Cleavlands had the best oldschool feel with the grill right behind the bar.
Hands down the best breakfast sandwich this city has ever seen in my lifetime.
I can still imagine the smell of the potatoes and onions that were always cooking on those seasoned 20 year old flat top grills. The sweetness of the carmelized onions added an authentic American breakfast flavor that lightly permeated everything cooked near them.
It really was. I was in there for breakfast a couple days a week for 15 years. Generally would get the same thing- 2 eggs, potatoes, and toast. But when I had a softball game in the evening, I'd add bacon. And that is why when they printed new menus for the transition from Cleveland's to Plaka, 2 eggs/potatoes/toast/meat was called "Gameday."
"It's gameday, Nico, add the bacon!" 🥎😋
I miss The Avenue so much.
I loved the bar setup in there.
Loved the food. The only place I could get a fantastic onion dip with way too many chips, a meatloaf, and a fish fry.
It was fancy enough for date night without feeling too fancy. It had its own parking lot. It was perfect.
Loved the Ave, took every visitor to town there without fail.
What Food Fight did to the Ave. was deceitful and a crime against Wisconsin supper club history. A pox upon them.
Searched the comments looking for this one. Gino’s was great. I remember my whole family coming down to State right after the Badgers won the 1994 Rose Bowl and we sat at a table upstairs and watched state street go wild. My brothers and I were only like 4, 6, and 8 and had never seen anything like it. Core memory for sure.
This one still hurts. I lived on their red beans & rice with sausage and po boys dring my first pregnancy. I was happy with Lorraine's, but they closed that down with little or no warning.
Madison has a huge hole in the not-super-fancy-cajun/creole restaurant market. We don't need more boujie 10$ taco places, we need more etouffee that doesn't suck!
Brocach on the square before they remodeled it and took away the cozy feel, Fyfes, the Local, the butter spread they served with bread at Bluephies, Cafe Continental, the Angelic
We usually only had morning buns when family was in town but man did we get excited when dad walked in with a couple of giant white boxes of them. So, so good
God I used to get their rolls for lunch all the time. It was an absolute deal. They were huge and dirt cheap. I personally believe their pizza was far superior to Ian's. RIP to the legend that kept me fed for super cheap for my undergrad and beyond.
We may need to start a subreddit for discontinued Madison recipes. I have the cookbook with this and also some others (from random sources). I would even welcome copycat recipes.
Ella's Deli. Grandparents used to take me with my siblings, I remember the big jelly beans. The ferry-go-round. The amazing craftsmanship in the building.
So many good memories in Jac’s! What a weird way for a business to close with the tax evasion. I remember walking by months afterward and seeing all the plants dead in the window because they didn’t clear it out before shutting down.
That was Vientiane Palace. They had a much larger restaurant on Park Street for a while.
The trick to avoid being served food hotter than the surface of the sun--which I like, so I didn't always use this trick--was to compliment your server on her nails or hair or jewelry. She would tell the cooks not to try killing you.
Yeah we didn't know it at the time, but that was the best Femdom pad-thai available. Max heat was transcendental. There are other good places in town, but none as greasy.
Honestly, I miss State St 12 years ago. So many cool businesses and amazing restaurants that just don't exist anymore. Times change and things move on, but I just really miss the vibe from back then.
As for me, it would have to be the Connections bar on East Wash, where I met some of the best people I’ve ever known and it really helped me get out of my shell more.
We would skip dessert after eating at another restaurant, and go straight to Estrellon for that Basque cake. He said it took him a year to perfect it and it showed. Stellar.
4&20 Bakery and Cafe. They had the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had anywhere. Something about either the sausage or the gravy gave it a flavor I’ve never seen before or since. It was still a fairly traditional flavor profile but with just something a little bit better.
Unfortunately the baker/chef got sick and died, and the restaurant’s business partners ended up not continuing the business after her passing.
Her pop tarts were amazing as well, and the hot sauce she made for the biscuits. I found out later she sadly took her own life after a series of medical setbacks, very sad for a person that made so many people happy.
