Madison Restaurants and Dining

(Madison, Wisconsin - WI, USA)

If you are planning an evening of fine dining or simply looking for a bite to eat, then you will be pleased to learn that Madison has plenty of eateries on offer. In fact, the Wisconsin state capital is actually called home by one of the highest and most diverse concentrations of restaurants per head in the whole of North America.

Sandwich bars, cafes, coffee shops, pizzerias, beer-joints, wine bars and bistros are all to hand in Madison, together with upmarket dining options and seafood restaurants. The highest concentration of eateries radiates outwards from the Wisconsin State Capitol Building, while all around the University of Wisconsin-Madison are lots of places where you can grab a bite to eat, especially along Campus Drive, University Avenue and West Johnson Street.

The appealing neighborhood lying around East Johnson Street comes with an assortment of trendy cafes and eateries. Here you will discover a particularly good supply lying in between Blount Street and Brearly Street.

Where to Eat

Leading westwards from the capital, towards the university campus, State Street forms the very heart of Madison and is lined with literally dozens of dining opportunities, as well as convenient food carts (situated close to the Memorial Library). Highlights here include the recommended Fresco Restaurant, which offers fine dining with a view, since it is located on the rooftop of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

Also located on State Street, in downtown Madison, are the Casa De Lara (Mexican), the Fair Trade Coffee House (cafe / sandwich shop), Hawk's Bar & Grill (American-style pub with gourmet burgers), the Himal Chuli Restaurant (Nepalese / vegetarian) and the Parthenon Gyros Restaurant (Greek). If you are a family looking for pasta and pizzas, then consider dining out at either the Pizza Di Roma or the Tutto Pasta Trattoria.

Many additional restaurants, eateries and bars in Madison lie along Monroe Street, which heads in a southwesterly direction. These tend to appeal to local office workers, since a number of local businesses are based along this road and on nearby Regent Street.

With the Camp Randall Stadium being located along Monroe Street, these restaurants often get busy when the resident Wisconsin Badgers football team is playing a game. The Stadium Sports Bar, Lucky's Bar and Grille, Pizza Extreme, Trapani Pizza and Pasta, and the Vientiane Palace Restaurant are all close by, with the latter featuring delicious Asian-style lunchtime specials at a 'value for money' price. The bean-thread noodles are especially popular here, along with the stir fries and the Thai curries (red and green).

Further bars and shops in Madison are to be found lining roads such as Doty Street, King Street, Mifflin Street, Pinckney Street and Williamson Street (Willy Street), the latter of which is home to the renowned Bandung Indonesian Restaurant.

Worth bearing in mind in the city of Madison is the popular Wisconsin 'supper club' tradition. This is where local dining establishments become bars late at night, serving up hearty food and beer into the early hours of the morning.