As someone also pointed out the huge plus to this hotel located place is it being competitive with their prices when compared to other restaurants in the area. So if you are staying at the hotel you don't have to head outside if you wish for a drink or tavern food fare. It's right there and not costing the usual $5-$10 more for food per item. The menu is a little all over the map. It's Wisconsin so I get the commitment to cheese offerings but an Asian / American / cheese forward fusion seems a 'choice'. Someone looking for traditional will probably want to stick to the turkey sandwich or burger. I did very much enjoy the dumplings but just know it's 15 min to make. For me that was fine. I wasn't in a hurry. The service was great. Both bartenders work the tables also so just be patient with them if they are busy. When it's medium filled or empty the place is good for conversation. If the tables are all full be aware it will be loud as the space isn't very big. And if the hotel is hosting an event like a conference or wedding it's a bit of a zoo. Also note the room service menu matches what they serve. read more

Incredible little bar that exceeds all hotel bar expectations. Very reasonably priced for a hotel - $2 PBRs! Can't complain about the drinks - highly recommend the Sconnie Old Fashioned! The drinks are great but the food stole the show. Everything we got was amazing, especially the spinach and artichoke dip. I don't say this lightly, but it is the best spinach and artichoke dip I have ever had! The staff was nice and attentive. Highly recommend making a visit, even if you aren't staying in the hotel! read more

The Bar - Amazing winter squash and beet salad - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great service and the bar itself has a nice comforting atmosphere. Prices were reasonable and selection of higher end spirits were good

Located inside the Madison Concourse Hotel, this is a great intimate bar with not only good drinks but also some bar bites. I've been here a few times with some new friends I've made during my visit here in Madison. Enjoy! read more

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Surprisingly fun bar with a nice selection of drinks that definitely exceeds your expectations for a hotel bar. So why the one star? Because of the service. Wesley the bartender was super rude and possibly racist. I was there for an Asian American Studies conference, and it was probably the most Asians in a room some of the folks (employees and customers) there had ever seen, and they definitely let their feelings show. Wesley grunted a "what can i get for you" when I walked up to the bar, but instead of making my drink for me right away, he went to help this white biker dude sitting in the corner first. Then, after he made my drink, I asked to close out and he just plopped the check in front of me without a word of thanks, and sulked off to help another Asian gentleman, in a similarly gruff manner. Given that hotels are part of the hospitality industry, and their livelihood as an establishment literally depends upon providing service to customers, you would think that they would know better than to be racist like this! But I guess they figured that this is ok because they rarely get guests who are Asian? I don't know, but if you're Asian American I would steer clear of this place because you are not welcome! read more

Ah, The Bar. I really liked you when I first discovered you when invited to a meeting here and was excited to come back. You have so much potential. You need to have more than one person working the entire room, though. The bartender/server was great from the little we interacted with her, but her visits were few and far between because she was running through the bar all night. Literally. Occasionally someone else would run food out for her, but she was waiting on 40 or so people by herself. Bonkers. I ordered a hot toddy - dark rum, vanilla, honey, and mulled spices. My table mates were served long before me - in all it took over 30 minutes to get my drink. At one point the bartender did check back in with me to let me know they might be out of one of the ingredients, but it eventually appeared. It was delicious, so I'm glad for that, but 30-40 minutes to get a pretty simple drink is outrageous. It took about 45 minutes to an hour after arriving for us to be able to put in a food order. We ordered from the woman who was occasionally popping in to order food. She was nice, but didn't know the menu. We were curious what the white sauce was on the chicken wings, and she had no clue, but at least offered to go back to the kitchen to ask (if you're curious - mayo and miso). We ended up passing on that and getting the mini meatballs with romanesco sauce, artichoke and spinach dip, and the assorted Wisconsin cheeses with pickled vegetables and mustards. After we finally put in our order, the food came out in a reasonable amount of time after. The food runner gave us our cheese plate with no explanation of what anything was - I was able to catch the bartender and she was able to tell us what cheeses were on the plate - a blue cheese whose name I forget, a butter kaese, and a five-year cheddar. The pickled vegetables were just one variety - I believe it may have been zucchini? They had a strong, spicy kick that was delicious. The mentioned mustards ended up also being singular - all I can say is there was some sort of sweet element to it. Not my thing. The meatballs were indeed mini, but tasty. The bread served with it was really delicious. I don't know if the five tiny meatballs were worth $9, though - the quality didn't equal out to two dollars a bite. The artichoke and spinach dip came out bubbling hot, and was good - it tasted like it may have had a beer base, but there's no mention of that on the menu. The chunks of artichoke were hearty and there was a good amount of spinach. It was nice because it didn't have an overly cheesy/greasy/heavy feel that many such dips do. I love the colors of The Bar, and the booth-like chairs were really comfy. We had a TV in our area that was set to a good volume on a music channel until the World Series came on. I'll be back to give it another go, possibly before a show at Overture, but I have all my fingers crossed that service will improve. At the rate we went tonight, there's no way we would have made showtime despite arriving at 5:30 if that was our goal. read more

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Stopped in, with my boss (from the Atlanta, GA area), in Madison, Looking for a spot that would be entertaining and near our Hotel in or near the Capital. Couldn't agree that 'The Bar' was the spot...cool, no nonsense name. We ordered various Beers and Cheese Curds (when in Wisconsin), Burgers with Fries and some chicken wings on the side. (We were hungry). A nice place to kick back have a conversation and people watch. looking forward to stopping by again, when in the Madison area. Cheers! read more