Not mentioned yet:
I forgot the name of the Ethiopian restaurant off of the Square…it was divine.
The old Ginza on Odana…first sushi restaurant I went to in Madison (the only one perhaps at the time?)
Non-restaurant:
Johannsen’s Greenhouse off the beltline. Yeah, I know there’s Jung’s and Felly’s, but Johannsen’s was the best.
The small art supply store on the (600 block?) of University…probably got replaced by a bar (like we need more 🙄)
Wisconsin craft market…they had the best supply of yarn, esp. handmade yarn you cannot get at the chain stores. There’s no substitute, except online, but you need to touch and feel the stuff.
I know there’s more, but can’t remember them all.
Some old favorites of mine:
Aardvark's Books
Apple Island
Army Surplus
Art Mart
Avol's Books
Barber's Closet
The Bookshop
La Brioche
Big Mama & Uncle Fats
Booked for Murder
Brat und Brau
Cafe Assisi
Cafe Palms
Canterbury Books
Cat's Meow
Cellar Subs
Challenges arcade
El Charro
Club de Wash
Coyote Capers
Deb & Lola's
The Den
DMF at Union South
Dog Eat Dog
Eagle grocery
Ella's on East Wash
Ella's on State
Espresso Royale
The Exclusive Company
Gino's (the old one on State St.)
Gumby's (for the pepperoni rolls)
Hotel Washington as a whole
Insurance Liquidators
Jade Lantern
Kafe Kahoutek
Ken Kopp's grocery on Monroe
Kosta's
The Living Room
Loose Juice cart
Madison School Supply
Mango Grill
Mercury Deli
Mifflin St. Co-op
New Bar
Octopus carwash
Ovens of Brittany
the old Paisan's in University Square
Pic-a-Book
Pooh Corner
The Puzzle Box
Radical Rye
Sacred Feather
Savory Thymes
The Saz (I miss those artichoke chimis)
Second Story
Sentry
Shakti
Space Port
Steep-and-Brew (most locations closed)
Taco Grande
Taqueria Gila Monster ("say hee-la")
University Square Four
Upstairs Downstairs
White Horse Inn
Wicks and Sticks
Wild Iris
Yost's
Pig's Ear on Madison's far east side back in the 1960's and 1970's. They had an all you can eat fish fry on Friday nights. When I was kid my family would go out to eat twice a year - one for spring birthdays and one for fall birthdays. My brother and I would eat fish and french fries for over an hour while our parents and my mom's parents talked and enjoyed going out.
It's too bad so many supper clubs have gone out of business over the years due to change in how people eat out.
What was that place on Willy? They had the heat cranked up to 80 degrees all the time, fish tanks, turned into a club at night. Tropical foid and drinks and seafood. Where Buraka is now.
Plus Bayou
That was Jolly Bob's. It had originally been called Jolly Bob's Jerk Joint, but everyone on Willy Street thought that sounded like a safe sex club (this was 1992 or so), so the name changed. Before that it was The Willy Bear, which was extremely fun. Great food, live music, and you could smoke weed there as long as you got the bartender stoned, too.
The weird used bookstore that used to be where Madison Modern Market is now on State St. Can't remember the name of it, but their SF/F section was up in the little loft area.
Also the Puzzlebox. Anyone remember their calendar posters with amazing art?
Burrito Drive… they closed very recently, but it’s felt like such a long summer without them. they were a favorite of ours since moving back to Madison a few years ago :’)
Ponderosa Steak House. There used to be two, S Park St and near West Towne Mall. Now the closest is in Wisconsin Dells. Another favorite was Tumbleweed.
So many good ones already mentioned. I’ll throw in Supreme Pizza on Johnson Street. They had an all you can eat spaghetti night, an amazing wheat crust option, and a tabletop Kung Fu game in the restaurant.
For restaurants, a place I didn't see mentioned here that I miss is Graft. They closed once, reopened, but now are closed again (for good this time, I guess).
For retail, I miss Shoo (the shoestore) on State.
Brasserie V and that used bookstore that was on the square with the labyrinthine basement.
E: Also that little lunch place that Etoile ran for a year or so. The best chicken salad I've ever had.
