Smashburgers done right! I am extremely happy to report that Settle Down Tavern perfected their craft, rather than just blindly jumping on the trend for the sake of saying it's on the menu. Settle Down has patties that are smashed to a lacy, crisp, well-browned perfection. Points also given for high quality beef that is well-seasoned. Both times, I ordered a Good Idea (a great idea, if you ask me). A simpler combination of meat, cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and sauce. Everything goes together fantastically and stays in perfect balance. I happily devoured it both times, and would have asked for a second if I was feeling especially ravenous. That said, for me, one burger is enough to no longer be hungry, but also won't make me chock-full. Another thing at Settle Down I enjoy is the different varieties of pickled goodies. These all taste fresh and house-made, with that little bit of magic touch not found in commercially manufactured items of the same name. The chocolate chip cookie also should not be slept on: it is warm, wonderfully chocolatey without going overboard, and had that little sprinkle of salt that elevates it to the next level. Outside of food, I was able to try some of their non-alcoholic beverages, and both times they were a hit. They are tasty, interesting and unique (celery lemonade, anyone?) Love that they aren't necessarily sugar bombs, nor do they use Ritual brand n/a spirits that taste like industrial de-greaser. The service here is very good. Staff is friendly and fairly attentive. On my second visit they were absolutely slammed and shorthanded, but still working as fast as possible to get everyone fed. Finally, there is the question of value. Given the price of everything, and the quality of the product, I feel that Settle Down Tavern delivers an excellent value. It may not be quite as cheap as fast food, but a massive upgrade for a few more dollars. Final verdict: Among many flops, Settle Down is one of two smashburgers I've had that were done right. This, combined with great service and value leads to a winning proposition. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Celery Lemonade - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Stopped by for happy hour and ended up having a really enjoyable visit. Everything came out quickly, and the staff was attentive without making us wait around. The drinks were also really good and made the stop worth it. Happy hour here is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a casual place to grab a drink and relax. Also like that they let you fill out a post card and will mail it out for you, such a cute extra little fun thing we did. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Espresso martini - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Settle down wins because they will mail a post card But no, for real the service was quick and efficient, and the drinks are mighty tasty We hit up happy hour and it didn't disappoint read more

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Great spot!! Limited menu, but what they do, they do well. Cool vibe, great bloodied and smash burgers. Place was packed but staff was hustling to give great service read more

Settle Down Tavern - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The food was traditional pub food and very tasty, I especially liked the French fries! Service was great as our waitress was upbeat and fun. Would come back again. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Delicious basket of seasoned fries - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Cute homey feeling bar with an atrium area as well! The inside bar feels like you stepped into a 90's sitcom! Large portions of food friendly staff and the bar specific IPA was so good! The cheese puppies and the pickle puppies are coated and fried just like a hush puppy and as a southerner it's the best mashup ever! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese puppies, pickle puppies, large basket of fries, grilled cheese and a chopped cheese! - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I came here on my last day in Madison to experience a Friday fish fry, and I was not disappointed!! The fish was super crispy and the fries were really good as well. I liked all the different dipping sauces and the slaw they served with it had a nice unique flavor. We also shared the chocolate chip cookie, which was huge and served warm. It was loaded with chocolate chips and had some flaky sea salt on top. I think this had to be one of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! All of our servers were super kind and helpful, and the food came out pretty quickly. The ambiance is really nice, we ate in the patio area and it was super cute with nice natural lighting. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Warm chocolate chip cookie - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Visiting Madison and wanted some simple comfort food after a long day. Walked in and immediately had a great vibe, good music and relaxed atmosphere. Ordered the "Good Idea" burger and fries was superb. Definitely would recommend this spot for a drink and good grub. read more

Settle Down Tavern - The Good Idea - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The burger and fries are so good here. Might be one of my favorites in town. The chili dog on the other hand was very mid. Definitely come for the fries and burger instead. read more

