The Top 10 Restaurants in Madison, Wisconsin

Before my wife and I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, we scoured nearly everywhere in North America to find the best place for us.

We wanted an affordable area with good job prospects, friendly neighbors, strong education, low crime rates, activities to keep us physically and mentally healthy, cultural diversity (our apologies to Vermont), and a whole lot more.

Most importantly, we wanted fantastic food.

Madison, which hosted a recent Top Chef season and boasts over 30 James Beard award honorees, has all of that in spades.

Sorry, you have been chopped. Wait, wrong show.

I’ve kept a spreadsheet of every notable restaurant we’ve eaten at since 2015. I rank each spot on a scale of 5 to 25.

They can earn up to 5 points for flavor, presentation/ambience, service, innovation, and value (or "bang for your buck").

If a restaurant exceeds 14 points, it gets a B. Over 17 points, they’re A-tier. Over 20 points, they’re S for superior.

After over two and a half years of dining in Madison, I’m honored to share my top ten picks

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Novanta Pizza and The Globe (17 points each).

Novanta is a fresh, friendly Neapolitan pizza place. It’s my pick for Madison’s best pie. Fresh mozzarella, bright and flavorful sauce, and crust cooked at 900 degrees for 90 seconds. It earns a 4 for value, flavor, and service, a 2 for innovation (it does things in a pretty classic way), and a 3 for presentation (nothing great, but nothing awful).

The Globe makes a lot out of a little. It serves spicy, delicious bowls of Indian, Korean BBQ, and eclectic multinational cuisine. 4 for flavor and service; 3 for the rest. Friendly and welcoming vibe, but it doesn’t have the space to be a real sit-down spot.

TENTH PLACE: A Pig in a Fur Coat (17 points).

“A pig in a fur coast walks into a bar…”

Here’s a hip, fun, aesthetically intriguing offering that bridges classical Mediterranean-American cuisine and hipster rebelliousness.

Rad sketches of beasts and deer (and maybe cryptids?) all over the walls. Killer bone marrow. Nice risotto. Outstanding gnocchi.

4 for value and service; 3 for the rest. I’ve taken some discerning Californians here to impress them with Madison’s culinary fare. While Novanta and The Globe are worth a try, I wouldn’t think to take folks there to ‘show off’ the city. That’s what Pig and all later entries can do.

NINTH PLACE: Cadre (17 points).

“Cadre” means “frame” in English.

After being let down by some other top-rated French spots in Madison, we stumbled into Cadre, my pick for one of the best French options in town. The value for hefty, hearty meals stunned me. The appetizers — especially the beef carpaccio and peasant beets (what did you call me, kid?!) — are out of this world good. 4 for value and service; 3 for the rest.

I would recommend Cadre for a one-on-one ‘fancy dinner’ for anybody who wants to seem like they’re splurging while sticking to a reasonable budget.

EIGHTH PLACE: The Kettle Black Kitchen (17 points, but a flavor-first tiebreaker).

Here’s a little teapot!

In a conversation with the owner, I learned that the Kettle Black Kitchen’s head chef is like a real-life Carmy Berzatto from The Bear.

I can taste it.

The quesadilla, which has a perfectly pickled red onion, is one of the best I’ve had (and I grew up in Southern California). This is an experimental joint that, as of the last time I went, was still searching for its distinct flavor, but everything I’ve tried has been delicious.

The website’s design doesn’t quite showcase the comforting aesthetic of this fun, charming little site. 5 for flavor, 2 for innovation, 3 for value/presentation, 4 for very conversational and warm service.

SEVENTH PLACE: Eno Vino (18 points).

Eno Vino is one of the best locations to take a group of friends to experience Madison.

What a birthday.

It’s located right across from the Capitol building at the top of a hotel; when you go at night, you can see the brilliantly illuminated building’s spire. The food is meant to be shared; big plates with huge portions.

Shishito peppers second only to Chicago’s Girl and the Goat. Well-sauced, flaming green beans. Elegant, delectable desserts with lattices of sugar crystals.

Those flavors ain’t flat.

Flatbreads that, by themselves, could easily feed two people (but you get to mix-and-match four). 4 for service, value, and flavor; 3 for the rest.

If you’re as liberal as most Madisonians are (Dane County is something like 3-to-1 Democratic), you probably disagree with views expressed by Eno Vino’s billionaire owners, who are paleoconservative activists. But, as someone who agrees with Pete Buttigieg in 2019 (‘I do not approve’ of Chick-fil-A’s politics, but ‘I kind of approve of their chicken’), I’ll judge Eno Vino on the dining experience and leave the political commentary to others.

SIXTH PLACE: Mint Mark (18 points).

Again, fantastic shareables.

This feels real Madison to me.

But while Eno Vino functions as a quasi destination dinner, Mint Mark is humbly located on a main street leading downtown. MM delivers a flavor-first, healthy, clean, fresh experience that makes me slightly salivate when I remember eating the carrots, the spaghetti carbonara, the biscuits and honey.

