Weary Traveler Freehouse

Love the food, atmosphere, and drinks here! Cozy and warm, they have especially good hot winter drinks.

The Weary Traveler Freehouse is just what I expected from a restaurant and bar on Willy Street. A cousin in France read a New York Times (I think) review of Madison's restaurants recently and this was one of two that appealed to me and is within walking distance from home. I arrived at 1 PM on a Friday and found the place about half full. I ordered the Eggs Benny which came with chips, salad, a pickle and wedge of orange. The eggs benny had perfect poached eggs and was easy to cut into bite-sized pieces. I will return. The sound level was quite high, even though the occupancy was around 50% but conversations at a table may not a problem. I was surprised that my cup of coffee was $6 but I was offered a refill twice by a pleasant server. The tin ceiling probably adds to the sound level but is spectacular and worth the loudness of diners.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Greatest bar in America.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always great.

A+ atmosphere, bar, food, staff.

Best reuben in the US of A?

Maybe.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always one of the best places to go in Madison. On the pricier side of dining, but absolutely worth it everytime.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We love stopping at this cozy spot on Willy Street when we are in town. They always have some delicious vegetarian options and a diverse menu.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

tom ka was FIRE AS HELL for a place like this…. in madison. would have preferred it to be just a touch hotter (in temp and spice) but other than that, i still crushed the shit out of it. playlist is fire. no weird overhead lighting. french 75s weren’t weird and had good balance. glad i stopped in!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

What an amazing place! Highly recommend!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

My bestie and I were looking for a new place to eat, so we picked Weary Traveler Freehouse. I love the atmosphere, the music, and the food! We sat in a booth in the corner, surrounded by dim lighting. It was nice and cozy. The drinks were delish!! There was a little wait, but we sat at the bar and ordered are drinks. The only thing I would have liked better is if the water were cold and not lukewarm.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

More like Impoverished Traveler!
OK, I never write reviews but this happened two weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about it. After 20 years of living in NYC and LA, I just moved back to Madison because of the more manageable cost of living. A recent piece in the NYT spoke highly of Weary Traveler so my husband and I went for brunch.
GIRL: A CUP OF BLACK COFFEE WAS $6.
SIX DOLLARS.
When I read the bill I almost spit but I couldn't afford to lose $1.23 of coffee.
No To-Go cups. Just one cup of stupid black coffee for six bucks.
For this nonsense, I could have stayed in LA! Coffee there is like $4.50! Jesus Christ! AHHHH!!!!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

Food was OK, nothing special. Saturday evening is very busy. Many people waiting for a table. Service is friendly.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

The Weary Traveler was a nice little joint we found during our recent vacation in Madison Wisconsin. It had a menu of sandwiches as well as other assorted main courses. I started with an appetizer of a Wisconsin Meat And Cheese platter which came with an assortment of artisan meats and cheeses as well as some crostinis. There was also some mustard and preserves as well. This was all really delicious with the bleu cheese being my personal favourite. I tried fome baked buffalo wings for my main course which were fairly large and had decent flavour. Not the greatest wings I've ever had but quite good all the same. My wife really loved her Rueben sandwich as well. The decor was really unique and the service was excellent. It definitely fed these weary travelers quite well.

10/10 on all levels. The Rueben is incredible and the dark, lamp-lit dive bar vibes is great. Super cool atmosphere.

Lunch was perfect. Sliders were soo good. Had a few drinks and enjoyed the pictures and decor in the place. Background Music was good.

Weary Traveller has it all - excellent menu (I have literally never had a bad meal here at any hour of the day), excellent attentive staff and a killer ambience. Its simply my favorite place to eat out in Madison. And their magic hour menu between 10pma nd midnight is a stroke of genius.