't even make a dent in my pasta portion size (they do serve sides of pastas which I definitely will get instead next time! read more

See all

Food was good. Service was not so good. We were there about 3:30 so they were short staffed. Our waiter was visibly exasperated. We heard him cussing , sighing loudly and complaining. We didn't feel welcome. Very unprofessional. read more

We had our son's rehearsal dinner at Madison's Cafe. We are out of state, so we had never eaten here before. It was a total win!. The food was very good, we had a room for our group of 50, and the service was outstanding. Everyone was working together, and our meals were served hot, and they were all very tasty. I am grateful for everything that Madison's did to make this evening a wonderful memory! Hardworking group of people who delivered a great meal! read more

First timer. Great restaurant. Service excellent. Food fabulous. Love this restaurant.

Great food and service I love their combination salad and the cioppino. It is a great place for lunch or dinner read more

My only conclusion is that adult peer pressure causes people to eat here. It's a dark, loud, dirty, crowded place that reeks of vinegar and parmesan. Do the staff wear that stuff? It smells like a town does after a major flood. Wet carpet, wet floors, that sickening weird smell. I think I like the food as well at Fazoli's and I hate Fazoli's. Maybe if you want to drink and not eat, you could enjoy the sidewalk tables. It's loud inside, too, so you can fart and belch at liberty and nobody will notice. Restrooms? Wait until you get home. Make sure you study their menu online, because the waitstaff cannot help you. read more

We had a reservation, but we still had to wait 45 minutes to be seated, so I could only give it four stars. Yes, it was the weekend, but if a restaurant anticipates being busy, perhaps overbooking isn't the greatest course of action. Having saying that, the food was FANTASTIC!!! The seafood pasta was my favorite out of everything I tasted. The following morning, I wanted that for breakfast. read more

Had takeout lasagna and house salad for a group of 10. Excellent service and price. Food tasted great! Highly recommend this famous downtown restaurant. Hot and ready when we arrived. Bread butter packed up for 10 along plates and plastic ware! read more

My husband and I were walking our newly-trained dog downtown. We stopped in at Madison's to grab a quick bite outside and teach our dog some "cafe dining" manners. The food was delicious, as always! The service was even better. We, including our fur baby, were treated like royalty. Rob and several servers brought our dog water. We even shared fur baby pictures with one of the servers. Overall an outstanding experience in food and service! read more

I was so happy to visit one of my favorite Jeff City hangs, Madison's- the same great food and menu, the new owners have been cleaning it up and it looks so nice! I'm so happy to be able to continue coming to this spot with my family. read more

Yummy food, great service, and a nice quiet place to sit down for dinner with our friends!

Although our lunch meal was delicious, I requested garlic bread to go with my pasta dish. The "garlic" bread was brought out AFTER our dishes were cleared. Kindly (and thankfully) they did not charge us for this "garlic" bread. we asked they put it in a to go box--and they did. we didn't see the "bread" until we got home. OMG! I was appalled and mad both at the same time! our "garlic" bread was a mere hotdog bun! it was buttered with a few parsley flakes and lightly toasted. How embarrassing for such a nice restaurant to serve such as this. read more

Our service was great, as was the food. The one thing missing from our experience was the olive oil that used to be a staple of the restaurant with the bread. When we requested it, we were told there was no way to get it. Please bring it back! read more

Madison's has always been our go to restaurant for Italian food. I was disappointed with the Italian sausage that is in their tomato sauce. I'm not sure if that is new or maybe they just over did it on the eggplant parmigiana. Which brings me to the next issue I had. The eggplant was sliced very thin...that is new too...I am grateful they use fresh eggplant though! The zucchini sticks were amazing! We will be back I just know to order something else. read more

Liked this place a lot! Their outdoor seating area is awesome when the weather is nice out! The service is absolutely wonderful and food really fresh. We had lasagna and pasta Carbonara, nothing fancy. My husband liked the Carbonara and I liked the lasagna. The reason that I gave them 3 stars vs 4, is because the lasagna was fresh and good, but nothing fancy, just regular. Also, I had ordered a sweet tea and received a non sweetened tea and had sugar on the table. Anybody who likes sweet tea knows that once it's cold, it just doesn't mix the same. Aside from these two things, we'll probably go back for a casual lunch when the weather's nice. If we're looking for indoor seating, I think we'll look into trying some place else. read more

See all

I thought I should update my old review. The 3 star rating is based on my total experience. But in actuality, ratings would range from 2.5 to 4 stars with 3 being the average. Our last trip there was with a party of 6. All of the pasta dishes, including the lasagna, had way too much sauce...they noodle dishes were almost soupy. The salads were very good (as usual) and the bread and olive oil with the garlic and Parmesan sides (served with every meal) are also very good. Service is usually very good and the restaurant is usually very clean. read more

Charming restaurant. Indoors or a fresco seating. The food almost lives up to the prices. The street is very busy which can detract from a fresco seating due to noise and fumes. The staff are exceptionally friendly and eager to serve. Almost no wait time from ordering to service. On the whole, I'd give the dining experience a strong B+. Worth trying if you like Americanized Italian cuisine in an old world setting. A good date night choice. read more

I've eaten here dozens of times when I worked in Jefferson City for a couple years. It's a mainstay for most of the politicos in town, almost always busy. Service is often a little inattentive and the food is okay. Unfortunately, I've never eaten anything spectacular. On this particular visit a few weeks ago, I ordered the grilled chicken salad with their red wine vinaigrette. It was good enough. This place is consistent and the menu is decent, just wish they would step up their game a little. read more

Service was fantastic, we ordered the mussel appetizer and the flavor was there but they were over cooked. Then our meal came, my husband ordered shrimp Katherine with "Jumbo shrimp", it came out a bowl of tasteless Alfredo with 6 medium overcooked shrimp. Shrimp the size of a nickel. My order was the linguine Julia and the shrimp again were way over cooked and the scallops were hard as rocks and the Alfredo tastes like it had bad seafood sitting in it for hours and they slapped it on a plate. When we expressed our displeasure the manager was rude and unwilling to listen. They did take it off our bill in the end which was the bare minimum. It was our first time there and we will not be going back. Don't eat here unless you like tasteless food and rude management read more