Palette Bar & Grill
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I came here with a group for a weekday happy hour, and was very pleasantly surprised by the cocktails and service we got at this hotel bar. There was a very large crowd when we first started our evening, but it quickly died down. Our servers were super attentive and very knowledgeable about the drinks they were making. The drinks are really expensive, so I wouldn't make this my normal hangout, but I really liked the drinks that I ordered. The color palette menu is an added little fun perk to the experience. My first drink I ordered was the Novocaine because scotch in a cocktail sounds fun. This cocktail is very appropriately named. I only Google'd the "tingala" ingredient to see that it was a Brazilian flower. What I later learned after sipping on this yummy beverage is that it quite literally causes a numbing/tingling in the mouth. It was not unpleasant at all, just very interesting. It kinda makes you sip your drink instead of chug it, so I really enjoyed it. Next I moved on to the Old Master because I was looking for something akin to a traditional Old Fashioned... bartender recommended this and it was a hit! I loved it and would have ordered more of them if I wasn't driving home! The food menu looked incredible but I did not end up getting anything to eat. A few in the group got some appetizers which got very positive reviews, but it's on my list to come back and get some food with my cocktail next time. If you're willing to spend a bit, I'd definitely recommend visiting Palette.
I visited while staying at the Indigo Hotel in which this bar is located. There are many seating options, including 2 dining rooms, the bar itself and also the adjacent lounge couches (where I enjoyed my drink). It felt very cozy. The custom cocktails and wine list provided lots of options. The service was friendly and prompt. I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir that I thoroughly enjoyed while relaxing in a couch with my book. Definitely a nice break from the stress of work travel. There is also food available that I was told was allergy-friendly but I didn't eat during this visit. Great place to relax while traveling.
We have stayed at The Indigo hotel and eaten in their restaurant, Palette, for dinner and breakfast. It's a good name as it's double meaning implies art/color paired with delicious eating. Both meals were excellent. We both had the beef tenderloin, with garlic butter, which was cooked to perfection. We added grilled shrimp that was a great combo with the steak. The salads, a wedge and a small dinner salad, were also very good. We don't usually have dessert but shared a slice of snickers ice cream pie. It was devine and the perfect ending to a great meal. The drinks were very reasonable. Top shelf bourbon and Pinot grigio were priced just right. Breakfast was great, as well. I had the veggie scramble and my husband had a basic breakfast plate with eggs and bacon. Great service at both meals. The eclectic decor was done artfully and gave the perfect vibe for the hotels old Mautz Paint Company blueprint.
Went here on a Sunday for brunch. You seat yourself and the waiter was very laid back. It was pretty quiet in the dining room overall. One note about the dining room though, is that we did notice a lit of dust on the ledges. As for the food, we got some avocado toast and a fruit bowl. The avocado toast tasted fine, but the price was too much for the small pieces of bread you got. The fruit cup was actually good value, but some of the green grapes were pretty brown. The coffee is complementary, so we think that's what builds into the higher price points. Overall, we were looking for a quieter place so this was nice. However, unless you get coffee, it's not worth the price and the food is just average. We wouldn't recommend for brunch.
Great place in Madison. They have great food and very nice people working here. Very laid back and the food came out in under 10min. I had their salmon and it is perfectly cooked and tastes awesome!!
This was my first time at Palette and I thought they did a wonderful job of creating a fun and happening restaurant in Madison. Loved the decor and interiors of the places. Nicely done. Food, service, and ambience was perfect. We were a big group and our server did a fantastic job of catering to us all. The appetizers were amazing and I loved the different sauces that accompanied it. Do try the Fries, Bavarian soft pretzels, and Cheese curds. For the main I ordered the grilled salmon and it was perfectly cooked and presented. Loved the presentation of each of the dishes. Special mention for the paint buckets shaped dish used to serve the fries. Finally the ice cream cake was the cherry on the top. It was the star of the night and the perfect way to end our Palette girls night Check out this place for an artistic food experience! Highly recommend!
Im giving this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because the service was extremely slow. We got our drinks 30-40 minutes after they were ordered. The cheese curd as an appetizer was yummy alongside the sauces. The steak was cooked well and the Brussels sprouts were delicious. I loved the drink, it was so good and the hint of lemon as well!
