If you want to be immersed into all the energy and frenzy of UW sports around game day, then make your way to Wando's! You've got 3 floors to choose from, depending on how you feel. This is your typical college bar! All I had were drinks, no food this time. I would love to sit in their sidewalk tables. The servers were all working hard but still smiling. Bouncers have a tough job, but still managed to be polite and not 'pushy.' We went after a Badger Football game. We had such a blast! Next time, we are going for food. read more

Wando's - Matt Joki (Badger Football Alumnus) sitting in 'his chair' - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We received fully raw chicken tenders and were told that it wasn't a big deal and that they'd just give us a new batch at first until we directly asked for a free round due to the issue... enough said. read more

Wando's - Fully raw chicken tenders - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Everything a college bar should be ranging from their strong alcoholic drinks, typical bar food, sticky floors and a clear view of the tv. It was a Saturday morning and wanted to do some early drinking before going to the Badgers game. Wando's FishBowl was the perfect solution to our situation. We watched the first half at Wando's and at halftime we left to the game. The fishbowl is a fat drink that lasted us the entire first half and if you tell the bartender they are able to make it any color you want. The service was pleasant and fairly quick. They made accommodations by bringing me a bag of ice for my injured ankle. If you are a college student trying to drink and watch the badgers came I definitely recommend read more

Wando's - The FishBowl - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

From LA and I've been hearing bout this place everywhere from Hollywood to Long Beach! Managed a mini trip during covid and was finally able to show up. Didn't sell me short no doubt! Everything was incredible! Customer service, nothing better! Ana was our server, didn't catch the cooks name but he was incredible also! Conversation, engaged, happy, willing and open and excited to be there! Loved every part of it! Amazing people! The food was so damn good. Ordered cheese curds, turkey club and sweet potato fries, boneless wings and fries and like 10 beers. The food was delicious! Like amazing x100000000! Our bill was only $55, I can't even believe the price! My first time in Madison was a huge success! Never ever will I forget this spot. Can't wait to come back and have a fish bowl! read more

Overall 2.3/5 Ambience: 2.4/5 Came here before a game, had to order off their game menu which was fine, but very limited. All the other place in the area were busy, but not here. Multiple levels and bars. Appetizer: 2.4/5 Cheese Curds Liked: The cheese. Disliked: Super greasy, not homemade, there weren't that many. Entree: 3.6/5 Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich Liked: Chicken cooked well with a nice char, bacon cooked well. Disliked: Ranch was on the side, tomato not ripe, bun was not good. Entree: .8/5 The Wando Burger Liked: It didn't kill me, onions. Disliked: Extremely rare, bacon was chewy, not smothered in buffalo sauce, bun was not good. read more

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Amazing food and atmosphere. Service was excellent. Everyone enjoyed their job and was very happy and friendly. The owner, Wando is beyond generous and we will be forever grateful for this awesome experience! we will be back and I highly recommend you check it out! read more

You have to come here just for the fishbowls and the tradition! Crowds get a little thick on Friday and Saturday nights, especially with undergrads. The third floor is students only, as you must show your ID to enter. I will say that it's a totally different experience depending on what floor you go to. I've only had the food once and it was pretty good for bar food. I will say the crowd is a little strange if you come when it's not peak hours. Overall, I really like this bar. Prices aren't too bad, and the drinks are pretty strong. read more

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It's not fancy, but Wando's is great for what it is. It is a fun place to hang out with friends and grab a drink. Wando and his staff work hard to make sure everyone has a good time and stays safe. read more

Food was not very good. After a football game it's nice to have tasty comfort food. The appetizers were either over cooked or under cooked. For main meal they had burgers and a few other sandwiches. We each ordered something different, and they came out cold. We didn't want to send it back as the servers, although very nice, were very busy. The one non-beer drink was good, so good job on the bartender. In short, great location, friendly servers, decent drinks, but food needs a lot of work. read more

Writing a positive review just because all those weird snowflake libs are crying about nothing related to what is supposed to be reviewed.

