From waterfront eateries to rooftop hideaways, Greater Madison has many gorgeous views to pair with delicious meals. So take a break and head outside to some of our favorite outdoor oases!
© Bill Fritsch
LAKEFRONT
History, Repeated: The Edgewater’s stunning remodel has yielded wonderful dining options like The Boathouse, a two-level café that overlooks Lake Mendota. Regulars will still love the pier-side seating and casual fare like burgers, lobster rolls and more.
Amore on the Water: Another classic Madison mainstay, Paisan’s, was in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus for 35 years until the Italian eatery moved 10 years ago to an enviable downtown location with a Lake Monona view and expansive patio. Known for their Porta salad, pizzas and spicy cheese bread, they serve stepped-up pizza just the way you like it.
Vintage Vantage: Sardine, located in Machinery Row (which was a farm implement dealership in the early 1900s), was fashioned to evoke a French brasserie fused with industrial chic, and serves cuisine with a decidedly French twist. Known for their seafood, excellent brunch, happy hour, and great cocktails, those who sit out on the restaurant’s outdoor patio (or adjacent to the patio inside) are treated to a stunning Lake Monona vista.
© Chris Hynes Photography
ROOFTOP
Food and Art: Fresco is Italian for “cool” and “fresh” and Fresco’s flavors reflect their only-in-season menu which pulls from local offerings. The location is superb for before or after Overture Center shows since it’s conveniently located above the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and overlooks State Street and the Capitol building. The adjacent rooftop sculpture garden is also stunning.
Comfort with a View: The lovely brick interior of the Brickhouse BBQ gives way to a beautiful third-floor rooftop patio strung with lights that offer an urban escape. This comfort food restaurant specializes in ribs, pulled pork, wings, four types of mac-and-cheese and brisket. There’s a street-level back patio, too.
Bird’s Eye View: Madison Blind, a seventh-floor rooftop restaurant and bar located in the Graduate Madison hotel, tips its hat to hometown cuisine with cheese curds, sausage plates and plenty of local craft brews. Don’t miss the cheekily decorated lobby and rooms, which pay homage to Wisconsin and to UW-Madison with vintage prints, outdoor gear and lots of plaid.
Little Europe: A Milwaukee transplant, Café Hollander is perfectly at home in Madison. The restaurant has two floors, both with open patios and garage doors that let even more of the outside in. Plus the menu delights with Belgian-esque items like frites, Dutch croquettes, seafood and a long list of beers on tap. Finish your experience by walking Hilldale Shopping Center, home to stores like Paper Source and Anthropologie.
© The Great Dane Pub and Brewery
SIDEWALK/OUTSIDE
Worldly on the Square: Called a “fun-loving, international spin on pub food” by The Capital Times, Tavernakaya takes Japanese fare like sushi, sandwiches, rice, noodles and yakitori skewers of meats and vegetables and presents them in a laid-back, sleek atmosphere. Enjoy a specialty cocktail or saké on their sidewalk patio or inside with the garage doors pulled open to bring the outdoors in.
The Original: Sometimes you just need to get away from it all, and The Great Dane Pub & Brewery’s secluded, quiet patio (in the middle of the city!) is where to go. Tucked in between buildings, diners can sit on a covered patio area with lounge seating or below in the tranquil garden area. Of course the building’s history is fascinating in its own right—the building started as the Fess Hotel in the 1850s and is the first brewery to operate in the city of Madison since the closing of Fauerbach Brewery in 1966.
Sense of Place: For a true taste of the city, take a seat at Buck & Badger, a Northwoods-themed restaurant on State Street. Not only can you watch people walk by on the city’s most famous pedestrian thoroughfare but you get a Capitol view, too. Famous for their comfort food like sweet potato-crusted chicken sandwich, fish fry and burgers, plus 24 craft beers on tap, you can make an all-day, lazy Sunday.