Palette is a hidden Madison gem, on the first floor of the Indigo Hotel across from Breese Stevens Field. The cocktails are super-crafted to perfection, you can tell they put a lot of time and thought into them. The chai brandy slush tastes just like grandma would make for Thanksgiving. Place was clean and stylish with a nice outdoor patio. Hand battered cheese curds and fish fry was great. You can get a free appetizer by signing up for their email list!
We had a big group of 20-25 here for a late luncheon on a Friday and had the whole place to ourselves. Starting off the bartenders did a great job handling the surge of drinkers. I tried the blue wave (I think that was the name) - it was a very tasty Tiki drink. I know others enjoyed many of the speciality drinks on the menu. While not cheap they were good. The menu was limited to accommodate the big group and the smaller staff but the choices were good and I heard plenty of compliments on the food. My gouda burger was very good though a touch more medium/medium well then medium rare. The bun was very fresh. The one negative was the parking - it was a bit confusing with the nearby construction project. At least the valet parking for lunch was free. The staff did a great job - overall a very good experience.
Food was ok here. Very interesting menu. The street corn was way too salty. The waitress was very friendly. Gave a sample of a beer that I enjoyed and wound up ordering. Nice bar for a hotel.
I made reservations for 12 people at Palette for my birthday dinner and we all had a great time with scrumptious food! The staff took great care of us from start to end considering how many of us there were. The restaurant inside Hotel Indigo was very impressive! They had a full bar and offered many great cocktails to choose from - which of course I HAD to taste multiples of lol...my favorites were the "Clean Slate" which is a citrus gin martini and the "Blueberry Basil Assemblage" which was a fizzy and delicious drink in a fun glass made with fresh ingredients. My husband and I ordered their mushroom appetizer which tasted great - could have been a little warmer but didn't want to delay anything with such a large party. The wedge salad was outstanding - very fresh and crisp, and their homemade dressing was great! I ordered the Braised bone-in short rib and wasn't disappointed at all! The staff was great and I'd highly recommend coming here for a special occasion
I really wanted to like this place and would have given it 3 stars. Food was just okay, fish tacos were bland, steak wasn't special but was nicely cooked. The Brussels and street corn were really good, same with the hand breaded cheese curds and their rye mule special - which was great. All that being said, I dropped this down to 1 star due to the server not mentioning that the dessert we ordered had nuts in it (key lime pie) which left us rushing to hospital before my partner went into shock. The price of the meal was over $100 (and they didn't comp the dessert even after we told them about his but allergy), so the price point for food just isn't worth it and for a restaurant that is trying to be upscale this mistake almost cost someone their life.
Nice restaurant! I ordered the braised bone-in short rib and it was delicious. The rib was little salty to me and the portion was small. No leftovers for the next day or not enough mashed baby reds for the price. The waiter forgot my glass of wine. Overall, the service was good. Nice venue for group gatherings and milestone celebrations (I.e birthdays). Lighting is not the best for photos though and the bathroom is far lol.
2 months ago
Great service and very accommodating! The happy hour is perfect and so many options. I highly recommend the cheese curds of course. I love the vibes of the hotel and the restaurant. Outdoor seating is available too. The French 75 is so refreshing and not overly sweet even though it has rhubarb and strawberry. Highly recommend read more
Date of visit: January 24, 2026 We didn't really want to venture out much more than we had to on account of the crazy low temperatures and decided that there were some good options on the menu here and limit the amount of times we had to go outside. We didn't have a reservation but thankfully did not need one and Pablo took good care of us for the most part. I tried a fun mocktail, the Espresso Impression and it was very good if quite small for the price. I understand why a real espresso martini is $12, but not one without any alcohol... I did enjoy it, just would have enjoyed it more if it was say $7 or $8. Pablo recommended the Birria Sandwich and I asked if there was anything else in it besides the meat and cheese and he said no. Well, that wasn't entirely true as there were quite a few onions in the mixture that had I known about, I would have chosen a different option. I scraped them out as best I could and it was good overall, just disappointed about the onions. Guess I should have specifically asked about them. I ended up finishing my husband's Garlic Knot Chicken (definitely do not need to worry about vampires with this sucker!) and side of Au Gratin potatoes and both were quite good. Prices--excepting the mocktail--were quite good considering it was in a hotel and should I stay here again, would definitely give some other menu items a try. read more