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After a very long day with our college kiddo, my husband and I grabbed one drink each and ordered burgers for everyone. No issues, just relaxed, we had been here a million times. This time, the hostess-manager came to our table, told us to leave and we could not be served. We were beyond confused and mortified. I sent may family out and asked ti speak to management. The same person came to the table, and said we could not be served based on her observations. I asked what observations those were and she said that she was the manager and basing her decisions on her own observations. That was it. We paid the 100 bill and left, explaining to our children what we could. We will never return and we hope this establishment does better with management in the future. read more

I was in Madison for work and stopped by Settle down for happy hour, they offer $5 draft beer and wine specials (I think it was 5 or 6 dollar glasses). I decided to get their cheese puppies and pickle puppies after looking over the reviews and they did not disappoint. If you're deciding between the two, the cheese puppies almost melt in your mouth, they are a bit greasier and heavier than the pickle puppies though. I did prefer the cheese puppies, though I'd recommend both. They have quite quite a few dipping sauces, I got ranch and their paprika sauce which I thought was good with the cheese curds. Ella was working behind the bar and she was wonderful, friendly and helpful. The IPA on draft was a local one and juicy and cold. I'd definitely come back here again when in town! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Pickle puppies, cheese puppies - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

PROS: -Unique/good cheese curds -Unique cocktails that don't disappoint -I loved the Good Idea Smashburger -Molly, our server was GREAT! (other staff was equally friendly) -I enjoyed the overall vibe Music playlist was really good as well,...to the point where I tried to Soundhound /Shazam two or three songs, but due to the acoustics, it proved difficult - all in all still appreciated. They have a good special every day of the week, all of which look enticing. -This was my first time here, but I will be back! -History Lesson: building was once oldest hotel in Madison (1841?) CONS: -The TP in the restroom could improve -Coat hooks somewhere would be nice (in the winter, in a booth, coats take up space) read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese curds - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Smash burgers are amazing! Great vibe and friendly staff! Love sitting either at the bar or outside in the summer.

Awesome space! We had a reservation for 2pm Friday and got into town a bit early and starving so we popped over at 1:15 and were greeted by a super nice gentleman who had us seated immediately. We opted for the bar area. The atrium dining area looked super cool. The craft beer tap list here is very limited. Huge cocktail list. I didn't love my Old Fashioned. Way too much bitters. My wife enjoyed her IPA. We ordered up their fried curds (cornmeal) and fried pickle chips. Both were fantastic. Curds were heavily battered and humongous so an order is plenty for 3-4 people. Same for the pickle chips but they were lightly battered and super yummy. I had their house smash burger and it was fantastic. Lots of pepper as advertised and served without any side. My wife enjoyed the Friday fish sandwich very much. Our server was so friendly and took great care of us. This would be my local if I lived in town. read more

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Finally visited SDT! It's pretty spacious inside! I went on a Wednesday night with coworkers for BINGO! Super fun! Ordered their version of the old fashioned, settle down burger and fried pickles! Everything came out fast and hot. Coworkers also ordered curds and ghost pepper fries for the table. Curds were not our cup of tea, but everything else was great! Service was EXCELLENT! Bingo was super fun! Note: they don't split checks so make sure you're ready to pay someone else via cash, venmo or Zelle! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Settle Down Burger - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Great burgers, fries and cheese curds. The cocktails were a tad stingy in size for the price is our only complaint. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese puppies (curds) - fried in cornmeal, delicious. - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Actually one of the best smash burgers of my life. And I love smash burgers. My brother said the Chicken Sandwich Tuesday special was amazing too. Staff was great too! read more

Damn good Friday fish fry. Friendly servers and staff with a laid-back atmosphere and good drinks. Can't miss with the Settle Down Tavern

The food was very good! Although I will say that the portion sizes for the price are a little skewed towards the smaller side but the vibes were nice and the staff were amazing! We ordered two burgers, the deviled eggs, and the fried pickles. Coming from Texas the fried pickles were a little too chewy and dint have as much crisp as I would have liked but the deviled eggs were AMAZING! The burgers were okay but I'm giving them a 5/5 for how nice and fast they were with catering towards us! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Fried pickles - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Almost everything about this bistro is amazing. Service is impeccable. Bar is fun. Atmosphere presents a great vibe. One problem. They overthought the smash burger. The beef tastes weird. Like overly unctuous and too beefy, if that's a thing. The homemade pickles added nothing but overpowering compensation. The cheese seemed non-essential. Like you could see it, but it added nothing to the overall taste. We ordered several appetizers and they all delivered! Very good. If I lived in Madison I would definitely make this my hangout. As a retired professional chef I would love to amend their smash burger and make Settle Down Tavern just about a perfect 10. read more

