Walking Distance

Campus Area:

1. Steenbock's. In the Discovery building next to Morgridge Hall.
   Casual fine dining. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.

2. Dotty Dumpling's Dowry ("Dotty's), 317 N. Frances St
   Campus classic. Awesome burgers. They grind their own meet. Closed Mondays.

3. Estacion Inka. 616 University Ave.
   Well made Peruvian food in an informal atmosphere.

4. Greenbush Bakery. 1402 Regent St.
   A truly classic campus donut shop. Legendary, really. Not overly-iced, weirdly-fancy donuts; just properly made raised and old fashioned donuts. Apple fritters (huge and to share) are a classic there.

State Street and Capital Area:

1. Old Fashioned. 23 N. Pinckney St.
   Classic Wisconsin supper club menu from two former fine-dining chefs. Informal, tasty, and pretty inexpensive. Huge local beer selection on tap. No reservations. Closed Sundays.

2. Cento. 122 W. Mifflin St.
   Fine dining Italian. Quite nice.

3. L'Etoille. 1 S. Pinckney St.
   High end fine dining with classic farm-to-table. On the Capital Square. Chef Tory Miller won Iron Chef and other competitions Closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

4. Eno Vino. 1 N. Webster St.
   Small plates and wine bar restaurant. Good eclectic selection. Great place for sharing a bunch of dishes. Top of the AC Hotel with a great view.

5. RED Sushi. 316 W. Washington Ave.
   Excellent sushi and other prepared dishes. Creative and talented chef. Great bartenders and nice sake list. In the good weather, dinner on their terrace is really nice.

6. Osteria Papavero. 128 W. Wilson St.
   Creative and good Italian. Some folks say the best in Madison. Close Sundays.

7. The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company. 123 E. Doty St.
   Madison's original brew pub, more than 30 years old. Great variety of in-house brewed beers, including seasonal specialities. And nice food menu. In the warmer weather, sitting on the back terrace is very pleasant.

Monroe Street:

1. Pizzeria Bruta, 1805 Monroe St.
   Authentic Italian pizza. Casual setting.

2. Lallande, 1859 Monroe St.
   French fine dining. Menu changes regularly. Highly regarded. Open Wednesday-Saturday.

Short Drive

1. Ahan. 744 Williamson St.
   Creative southeast Asian, with Thai emphasis. Already has a nod from James Beard. Really next-level flavors. Inexpensive. (Their red curry is amazing.) Closed Mondays.

2. Mad Rabbit Cafe. 805 Williamson St.
   Creative and tasty veggie restaurant. Really highly regarded locally. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

3. Fairchild. 2611 Monroe St.
   Fine dining with frequently changing menu. Lots of local farm connections. Closed Mondays. 35 minute walk from Morgridge Hall.

4. Rajni Indian Cuisine. 429 Commerce Dr.
   Madison has a ton of good Indian restaurants and this is Bart's favorite. Authentic southern Indian food. (Their dosas are as good as any in India) A bit further drive. Informal and inexpensive. Closed Tuesdays.

5. Quivey's Grove. 6261 Nesbitt Rd, Fitchburg
   A Madison-area classic on the edge of Madison, built in 1856. There's a great underground tunnel that goes from the Stone House Restaurant (the old farm house) to the Stable Grill (the old barn and stables). The Stone House has a nice, Madison-themed old fashioned menu. Worth the drive. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Nearby Coffee Shops

Madison has a ton of locally owned coffee shops and cafes. Just walking down State St, you'll pass quite a few. Here are some nearer to Morgridge Hall.

1. Aldo's in the Discovery building (just across from Morgridge Hall) is decent and reliable. Nice food selection.

2. Ground Truth in the lobby of Morgridge Hall is OK, but better to walk 3 minutes to Aldo's

3. Java Den, 1022 W Johnson St.
   Good quality coffee and nice baked goods.

4. Indie Coffee. 1225 Regent St.
   Great coffees, with creative sandwiches and good waffles. Cozy campus setting. Run by really nice folks.

5. Leopold's Books Bar Caffe. 1301 Regent St.
   Nice cafe that also has a bar. And a great eclectic bookstore. Wonderful place in the evenings where you can get either coffees or drinks from the bar.

Last modified: Thu Jul 9 01:48:02 PM CDT 2026 by bart