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    The Downtowner

    3.8 (120 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 9:00 pm

    The Downtowner Photos

    THE DOWNTOWNER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Spinach Chicken Wrap
    Christina B.

    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.

    a man sitting at a table in a restaurant
    Billie K.

    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!

    people sitting outside of a restaurant
    Laura M.

    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!

    Built my own veggie sandwich due to lack of vegan options
    Lisal F.

    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.

    Loaded potato soup, grilled cheese, Italian pasta salad
    Laken T.

    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!

    a dining room with a ceiling fan
    Peter P.

    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.

    Sides and Kids menu
    Keith F.

    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.

    The Downtowner burger and loaded potato soup
    Tricia T.

    Small diner type atmosphere. Great burgers. Waitress offered cookies to go. Got a chocolate chip. Large cookie. Scrumptious. We will be back.

    French bread pizza
    Destiney R.

    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.

    Big Reuben. Kinda big deal!

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    4 months ago

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    3 days ago

    Consistently great food! Love the loaded potato soup, top it off with one of their amazing cookies!!

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    3 years ago

    Good friendly service, good food,at a good price. Great homemade soups. Our place to go when we visit Madison.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Very good sandwiches and soup! The service was great and the food was out in no time.

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    The Crêperie - Baked Brie with cranberries, almonds and local honey.

    The Crêperie

    4.5(36 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    The Creperie is a very cute place to have some breakfast! They have a small little corner for…read morekids to color and draw, and even a chalk wall! This keeps them busy and in a specific area while you eat. The food was really good, I especially liked the French Toast that I got. My wife thought the crepe was ok, maybe could use more stuff in it (stuffing? lol. It was steak). Service was very friendly and food came out at a reasonable time. There is an upstairs which has some fun seating and there is a ton to look at while you eat which was entertaining.

    We were visiting family and decided to try this place. OMG!! First, the place is so cute, with…read morebeautiful artwork and gifts/decor. Who doesn't like to shop and eat!? They definitely have crepes mastered! They are so delicious and fresh. The crepes places we have in California don't get this gourmet. The pouched pear crepe has gold luster!!! Get the lavender lemonade and Ryan's Tiramisu Tea, you won't be disappointed. Lastly, the staff/service was superb. So sweet and attentive - the person making our drinks (Ryan) was giving us great recommendations of places to visit. I'm looking forward to coming back when I'm in town!!! I want to try everything on the menu.

    Photos
    The Crêperie - Top: The August Bottom: The GDM

    Top: The August Bottom: The GDM

    The Crêperie - 12x12 board for an event, made by Chef Sophie.

    12x12 board for an event, made by Chef Sophie.

    The Crêperie - Briemato: Brie melted on fresh croissant, dressed with spinach, marinated tomatoes, o/m egg, cranberry balsamic gastrique.

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    Briemato: Brie melted on fresh croissant, dressed with spinach, marinated tomatoes, o/m egg, cranberry balsamic gastrique.

    The Downtowner - sandwiches - Updated May 2026

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