Very cool spot! We were in search of a great representation of an "official" smashburger so this is what brought us to Settle Down. Had early dinner reservations and were running a couple min late due to the unanticipated road closure near by. When we finally got in and settled, the space is super cool: entryway of an older building of shops. There's a nice atrium enclosure of glass above so there is plenty of light. Some folks were walking in from the other entrance of the restaurant. It was a weekend so I would like to see how they operate during the day with the surrounding shops and businesses open and attending to customers. Our server was great! There was a special PB&J burger that I tried and loved! It was not overly sweet as the jelly they used was their in-house strawberry jam and in-house made peanut butter. It was delicious. We shared fries and curds. Everything about our meal was great. A couple of rounds of cocktails made the night very memorable and a good time. read more

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Not going back. Food was ok - nothing to write home about and the choices were limited. Only high point was the jalapeño burger had really fresh and delicious produce. Service was poor - waitress definitely didn't make it easy or help when kids were ordering. Won't be back Prefer hitting Graze, Great Dane, or Old Fashioned if in that neck of the woods again. read more

Friendly server. My double smash burger was less beefy tasting than the Culver's burger I had last week. I love pepper. But as stated in other reviews, what is up with the pepper overkill?? Good Lord :-I No salt, pepper. ketchup, mustard, or any other condiments on the tables. There were two sauces that came with my burger and fries. One must have been the Settle sauce (orange), and the other I don't know. No matter. They BOTH tasted like plain mayonnaise. Homemade pickle slices were very bland. You could have fit the fried onions into a tablespoon measure. The fries were OK. I wish I could have liked it more. To each his/her own. read more

Settle Down is still at the top of its game. We made a reservation for a large group of 10 in the atrium on Saturday night. Amazing ambiance and energy there. Busy as expected but still felt like we were having an intimate dinner and able to hear conversations completely. The food and service were outstanding. Cheese puppies and ghost fries to start and we loved the inventive drinks. My favorite was the PB & Jelly Hot Dog Bun (a delicious bourbon drink). We ended the evening sharing two large chocolate chip cookies hot out of the oven to celebrate two birthdays in the group. Keep doing exactly what you're doing Settle Down! read more

With the closing of DLux, I was on the hunt for a new favorite burger. Found it! Just wish it was a little bigger and didn't take all of 2 minutes to finish but to be fair - I was hungry! I haven't been here and walking in I was struck immediately by the unexpected space! The bar area itself isn't huge, but they offer seating through the common lobby area space that the building shares. Fun lights and large plants and entrances to various office spaces and other businesses mean there's always something to look around at. Made me want to work in one of those little tidy offices upstairs! The night my friend and I went they had free bingo going on, which was fun for about three rounds and then we wanted to get down to business with eating and catching up. We moved inside because it was otherwise distracting to listen to bingo but not play it. I was able to enjoy my new favorite cider company as well as a burger and fries. The fries were that perfect level of salty and crispy and also went down way too fast. My only complaint is that I had ordered a burger and fries to go for my daughter, and they sent me on without the fries - my bad for not looking, but frustrating. I'll be back and I'm looking forward to it. read more

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Okay we both loved our burgers. I got the smash burger and my friend got the normal 1/4 pounder. Soft potato bun, great flavor and sauce. Fries were fresh and good amount for just a small. Inside was super cute, great decor. Food came out fast as well. However, we got the cheese curds and were very dissatisfied. They had no flavor, texture wasn't quite right either. Great portion and fresh but just not something we would ever order again. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Good idea, the foundation, fries, cheese curds - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I only ate the cheese curds here as a quick snack before a dinner reservation elsewhere, but they were fantastic. The portion was large which made great for sharing. We sat outside and while the outdoor seating isn't special it was still very enjoyable. Service was okay. Nothing great, but no complaints. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese curds - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Delicious falafel burger & spicy margaritas. Definitely will be back. Our server was great & knowledgeable read more

