Landscape Patterns and Ecosystem Processes
2008 US-IALE Symposium
Madison, Wisconsin | April 6-10, 2008
Restaurants near Monona Terrace
Madison has a great set of restaurants within walking distance of Monona Terrace that should appeal to a wide variety of tastes and budgets. Below we have listed some of our favorites, but there are almost too many great restaurants in the area to list!
The restaurants are listed geographically according to their proximity and direction from Monona Terrace. A great searchable database for restaurants in Madison is: http://www.thedailypage.com/eats/. This is maintained by the Isthmus, Madison’s weekly independent newspaper. The Onion (founded in Madison!) also has good restaurant reviews.
Restaurant Districts:
- Downtown and in the Immediate Vicinity of Monona Terrace
- East End of State Street (closest to Capitol Square)
- West End of State Street (closer to the University of Wisconsin campus)
- Williamson (Willy) Street (down Capitol Hill to the East)
Downtown and in the Immediate Vicinity of Monona Terrace
Ancora Coffee
112 King St. (one block off Capitol Square)
(608) 255-0285
Cuisine: coffee, pastries, soup
Price Range: $2-$7
http://www.ancoracoffee.com
Café Costa Rica
141 S. Butler Street (three blocks down the hill from Capitol Square)
(608) 356-9830
Cuisine: Wonderful Costa Rican food… seating is limited
Price Range: $6-$12
Brocach Irish Pub
7 W. Main St. (on Capitol Square)
(608) 255-2015
Cuisine: Irish
Price Range: $10-15
Special Offerings: great live music!
http://www.brocach.com
Café Continental
108 King Street, Madison (1.5 blocks from Monona Terrace)
(608) 251-4880
Cuisine: European and Italian
Price Range: $13-$35
Special Offerings: over 100 wines, 30 by the glass, reservations recommended
http://www.znbar.com
Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company
123 E. Doty (one block east off Capitol Square)
(608) 284-0000
Cuisine: Brew Pub
Price Range: $7-16
Special Offerings: One of Wisconsin’s best-known brewpubs with
local microbrews, billiards, and good pub food.
http://www.greatdanepub.com
Harvest Restaurant
21 North Pinckney Street (on Capitol Square)
(608) 255-6075
Cuisine: French/American
Price Range: $18-$36
Special Offerings: A modern interpretation of French and American cuisines
spotlighting local and organically grown ingredients.
Notes: Menu changes seasonally
http://www.harvest-restaurant.com
L’Etoile Restaurant and Café Soleil (on Capitol
Square)
25 North Pinckney Street
(608) 251-0500
Cuisine: seasonal menus are inspired by the artisans and small sustainable
farms of the Midwest and are rendered with a French technique.
Price Range: average main course price - $32
http://www.letoile-restaurant.com
Mercury Lounge
117 E. Mifflin St. (on Capitol Square)
(608) 255-8624
Cuisine: Greek food -- gyros, souvlaki, chicken phyllo, dolma -- as well
as soups, salads, and deli sandwiches.
Price Range: $2-$12
Old Fashioned
23 N. Pinckney St. (on Capitol Square)
(608) 310-4545
Cuisine: Wisconsin Cuisine (cheese plates, brats, burgers, sandwiches,
nightly entree specials)
Price Range $7-$15
http://www.theoldfashioned.com/index.php
Restaurant Magnus
120 East Wilson Street (one block east of Monona Terrace)
(608) 258-8787
Cuisine: Steak, Seafood, Tapas
Price Range: $19-$31
Special Offerings: Voted Best of Madison Restaurant in 2007
http://www.restaurantmagnus.com/general.html
Ocean Grill
117 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (one block from Monona Terrace)
(608) 285-2582
Cuisine: Seafood and a fantastic wine list.
Price Range: $6-$30
Paisan's Restaurant
131 W Wilson (one block west of Monona Terrace)
(608) 257-3832
Cuisine: Italian
Price Range: Under $10
Awards: Best of Madison - Pizza
Special Offerings: Outdoor and lakeview seating
http://www.paisansrestaurant.biz
Tutto Pasta Cucina
107 King St., Madison, 53703 (just off Capitol Sqaure)
(608) 250-9000
Cuisine: Italian
Price Range: $10-$25
http://www.tuttopastacucina.com
East End of State Street (Closest to Capitol
Square)
Angelic Brewing
322 W. Johnson St. (one block south of State Street)
(608) 257-2707
Cuisine: Everything from pasta to sandwiches, plus wide selection of
local micro brews (Ale Asylum) on tap. Live music.
Price Range: $6-$18
http://www.angelicbrewing.com
Casa de Lara
341 State Street #2
(608) 251-7200
Cuisine: Authentic Mexican food in a less-than-authentic setting!
Price Range: $5-$15
http://www.casadelara.net
Chuatara
334 State St.
(608) 251-3626
Cuisine: Fresh Nepalese and Himalayan food, wonderful. Some Indian
dishes. Try the goat!
Price Range: $6-$24
Fresco
227 State St. (in the Overture Center)
(608) 663-7374
Cuisine: American contemporary cuisine focusing on regional ingredients. Very
good.
Price Range: $16-$27
Himal Chuli
318 State St.
(608) 251-9225
Cuisine: Authentic Nepalese food. Vegetarian-friendly.