Mint Mark hits the mark with 4s for flavor, value, and presentation, and 3s for the rest.

It’s also the best option for vegan and vegetarian diners on my list.

FIFTH PLACE: L’Etoile (18 points).

The birthday girl!

Now we’re really talking. L’Etoile is the fanciest dining experience in Madison; we’ve been there for birthdays and anniversaries. It has the best cheesy pasta dish I’ve ever tasted. The best fried mochi I’ve had. It has a seasonal menu that emphasizes farm-to-table values first.

Why, then, is it only at an 18? Because when prix fixe establishments hold themselves to a high standard, you meet them where they’re at.

L’Etoile isn’t playing in the same league as the prior restaurants — it is a special-occasions-only meal. 4 for flavor, innovation, and service; 3 for the others (in the context of comparably higher-end menus).

Madison—the best place on earth.

Their final treat — a take-home cream cookie — is SO good. It, by itself, is worth the price of admission for foodies.

FOURTH PLACE: Global Market and Food Hall (19 points).

And now, for something completely different.

B-but…isn’t all good food fancy food?!

East Madison’s Global Market boasts a food court with 10+ diverse dining options, including African, Chinese, Japanese, and more. My favorites switch between the Dumpling House, Kawasaki, and Hotco Noodle.

The value here is insane (for 10-15 bucks, you can get a HUGE bowl of chicken, rice, sauce, avocado, and much more — the kind of deal you could only get in Los Angeles a decade ago), and it’s connected to a well-stocked Asian market.

Wisconsin, at first blush, feels pretty white — Germanic and Scandinavian food first. I present the Food Hall as my humble rebuttal.

5 for value; 4 for presentation and flavor; 3 for the rest.

THIRD PLACE: Fin Sushi (20 points).

“Oh how I wish to catch a fish, so juicy sweet!” — Gollum

Wow.

After being slightly let down by other major sushi places in Madison (we’re right on the water! There are so many fish!), Fin blew me away.

This is a small, new joint in Sun Prairie. Calming piano music and origami birds hand-crafted by the owner welcome and sooth you. The service is fast and friendly. And the fresh, cool taste of the fish lets you know that everything’s gonna be all right.

I was shocked to get a bill that was literally half of what I expected it to be (I thought there was a mistake). I bet most Madisonians haven’t been here yet. They’re missing out. 5 for value, 4 for service/presentation/flavor, 3 for innovation.

SECOND PLACE: The Deliciouser (22 points).

The dream team.

It is difficult to earn a S-tier ranking on my restaurant list. Jessica and I ate at three consecutive Michelin-starred tasting menus in Paris; none of them cracked my top rankings. But this little restaurant connected to a warehouse in the middle of Madison is exceptional.

It’s a family-owned spot. Lucy, the daughter, is front-of-house. As she explained to us on a tour, it’s operated by her dad, her mom, and her stepmom. Their goal is to earn their James Beard award in two years. Will they? Hell, yes.

I kept waiting to be let down by a single thing — the gnocchi, the tartare, the salad, the experimental THC cocktail, the service.

And the desserts!

EVERYTHING was a home run. The spices on the table. The “when you’re here, you’re family” friendliness. The genuine joy on the faces of every employee. I am over the moon about The Deliciouser. I can’t believe it took me over two years in Madison to find it. It is the best-kept secret in town.

5 for flavor and service. 4 for the rest.

FIRST PLACE: Nook (22 points).

This is a photo finish. You could call it a tie. But as I was putting together my final thoughts, Nook just edges out the competition. It is a tasting menu like nothing else I’ve had. There are 144 restaurants on my list, and only a handful of meals can compete.

Zoom in.

Nook is wacky, fun, and art school experimental. It’s also a tasting menu that scoffs at the idea of the ‘art for art’s sake’ type of meals skewered in movies like The Menu. It gives you SO much food on every plate that I kind of felt sick at the end.

You’re at a single table that you probably had to reserve exactly at midnight on the first day of the month, surrounded by foodies, fans, and friends.

Oh, man.

Its opening dish, this raspberry shrimp puree, might be the perfect bite. It’s one of the best dishes I have had and will have in my life. I’ve experienced a lot of scallops—and this is the best one.

And don’t get me started on the service, which is storytelling-first. They end the night with a round of puns, impressions, and audience interaction. It’s dinner and a show. I loved it.

How does this taste? Try it and see.

I came in with a lot of skepticism. I left as a true believer.

Props to Kate and Arria for setting this up.

My list isn’t meant to be the final word on Madison dining. It’s just the record of one hungry transplant who can’t stop taking notes.

If you’re new to the city, I hope it gives you a head start.

If you’ve been here a while, I’d love to hear where you think I got it right or where I need to go next.

Jessica and I came here for the community, but we’re staying for the food. Bon appétit.