Spending a week in Madison, Wi. What are the best things to do and eat in the city?

Question

Varsha · Answer

gotham bagels: SO good. Best bagel I’ve ever had- get the Calabrian Chili Mozzarella bagel

Varsha · Answer

Bagels Forever | New York Style Bagels

Varsha · Answer

Leopold's: Bookstore, coffee shop, and Italian restaurant all in one place. One of my favorite places in Madison! I tried the Yemenite latte.

Varsha · Answer

Estacion Inka: Just tried peruvian food for the first time this weekend and my life was changed. Such a madison staple

B · Answer

University of Wisconsin Geology Museum: free museum with dino bones and cool rocks! 🤓

Katie P · Answer

Mint Mark: Mint Mark! Carve out enough time to check out their equally excellent rooftop bar, the Perch, as well as their well-curated bodega Suprette.

KG · Answer

House on the rock: I can’t even explain the magic of this place, but when I lived in Chicago I would drive to Madison at least once a year to visit The House on the Rock.

Izzy · Answer

Hạ Long Bay: The best food in Madison. A Must stop every time. Also Gib's is an incredible cocktail bar right across the street in an actual house. You can't beat that!

Allie Blum · Answer

Tornado Steakhouse for Late Night: This is a MUST!! Not to be slept on!! 10 pm - 12 am.

Also for more recs, I just wrote about my trip to Madison last month here - https://open.substack.com/pub/frompointatob/p/the-last-of-the-lower-48?r=16wsm&utm_medium=ios

Kate Beck · Answer

the Mustard Museum: Stopped here on a whim and it’s amazing! Sample a million mustards, admire classic pieces of art with mustard photoshopped in, and stock up on unique mustards from their wonderful gift shop.

Ash · Answer

Madison Farmer’s Market: Get the cheesy bread!

Dana Vance · Answer

chazen museum: If you can get to the UW campus their art museum is amazing-way bigger and better collection than you would expect from a college!

jmd · Answer

Picnic Point: Thought of another one—if outdoor walking/hiking is on the agenda at all, then besides the Arboretum (which is great), this is a nice trail on a peninsula extending out into Lake Mendota.

jmd · Answer

Concerts on the Square: If outdoor classical music sounds like fun, then depending on when you're coming, there are free concerts on Wednesday nights during the summer on the Capitol square. Bring a blanket and/or lawn chairs (see their FAQ) and enjoy. There are also food carts around or you can bring food on your own if you want to make it a picnic dinner.

jmd · Answer

Dane County Farmer's Market Saturday on the Square: Every Saturday the square around the Capitol is a big farmer's market (walking direction: always counter-clockwise). In particular, get the cheese bread from Stella's Bakery and look for fresh cheese curds.

jmd · Answer

Umami: A nice little Japanese ramen place on the near east side.

jmd · Answer

Monty's Blue Plate Diner: A classic diner out on the east side, with tons of ice cream and milkshake selections.

jmd · Answer

Graze: Also a bit more on the expensive side, but we love this place. The Bibimbap in particular is terrific. (If you're in the market for something really upscale and are willing to spend accordingly, you'll want to check out L'Etoile next door, same chef.)

jmd · Answer

Sardine: Located right on Lake Monona, this place is a bit more upscale but not outrageously expensive.

jmd · Answer

Wingra Boats: If water activities are of interest, you can rent kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards, and great big paddle boats shaped like ducks and then go out on Lake Wingra. It's a small lake and particularly nice early in the morning when it's nice and calm. (Madison Boats also has a few other locations, but Wingra is the one we usually do.)

jmd · Answer

The Daily Scoop in Memorial Union: Serves Babcock Dairy ice cream, which is a UW food sciences operation and therefore the scientifically best ice cream. Get yourself some ice cream and then go sit on the terrace behind the Union and enjoy the lake view.

jmd · Answer

State Street: The pedestrian-only street that runs between the Capitol and the UW Madison campus. The Capitol building itself is also pretty cool—you can just walk into it and wander around most of the time during the day, but they also have free tours if that sounds of interest. The square at the other end, at the UW campus, is across Langdon Street from Memorial Union (where the Union Terrace is that someone else mentioned here) and often has lots of good food carts out during lunchtime (although off the top of my head I'm not sure if that changes at all during the summer months).

jmd · Answer

Lazy Jane's Cafe: Great for breakfast/brunch/baked goods.

jmd · Answer

Grampa's Pizzeria: The pizza here is fantastic.

jmd · Answer

The Weary Traveler: The Bad Breath Burger is a classic. When I lived on the east side of town I used to go here pretty regularly just for that.

Maggie Mallette · Answer

wonderstate coffee madison: Try their current special!

Maggie Mallette · Answer

madison wi arboretum: Really fab for a walkabout!

Brigid · Answer

Tornado Steak House: Go for the late night happy hour and have a steak sandwich. I saw seminal surf punk band Wavves in their basement event space Corral Room here circa 2009.

Brigid · Answer

Atomic Antiques: Huge antique mall conveniently located near Le Tigre. A trap for me, my sister, and our sister-in-law every time.

Brigid · Answer

Le Tigre Lounge: David Lynch’s favorite bar. Allegedly. In a strip mall. Actually.

Brigid · Answer

Glou Glou: Charming natural wine bar in the Regent neighborhood. My sister and I heard some great jazz here over Christmas.

Brigid · Answer

Union Terrace: Things are classic for a reason. A must-do. One of my college jobs was booking bands here, which included the university sending me to SXSW to scout every year.

Brigid · Answer

Greenbush Bar: This is in the basement of the Italian Workmen’s Club in the Greenbush neighborhood and is the favorite restaurant of everyone in my family

Brigid · Answer

The East Side Club: An absolute classic on Lake Monona. The Biergarten next door and Olbrich Gardens across the street are wonderful but the East Side Club has dive-y charm

Brigid · Answer

Harmony Bar: Walnut burger and hot chips are incredible. (Go after the East Side Club)

Brigid · Answer

Mustard Museum: Technically Middleton but WORTH IT