Price Range: $6-$13
The Icon
206 State St.
(608) 256-3000
Cuisine: Tapas spot on upper State Street with 55 dish-Spanish menu.
Price Range: $4-$25
Michelangelo's Coffee Shop
114 State St.
(608) 251-5299
Cuisine: Coffee, comfy chairs, great sandwiches.
Price Range: $2-$8
Orpheum Theatre's Grand Lobby
216 State St.
(608) 255-2594
Cuisine: Grand movie palace atmosphere, inventive cuisine.
Price Range: $5-$28
http://www.orpheumtheatre.net
West End of State Street (closer to the University of Wisconsin campus)
Note that from Monona Terrace to the 400 Block of State Street is a 0.8 mi walk.
Buraka
543 State Street
(608) 255-3646
Cuisine: Great Ethiopian food!
Price Range: $4-$13
Husnu's
547 State St.
(608) 256-0900
Cuisine: Turkish dishes and Italian specialties with fresh fish and daily
specials.
Price Range: $5-$13
Kabul
541 State St.
(608) 256-6322
Cuisine: Wonderful middle-Eastern (Afghani) food.
Price Range: $5-$12
King of Falafel
453 W. Gilman St. (one block south of State Street)
(608) 255-2622
Cuisine: Very fresh Middle Eastern food, with good salads, falafel and
tabouleh.
Price Range: $5-$12
http://www.kingoffalafel.com
Maza
558 State St (Across the street from Kabul!)
(608) 256-9330
Cusine: Authentic Afghanistani specialties and a diverse menu of vegetarian
entrees.
Price Range: $8-$14
Nadia's
508 State St.
(608) 257-1740
Cuisine: Traditional French Provencal menu. Desserts made daily in-house.
Price Range: $17-$26
http://www.nadiasrestaurant.com
Rising Sons Deli
617 State Street
(608) 661-4334
Cuisine: Thai/Laotian – Phil thinks this is Madison’s best
Thai!
Price Range: $6-$12
Samba Brazilian Grill
240 W. Gilman St. (one block north of State Street)
(608) 257-1111
Cuisine: Brazilian barbecue ($33). For vegetarians or lighter eaters,
a 40-item salad bar by itself is $15.
Price Range: $15-$33
http://www.sambabraziliangrill.com
Williamson (Willy) Street (down Capitol Hill to the East)
Note that from Monona Terrace to the 1200 Block of Willy Street is a 1.1 mi walk.
Bahn Thai
944 Williamson St.
(608) 256-0202
Cuisine: Wonderful Thai food.
Price Range: $6-$13
http://www.bahnthai.741.com/
Babs' French Quarter Kitchen
1353 Williamson St. (a bit of a walk, but worth it. Bring
cash.)
(608) 251-1222
Cuisine: Home cooking, New Orleans style… entrees to make your
heart beat faster. Pecan pie, bread pudding, pralines.
Price Range: $6-$9
Bandung
600 Williamson St.
(608) 255-6910
Cuisine: Indonesian
Price Range: $6-$15
http://www.bandungrestaurant.com
Eldorado Grill
744 Williamson St.
(608) 280-9378
Cuisine: Western setting, upscale Mexican and Southwestern dishes, and
the chef's even written his own cookbook. Very good.
Price Range: $8-$25
http://www.foodfightinc.com/eldorado.htm
Jamerica
1236 Williamson Street
(608) 251-6234
Cuisine: Jamaican – great jerk!
Price Range: $6-$15
http://www.jamericarestaurant.com
Jolly Bob's
1210 Williamson Street
(608) 251-3902
Cuisine: Jamaican with LOTS of colorful drinks. Like you are on
a tropical vacation in Madison…..
Price Range: $10-$16
Lao Laan Xang
1146 Williamson St.
(608) 280-0104
Cuisine: Specializing in Laotian cuisine and vegetarian dishes. Phil’s
favorite.
Price Range: $8.50-$13
Lazy Jane's Cafe
1358 Williamson St
(608) 257-5263
Cuisine: Wonderful breakfasts, funky atmosphere. Creamy chowder
and chicken soup, the generous selection of salads, and out-of-this-world
scones. Serving mimosas during breakfast.
Price Range: $4-$10
Mekong
600 Williamson St. (adjacent to Bandung)
(608) 250-6280
Cuisine: Vietnamese and Thai cusine, with standout options like kung
namdeng and beef larb.
Price Range: $5-$16
Roman Candle
1054 Williamson Street
(608) 257-5263
Cuisine: Excellent pizza.
Price Range: $6-$16
Sardine
617 Williamson St.
(608) 441-1600
Cuisine: Lakeside dining in the Machinery Row complex. Yes, they do serve
fresh grilled sardines, as well as salmon, bass, skate and mussels, with
pasta, beef and chicken rounding out a very nice menu.
http://www.sardinemadison.com
Price Range: $6-$20
Wah Kee Chinese Noodle and Restaurant
600 Williamson St.
(608) 255-5580
Cuisine: Hong Kong- and Cantonese-style noodles are the big draws. Good
lunch specials and soups. Seafood specials.
Price Range: $4-$13
Weary Traveler
1201 Williamson St.
(608) 442-6207
Cuisine: Favorite Willy Street gathering place, home of "Bob's
Bad Breath Burger" (adorned with garlic and onions, of course, as
well as cream cheese), sandwiches and other world-cuisine-influenced
entrees.
Price Range: $4-$12