This is a trendy little bar inside of the Concourse Hotel. I loved the ambiance and would definitely go back! Their prices are reasonable, I honestly expected it to cost much more than it did. We tried a speciality coconut chocolate martini that was delicious, a Bloody Mary that was on the spicy side, and cheese curds. Everything was great! read more

The Bar - Delicious coconut chocolate martini! - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I am not from town, but was recommended to us...great place for food for late night-the gentleman running the place was very kind. Lots of good choices on the menu and it was very filling. Thank you-we'll be back! read more

This restaurant is in the bar of the Concourse and easily missed. We stopped for sandwiches before a concert on State street for something different and were pleasantly surprised. The food was outstanding as was the service. Of course there were only two other people dining so maybe that is not always the case. I had a French Dip sandwich in a perfect bun which was seasoned just right and the fries that came with it a little above average as well. My wife has a chicken parmesan sandwich which was equally good. We had a couple of Manhattans before dinner that were correctly made and not bad in price,$ 7.50 each, a good price for the uptown area. The only negative thing I would comment on is that at one point the entire room started shaking like ship in a storm! When I asked about this I was told it was the laundry equipment in the basement that vibrates the whole place. We had to pretend we were on a cruise ship in rough water for ten minutes or so until it stopped. This was around seven PM so maybe the laundry shuts down around then. We did not feel it again after that. Good food and good value. Give it a try if uptown. read more

The service in the bar both times was attentive with drinks and water being refreshed on a regular basis. Whether or not they are busy just depends on the day and the hour but both times I've been there in recent history it wasn't crowded and the groups I was with could talk and easily hear one another. The menu is small but it was just right for sharing with others at the table. Some soups, salads, "snacks", and sandwiches as well as cheese and meat spread options. I had a delish carrot soup and shared the beet salad and chicken flat bread. It was just right and all very good. I'm on he fence about whether the higher prices are worth it but after a holiday martini I would say that 'yes' it was worth it! read more

The best grilled cheese I have ever had! I added chicken & bacon. The old fashioned the bartender made was wonderful too- top 5 ever! Service was excellent! All around a great experience & one of the best hotel restaurants/bars in terms of food & drinks I've been to in a long time! read more

The Bar - a sandwich and a drink on a table - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I came in here last night after hearing about this place. I was so amazed at the ambiance, but what was even more amazing was my server, Tristan. He was very attentive to my needs and recommended absolutely delicious drinks and appetizers. I will be back very soon, 5/5. read more

Great out-of-the-way bar. Happy hour from 4-6 with $3 beer specials. Order a specialty drink or wine and you can get an appetizer for $6. It's a one-for $6 deal but if you're with a group, you can each get a drink/wine and order something to share. The artichoke dip is good and has a bit of a bite, although my palette is very susceptible to heat. So most people will probably not even notice. The cheese plate is awesome! A 10 year cheddar, a Bleu, and a gouda(?), with small crostini and a small ramekin of sweeter, spicy mustard. (that I didn't try but I'm taking the word of one brave member of our party) The meatballs were very good, not too much spice. Tasty, and not over-cooked, with excellent crusted bread slices to help clean up the sauce. The wine list is not extensive (at least by the glass), and a bit unassuming, but there's at least something for everyone. I had a decent Cabernet Sauvignon but probably would have enjoyed the Male more. Not very far from Overture Center, we were here on a week-night when Wicked was playing and the bar was not crowded at all. Just the way you expect a quintessential hotel bar to be. I know where I'm going before my next Overture event. read more

I have lived 4 blocks from the Concourse for 6 years. When I heard they remodeled, me and a friend decided to check out The Bar for happy hour. WOW! The space is lovely...intimate, low key, soft music, variety of seating. I've gotten so tired of the packed, loud, average service, and pretentious food of lot of restaurants downtown. Walking into this place was like discovering an oasis from all that. Absolutely cannot say enough about the two servers. Attentive, knowledgeable, and were willing to get our questions answered if they didn't know. They pay attention to the little things here, which in any dining experience is so important. I have a huge pet peeve with bars writing their beer menu on a board with no menu for customers who are not seated at the bar. It's lazy and thoughtless. So when I realized there was no menu and asked what was on tap, the server did a little thing that I was so impressed with...instead of rattling off a bunch beer names, half of which I wouldn't know about, she said what type they were so it made my decision quick and easy. Beer selection is well represented but not extensive. But does anyone really need every bar to offer 100 beers? No. Now, to the food. Again, WOW! Great menu and great prices. We had the artichoke dip and it was fantastic! Creamy, hot, and cheesy with big chunks of artichokes. Served with toasted pita bread, which was a nice touch because it made dipping and eating worry free that I was going to drip globs on the way to my mouth. At $10 it seemed a little pricey but the serving was huge and more then plenty to share with 2-3 people. We also had the chicken chili for $6. When they brought out the bowls we were shocked! It was a meal. Both of us were stuffed and I even took some of the soup home. The chili was hearty with good size chunks of chicken and plenty of beans. It had a little heat but nothing to deter sensitive palates. My friend, who is very picky about food quality, loved it all. We were so impressed with the whole experience we asked for the manager to tell him how great the service, food, and ambience was and that we will be coming back for many more visits. I've been telling all my friends. Way to go, Concourse! read more

This place is great. Sliders. Fried pickles. Deviled eggs. Really really good for a hotel bar.