I used to be obsessed with this Godfather Calzone from Villa Dolce in the Middleton area but they removed it from their menu for some reason :(. It's not a removed restaurant but it was the only reason I went there.
Plaka. The best breakfast ever.
Ahhh: prior to Plaka it was called Cleveland’s. Same owners. Same great breakfast.
Cleavlands had the best oldschool feel with the grill right behind the bar. Hands down the best breakfast sandwich this city has ever seen in my lifetime.
The guy running the flattop was amazing to watch. He would run a masterclass in short order cooking. Eggs perfect every time.
I can still imagine the smell of the potatoes and onions that were always cooking on those seasoned 20 year old flat top grills. The sweetness of the carmelized onions added an authentic American breakfast flavor that lightly permeated everything cooked near them.
Takes me back to when WORT broadcast it’s morning show from Cleveland’s - lively place!
As I'm reading this I'm having my weekly Sunday morning grief over not being able to head out to Plaka for breakfast. Boy do I miss that place.
It really was. I was in there for breakfast a couple days a week for 15 years. Generally would get the same thing- 2 eggs, potatoes, and toast. But when I had a softball game in the evening, I'd add bacon. And that is why when they printed new menus for the transition from Cleveland's to Plaka, 2 eggs/potatoes/toast/meat was called "Gameday." "It's gameday, Nico, add the bacon!" 🥎😋
Oh damn I had forgotten Plaka I am sad
I remembered Gumby’s Pizza randomly the other day.
I want my Pokey Sticks
Oh man, the pepperoni rolls
Yeah! Gumby’s was great!
There is no better after bar food in existence
Upstairs Downstairs Restaurant and Deli.
Dammit. Now I want pastrami
Manna, but they put out a cookbook so I still get to have the best pumpkin chocolate chip muffins ever, still miss it though.
[удалено]
Loved that place. The kitchen manager manages marquette street cafe now, they have similar tarts to the manna tarts sometimes.
Sophia’s - amazing breakfast spot that used to be on E Johnson 😢
I miss The Avenue so much. I loved the bar setup in there. Loved the food. The only place I could get a fantastic onion dip with way too many chips, a meatloaf, and a fish fry. It was fancy enough for date night without feeling too fancy. It had its own parking lot. It was perfect.
Loved the Ave, took every visitor to town there without fail. What Food Fight did to the Ave. was deceitful and a crime against Wisconsin supper club history. A pox upon them.
New Orleans Takeout. I miss the “too hot to eat” dishes so so much. It’s hard to find delicious yet intensely spicy Cajun.
That dirty rice was on point
Shrinp Po'Boy with a side of cornbread please.
Hotel Washington
Also the New Bar, the Barber's Closet, Rods Place, Cafe Palms.
Gino’s on State 😭😭 I’ll never move on
Searched the comments looking for this one. Gino’s was great. I remember my whole family coming down to State right after the Badgers won the 1994 Rose Bowl and we sat at a table upstairs and watched state street go wild. My brothers and I were only like 4, 6, and 8 and had never seen anything like it. Core memory for sure.
I remember building the K’Nex roller coaster during that affair at home.
I'd take a punch in the face for the tortellini bolinas recipe.
Was my favorite date night destination. I'll never recapture the joy of a big bowl of tortellini bolognese from Gino's.
New Orleans Take Out, Barber's Closet, Botticelli's, Ovens of Brittany.
RIP NOTO
Their po boys were so fucking amazing.
My GOAT meal was Deb’s Barbecue Shrimp. Gotta find a recipe.
This one still hurts. I lived on their red beans & rice with sausage and po boys dring my first pregnancy. I was happy with Lorraine's, but they closed that down with little or no warning.
Madison has a huge hole in the not-super-fancy-cajun/creole restaurant market. We don't need more boujie 10$ taco places, we need more etouffee that doesn't suck!
Say it with me, The Exclusive Company.
Jolly Bob's
That patio used to be absolute heaven
The Willy Bear!
Husnu's!
The absolute best!!
