18 Best Soup in Madison

“The best sandwiches I’ve found in madison. Chill atmosphere, incredible food. Probably the best meatball sub I’ve ever had. All I wanted today was a sandwich and couldn’t have prepared for the absolute beauty that was placed in front of me, quite quickly I might add. Check this place out or you’re absolutely missing out!“

“everything was amazing. the spices, the flavors, and the iced coffee... next level. it will not disappoint.“

“Phil Rosenthal said he had Kao Soi when he was here in Madison last week. The daughter and I had some today at Monsoon Siam2 and it was everything delicious he promised it would be! Kao Soi—Egg noodles in Northern style yellow curry sauce, topped with crispy noodles, red onions, cilantro, scallions and napa pickled cabbage. Friendly, welcoming service. Love it - Try the Thai Table for 2!“

“I totally love the Singapore Mei fun! The BEST I've ever had. Great service and polite staff. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“

“Not the best photos I’ve taken but the flavor is truly there!!! Lovely place to eat when you’re craving a hot, steaming bowl of Chinese noodle soup.

We got the pickled cabbage broth one and the tomato broth one! For the appetizer, we got the sliced beef in Sichuan chili oil.

Service is always very nice and friendly as well. I’ve been here several times throughout my undergraduate years and always have my expectations met!“

“This restaurant, Sunny Pho, has nice prices, kind service, making me enjoy my visit!

My friend and I ordered the goi cuon, cha gio, pho dac biet (mine regular and his large), Thai iced green tea, and ca phe sua da. The goi cuon and cha gio both have outsides that taste soft and crunchy, respectively, with the insides having filling that tastes fresh and full of flavor. The dipping sauces included for each are flavorful and are wonderfully prepared. The pho, both his and mine, have meat that’s tender, noodles that are just the right type and texture, and a broth that feels fresh and light. The side of lime, beansprouts, and basil they provide with the pho tastes equally fresh and full of flavor. The ca phe sua da, presented like a drink you order at a bubble tea shop, has a wonderful blend of coffee and sugar.

The service is mostly nice. Our food came pretty quickly. I appreciate how I was immediately greeted when I walked in. The restaurant gets bonus points from me, as they messed up my friend’s Thai iced green tea and accidentally gave him Thai iced coffee, but they were quick to realize their mistake and gave him what he ordered without charging him extra or taking back the wrong drink (correcting a wrong order without inconveniencing the customer always gives a restaurant a win, in my book). This restaurant seems to be one where you pay up front after they give you your bill, as no worker ever came to our table after giving us the bill, which wasn’t split at all. However, I must note, their bathrooms have an absolutely rancid smell, even noticeable a few steps before you even open the door. Many parks have nicer smelling bathrooms than this restaurant’s bathroom. Just be careful not to use the restroom here or make sure to hold your nose while going. I didn’t bring this up during my visit, but I hope they’re aware of this and looking to fix things.

All in all, this was a restaurant I passed by somewhat often years ago, when I was still a law school student at UW-Madison. I was a bit reluctant to try it out then, since the menu didn’t seem the most authentic, as it’s a Vietnamese restaurant with many Thai dishes, but the food tastes fresh and authentic plus the workers are nice and friendly. Out of all the Vietnamese restaurants I’ve visited in Dane County/South Central Wisconsin, at least as of June 2026, this restaurant’s certainly the one where you get the best value and I can safely recommend it and safely come back again (even though they got to fix their restroom’s putrid smell)!“

“I’ve always loved Muramoto! Can’t go wrong for fantastic sushi!“

“First of all, the most amazing customer service I've ever had. The food is perfectly seasoned, very flavorful and so good I couldn't stop licking my lips. All is made with the hands of God(I'm serious, I swear I saw the lord).“

“I had a great experience at Olive Garden today, thanks to Natalia. She was incredibly friendly, attentive, and made sure everything was perfect throughout my visit.

What stood out the most was her kindness. Since I was about to hit the road and my phone battery was low, she even lent me a phone charger, which was a huge help and something I really appreciated.

Excellent service, a welcoming attitude, and genuine care for customers. Natalia went above and beyond, and she made my visit memorable. Thank you!“

“I Love this location. The service is always fantastic. Gavin was our server this evening. He was attentive, made certain we had everything we needed, checked on us often, made our birthday celebration memorable. It was busy and we would never dream of inconveniencing the staff with a birthday serenade but Gavin still rounded them up to our delight. Take care of your staff OG & definitely recognize this servers talent!“

“Just ate at the Surprise Az location and every single person in there was upbeat and happy. Food was incredible and the service was even better.“

“Muy buena comida y atención !!!“

“Wow - what a pleasant dining option at the Memorial Union! It offers both made to order sandwiches and salads as well as grab and go items. I was totally impressed with the quinoa black salad I ordered for lunch - excellent mix of textures and the flavors of the components complimented each other. There are no tables at Carte to dine-in, but its not difficult to find a table elsewhere in the Union (Strada, the Rathskeller, the Terrace).“

“For Asian-American fare, I was pleased. I ordered the General Tso's Chicken lunch. The breading wasn't overwhelming, the chicken ratio wasn't disappointing, and the sauce met expectations for consistency and flavor. It didn't blow my mind, but it was tasty. It included fried rice and vegetables. I was surprised an egg roll was added. I was too full to eat it, however. Food was plenty.
I did not check on the quality of the ingredients or whether this restaurant uses MSG, artificial colors or flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives, GMOs, or anything else.
I'm judging strictly from presentation, quantity, relative freshness, and flavor, and what you would expect for standard asian-american fare.“

“Always feels so cold in that building. But the dumpling house is so worth it!! Couple dumplings are my favorite 😍 I got the beef last time. OMG glorious 😍 I always stop there when ever I am in Madison. No matter what. So good. I love the regular dumplings too. The chive and ? Pancake. So many good things. Gotta try it, you won't regret it! 😋😋😋😍😍😍“

“Hey girlfriend, this is a great place to go for lunch. Good food plenty of seating sometimes it does get crowded but that’s what any place these days. They have a great assortment of bakery items. Also good coffee nice assortment of cheese to choose from and a good menu. They had had a little bit of a downswing for a while with their service but it’s gotten a lot better so it’s just a lovely place to have lunch with a friend“

“Excellent customer service experience with them today; they corrected a mistake that WASN'T EVEN THEIR FAULT!!!

DoorDash delivery driver picked up my order, then STOPPED - a few blocks away, for >20 min (I'm 12 min from the Panera....).

Seeing the delay in my delivery time I called the driver, who was rude and admitted he was stopped because he was "waiting to pick up a friend from work". When I responded to ask if he legit stopped, after picking up my food, he yelled back at me "what do you f'ing want to do about it?!"

At that point, the order was on track to be in the driver's car >40 min, so the hot food would be cold and nasty, AND, I was worried he would tamper or mess with our food out of spite.

I called the Panera directly and talked with Paul (or Paulo?), who was the manager, and he apologized for the botched delivery, cancelled the order, and immediately had a new one made up and sent out (with a new driver). He called DoorDash on my behalf and gave me their number to file a report for this driver.

Replacement order was fast & fresh.

AND - the DoorDash rep confirmed that drivers are NOT supposed to stop after picking up food deliveries to run errands, etc. LOL

Give this place a try, and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself if you have a mistake in your order (vs. just ranting in a review). They genuinely wanted to make things right, and they did.“

“Outstanding service and food. Matti was exceptional. He observed from my hat that I was a veteran.and thanked me for my service. We are from out of town but will make a point to return. Thank you Panera breads and Matti you made our day.“