The Downtowner
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If you find yourself in Madison. Give this place a try. It is located downtown and only a block or so away from the Courthouse. Food is good and service at lunch is quick. What more could you ask for?
This cute cafe is right in the middle of Downtown Madison as the name suggests. There's plenty of free street parking outside. They have lots of sandwiches to choose from, in addition to pizzas, soups, and salads. I had the spinach chicken wrap. Everything tasted fresh, which is why I was so surprised it was served with a bag of chips. It was still good though. My mom had the potato soup and loved it. The staff were friendly and we got our food quickly.
Food first, the potato soup was really good. The potato salad had no flavor. Salad was bigger than expected. There is a lot of seating. Nothing fancy just a casual place to have a casual lunch or dinner. The service was slow but they are low staffed. We waited at least 20 minutes for them to take our order. Would likely try a different spot while in Madison next time, but, that soup- YUM!
The locals recommended Downtowner for a casual lunch and it was a great choice. There is a nice selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups, pizzas and don't miss dessert. We had the chicken salad with the side of red potato salad and the Italian turkey pesto on focaccia. Best sandwich I've had in awhile. Portions are large so you won't leave hungry. Checkout the oversized cookies they are worth it. Our server Chelsea was excellent!
I visited The Downtowner for lunch during a recent day trip to Madison. As it was my first time in Madison, I relied on recommendations from friends who had been there before, and The Downtowner came solidly recommended. My experience could have been better. Here is why: 1. While there are quite a few vegetarian menu options (parmesan pesto grill, black bean & cheddar ciabatta, extra cheesy grilled cheese, Greek pizza, garden, pasta, and potato salads) there are no vegan selections. While not surprising, it is disappointing. 2. As there were no vegan choices, I opted to create my own sandwich, which should have been a roaring success, as I was the one creating it. I ordered a veggie sandwich on rye, grilled, with sauerkraut and "all the vegetables," which were reported to be: lettuce, tomato, peppers, green and black olives, mushrooms, cucumber, and spinach. My sandwich arrived after all my other dining companions', and rather than having "all the vegetables," had lettuce, a tomato slice, 4 mushroom pieces, 1 sliver of pepper, and 3 green olive slices. More concerningly, it was sprinkled liberally with cheese, which not only covered the top of the sandwich, also spilled over onto the plate. When I pointed this out to our server, she took the sandwich back to the kitchen and returned very quickly with the same sandwich, slightly altered, on the same cheese-sprinkled plate. The top of the sandwich had been replaced with un-grilled bread, which resulted in half my sandwich being grilled and the other cold, with small bits of cheese sneaking in. 3. I did not receive a check. My three dining companions did. 4. As I try to be ethical, I pointed out the lack of check to the server who did then print a check, however I had substituted a side salad instead of chips, and was charged for the salad. When I pointed this out, the server was not sure how to correct the issue; after consulting a colleague it was resolved, but this compounded an already less-than-par experience.
A Madison staple!! The Downtown is a classic Madison experience for lunch! Friendly staff and service. I crave the loaded potato soup and grilled cheese and when I'm back in my hometown it's a must stop! So yum! Also save room for dessert and get a cookie or slice of cake. Parking is always free and lots of adorable shopping in the area!
This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but when you step inside you feel like you just walked into a little New York deli on Wall St. They have a nice selection of soups and sandwiches and the price is right.
We had lunch at the Downtowner this past Saturday during one of many Madison weekend walk around events. One of the first signs of a good establishment is the tables are full but turn over quickly meaning they had great food and great service. That rule certainly applies here as our seating wait time was short and the food was every bit as good and a nice choice of different meals available very fresh and a great value. So would we recommend the Downtowner, absolutely they are a better lunch spot or a quick dinner, there's no wine or any afternoon beverages we'll call them, so if you looking for a dinner of that atmosphere this one is not the place.
We happened across this restaurant on Sunday. It was pleasant surprise and sandwiches were big and flavorful with soft hoagie buns. I had BLT with nice aioli and crisp bacon. The star sandwich was the Big Reuben... see pictures. I need to have one of these next time.