Not good service, overpriced drinks. The fish bowl is way overhyped. Do not recommend

Keep this in mind before you go here. There are plenty of other places to go in downtown Madison. Choose one of them. read more

Wando's - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

While on a 24-hour whirlwind tour of Madison, my friends determined that I had to have the Wando's experience in my life. We wandered in early enough on a quiet evening that we were able to get seats at the bar on the ground floor, and fishbowls were promptly ordered for us as well as cheese curds and the Wando's bacon special. I really had no idea what I was in for, so the garishly-coloured mixture of the entire speedbar with ice and straws in a fishbowl was a hilarious surprise. Sure - it's not a craft cocktail, and you're easily tasting the artificial green or purple or whatever you've chosen, but go with it. The cheese curds were average, but helped to tamp down the tremendous volume of alcohol in the fishbowl. The bacon special, on the other hand...1 pound of deep fried bacon. Terrible for your health, as I'm sure everything in this place is, but ostentatiously perfect to pair with your drinking here. No - this wouldn't be a regular haunt of mine, but for a one-off experience of the fun excess which can be found in Madison, this was perfect. read more

Thanks for not helping with Covid and fucking it up for all the other businesses. Packed full and lines out the door. Half the people chest to chest in the line with no masks.how about managing your line for starts. You guys suck a managing in the new world crisis read more

Everything a college bar should be! 3 stories of awesomeness. The owner was super personable and the waitstaff attentive and probably the best looking crew I've ever run across. The food was what you should expect from a college bar. Filling and plentiful. I told my wife "if I ever own a college bar, this is my vision of perfection and the high hurdle". Outdoor seating and a great location. Can't even imagine how fun this place gets on game day....I aim to find out this fall. Don't change a thing! read more

We went to Wando's last night for fishbowls and had a blast. The place was pretty packed which we expected, coming on Saturday night from 11pm-1am - and it was a good kind of packed, like exciting and lively rather than "GAH! I just want to get to the other side of the room!" packed. Music's good. Fishbowls are good (and fun!) There were lots of happy, good-looking, 21-29 year olds in the place. There's a dance floor on the 3rd floor. Its cool to be able to just jump on up there at the drop of a hat. When we were there, there was a $5 cover charge to get up. Very well worth it though. read more

If you come to a downtown college bar in Madison after a home football game, do not be surprised if it's crowded, noisy snd the floor is sticky . . . read more

I wish I could give Wando's 6 stars!!!! I lost my phone here on Saturday night and left without realizing it wasn't in my purse until the next morning. I went in today (Monday) and even though the bar was closed for painting, THE Wando welcomed me into the bar, handed me my phone on the spot and we had a wonderful conversation for the next half hour. Not only am I so grateful for the attentive staff that retrieved my phone and put it in a safe spot, I am beyond appreciative of Wando's friendly demeanor and care for the people who frequent his bar. It's clear that his greatest priority is making sure the place is a safe environment for college students, especially women, and he truly cares about his customers and their experience. I've been to this awesome spot a few times as a UW student and love the atmosphere, the people and the bartenders. The crowd is always so much fun and they play bumpin' music. Thank you Wando's!!!! read more

Bar food, was decent. Yes I will eat and drink here again. Sat in the 2nd level on a busy game night. Swamped with not a lot of servers but the service was extremely good. Our server was friendly, quick and very good at her job. I told her that, Wando is lucky to have her. read more

After all my years on campus; Group On finally led me to Wando's. The kids that worked for me always said, '"They have the best burgers, Ms. Joyce." Of course, I have to be Joyce and go and order the Friday Fish Fry. ewwww. .... NO. Heck, even Culver's does better. We ordered: Wings (app)- the blue cheese was pretty good Onion Rings (app) - Good Batter, great size. Will do again. Friday night Fish Fry - (Perch)- well, it's chopped like that New England style. It wasn't seasoned, I guess they rely on the batter to give it flavor. The fries ...well they're fries. I don't drink so the Fish Bowl was lost on me. HOWEVER, the kid decided when 21 comes that is the drink to get. It's sooo pretty. Even I had to laugh after rolling my eyes. Service was good enough as it was empty at 5/5:30pm so we beat the crowd. Sat upstairs which provided a good bird's eye view. We will return for Bacon Night (the kid loves Bacon in the worst way) and I'll make it my business to get just a burger and onion rings. read more

This place was packed when we arrived and extremely packed when we left. We went all the way to the top of the building by the grill area. We were able to get drinks quickly and they had a lot of my favorite beers on tap. This was a great place to meet up due to location and bathrooms were clean. Lack of star for how cold it was I thought heat was supposed to rise. I think they opened a window at some point causing the cold air to pour in. I want to stop in sometime to try their food it looked really good. read more