4 months ago
The cheese curds here were amazing. Lightly fried, great sauced and not too heavy. Our dinner entrees were all great, too. Don't sleep on the specials! Our waiter Pablo was so sweet. Great experience all around, highly recommend. And they validate your parking! read more
1 year ago
I came here with a group for a weekday happy hour, and was very pleasantly surprised by the cocktails and service we got at this hotel bar. There was a very large crowd when we first started our evening, but it quickly died down. Our servers were super attentive and very knowledgeable about the drinks they were making. The drinks are really expensive, so I wouldn't make this my normal hangout, but I really liked the drinks that I ordered. The color palette menu is an added little fun perk to the experience. My first drink I ordered was the Novocaine because scotch in a cocktail sounds fun. This cocktail is very appropriately named. I only Google'd the "tingala" ingredient to see that it was a Brazilian flower. What I later learned after sipping on this yummy beverage is that it quite literally causes a numbing/tingling in the mouth. It was not unpleasant at all, just very interesting. It kinda makes you sip your drink instead of chug it, so I really enjoyed it. Next I moved on to the Old Master because I was looking for something akin to a traditional Old Fashioned... bartender recommended this and it was a hit! I loved it and would have ordered more of them if I wasn't driving home! The food menu looked incredible but I did not end up getting anything to eat. A few in the group got some appetizers which got very positive reviews, but it's on my list to come back and get some food with my cocktail next time. If you're willing to spend a bit, I'd definitely recommend visiting Palette. read more
I visited while staying at the Indigo Hotel in which this bar is located. There are many seating options, including 2 dining rooms, the bar itself and also the adjacent lounge couches (where I enjoyed my drink). It felt very cozy. The custom cocktails and wine list provided lots of options. The service was friendly and prompt. I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir that I thoroughly enjoyed while relaxing in a couch with my book. Definitely a nice break from the stress of work travel. There is also food available that I was told was allergy-friendly but I didn't eat during this visit. Great place to relax while traveling. read more
4 months ago
9 months ago
We have stayed at The Indigo hotel and eaten in their restaurant, Palette, for dinner and breakfast. It's a good name as it's double meaning implies art/color paired with delicious eating. Both meals were excellent. We both had the beef tenderloin, with garlic butter, which was cooked to perfection. We added grilled shrimp that was a great combo with the steak. The salads, a wedge and a small dinner salad, were also very good. We don't usually have dessert but shared a slice of snickers ice cream pie. It was devine and the perfect ending to a great meal. The drinks were very reasonable. Top shelf bourbon and Pinot grigio were priced just right. Breakfast was great, as well. I had the veggie scramble and my husband had a basic breakfast plate with eggs and bacon. Great service at both meals. The eclectic decor was done artfully and gave the perfect vibe for the hotels old Mautz Paint Company blueprint. read more
Went here on a Sunday for brunch. You seat yourself and the waiter was very laid back. It was pretty quiet in the dining room overall. One note about the dining room though, is that we did notice a lit of dust on the ledges. As for the food, we got some avocado toast and a fruit bowl. The avocado toast tasted fine, but the price was too much for the small pieces of bread you got. The fruit cup was actually good value, but some of the green grapes were pretty brown. The coffee is complementary, so we think that's what builds into the higher price points. Overall, we were looking for a quieter place so this was nice. However, unless you get coffee, it's not worth the price and the food is just average. We wouldn't recommend for brunch. read more
3 years ago
Great place in Madison. They have great food and very nice people working here. Very laid back and the food came out in under 10min. I had their salmon and it is perfectly cooked and tastes awesome!! read more
This was my first time at Palette and I thought they did a wonderful job of creating a fun and happening restaurant in Madison. Loved the decor and interiors of the places. Nicely done. Food, service, and ambience was perfect. We were a big group and our server did a fantastic job of catering to us all. The appetizers were amazing and I loved the different sauces that accompanied it. Do try the Fries, Bavarian soft pretzels, and Cheese curds. For the main I ordered the grilled salmon and it was perfectly cooked and presented. Loved the presentation of each of the dishes. Special mention for the paint buckets shaped dish used to serve the fries. Finally the ice cream cake was the cherry on the top. It was the star of the night and the perfect way to end our Palette girls night Check out this place for an artistic food experience! Highly recommend! read more
