This place is your classic dive bar with its 'regular ol crowd'... small menu with bar food basics (mostly fried) and full bar with a limited tap (8 typical Wisco beers). I didn't try one but they are famous for the Depot Bomb, which is $5 all day every day. Bartender works quickly with both handling the kitchen and serving drinks. I love the nod to Badgers with the red tin ceilings and W's posted throughout. read more

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Nice dive bar! The staff here is very friendly and so are the locals. Great place to meet up with friends or to watch a game. Great prices on drinks as well as food. read more

Great Wisconsin bar with great bartenders! There's never a bad day to stop into the Depot. Drinking a few of the world famous Depot bombs is a must. The Main Depot Tavern is a concrete miracle. read more

Main Depot Tavern - the name of the restaurant - Pubs Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Hidden GEM! Love Travis and love this place. Perfect pre-game bar and place to hang before basketball or football games. The staff is super friendly and attentive and it's always packed for game days. read more

Main Depot Tavern - a group of people sitting at a bar - Pubs Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

In Wisconsin for weekend on our anniversary my wife found a bar pub we would like. Stop in and said to each other this was our type of place. Sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.I like to read the reviews on yelp from a place we have never been so I did. They had all good ratings except a couple that said the bartender talked to people and did not do what they are paid to do. Showed my wife and laughed. Well it happened,we were planning on staying for dinner and a few more drinks but it didn't materialized because she talked to a few customers for 10 minutes while we had empty drinks that wanted to be filled. We decided to go somewhere else for dinner so they lost our business. read more

Main Depot truly is a gift to the people of Madison. The bartenders are seriously the best around and serve cold beer and great mixed drinks. When the back patio is open and there's a cool summer night it makes for a pretty good time. And you can't forget to mention the burgers and chicken tenders (with ranch) are phenomenal. They also have a rotating selection of soup available during lunch hours most weekdays. The only thing I can think that would make the Depot better is roller dogs! read more

My family and I have lived across the parking lot from Main Depot since 1994 and today is only the second time I've dined there but now it will definitely be more often. I stopped in to use a Bucky Book coupon that my daughter gave me and got two cheeseburgers for the price of one and enjoyed one there and will enjoy the other one tomorrow. The friendly young guy who served me treated me like royalty and even took some photos for me on my little flip phone because I'm dunce at technology. I stayed longer than I'd planned just to enjoy the relaxing, happy atmosphere while feasting on my burger and it was one of those perfect moments in time. THANK YOU MAIN DEPOT! read more

Main Depot Tavern - Yours truly dining happily on a delicious cheeseburger at Main Depot! - Pubs Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place was AWESOME ... it came as a recommendation and it did not disappoint. Tina our bartender was super fun and made the experience that much better. Not to mention we met Travis the owner and his sweet uncle Bob. The food was also perfect. Can't wait to go back!!!!! Thanks for the fun time. read more

As others have said - great older bar near downtown, but closer to UW and Camp Randall. The drinks are cold. They have a limited menu (think flat top and deep fryer behind the bar) but they source their meat locally through Jenifer St. market, which I like. Bartender is friendly - plenty of parking (except on game days) right next door. If you are looking for an old-school bar experience in the heart of Madison, MDT will give it to you! read more

We had a wonderful first time experience at Main Depot. We had wanted to find a local bar that could accommodate a group of us to hang out to play darts, eat and drink and this place did not disappoint! The bartenders were extremely friendly and quick with their service. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for great bar food, great service and drinks! read more

This place is the bomb! Great bar food, great drinks, great owner. He is almost always here making sure his customers have a wonderful experience. Perfect place for a football Saturday. Could not love it more. read more

Popular sport bar and grill near the Kohl Center, so it gets crazy busy when Badger basketball and hockey is in season. The food is run of the mill bar food. No shortage of flat screens, so it's a great place to follow your team of choice. Cash only. read more

As I get older, I appreciate certain things more. One of these things is a good bar burger. I stopped in on a whim during lunch. Admittedly, I only have been here at night and usually at the end of the night so my memory was a bit hazy. The Main Depot is a simple bar doing simple things. And that isn't a slam. Often, places try to hard to be something their not. Not here. You can leave your pretenses at the door. The beer selection is solid with your standard macro beer choices sprinkled with some great craft options (Can you say Karben4 Fantasy Factory?). The bartenders are quick on the draw and down to earth. During lunch, you get a sense there are a lot of regulars as they are know many on a first name basis. For lunch, I went with a bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries. There is something magical about a burger cooked on a flat top grill. A hard sear puts a nice crust on the outside while leaving the burger nice and juicy on the inside. Cheddar, bacon, and fried onions make it complete. Wisconsin has a long tradition of great taverns and the Main Depot represents them well. read more

My first time there and unfortunately my impression wasnt good. Had a good bartender, but then he left, and the next one was not good. Major attitude problem and intentional poor service read more