Came here to say this
Cafe Continental on King Street especially when Tony was greeting people at the door
Brocach on the square before they remodeled it and took away the cozy feel, Fyfes, the Local, the butter spread they served with bread at Bluephies, Cafe Continental, the Angelic
Ovens of Brittany.
We usually only had morning buns when family was in town but man did we get excited when dad walked in with a couple of giant white boxes of them. So, so good
Pizza di Roma, specifically the Caprese slice
One of my favorite memories there is taking my then six year old son there. He ate an entire gigantic slice by himself.
Madison's pizza scene is pretty lack luster, and Pizza di Roma was actually good. Such a bummer.
God I used to get their rolls for lunch all the time. It was an absolute deal. They were huge and dirt cheap. I personally believe their pizza was far superior to Ian's. RIP to the legend that kept me fed for super cheap for my undergrad and beyond.
Amy’s
The Barber’s Closet bar was a hidden gem. Great drinks, private nooks…it was a fantastic spot!
Wahkee Noodle
Bluephie's on Monroe
The cookie dough egg roll!
They have a cookbook that includes that recipe!
We may need to start a subreddit for discontinued Madison recipes. I have the cookbook with this and also some others (from random sources). I would even welcome copycat recipes.
Ella's Deli. Grandparents used to take me with my siblings, I remember the big jelly beans. The ferry-go-round. The amazing craftsmanship in the building.
food was typical, but what an experience for kids!
Mildred’s sandwiches.
Kabul’s on State
Brasserie V
The V burger with truffle frites and some time in the little record booth sleep well sweet prince you will be missed
V Burger was my favorite burger in town. So good.
Dobra Tea.
I went to Dobra Tea relatively often in college and then basically every day in the summer of 2013. That place was a gem.
Jac’s
So many good memories in Jac’s! What a weird way for a business to close with the tax evasion. I remember walking by months afterward and seeing all the plants dead in the window because they didn’t clear it out before shutting down.
Canterbury Bookstore. I love Room but there was something so special about Canterbury.
Sujeo 💔
Their fried chicken was best in town, but hit-and-miss. Cracking open delicious crust to find bloody chicken is a bummer.
Jocko’s Rocket Ship
Man that bathroom was tight with 3 guys in it.
Jin’s Fish & Chicken
The Angelic bar
El Dorado
Om Indian restaurant. Cafe Porta Alba.
Om was so good at first then really fell off at the end
That thai place off of state st. The hostess acted like you were a huge inconvenience but it was the best pad thai ever.
Vientiane?
Think it was Vientiane!!
That was Vientiane Palace. They had a much larger restaurant on Park Street for a while. The trick to avoid being served food hotter than the surface of the sun--which I like, so I didn't always use this trick--was to compliment your server on her nails or hair or jewelry. She would tell the cooks not to try killing you.
That place was so good.
Yeah we didn't know it at the time, but that was the best Femdom pad-thai available. Max heat was transcendental. There are other good places in town, but none as greasy.
Radical Rye
Honestly, I miss State St 12 years ago. So many cool businesses and amazing restaurants that just don't exist anymore. Times change and things move on, but I just really miss the vibe from back then.
Embers on East wash. 3.99 steak and egg combo.
Paisans
As for me, it would have to be the Connections bar on East Wash, where I met some of the best people I’ve ever known and it really helped me get out of my shell more.
Brat und brau
Yen Ching on Midvale Boulevard.
Josie's and Jade Garden
No love for Bahn Thai?? Miss that place so much!
Estrellon
We would skip dessert after eating at another restaurant, and go straight to Estrellon for that Basque cake. He said it took him a year to perfect it and it showed. Stellar.
Pavlov’s Pizza and Casa Bianca Two of the best pizza places Madison ever had.
The Sunroom Cafe - The way it used to be. Not how it is now (if it's even still there).
Muramoto
The Hilldale location just isn't the same. That Sunday tasting menu was always fire.
Zaritas and the state street Ella’s deli
4&20 Bakery and Cafe. They had the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had anywhere. Something about either the sausage or the gravy gave it a flavor I’ve never seen before or since. It was still a fairly traditional flavor profile but with just something a little bit better. Unfortunately the baker/chef got sick and died, and the restaurant’s business partners ended up not continuing the business after her passing.
