Went to the Underground Food Collective for dinner last week. The food was delicious, unique and fresh. The environment was bright, contemporary and hospitable. The staff was attentive without being overbearing. It was a great experience. read more

Underground Food Collective - bread, butter and whipped lardo - Caterers Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Since this is my first review, I'm feeling the pressure to make it as thorough and honest as possible. So here goes... When planning my wedding, I was looking for a caterer who shared my food values. I wanted someone who would present my guests with some delicious local food; someone who would be low-key and easy to work with. UFC seemed to be just what I was looking for. But then, I should have known it wouldn't be so easy. First, I had to email approximately 15 times before I was able to set up a meeting with them. Since I live in San Francisco, I had a window of about a week to meet with them. Needless to say, they weren't very interested in accommodating me. Then, the meeting. After the general unhelpfulness of our scheduling exchanges, my expectations were low, but wow! Now, I generally expect that when I meet with a caterer, I'll get to taste some of their food. Not so. I (sort of) understood, since they don't have a kitchen facility, per se. I reminded myself to keep an open mind. Most caterers will lead you through the initial meeting, getting a sense of what you're looking for, your budget, your style. Not this guy. What we got was... well, not much besides a lot of chef peacockery. Now, being from San Francisco, I'm used to food snobs. I am fluent in their language - they are my people. But UFC made me feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman - the scene when she is hysterically pulling wads of cash out of her purse, begging to be waited on in Beverly Hills. Surprise, surprise, they never called me back - another giant red flag - and I didn't pursue them either. I did send an email letting them know how disappointed I was, which (of course) was never replied to. I would caution anyone against working with these folks. Even though their mission and food seem to be top notch, their diva behavior is just too much. I only wish I could give zero stars. read more

UFC catered our party this past Saturday night, and they did an excellent job! They set up a huge grill outside our kitchen-less venue and grilled chicken, homemade hotdogs, asparagus, and potatoes fresh and on the spot for our 100+ guests. The hot dogs were served with spicy homemade kimchi, ketchup, and mustard; the beet and goat cheese salad served on the side was flavorful and filling; and the appetizers (pesto goat cheese crostini and market vegetable crudites) were fresh, flavorful and delicious. The UFC staff who worked our event were helpful and present but never intrusive. Wendy, who coordinated our event, was responsible and communicative, and a pleasure to work with. I have nothing but good things to say about this experience. read more

After they catered a friend's wedding, I knew we had to have them for our wedding. My then-fiancé and I had moved from Wisconsin to Rhode Island and the wedding was a year away, everything would have to be done by phone, email, and smoke-signal. While we had some initial stutters with communication with them (my husband took to Twitter, and that got some attention!) the end result was food and dessert that my friends and family are still talking about 4 years later. We could have gone with your standard sad chicken, pitiful fish, or woefully over-cooked beef and equally sad veggies, but we toughed it out and the food prevailed. They worked within our $3000 budget for food, offering us several full menus and items to choose from, and it was to be cooked on sight. Fresh, hot off the grill food at a wedding?! Practically unheard of. No over done meat, and veggies here, it was all perfect. They even put together a surprise extra cake for my husband and I, pretty awesome, I think. I'd absolutely have them cater again, and still happily give a great review of the food! read more

Friends of ours booked these guys a couple years later for an offsite wedding and they nailed it once again. Really really solid execution.

Well this is my first review and I will keep it short. From reading the other reviews I am not a bit surprised. I was to attend a party catered by UFC. My friend shows up to pick up the order........and they have nothing. No food, nothing. Just pretentious, over priced and sh1tty at what they do. read more

Went to the UFC as a party of four on a busy Saturday night for the first time. One word: Rude. We all know this is a rough business and while my heart bleeds for the owners who have to tough it out with lots of customers eager to eat their decent cuisine and drop plenty of cash on beverages, I am not impressed by the greeting we eventually received by the host. This woman could not even be bothered with the all important lap around the restaurant to merely glance at tables to determine about how long the wait would be. Instead, and I am not joking, the line was "I can probably get you a table within an hour." To that, the response of my party of four was "And we can probably get a table at Graze where the people care." We left. Good luck UFC. At the time of this review, you are down 3 for 3. read more

