November 16th, 2017 at 10:14 AM ^
yelp will find most of them.
the old fashioned (downtown), dotty dumplings, short stack eatery (open 24 hours Th->Sun), alchemy on the east side (cash only), baraka (ethiopian but served individually not to share), food carts down by the union (lunch most days though it's getting cold so maybe not), many more.
nicer restaurants tend to be by the capitol if you want that ...
check out the union by the lake (union south is by the stadium but not nearly as fun).
walk up and down state st and around the capitol building.
go early saturday morning to the farmer's market around the capitol square; many good things to eat as you walk around before the game - but now I realize that may be done for the year. the holiday market (indoors) is not as good of course - at monona terrace, which is also nice to see.
November 16th, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
Came in here to say The Old Fashioned.
This poster knows what they are talking about. It looks like last week may have been the last farmers market on the square though, unfortunately because it would ruin your opinion of all other farmers markets for the rest of your life.
The other restaurant I would recommend is Graze, it is up on the capital square. They get most of their food locally from farmers that also sell at the farmers market. Owner/chef is a really nice dude. People always were talking about the chicken and waffles when I lived there. It is like modern farm to table comfort food.
Have fun, I really like living in Madison.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:14 AM ^
B1G scheduling always confuses me. Is it necessary to have 8 years between trips to a fellow conference team's stadium? We have played Utah more in the past 5 years than we have played Wisconsin
November 16th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
And now we're getting 4 years in a row of Wisconsin games. They could do better by breaking up the series but mostly this is the price we pay for Rutgers/Maryland/Nebraska.
Nine game conference schedules are helping at least. Michigan plays all of the B1G West teams and visits five of them from 2016-2019.
November 16th, 2017 at 3:33 PM ^
I don't know why people are complaining about that. Wisconsin's a classic B1G opponent - why wouldn't we want to play them?
November 16th, 2017 at 6:53 PM ^
I'd rather see Michigan play Wisconsin two times every four years than four years in a row followed by whatever lengthy break in the series is looming.
I'm not in the "give us a terrible schedule so we can beat all the bad teams" camp that wants Illinois three times a year for crossover games.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^
As SHS said above, must see Memorial Union on Lake Mendota. Unfortunately, weather will prohibit enjoying sitting on The Terrace overlooking the lake, but you must take a peek. Sconnie fans like to drink, but they are not as obnoxious as Buckeyes.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^
November 16th, 2017 at 10:29 AM ^
I don't think we play at Nebraska until 2021.That is the last on my Big10 list.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
I'll go there too at some point, but I'm considering my Big Ten journey complete at #11 this week in Madison. The old Big Ten without Nebraska, Rutgers, and Maryland.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^
R.I.P.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^
don't eat too much of the cheese !
November 16th, 2017 at 10:59 AM ^
plugs you up
November 16th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
OP is kill
November 16th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
Full disclosure, my daughter is a freshman at Wisconsin and loves it - it really is a great place to go to school (but it ain't UM!). I couldn't bear to go out for the Michigan game this week and root against her, so played it safe and went for the Iowa game.
I agree with Swayze Howell Sheen's recommendations - Old Fashion is a great restaurant right by the capitol building. Also Gotham is great for bagels/breakfast and happens to also be by the capitol. Depending on your age and preferences, the Kollege Klub is a great bar - 2 for 1 drinks Friday 2-8pm (and free grilled cheese sandwiches) - we had a great time there.
Wisco fans are great - nothing like the cooler poopers from OSU.
#beatWisco
November 16th, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^
DISCLAIMER: The KK is the uber frat/sorority/athlete bar on campus, so if you're an older person and want to check it out, I'd suggest getting in and out early.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:30 AM ^
my wife and I were accompanied by about 10-12 sorority girls, so we fit in and were there from 4-7pm... there were also several other parents with their kids, but the vast majority of the crowd were most likely part of the campus greek life.
Regardless, was a fun time and set the tone for the rest of the evening.
November 17th, 2017 at 7:04 AM ^
+1 for "accompanied by 10-12 sorority girls."
-1 for the fact the you waited your whole life to be able to make that statement, and you were also accompanied by your wife and you had to leave at 7pm.
We'd have never known if you left that part out.
November 16th, 2017 at 2:58 PM ^
November 16th, 2017 at 3:03 PM ^
Thanks, and my pleasure. I've got a girlfriend and a bunch of very close friends who are UM grads, and have had a lot of fun going up to Ann Arbor for games (including the UW game last year). A couple of our buddies own a tailgate house on Stadium and it's always a blast. It's the one with the yellow sign with the funny sayings for each game. Love those guys.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:48 AM ^
Had a fantastic meal at the Old Fashioned when we were in Madison earlier this year. I'll add Greenbush Bakery for donuts, and if you can swing it, find a good supper club outside of town for dinner. We took a cab out to Toby's, and it was amazing.
Heck, everything about that town is awesome.
November 16th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
Pizza Bruta is good on Monroe also near the stadium. Wood fired style and good salads.
Lazy Janes on Williamson street (Willy st) is good for breakfast
November 16th, 2017 at 2:17 PM ^
As Michigan (and Wisconsin) grad, I have several Madison-related confessions. First, the cheese curds at the Old Fashioned are the primary reason I went to graduate school at Wisconsin. Second, Madison is a better college town than Ann Arbor.
This is a long-winded way of saying that you should go to the Old Fashioned and get cheese curds. However, the wait will probably be interminable. But worth it. So, so worth it.
November 16th, 2017 at 2:21 PM ^
We're gonna have a group of 10 and are purposely getting into town in the afternoon so we can beat the after work and game crowd arriving for the weekend to put our name in.
November 16th, 2017 at 2:22 PM ^
And make sure to get those cheese curds with tiger sauce.