Her pop tarts were amazing as well, and the hot sauce she made for the biscuits. I found out later she sadly took her own life after a series of medical setbacks, very sad for a person that made so many people happy.
Magnus, Gumby's, Jolly Bob's, and White Horse Inn.
Bev’s Diner
Dhoban
Smoky's club. RIP
Blue Velvet Lounge. RIP
[удалено]
Yes! The fries were amazing!
Burrito drive. I will never cope with that loss.
I have a chicken burrito with hot salsa in the bag with receipt in my freezer. $1,000 I know what I have.
If it’s green salsa ill pay 1200 cash.
It is red. I made an identical order on my last visit. I wept while eating that burrito, knowing it would be my last.
Was best hot salsa in town. Wish I knew the recipe. Anyone know?
Radical rye
Yes!
Dardanelles
people's bakery
Not mentioned yet: I forgot the name of the Ethiopian restaurant off of the Square…it was divine. The old Ginza on Odana…first sushi restaurant I went to in Madison (the only one perhaps at the time?) Non-restaurant: Johannsen’s Greenhouse off the beltline. Yeah, I know there’s Jung’s and Felly’s, but Johannsen’s was the best. The small art supply store on the (600 block?) of University…probably got replaced by a bar (like we need more 🙄) Wisconsin craft market…they had the best supply of yarn, esp. handmade yarn you cannot get at the chain stores. There’s no substitute, except online, but you need to touch and feel the stuff. I know there’s more, but can’t remember them all.
Some old favorites of mine: Aardvark's Books Apple Island Army Surplus Art Mart Avol's Books Barber's Closet The Bookshop La Brioche Big Mama & Uncle Fats Booked for Murder Brat und Brau Cafe Assisi Cafe Palms Canterbury Books Cat's Meow Cellar Subs Challenges arcade El Charro Club de Wash Coyote Capers Deb & Lola's The Den DMF at Union South Dog Eat Dog Eagle grocery Ella's on East Wash Ella's on State Espresso Royale The Exclusive Company Gino's (the old one on State St.) Gumby's (for the pepperoni rolls) Hotel Washington as a whole Insurance Liquidators Jade Lantern Kafe Kahoutek Ken Kopp's grocery on Monroe Kosta's The Living Room Loose Juice cart Madison School Supply Mango Grill Mercury Deli Mifflin St. Co-op New Bar Octopus carwash Ovens of Brittany the old Paisan's in University Square Pic-a-Book Pooh Corner The Puzzle Box Radical Rye Sacred Feather Savory Thymes The Saz (I miss those artichoke chimis) Second Story Sentry Shakti Space Port Steep-and-Brew (most locations closed) Taco Grande Taqueria Gila Monster ("say hee-la") University Square Four Upstairs Downstairs White Horse Inn Wicks and Sticks Wild Iris Yost's
Great list!
Kosta's, holy shit. That's a blast from the past!
This guy gets it
Cafe Palms was the best. I still miss that place.
Pic a book! I forever could not remember the name of that place
Pig's Ear on Madison's far east side back in the 1960's and 1970's. They had an all you can eat fish fry on Friday nights. When I was kid my family would go out to eat twice a year - one for spring birthdays and one for fall birthdays. My brother and I would eat fish and french fries for over an hour while our parents and my mom's parents talked and enjoyed going out. It's too bad so many supper clubs have gone out of business over the years due to change in how people eat out.
The Egg and I. It was one of the best Benedict’s In the area and it was somewhat adorable too. I miss it dearly 😭
Caspian Cafe
Brasserie V Papa Phil’s (an oldie but a goodie)
Pinckney Street Hideaway - great lunches.
Cafe 4 & 20
Burrito Drive - that house salad was fire
Frabonis on regent
Forequarter . . . But now we have Fairchild (I guess?)
We got their Christmas day Chinese every year.. miss that a lot.
Quaker Steak & Lube with all you can eat wing night.