Im giving this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because the service was extremely slow. We got our drinks 30-40 minutes after they were ordered. The cheese curd as an appetizer was yummy alongside the sauces. The steak was cooked well and the Brussels sprouts were delicious. I loved the drink, it was so good and the hint of lemon as well! read more
2 years ago
Palette is a hidden Madison gem, on the first floor of the Indigo Hotel across from Breese Stevens Field. The cocktails are super-crafted to perfection, you can tell they put a lot of time and thought into them. The chai brandy slush tastes just like grandma would make for Thanksgiving. Place was clean and stylish with a nice outdoor patio. Hand battered cheese curds and fish fry was great. You can get a free appetizer by signing up for their email list! read more
We had a big group of 20-25 here for a late luncheon on a Friday and had the whole place to ourselves. Starting off the bartenders did a great job handling the surge of drinkers. I tried the blue wave (I think that was the name) - it was a very tasty Tiki drink. I know others enjoyed many of the speciality drinks on the menu. While not cheap they were good. The menu was limited to accommodate the big group and the smaller staff but the choices were good and I heard plenty of compliments on the food. My gouda burger was very good though a touch more medium/medium well then medium rare. The bun was very fresh. The one negative was the parking - it was a bit confusing with the nearby construction project. At least the valet parking for lunch was free. The staff did a great job - overall a very good experience. read more
2 years ago
Food was ok here. Very interesting menu. The street corn was way too salty. The waitress was very friendly. Gave a sample of a beer that I enjoyed and wound up ordering. Nice bar for a hotel. read more
2 years ago
I made reservations for 12 people at Palette for my birthday dinner and we all had a great time with scrumptious food! The staff took great care of us from start to end considering how many of us there were. The restaurant inside Hotel Indigo was very impressive! They had a full bar and offered many great cocktails to choose from - which of course I HAD to taste multiples of lol...my favorites were the "Clean Slate" which is a citrus gin martini and the "Blueberry Basil Assemblage" which was a fizzy and delicious drink in a fun glass made with fresh ingredients. My husband and I ordered their mushroom appetizer which tasted great - could have been a little warmer but didn't want to delay anything with such a large party. The wedge salad was outstanding - very fresh and crisp, and their homemade dressing was great! I ordered the Braised bone-in short rib and wasn't disappointed at all! The staff was great and I'd highly recommend coming here for a special occasion read more
5 years ago
I really wanted to like this place and would have given it 3 stars. Food was just okay, fish tacos were bland, steak wasn't special but was nicely cooked. The Brussels and street corn were really good, same with the hand breaded cheese curds and their rye mule special - which was great. All that being said, I dropped this down to 1 star due to the server not mentioning that the dessert we ordered had nuts in it (key lime pie) which left us rushing to hospital before my partner went into shock. The price of the meal was over $100 (and they didn't comp the dessert even after we told them about his but allergy), so the price point for food just isn't worth it and for a restaurant that is trying to be upscale this mistake almost cost someone their life. read more
4 years ago
Nice restaurant! I ordered the braised bone-in short rib and it was delicious. The rib was little salty to me and the portion was small. No leftovers for the next day or not enough mashed baby reds for the price. The waiter forgot my glass of wine. Overall, the service was good. Nice venue for group gatherings and milestone celebrations (I.e birthdays). Lighting is not the best for photos though and the bathroom is far lol. read more
3 years ago
I was in Madison for a business trip and a group of us ate here - some confirmed that the burgers were incredible, and I did steal a delicious fry (or two) from my friends. We ordered cheese curds and pork nachos for the table. Both were amazing! For my entree, I ordered the salmon and it was flavorful, cooked to perfection and they accurately honored my request to leave off the mushrooms. I also had The 75 cocktail, which was light and refreshing. And unlike a lot of restaurants, they split our check into a large number of orders with no complaint. Also, the theme/decor was so fun and well thought out - all the way down to the restrooms! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
Tried their Baroque Banana - it is a bananas foster take on an old fashioned. They've made the flavorful simple syrup from scratch and the effect is smoothly amazing. Great bartender, great host. Everyone here is trying to make you feel welcome. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
If you live in the area this is a good spot. However, I would recommend sitting inside. It's right on E Wash which is so loud and not enjoyable. The drinks were okay and kind of pricey! I will say, my salmon was delicious. read more
6 years ago