Wando's - Octoberfest. - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Two words: fish bowl. Apparently, they only serve full-sized fish bowls to groups of 3+ individuals. My friend and I tried to order a fish bowl to split between the two of us, and we were told that we could only order it if we hadn't had anything to drink yet...ANYWHERE. Sounds like a challenge, right? Right? Wrong. We figured we'd play it safe and just order a half. We were pretty disappointed to find that it did NOT come in a fish bowl. :( We got the orange soda flavored fish bowl, although the bartender did mention that we could get ANY color that we wanted. It pretty much tasted like a frat house jungle juice. Nothing spectacular, but it serves its purpose. And yes, the two of us would have been fine splitting a full-sized fish bowl. It might have meant a few extra bathroom runs, but it would have been worth it. Bartender, you underestimate us. Wando's is a great place to start the night. I'd probably just get in early, down a fishbowl, and bounce. At 10PM, the second floor split level was already so packed it looked like a fire hazard waiting to happen, and overall, the entire place was a little too bro-ish for me. Wouldn't want to get caught in the middle of a bar scuffle between the backwards-hat gang and the muscle man in the corner. read more

Horrible place!! Bad service, actually no service. Ordered food that was never delivered. When the bill came they tried to charge us for the food that was never made. The young women behind the bar were absolutely worthless, texting and taking about their plans for the weekend. Keep walking and stop at Vintage across the street instead. Drinks, food and SERVICE!! All excellent. read more

Very unsatisfied overall with my evening at Wandos. My wife and I decided to come back and visit Madison for the weekend which was going well until we got to Wandos. The bouncer was giving everyone in line a hard time for no apparent reason. He just sat there, never said a word to anyone because he was "too good" for everyone else- must've been a little power trip for this little bouncer guy! All in all, bartenders and other staff were cool but the bouncers need to chill out and get an ego check. Like you're bouncing at wandos. This is madison Wisconsin and not even the KK or UU, grow up. read more

I went here for the infamous fish bowls. The place was insanely packed...body to body. My friends and I were fortunate to find a table where we could share our fish bowl. We were having an okay time until a bartender came up to our table, grabbed our $20 fish bowl and started walking away with it. When every person in my group instantly objected that we were not finished and that it was still 1/4 full, the RUDE bartender refused to return our drink, shouted "No, it's empty" and continued walking away. Needless to say, we were pissed. Two minutes later we saw the same bartender walking off with another fish bowl that was about 3/4 full. I'm guessing they were out of fish bowls and trying to get more, but that does not give you the right to take someone's drink out from under them. read more

Wando's - Fish Bowl - Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I've been to this place at night on the weekends frequently. I will no longer be returning. Upstairs they usually require a student i.d to get in free or you have to pay. I usually show my MATC student i.d and get in without any issues. Last night I was told they don't accept MATC i.d. When I asked why the doorman just stated they just don't. I think they were just discriminated against me. I paid the fee to get in and the place was bogus and the music is also whack. read more

I despise everything about this place pretty much. Half of my experiences here have involved having to meet 1-2 of my friends here, and then getting there, waiting outside for 20 minutes before being let in, finding out my friends are on the third floor, trying to get up to the third floor, finding out I have to wait in line AGAIN to get to the third floor, getting up there after 15-20 minutes, and all of that just to be bombarded by bros, tackily dressed women and sticky floors. I apologize for that run on of a sentence/story, but it perfectly describes my frustration with Wando's. When I leave after all this, I feel drained from standing around for so long, and frustrated because that was about an hour of my weekend night wasted. Considering that it's a bro bar, the drink selection obviously isn't too great. It's bottom shelf liquor and mostly domestics, but with a few decent taps (i.e Blue Moon, Spotted Cow). The fish bowl is one of the main attractions for some patrons, but it just tastes like kool-aid, which is not what I want a drink to taste like. I don't have much else to say about the place. I will admit that Wando's likely does fill some niches. For instance, it's probably a good place to hang out if you're looking for a one night stand with a college student. It's also fine if you want to dance to pop/edm at a nightclub-esque setting without paying ridiculous drink prices, AND if you're possibly too homophobic to go to Sotto or Plan B. But that isn't me, nor is that the kind of person I want to associate with. So yeah, Wando's is a 1 for me, and I'd recommend most level-headed people to avoid being near there. read more