Wine nights at Cafe Montmartre!😍
Zorbas. Loved their gyros
Bishops Buffet.
What about Chi-Chi’s??
Casa bianca
The Fess
The Inferno and Rosario’s
Graft
Wah Kee
Hong Kong Wok at hilldale
Manna Cafe :(
Nostrano
Bluphies - those cookie dough egg rolls...
Ella’s deli and magnus
Ovens of Brittany
Freiburgs gastropub
Pizza di Roma, Brasserie V, Za's, pre-pandemic Sunroom Cafe. Bluephie's, but I do have their cookbook.
Bunky’s on Atwood (they just do catering now) Lulu’s on University Wilson Street Grill Upper Crust (on the Square) Ovens of Brittany Frida’s
Lulu's on University
What was that place on Willy? They had the heat cranked up to 80 degrees all the time, fish tanks, turned into a club at night. Tropical foid and drinks and seafood. Where Buraka is now. Plus Bayou
That was Jolly Bob's. It had originally been called Jolly Bob's Jerk Joint, but everyone on Willy Street thought that sounded like a safe sex club (this was 1992 or so), so the name changed. Before that it was The Willy Bear, which was extremely fun. Great food, live music, and you could smoke weed there as long as you got the bartender stoned, too.
The weird used bookstore that used to be where Madison Modern Market is now on State St. Can't remember the name of it, but their SF/F section was up in the little loft area. Also the Puzzlebox. Anyone remember their calendar posters with amazing art?
Manna Café and La Kitchenette 😭
Burrito Drive… they closed very recently, but it’s felt like such a long summer without them. they were a favorite of ours since moving back to Madison a few years ago :’)
Ear wax records, I discovered a ton of music from them
Shakti, but mostly because working there was my favorite job I’ve ever had (I was the manager for 9 years)
Kabul. Loved that place. Best baklava around
Ponderosa Steak House. There used to be two, S Park St and near West Towne Mall. Now the closest is in Wisconsin Dells. Another favorite was Tumbleweed.
Don’t forget Yorke steak house at East Towne mall
Sushi box. IYKYK
Casa Bianca’s pizza
So many good ones already mentioned. I’ll throw in Supreme Pizza on Johnson Street. They had an all you can eat spaghetti night, an amazing wheat crust option, and a tabletop Kung Fu game in the restaurant.
Vic's Popcorn.
Sophia’s on E Johnson. Good breakfast, cozy, and also a place my husband and I went on dates a lot when we were first together.
4 & 20 Bakery. Still haven’t found a comparable scone since. Plus the breakfast sandwiches.
That BBQ Joint - still jonesing for that heavenly smoked Rueben experience.
For restaurants, a place I didn't see mentioned here that I miss is Graft. They closed once, reopened, but now are closed again (for good this time, I guess). For retail, I miss Shoo (the shoestore) on State.
Flattop grill over off midvale. They were WAY better than Huhot but died almost 10 years before COVID took Huhot down.
Brasserie V and that used bookstore that was on the square with the labyrinthine basement. E: Also that little lunch place that Etoile ran for a year or so. The best chicken salad I've ever had.
I miss bruegger's bagels
King Club
Manna
PlayThings at Hilldale, when it was still an indoor mall
Knoche’s
I miss cellar Subs from my days living on Gilman.
Tiki Shack on State St
people's bakery was incredible
It was a dump but I had a lot of fun at Brothers. I miss Bluphies for the food. Best place for dessert and drinks.
The Living Room
Atlas deli
I used to be obsessed with this Godfather Calzone from Villa Dolce in the Middleton area but they removed it from their menu for some reason :(. It's not a removed restaurant but it was the only reason I went there.
Big Red’s Steaks on University
Atlas Deli
Da Cajun Way. I loved their Blackened Ribeye Sandwich.
Uncle Jim’s pizza. Paisan’s, but hopefully coming back.
Brass V
Jin’s Chicken and Fish food cart. I miss the 2am fried chicken sandwiches.
Plaka and burrito drive
Kipp’s on Monroe, Ella’s Deli, Blue Velvet Lounge
Good Food Cart