This establishment was quaint, and on the smaller side. You walk in and are greeted by a handful of tables/booths in the main area with the counter and the kitchen behind. Then to the left of the counter you go through a doorway and there are 6-8 more tables give or take. We were told to sit anywhere we like. It did take the server a bit to greet us, but she was friendly and took our drink orders. Came back with our sweet teas, and then gave us a couple more minutes to look over the menu since it was mine and my wife's first time there. Once the server came back, I ordered the downtownee trio, which was my choice of a half a sandwich or specialty item & two sides. I got half the downtowner club, and for sides I ordered the bow tie ranch pasta and the loaded potato soup. My wife got the French bread pizza with pepperoni. The downtowner club 5/5 The loaded potato soup 1/5 (it was hot and looked good but the taste was not good in my opinion.) The bow tie ranch pasta- 5/5 My wife said her French bread pizza was also a 5/5 Aside from service being a little on the slower side, all around this place was a 10/10 for us and would highly recommend.
27 days ago
Surprisingly large menu of items. We started with the cheese bread- really good & the marinara was tasty and not too sweet (yay!) All of the good is freshly prepared. I do think it could stay in the oven just a bit longer for a better melt, but it's still hit and good. Portions are really big, so be prepared for leftovers. We enjoyed everything we had- the pizza in particular was tasty & huge for the price. Service was great- around enough to be helpful, not so much to be annoying. I did think it was a bit odd to have drinks in to go cups, though. The tables are packed in pretty tight, so you're going to have to be friendly with your neighbors when you get up to leave from the booth side. The acoustics are also not great, and added with close tables, it's hard to carry on a conversation. read more
1 month ago
Nice seating area busy today on Friday. Good sandwich and salad. Located on Main Street . Atmosphere is fine. read more
2 years ago
This cute cafe is right in the middle of Downtown Madison as the name suggests. There's plenty of free street parking outside. They have lots of sandwiches to choose from, in addition to pizzas, soups, and salads. I had the spinach chicken wrap. Everything tasted fresh, which is why I was so surprised it was served with a bag of chips. It was still good though. My mom had the potato soup and loved it. The staff were friendly and we got our food quickly. read more
5 months ago
Food first, the potato soup was really good. The potato salad had no flavor. Salad was bigger than expected. There is a lot of seating. Nothing fancy just a casual place to have a casual lunch or dinner. The service was slow but they are low staffed. We waited at least 20 minutes for them to take our order. Would likely try a different spot while in Madison next time, but, that soup- YUM! read more
1 year ago
The locals recommended Downtowner for a casual lunch and it was a great choice. There is a nice selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups, pizzas and don't miss dessert. We had the chicken salad with the side of red potato salad and the Italian turkey pesto on focaccia. Best sandwich I've had in awhile. Portions are large so you won't leave hungry. Checkout the oversized cookies they are worth it. Our server Chelsea was excellent! read more
I visited The Downtowner for lunch during a recent day trip to Madison. As it was my first time in Madison, I relied on recommendations from friends who had been there before, and The Downtowner came solidly recommended. My experience could have been better. Here is why: 1. While there are quite a few vegetarian menu options (parmesan pesto grill, black bean & cheddar ciabatta, extra cheesy grilled cheese, Greek pizza, garden, pasta, and potato salads) there are no vegan selections. While not surprising, it is disappointing. 2. As there were no vegan choices, I opted to create my own sandwich, which should have been a roaring success, as I was the one creating it. I ordered a veggie sandwich on rye, grilled, with sauerkraut and "all the vegetables," which were reported to be: lettuce, tomato, peppers, green and black olives, mushrooms, cucumber, and spinach. My sandwich arrived after all my other dining companions', and rather than having "all the vegetables," had lettuce, a tomato slice, 4 mushroom pieces, 1 sliver of pepper, and 3 green olive slices. More concerningly, it was sprinkled liberally with cheese, which not only covered the top of the sandwich, also spilled over onto the plate. When I pointed this out to our server, she took the sandwich back to the kitchen and returned very quickly with the same sandwich, slightly altered, on the same cheese-sprinkled plate. The top of the sandwich had been replaced with un-grilled bread, which resulted in half my sandwich being grilled and the other cold, with small bits of cheese sneaking in. 3. I did not receive a check. My three dining companions did. 4. As I try to be ethical, I pointed out the lack of check to the server who did then print a check, however I had substituted a side salad instead of chips, and was charged for the salad. When I pointed this out, the server was not sure how to correct the issue; after consulting a colleague it was resolved, but this compounded an already less-than-par experience. read more