We had the stuffed mushroom appetizers and it was amazing but my hubby's the meal it's self was sub par. Hubby ordered a $35 steak and what we got was a $6 Walmart steak over cooked steak. I had a burger and it was pretty damn good. The mac n cheese was also very good. The manager took care of us after seeing the poor steak we were given. Definitely still give this place a shot they took care of the issue right away and everything else we had was great! read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
High class atmosphere with a casual style. Service was incredible very attentive without being annoying and in your face too much. Custom drinks with the paint theme of the old building are fresh, tasty and reasonably priced. We shared the Maple Glazed Bacon and stuffed mushrooms appetizer for a table of 3 which was a perfect serving size. Steaks are fresh, aged angus beef. Visiting here from Chicago they were in the class of a Chicago steakhouse at much more reasonable prices. This is definitely a place to check out if staying at the Hotel Indigo or wandering around Madison. read more
I've been wanting to come here for the longest time but it closed for the pandemic. So happy we were finally able to make it. This restaurant is very colorful, vibrant, and has a fun atmosphere. The cocktails are very unique and each one is handcrafted with little details. All of the drinks were full of flavor and you can tell they put a lot of work and effort into making them. Our party chose to split a bunch of different types of food and we were so happy we did! We all agreed the mushrooms were our favorite.They were so crispy, crunchy, and have a light cheese in the middle that melts when you bite into it. We also got the nachos which were perfect to share and plenty for three people. Then we finally split fish tacos between us and they were just as good as the rest of the food! Our server Phillip also took a lot of time to explain the menu to us and tell us what he recommended for drinks, appetizers, and meals. The service was wonderful. I can't wait to go back read more
3 years ago
This is a brand new colorful restaurant. It's tucked into the new Indigo Hotel where the old Mautz Paint factory used to be located. The entrance has several brightly colored clear paint cans adhering to the paint theme. There is valet parking ($12) in the rear of the building, which I highly recommend since there are many new and upcoming businesses in the area, making street parking a rare find. The menu consists of about 6 small plates, 3 soups, 9 salads, several steaks, pork and lamb chops, seafood and several indulgent sides. I HIGHLY recommend the pea au gratin. Our waiter described them as rich, but we agreed that a better description may be sinfully indulgent. They use fresh peas and the béchamel sauce is to die for... those fresh peas pop in your mouth, tase just slightly green while the sauce is nearly a cheese stew. I would come and happily just order this. No one in town can touch their pea game, no one! I dare say this is one of Madison's restaurants BEST meal accompaniments!! We also had the lobster Mac n cheese, which we were quickly told was a lobster bisque, not actually containing chunks of lobster. We appreciated the honesty here. No seafood could be tasted, had a bacon crumb and toasted crumb topping. The pork chops were very flavorful. (One of mine were totally raw, but the management and my waiter immediately took care of the plate, cooked new ones and comped the dish. EXACTLY the kind of attention to customer service one would hope to see. I felt properly attended to, and the new plate came out flawless.) We were here on their soft opening. I'm sure there are a few early kinks to work out, but the food was really good. The Over the Rainbow salad had a lemon vinaigrette that was not tart, but flavorful. The greens were not overly dressed either, kudos to that as well!! They had several house, specialty cocktails that sounded interesting and unique. We saw some come out and were very colorful. They are listed on an artists color palette. We'll be back for more, soon! It was a very good experience and really good food. read more
5 years ago
Best lunch I've had in awhile! Buffalo Chicken Wings, Baked Potato Soup, Chipotle Cheesesteak, Palette Burger... Apps and entrees were delicious. Cocktail options were many... Oaxaca, Clean Slate, Farley. Ice cream cake and key lime pie were pretty damn amazing too. Mind you all of this food and drink were for 2 people celebrating an anniversary. We were hungry and celebrating, so why not eat all the good food and drink. The staff were helpful and accommodating. We'll be back for more! read more
5 years ago
6 years ago
Absolutely delicious gourmet foods and very creative drinks! The location was once a paint factory and was transformed into a gorgeous bar and restaurant. It has kept the paint theme and decorations which is really cool. Excellent food, drinks, service, location, and ambiance! Can't wait for Palette to open back up! :) read more
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More info about Palette Bar & Grill
901 E Washington Ave
Madison, WI 53703
Williamson - Marquette
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(608) 455-8520
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https://www.palettegrill.com
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