It reminded me of Cheers. The owner Travis boasts pride without saying it. He is well liked by many and showed us he cares and went out of his way to find me a tea bag. The food is great and plentiful, Tina has a great spin on it. The setting itself reminds me again of Cheers. Cozy, warm, nostalgic...it even had an old phone booth. A very nice and comfortable neighborhood bar and grill. This is our first time here and Travis yes we will come back and bring our family and friends. Thank you for meeting us. Donna and Larry read more

The Main Depot is a wonderful spot to hit up before, during or after a nearby Kohl Center event. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The staff is always available to offer up a wise ass remark. While the food menu is somewhat limited, the fare served is pleasing to both the belly and the pocketbook. Oh, and the beverages? Steady as she goes, sir! No short pours in these drinks! Stop in anytime for some genuine East Side hospitality. Yes. I know where it's located. The owners and much of the staff are all East Side, though. read more

Main Depot Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Just moved to the neighborhood and this place already feels like home. The bartenders and patrons are friendly and local. A bit divey but reasonably priced and a good atmosphere. The cheese curds are great! Will definitely be frequenting this establishment! :) read more

Main Depot Tavern - three women standing in front of a bar - Pubs Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Classic Wisconsin dive bar with great bartenders. Good drink prices and a great alternative to the echo tap where you glow under the light of 40 flat screen tv's. Tavern food is pretty solid. Try a tropical bomb. read more

I love this bar. It's super divey but everyone is friendly and the drinks are cheap. What else could you ask for? It's a great time without being too crowded. Take note --cash only! read more

This bar is tucked away on train tracks and not quite what is considered "downtown." But it is the definition of a hidden gem. Mostly a tiny sports bar, you can feel the history here, and you really drink it in... Food is available, and it's typical bar fare, but just link the drinks, the price is right. They have slot machines, as any classic Wisconsin bar should have. The Long Islands are good, but if the place wants a 5-star rating, they have to upgrade the televisions. Other than that, stop in for any Kohl center event and you won't be disappointed. I don't think it gouges you like any of the Regent bars on football Saturdays, either. read more

I have an affinity for dive bars. Actually, more like an obsession with them. I love the Caribou, a wonderful dive off of East Johnson. Echo Tap used to be great until they renovated, jacked up their prices, and became infested by Epic employees (to my friends who work at Epic--no offense. Really. I love you guys). Main Depot sits about a block and a half away from Echo Tap. It's small. It's divey. It's got darts and pool. Travis, the owner/bartender, is pretty awesome. When we order pitchers, we never have any idea what price we'll pay, but we know it'll be reasonable. Now, in traditional Yelp/foodie sense, there's one thing that truly sets Main Depot apart from other dives: their cheese curds. They're cheap ($4), fresh, and honestly? Absolutely delicious. In fact, I'd go so far as to put them up with some of Madison's best noms! Very crunch, delicious outside and an overly-gooey, cheddar inside. Oy, what a combination! The Old Fashioned and Graze have always been my curd metric, but with Main Depot, you are simply getting one hell of a bang for you buck. Oh, and the atmosphere after games? Totally awesome...and filled with townies! I love townies. Go there for the curds, stay for the fun. It's one gem of a dive. read more

Just moved to the neighborhood and decided to stop by for lunch on Saturday around 12:30pm. The door was locked, lights were off and chairs were still on the tables... not sure why they were not open during their regular business hours! read more

Great steaks. Great service. Great booties and pool. I like darts. The jukebox accepts money very well. Nice ATM too.

Stopped by The Depot before a Badgers hockey game. Great spot for some wings and a beer on a Friday night.

I love how people call this place a dive. If this is a dive ,then you my friend have never been to a dive. You want a dive, go to the Ohio Tavern or Willy St Pub. read more

Nice tap list. Good badger bar. Bar food above average. Friendly staff and clientele.

Wife and I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon to check out the Depot. Place is nice and the patrons and bartender are quite friendly. My wife said her old fashioned was great and my beer was fine too. Just stopped for one drink and really enjoyed the the place. I recommend the Depot for a stop by anytime. read more

Hot girl hangout! Population a million. The Depot. But seriously great neighborhood bar with great bartenders!

This has been the closest place to my house for two years and I finally went inside. Unfortunately it was later than usual but they still had the fryers on. On the recommendation of the entirety of yelp I tried the cheese curds and I also threw an order of chicken strips on there because I'm a huge person. The curds were great, crispy outside, warm gooey cheddary cheesy inside, and served with a side of ranch. While I was beyond satisfied with the curds the chicken strips were just run of the mill Sysco strips, which isn't a criticism, but the order only came with like two pieces which I found scant and is somewhat of a criticism. Great prices though so no actual true complaints, I got outta there with two food items and one beer for less than 15 bucks. For a run of the mill dive this place wasn't bad and the bartender was a nice dude but I'll keep my regular status at Echo Tap for better food, more selection, and the faces I know best! Thanks for having me MD! read more

Great service, good price and friendly people. Yummy cheese curds!