A Madison staple!! The Downtown is a classic Madison experience for lunch! Friendly staff and service. I crave the loaded potato soup and grilled cheese and when I'm back in my hometown it's a must stop! So yum! Also save room for dessert and get a cookie or slice of cake. Parking is always free and lots of adorable shopping in the area! read more
2 years ago
This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but when you step inside you feel like you just walked into a little New York deli on Wall St. They have a nice selection of soups and sandwiches and the price is right. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
We had lunch at the Downtowner this past Saturday during one of many Madison weekend walk around events. One of the first signs of a good establishment is the tables are full but turn over quickly meaning they had great food and great service. That rule certainly applies here as our seating wait time was short and the food was every bit as good and a nice choice of different meals available very fresh and a great value. So would we recommend the Downtowner, absolutely they are a better lunch spot or a quick dinner, there's no wine or any afternoon beverages we'll call them, so if you looking for a dinner of that atmosphere this one is not the place. read more
We happened across this restaurant on Sunday. It was pleasant surprise and sandwiches were big and flavorful with soft hoagie buns. I had BLT with nice aioli and crisp bacon. The star sandwich was the Big Reuben... see pictures. I need to have one of these next time. read more
4 years ago
This establishment was quaint, and on the smaller side. You walk in and are greeted by a handful of tables/booths in the main area with the counter and the kitchen behind. Then to the left of the counter you go through a doorway and there are 6-8 more tables give or take. We were told to sit anywhere we like. It did take the server a bit to greet us, but she was friendly and took our drink orders. Came back with our sweet teas, and then gave us a couple more minutes to look over the menu since it was mine and my wife's first time there. Once the server came back, I ordered the downtownee trio, which was my choice of a half a sandwich or specialty item & two sides. I got half the downtowner club, and for sides I ordered the bow tie ranch pasta and the loaded potato soup. My wife got the French bread pizza with pepperoni. The downtowner club 5/5 The loaded potato soup 1/5 (it was hot and looked good but the taste was not good in my opinion.) The bow tie ranch pasta- 5/5 My wife said her French bread pizza was also a 5/5 Aside from service being a little on the slower side, all around this place was a 10/10 for us and would highly recommend. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
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8 years ago
The Downtowner is a perfect spot to grab a bite while in Madison, IN. I visited recently before heading to Clifty Falls. After grabbing a seat outside, we were promptly greeted by a friendly server who took our order. My friend and I both wanted wraps, so we did what any good Yelper would do -- decided to split our wraps and share! I went with the BLT wrap, and boy did it hit the spot! Crispy lettuce, fresh tomatoes and (magic word) bacon, all in a fresh and soft flour tortilla. When it came time for me to try the Chicken Spinach Wrap that they shared, I took one bite and missed my BLT wrap. They looked at me after trying a bite of my BLT wrap and said "You know, I think I liked mine better than yours." "Really?!" I asked, thrilled. "Because I liked mine better than yours!" We swapped back to finish the meal. As our experience would show here, you can't go wrong with the wraps, it's just a matter of taste for what you want. As we ate we enjoyed watching the world go by on Main Street. After a very pleasant lunch break, we headed off to the trails! read more
3 years ago
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4 years ago
A good choice for lunch when in Madison. Turkey reuben was tall and good. Paper towels handy on the table for the hunch and yawn technique of sandwich eating. Salad had a generous amount of chicken and out waitress got drinks and our order very quick. Lots of people at lunch time, so when visiting this id your go-to lunch stop read more
5 years ago
The Downtowner is a solid option for a lunch or quick meal in downtown Madison. A close friend who lives in the area recommended that we meet up for lunch here. Who am I to turn down a recommendation from a local?!? The Downtowner is pretty basic on the inside. You will immediately recognize that it's a quintessential, small-downtown sandwich shop. No frills. I ordered the grilled cheese and a cup of chicken noodle soup, following the advice of the server. Who am I to turn down a recommendation from a server?!? And I was pleasantly impressed. The bread on the grilled cheese was perfected grilled in butter and had a dusting of parmesan, I believe, on top. I want all of my grilled cheeses to have parmesan on them now. And the chicken noodle soup was adequately chock full of noodles, some veggies and chunks of chicken. It hit that right balance between salty and bland. These items were not gourmet or complicated -- just nice comfort food. Our meals came out quickly, and they were pretty cheap, from what I remember. What more can you ask for? I would happily eat at The Downtowner again. read more
4 years ago
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More info about The Downtowner
104 E Main St
Madison, IN 47250
Directions
(812) 274-3344
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Visit Website
http://www.madisonhistoricdistrictshops.com/walk/E100/S/Downtowner/
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