I am afraid that I have to agree with the previous review. These guys are flaky! We needed a caterer for a fairly small event (30 or so guests). We were excited to find someone that subscribed to local, seasonal, and delicious. After approx a dozen phone calls and emails, they finally called back and set a meeting, but now I had only 5 weeks before the party. After the initial meeting, my confidence level was low, but I was lured in by the tempting food options. I'll spare you the details, but the short version is, after hours invested in meetings and discussions, and with less than 3 weeks before the event, I could get neither a working menu, nor pricing, despite promises to provide me with such. Clearly, I couldn't count on these guys. Finally, I gave up, gave notice, and moved on. Trying to find a replacement so so close to the date was difficult, and we ended up with a pretty sorry caterer. I would advise staying away from Bon Apetit Cafe; good food at the restaurant, but extremely poor service and overall planning with home catering. The desserts were, however, amazing! Of note, last month we rode in MACSACs Bike the Barns, which UFC catered. The food was out of this world! Which makes me even angrier that these guys couldn't get the business side of their catering together! In summary, I could have cooked for 30 people, but the whole point of hiring a caterer was so that I could relax and enjoy the party. UFC promised to take care of everything, but as the date approached, it became obvious to me that they could not be relied upon for even the basics, let alone tables, chairs, service, etc. If you are willing to plan well in advance, hold their hands, and manage the event yourself, they would probably deliver some awesome chow. read more

The Underground Catering provided all the food and bar for my daughter's wedding. She contacted them online and set up a menu of pulled pork, special slaw and cheesy pasta - all excellently served in a barn setting for 150. The bar service was cordial and accommodated the bride and groom's "signature" drink as well as an extensive mix of other beers, wines, etc. They worked with us to let us buy some of the drinks as well. The appetizers were the bomb - as were the empanadas served as the midnight snack. Wow. On time - pleasant - clean. We loved it. The next day...we had misplaced some of the rented napkins, but Wendy was right there, figuring it out in a flash. Quite the business. I'd trust them with any catering and I've hosted many for my employer! Fresh. Fast. Friendly. Can't beat it. read more

Underground has really stepped up their catering game -- or, this is what I insinuate based on the reviews from four years ago, and my recent experience working with them over the last 7 months to plan and cater my wedding. I got married at the new Madison Public Library in June 2014, and as the exclusive caterer and holder of the liquor license, Underground Food Collective and specifically Wendy, their catering and event coordinator, played a huge role in helping my wedding come together. From the beginning, UFC and Wendy were responsive and easy to work with. We met several times over the winter months for menu and event planning, and we were delighted to be able to try many of UFC's charcuterie boards, hor d'oeuvres, and the house wines over the course of our meetings. Wendy was very accommodating of our interests and concerns, and she was always able to suggest options and alternative ideas. With Wendy, our planning meetings turned from a source of stress to something actually enjoyable and exciting. In the end, UFC was able to come up with a really gorgeous, absolutely delicious small-plates menu that met all the needs of our 100 guests - several of them vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free. They were happy to source a couple speciality beers (favorites from my husband's and my hometowns) for the bar, and the catering staff was accommodating and professional throughout the entire night. Our guest raved about the food. The beet-carrot salad! The beef brisket flatbread! The lemon pepper macaroons! I can honestly say choosing to work with Wendy and Underground was the best wedding planning decision we made, and I highly recommend them. read more