A must visit if you are ever visiting Madison. But only for the fish bowl beverage. Service and food are both only adequate. Every time I went to the bar, they would always give me that look of annoyance (for reference, my drink order consists of gin and clubs soda...). I will give them the benefit of doubt though because it was a Saturday and maybe they seemed overwhelmed. Of course, there were three behind the bar so I don't know how that was possible. But it is still a great experience for the first timers to Madison. Go easy on the bowl though and make sure you drink with a friend(s). read more

So I hovered over the stars to pick out something that seemed appropriate and landed on 2 stars - "Meh. I've experienced better." Which is funny, because I'm pretty sure this is the exact thing I said when I last walked out of Wando's. My burger was severely overcooked, fries and onion rings tasted like they came straight out of the microwave, and the beer selection to complement it was unacceptably limited - this is Wisconsin, guys. The Wando Burger is a novel idea, but it's not going to get you anywhere if the ingredients you're using to make it all taste like ass. Not bad as far as campus bars go, but it's certainly nothing to write home about. Yes, you can drink alcohol out of a fish bowl here. I get it. Can you actually do something about this place to make me want to come here based on something more than a pointless gimmick? read more

Classic badger bar, but get it out of your system before you're twenty two. The fishbowl seems much better than it is. It's mostly sugar, not booze, so you'll have a crazy hangover if you have your fair share. Sure it will get you drunk if you split it between two people (or one if you know you failed your midterm), but the gut rot will get you every time. Tuesday is Bacon Night! which truthfully is really gross and cold. More tummy aches for you, BUT if you want to go out on a Tuesday, this is the bar where you'll be in good company. You can always go across the street to Ian's if you desperately need some bacon. If you have to wait in line at night, Wandos definitely has the best set up with a heat lamp once you get near the windows. That being said, the layout of the place kinda sucks. It's long and thin and is always super crowded so you can never move around. Additionally they create another line to get to the upstairs area and that takes up even more of the very little room they have. If you do manage to get up there though, it's really nice. They keep the top level from getting as crowded as the lower ones, there's usually a DJ, theres an extra bathroom and the bartender to customer ratio rocks up there. Good luck getting a spot though, everyone up there knows how good they've got it. read more

My visit to Wando's was during the lunch hour so I didn't try what they are apparently famous for; the Fishbowl; which by the way looks so awesome. Anyway, it was lunch and I wanted to use "Hooked" app so they happened to have a soup and sandwich special for $5 only!! The soup choices were chicken enchilada or chili and the Sammy was a grilled cheese. The soup was soooo thick like "Cheezewiz" in a bowl with a few dried up pieces of chicken breast and some salsa maybe? The Sammie was childlike in nature.... White bread with American processed "cheese food" Ate it anyway; it was warm and filling but won't try this special anymore. Maybe the BYOB or Fishbowl next time around. I believe the bar is three floors tall. read more

I have so much love for my classic Wisco hangout. When I describe Wisco bars to San Francisco people,Bacon night at Wando's sums it up wonderfully: 1. Free Bacon (hundreds of pounds of deep friend deliciousness) 2. Dollar Beers ...now if only we could get them to hand out free cubes of cheese! read more

If I'm 22, this three story behemoth gets five stars. I'm not, but that won't keep me from investigating. We stopped in during the game and managed to get a table on the top floor. After some enjoyable people watching of co-eds wearing indescribably sloppy outfits, we hit the road. I can see this place getting rowdy post-game, so this ain't the place to take the 'rents to on parents weekend. read more

Wando's is my favorite place to visit whenever I'm in Madison! Whether you're enjoying drinks with friends on the first floor, eating a delicious meal on the second, or dancing the night away on the third floor, Wando's is a great destination for a night out in Madison. Their atmosphere on game day is second to none and you'll have plenty of space to watch with your whole group if you arrive early! The drinks are great & food is delicious. I love their cheese curds or veggie burger (I'm a vegetarian) but have heard great things about the Wando Burger! The staff at Wando's is also super accommodating and friendly. Make sure to say hi to Wando if he's in the building to round out the whole experience! 5 stars :) read more

