I used to enjoy coming here from time to time, until I overheard the owner telling another patron he purposefully serves undercooked chicken to patrons he doesn't like. I'm pretty sure he was joking but certain things you don't joke about! The ambiance is that of a typical dive bar. Overall the food is overhyped and mediocre at best. Fish fry is ok if you don't mind waiting over an hour.
John Ziino
Excellent burger! Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry, Burger
Les C.
THE BEST fish fry I have ever had!The fish is superb. Three of five of us had a more than ample serving of the walleye, baked potato & cole slaw & all agreed it was great. The Friday night atmosphere is CROWDED, busy & the cacophony such that conversation is impossible. The prices are reasonable. The bartender is aloof, difficult to flag down & challenged by a simple register transaction. The cook is non-stop busy with all of the orders. The server is very cordial under the high-pressure atmosphere, so kudos to her! Overall, pretty good experience & the fish - to die for!FISH: *recommended! *Parking: Few spots in the lot.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry, Fried Perch Dinner with Fries and Coleslaw, Walleye Fish Fry with Baked Potato
Gina Starkey
AMAZING Bacon cheeseburger!!!! Must try you won’t be disappointed! I’ll definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian K.
Fantastic food and unbeatable service. I order carry out from here and I've never received such friendly service on a carry out order from any other place. The cook always greets me, bartender even offers me water while I wait. What other place does that?? Their food is top notch. They have a charcoal grill so everything has a good "backyard barbecue" kinda flavor. Love the vintage ambience too.
Melissa Kandiko
We are from out of town so we had no idea what we were getting in to. The reviews said their fish was great. We got there, got a table and then were told we had to order at the bar and that the menu that is accessed through a qr code is not the active menu. We had no idea where to order at the bar. Finally found the spot and then was asked our table number. I didn't know the table number but we were the last table in the back. She made me go look at the number and come back. I placed our order and paid. We sat back down. A little bit of time goes by and we are told we don't have the walleye. We ordered two walleye! We came for the walleye! We got our money back and left. The lack of table service, not telling us what we ordered was out and the overall feel was not for us. We just wanted fish fry and we didn't get fish fry tonight. Seriously disappointed we picked this place to try.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Daniel Fogel
This spot is precisely what you expect, although the parking lot seems to hold more cars than the bar holds people. I'm not doing the math right, maybe. Very friendly bartenders with lots of beers on tap. I learned the pro tip later to order your fish fry in advance so it's ready when you show up. We were too late for walleye - next time, but the code had a lot of flavor and was crispy on the outside and tender inside - chef's kiss. The perch had more texture, but also delightful and more subtle flavor. We need a second helpingKid-friendliness: Kids were there with parents getting their Wisconsin fish fry on
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry
Anita Brandenburg
Good food, friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry
Bryce Heth
I think most people already realize this, but this is the best fish fry in Madison and one of the best places to belly up and grab a beer. The perch fish fry is simply one of the best in the state of Wisconsin and if you haven't tried it yet, you need to do that ASAP.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Heather M.
One of the best fish fry's in Madison! Love that they offer the full menu at lunch too. We grabbed a mid day Bloody Mary and meal, shocked it was so busy. We've been going there for years on Friday nights, but never thought to go for lunch. The atmosphere is cozy and understated. The bartenders do a great job keeping up and you can often find the owner cooking. This one will be on our rotation for a long time.
Best bar in Madison. Chico makes everyone happy! Don't miss out on the Friday fish. Go Early!
Mark Parnell
Great Burgers
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristin Gullickson
Best Friday Night Fish Fry in Madison! The perch is outstanding, breading is light and flavor for days, coleslaw is perfect mix of tangy and creamy and baked potato was hot and creamy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry, Fried Perch Dinner with Fries and Coleslaw
Alex Li
great place if you want an authentic wisconsin bar and grill experience. i ordered a ribeye steak sandwich was delicious.
I used to enjoy coming here from time to time, until I overheard the owner telling another patron he purposefully serves undercooked chicken to patrons he doesn't like. I'm pretty sure he was joking but certain things you don't joke about! The ambiance is that of a typical dive bar. Overall the food is overhyped and mediocre at best. Fish fry is ok if you don't mind waiting over an hour.
Excellent burger! Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry, Burger
THE BEST fish fry I have ever had!The fish is superb. Three of five of us had a more than ample serving of the walleye, baked potato & cole slaw & all agreed it was great. The Friday night atmosphere is CROWDED, busy & the cacophony such that conversation is impossible. The prices are reasonable. The bartender is aloof, difficult to flag down & challenged by a simple register transaction. The cook is non-stop busy with all of the orders. The server is very cordial under the high-pressure atmosphere, so kudos to her! Overall, pretty good experience & the fish - to die for!FISH: *recommended! *Parking: Few spots in the lot.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry, Fried Perch Dinner with Fries and Coleslaw, Walleye Fish Fry with Baked Potato
AMAZING Bacon cheeseburger!!!! Must try you won’t be disappointed! I’ll definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic food and unbeatable service. I order carry out from here and I've never received such friendly service on a carry out order from any other place. The cook always greets me, bartender even offers me water while I wait. What other place does that?? Their food is top notch. They have a charcoal grill so everything has a good "backyard barbecue" kinda flavor. Love the vintage ambience too.
We are from out of town so we had no idea what we were getting in to. The reviews said their fish was great. We got there, got a table and then were told we had to order at the bar and that the menu that is accessed through a qr code is not the active menu. We had no idea where to order at the bar. Finally found the spot and then was asked our table number. I didn't know the table number but we were the last table in the back. She made me go look at the number and come back. I placed our order and paid. We sat back down. A little bit of time goes by and we are told we don't have the walleye. We ordered two walleye! We came for the walleye! We got our money back and left. The lack of table service, not telling us what we ordered was out and the overall feel was not for us. We just wanted fish fry and we didn't get fish fry tonight. Seriously disappointed we picked this place to try.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
This spot is precisely what you expect, although the parking lot seems to hold more cars than the bar holds people. I'm not doing the math right, maybe. Very friendly bartenders with lots of beers on tap. I learned the pro tip later to order your fish fry in advance so it's ready when you show up. We were too late for walleye - next time, but the code had a lot of flavor and was crispy on the outside and tender inside - chef's kiss. The perch had more texture, but also delightful and more subtle flavor. We need a second helpingKid-friendliness: Kids were there with parents getting their Wisconsin fish fry on
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry
Good food, friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry
I think most people already realize this, but this is the best fish fry in Madison and one of the best places to belly up and grab a beer. The perch fish fry is simply one of the best in the state of Wisconsin and if you haven't tried it yet, you need to do that ASAP.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best fish fry's in Madison! Love that they offer the full menu at lunch too. We grabbed a mid day Bloody Mary and meal, shocked it was so busy. We've been going there for years on Friday nights, but never thought to go for lunch. The atmosphere is cozy and understated. The bartenders do a great job keeping up and you can often find the owner cooking. This one will be on our rotation for a long time.
Restaurantji Recommends
Best bar in Madison. Chico makes everyone happy! Don't miss out on the Friday fish. Go Early!
Great Burgers
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best Friday Night Fish Fry in Madison! The perch is outstanding, breading is light and flavor for days, coleslaw is perfect mix of tangy and creamy and baked potato was hot and creamy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry, Fried Perch Dinner with Fries and Coleslaw
great place if you want an authentic wisconsin bar and grill experience. i ordered a ribeye steak sandwich was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Took a fish dinner carrot. It was excellent.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Friday Fish Fry