I would tend to agree about the "better college town" thing, too--Madison still feels like a campus, whereas Ann Arbor has turned straight bougie. Plus, those lakes.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:58 AM ^
check out this place. 2.5/5 stars on yelp! That's not bad!
November 16th, 2017 at 11:04 AM ^
IF YOU NEED TO BUY BEER IN A STORE DO SO BEFORE 9PM.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:10 AM ^
November 16th, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
HEED MY ADVICE OR YOU'LL END UP IN A BAR IN A CORNFIELD
November 16th, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^
Madison always earns top ten cities in the US accolades for good reason.
Hang out on State Street between the Union and the Capitol and you'll get a good feel. If weather is nice the Terrace on the lakefront of the Union is hard to beat.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:27 AM ^
I spent many afternoons down there with the intent to work on a group project but instead never taking the books out and instead drinking beers and enjoying the scenery. They just closed the terrace for the year this week.
https://theblacksheeponline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Brianna-terrace_spring09_4990.jpg
November 16th, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
Just a rendering, but the final product looks exactly like this - gives you a feel for the Memorial Union Terrace, which is one of the great features of UW and does a good job of integrating the lake into campus life:
November 16th, 2017 at 2:20 PM ^
Frankly liked the old terrace better. The new one has too much concrete making it more sterile
November 17th, 2017 at 7:08 AM ^
If the tradition was to have college classes in the summer and take off for the winter, Wisconsin would be the #1 college town in the country.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:37 AM ^
coopers tavern (right by the capitol) is a pretty good spot. solid food and beer list
November 16th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
Cooper's Tavern qualifies as good but not great. The Wisconsin Brewing Tap Haus, the Old Fashioned, Merchant, and the Tipsy Cow are all at least its equals and within a block or two. If you really need a Michigan fix, Hop Cat has an outpost right off of State Street.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:52 AM ^
Too bad it's winter...but in the summer the Essen Haus is such a blast. Basically Madison's version of Heidelberg with a sand volleyball court in the parking lot.
One thing I can confirm is that I will be eating some Ian's pizza after the bar this weekend.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
Great Dane Pub off Doty Street. Good food. Great beer. And it is a good hangout for fans. We went there in 2007 after the game Mallett started in place of injured Henne. Even though we lost the fans bought us beer, shared some good laughs, and shared common rooting stances for the later games. Camp Randall is an excellent experience. Have fun in a pretty awesome college town.
November 16th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
Friday night Great Dane will have a very long wait, but as you said, plenty of good beer to make the wait worthwhile.
Essen Haus is also a great experience and a short walk from the capitol square. The place tends to get jumping with lots of polka and dancing, people playing the boot game and drinking beers (and chugging and pounding tables)...a nice atmosphere. Good pretzels.
And if you're gonna go, by God man follow the rules. We used to play that if anyone broke or forgot one of the rules they needed to throw a buck in the middle for the next boot. http://essen-haus.com/files/8113/7225/8808/ESSEN_HAUS_BOOT_GAME.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLBbJreONYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLBbJreONY
November 16th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
We've got some time to kill between the football and hockey game on Saturday. My in-laws are going so a place like the KK is a no-go. Any suggestions for a place that's a little more in-law friendly we can sit and watch football?
November 16th, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
I'd say you should try to get into State Street Brats. It's only a couple blocks from the KK. If that's too crowded, you can just start walking up toward the capitol and check out a place like Hawk's, or Hopcat (I believe it's one of the Hopcat chain, so maybe not a good "Madison" place), Buck and Badgers, Wisconsin Brewing Co. The last two are up by the square so they're further from the Kohl Center.
The Nitty Gritty is a big bar right by the Kohl Center, but that may have a big hockey crowd. Vintage is another bar right there that could be worth checking out. There are also a number of bars on University Ave that might not be a bad option. Just do a google search for "bars near kohl center" and you'll see what I'm talking about. The whole area is very walkable and there's no shortage of bars around there. If you're walking back to that area after the football game, the Gritty and Vintage are on your way to state street if you just take dayton all the way down, so you could take a peek at the crowd.
November 16th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
Maybe its not an original place, but great beer selection and the food was pretty good - the Crack Fries were outstanding and live up to their name
November 16th, 2017 at 2:33 PM ^
I'll second the Vintage. It's a bar, but a bit more mature than the KK. I'd also look at the Echo Tap. It's just a few blocks on the other side of the Kohl Center.
November 16th, 2017 at 1:24 PM ^
Approximately zero-percent chance I'm passing a common boot around a table. I mean... gross.
November 16th, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
If you really want to party, have everyone get their own boot.
They also sell steins of course. That place definitely has good theater when it gets going.
ETA: If you don't like the looks of the boot game, you'd hate Sink the Biz at Indiana. It was repulsive but IU grads all talk about how great it is.
November 16th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
November 16th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
After that walk the fifty feet down the sidewalk to the Red Shed and get a Real Thing.
November 16th, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^
November 16th, 2017 at 2:07 PM ^
They are rude as hell, but under all the superfluous curse words, they're actually very nice. Here's how it went for me 10 years ago:
http://roadgames07.blogspot.ch/2007/09/on-wisconsin.html
The most fun raucous place to pre-game was in a long row of student-rented houses very close to the stadium.
Bear in mind, they think that Michigan is a major rival.
November 16th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
Over the past however many years the administration has been working to turn around some of the negative stuff on campus. For a while they had a "Roll out the Red carpet" initiative. I haven't been back to a game in a couple years, but hopefully most of the idiotic stuff has been squelched. That being said, like everyone else we've got our share of "those people".
I can guarantee, though, that anyone wearing Michigan gear will get the asshole chant when passing student parties. I don't think anyone thinks you are actually an asshole, it's just what students do to all opposing fans regardless where they come from.