I can't say enough good things about underground food collective. My wife and I have loved all facets of their business. We are not foodies (though we enjoy good food), and are certainly not cool, but everyone we've met with Underground Food Collective has been welcoming, helpful, patient and understanding of food allergies as well as lack of food knowledge. Forequarter is great and the bartender is always extremely knowledgeable about their menu and ingredients. As it is a small restaurant, there is typically a wait, but it's always been well worth it. The butcher shop is also top notch. From a Thanksgiving turkey last year to brats over the summer and pork shoulder in between everything we have gotten there is fantastic. I also recommend a French Exit sandwich to tide you over. We also used their catering company for our wedding. As we enjoyed their restaurant and their values, we really wanted them for our wedding. We didn't want to spend a ton of money. We were upfront with our budget from the beginning and they were very good in helping us stick with it. They planned a great family-style meal with a sausage platter (which was all grilled at the site of our reception) as well as wonderful fresh salads and great appetizers to all fit our budget. Our catering contact was accomodating and knowledgable. We could not have been happier with the planning, food or service. read more

I have to echo the sentiments of the other disgruntled reviewers. Before meeting with them, Underground Food Collective was the front runner for our wedding. It was like pulling teeth to get a meeting with them and when we finally did, I felt like I could never be cool or hip enough for them to take me seriously as a client. We were presented with a variety of menu options, but when I asked about tasting them before spending thousands of dollars, I was told that I should go to their restaurant, Forequarter, and order some dishes so I could "see what Underground is all about." We frequent the Underground restaurants all the time, which is why we wanted the meeting in the first place! Randomly, we decided to take a meeting with Blue Plate catering and it was a complete 180 on service. I hope you read my review of them as they were incredible. They made a completely custom menu for us with local and seasonal ingredients and it was HALF the price of Underground! It was so nice to work with a place that treated us with respect! Save your money and your self respect and go with another catering place for your special day! read more

I have used UFC for a number of events that ranged in size and style. They included a large (150+) event at a public venue, a small work-related dinner for ten people at my office, and a few events at my home that ranged from 40-60 guests. UFC has always exceeded my expectations-- and I am a very demanding customer when it comes to food. In addition, my guests have raved about the food. This group really is special. They are creative and innovative, relaxed, and personable. Although I have always had strong ideas about what I wanted to serve my guests, UFC has always balanced producing exactly what i wanted while also pushing me in new directions. Not only have I never been disappointed, I have come to totally rely upon and trust them. In addition to amazing food, they have always been a great value for the dollar. Their prices are reasonable, they always come in exactly at budget, and nearly every time I have gotten a bit more than what I paid for. Additionally,their serving staff have always been so warm, charming, and professional. I read the two recent negative reviews here and there is some truth to those reviews. UFC is not for everyone. As chefs these guys are peerless. But you do have to be relaxed and go with their flow. The first time I used them i was nervous because emails were not returned on time, a written version of the menu was not sent to me until right before the event. . .all the things that I expected with more "business-like" caterers I had used in the past. But in the end, these guys delivered. So I began to relax. I have to say that the last time I used them, i simply told them how many people I expected, what my budget was, and special dietary concerns of the guests-- and that i need not hear anything more from them. They showed up and it was the BEST party I have ever catered. Everything was perfect and my guests ended up standing in the kitchen talking to the UFC guys and waiting for the food to come out. They even started ad libbing great stuff for the children at the party. In sum, these guys are talented artists and decent, kind people who really know how to cook. If you can be relaxed, trust them, and go with the flow, you will not be disappointed. I have used many other caterers in Madison and cannot imagine using anyone other than UFC for a range of formal to business events. read more

Good food, great flexibility, and excellent, respectable servers. Appetizers were AMAZING but portions are small and the food was cold for some. read more

Concept is great, meats are fantastic, but vegetables leave much to be desired. Root vegetables have to be microwaved or parboiled to half-tenderness before roasting. Shaved vegetables served raw have to be micro-thin and finely julienned or it turns into a chewing marathon. None of the vegetable dishes but for the mushroom polenta have worked for us. read more

Bangin' food. Awesome chefs! great times!

Had them cater a small event (37) people. They were incredibly flexible and easy to deal with. Communication was easy and our contact (Wendy) took care of everything for us. The food was great, I would definitely book again. read more