Everything we look for in a restaurant, Great, cocktails, and friendly service in a nice venue

Just generally wasn't very good. It was nice to be out of the house, nice to have a couple beers, but neither of us liked the food. It wasn't terrible, just an undercooked burger, the pickling spices weren't for us, and nothing was really enjoyable beyond the beer. read more

I took out lunch from here. Good idea burger was my entree item. That was a nicely done flavorful smash burger. I could convert the burger into lunch basket for just $3 extra. So made it into a lunch basket. Ghost fries has a good spicy kick to it. The ginger beer they have has nice flavor to it. Defenitely go for ginger beer as the drink. read more

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I never even realized Settle Down had moved into this place. A friend recommended checking it out and I'm very glad that we did. We grabbed a spot outside (they've mad an outdoor patio of the former street parking spots) so I don't know what the ambiance looks like inside, but outside was just fine. Not usually a cocktail person, but their beer list was underwhelming to me so figured I'd try the "Uecker? or Euchre?" since I liked everything in it. I prefer my cocktails without ice, and staff was very obliging. This was a delicious smoky cocktail balanced just right with the ginger beer. I'd order it again, and I don't usually say that about cocktails. I had the veggie burger (prit' near) and it certainly ranks among my favorites in the area. It had a slightly charred crunch to it on the outside that was unique and really gave it an interesting flavor. I would have preferred goat cheese over feta on the burger, but maybe that's just personal preference. I scarfed it down either way. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Prit' Near veggie burger - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Delicious apps and drinks. Lots of happy hour deals and we did not have to wait to be seated. Their breading on their cheese puppies was unique and flavorful. Would def stop by again to try out more menu options read more

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Best burger I have had in years!!! Cool place and great service. Will be going back soon!!

Had a group of 5 on a Friday night. Fun vibe, great food & tasty drinks! The service was fast & friendly, thank you Molly! read more

Place is kind of a rip off. $15 for a burger that barely fits in the palm of your hand with no side. Wasn't even that good either. $8 for two unsweet teas because they ask if you want a refill but neglect to tell you it's not free refills.. lol read more

My husband and I came here for happy hour and dinner on a random, cold Monday evening. Right when we entered the building, we were pleasantly surprised by the well-decorated atrium area of the building and saw that the area was also dog friendly. We decided to sit inside the tavern area and thought it was cute and had good music. We got here around 4:45 pm for their happy hour and ordered a couple of drinks and also got the deviled eggs, fries, burger, and their fried chicken special (available on Mondays) that comes with coleslaw and mashed potatoes. The drinks were good and well worth coming back (especially during happy hour) but the fried chicken was definitely my favorite part of the meal. It was well seasoned, and my husband LOVED the mashed potatoes. I really enjoyed the overall ambiance of the restaurant but also the food and will likely be coming back for another night for happy hour or date night. read more

Ambiance was 10/10 very beautiful, flowed well and felt open Service was pretty good asked waitress a couple times to get us more water and extra plates she may have just had a lot of other tables and forgot no biggie Food was pretty good, good portions and well made. Wish they had a bigger menu so we could eat more like the Americans we are ALLOWS DOGS!!! read more

Settle Down Tavern - Enjoying her meal at the table - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Found a hair in our mushroom bowl and an eyelash in the Caesar salad :/ wanted to like it here. Service was good. read more

Settle Down Tavern - Cheese curd and fried picks - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Super welcoming staff who are clearly having a good time at their jobs. We started at the bar for a delicious Bloody Mary (the house Bloody is concocted by someone who literally wrote the book) and some snacks. I can recommend the cheese balls, but I think we got a "bad" batch of the devil birds. I hear they are very good, but ours had surprisingly no flavor except bitter. Didn't even taste like eggs. Thankfully, those are only $3. My veggie burger was superb, the fries were super crispy, and the cheese puppies were heavenly. I also recommend the Moonsong! read more

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