Wando's is...alright. There is usually at least some people there, even on a weeknight, which is good if you happen to have the luxury of making it out on a monday or sunday night. The drinks aren't spectacular-I don't think the fishbowl is all that spectacular. The bar itself is pretty nicely laid out-it is three levels with a little bit of a different atmosphere on each level. The reason why I've never been a big fan of Wando's is the crowd. The people are extremely uninteresting. You have your typical 24 year old dudes going out with a group of guys, thinking they are the coolest thing to ever happen to this city/bar, trying to get as hammered as possible-and you've got your 20 year old sorority/sorority-type girls who can't seem to help but falling in love with their every words as well. You also have the madison grads who come back to relive the days of their youth - who really haven't found anything better to do since. If I could meet cooler people at this bar, I would definitely like it alot more. As it is-if you are a madison student, you need to come here when you turn 21 to get the fabled "fishbowl," but after that there are plenty of other better choices in Madison if you want a fun night. read more

Really, you could to better. Unless you're 20 or younger, or from Jersey. Really, this bar is NOT THAT GREAT. I would have given it a "one star" if only to bring down its average, but it is a a "two star". It has a good, central, off-State location, has good specials, and is spacious. And decent bartenders. And that's all it's got going for it. Clientelle is pretty lame, and the last time I was there, even though I was with a huge group of friends, it still couldn't mask the icky flavor of the place. Try it if you'd like, but you could do much better, even on campus. read more

Have been coming here since I was legal, which is not as long as other establishments in Madison. The reason is that Wando's is not a place you go to if your are underage. Their reputation of keeping all the kids out is appreciated. Sometimes and it is becoming more often now I just want to be drinking with other adults and not drunken kids. Wandos offers great specials during the week highlighted by bacon night every tuesday. The bacon goes fast so you gotta get there early. The $1 PBR and Coors Light washes all that delicious fat down. The knock against wandos is that the bartenders in general suck. Not sure how they got jobs there, but they don't seem to know the difference between Miller Lite and Guinness. I don't dare order a mixed drink there because its either not what I ordered or super weak. Over all its a good place to drink before a game. There is always people there and the multiple floors make the experience more intimate. read more

I've visited Wando's many times and have always had a decent experience, however there was a bouncer I had never seen before working on 7/17/21 at 10:15 PM. He made a very racist comment toward my hometown that my ID states, and continued to laugh about it. I told a nearby manager about the incident and he apologized, but the bouncer remained in his position at the door for the rest of the night. I am truly disappointed that no further disciplinary action was taken. It is unacceptable that employees can get away with saying truly insensitive and utterly racist comments. read more

Okay. I might give Wando's 4 stars if I never had to be there when the d-bags came pouring in (around 10 p.m.). But inevitably, they come and ruin an otherwise magical evening that I was sharing with my free bacon and $1 cans of PBR. Que sera, sera... I used to love the fishbowls. Then, after one horrific, fishbowl-induced hangover too many, I banned myself from these wonderful drinks. It was a house rule: Heather may not consume fishbowls. Yes, I am serious. Also, I found out that there's something like 20 shots worth of liquor in those things. Gosh. WHY did I get hungover....? The only reason I go to Wando's now (and for the past couple years) is the free bacon/$1 beer night. You get the itis something fierce, but it's wonderful before that happens. read more

Friend: "Hey, grab me a beer will you? That's nothing in this world that's better than beer." Other friend: "Yeah, except for bacon." As you can see from my two friends' heated and highly thought provoking debate, the two best things in this world, without a doubt, are beer and bacon. For the past 22 years of my life, I've had countless bottles of beer, and way too many pieces of bacon. However, I've never had them at the same time. Well, here's where Wando's come in. Wando's, on Tuesday nights, has an amazing $1 beer special, that comes with.... yep, you've guessed it, FREE BACOOOON!!!!11111!!!!111111!!!!! I don't really have to list why free bacon is so awesome, but I will: 1) Bacon is one of the oldest processed meats in history. That means you're eating a piece of history every time you're biting into that juicy strip of deliciousness. 2) Bacon contains Vitamin B1, B12 AND Zinc. 3) Bacon has its on Holiday. The Saturday before Labor Day is devoted to INTERNATIONAL BACON DAY!!! You don't see spinach getting a holiday after it do you? 4) In the 16th century, having bacon is actually a sign of wealth. European peasants would literally put their bacon on a pedastal, to display the amount of bacon they could afford. 5) 70% of all bacon in the US is eaten during breakfast time, and here I am, eating bacon at night. That means this is a truly unique experience that will make you stand out in front of all of your friends. Given those awesome reasons on bacon, and more awesome reasons on beer, I do believe Wando's should be commended on their creativity and ingenious blend of the two best things in the world. read more