Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Madison

OpenTable

Updated October 05, 2024

Looking for the best overall restaurants in Madison? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Sugar River Pizza Company

4.9

4.9 (482)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Madison

About the restaurant

Made from scratch pizza and hometown comfort food are the focus of this family-run restaurant. Come join us for an evening among friends.

Top review

Mary

Dined on Sep 21, 2024

Great service. Great pizza! The tables are too small when seated at a two seat table and ordering pizza.

Villa Dolce

4.8

4.8 (639)

$30 and under

Italian

Middleton

About the restaurant

A modern Italian cafe in the heart of downtown historic Middleton. With a contemporary vibe this fusion Italian gem features unique topping gourmet pizzas, handmade pasta and famous Gelato.

Top review

Rossvip

Dined on Oct 3, 2024

Superb service, inventive drinks, excellent pizza, even better beet salad!

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Popular dish

Meat Lovers

Buck & Honey's - Sun Prairie

4.7

4.7 (1559)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Sun Prairie

About the restaurant

At Buck & Honey’s, we've taken great care to ensure your first visit makes you feel like you're stopping by an old friend's. We're locally owned and offer a wide variety of traditional fare made from scratch with only the freshest available ingredients.… Sun Prairie's taken notice by awarding Buck & Honey's 'Best Restaurant', 'Best Steak', 'Best Dinner', 'Best Place for Live Music', 'Best Lunch', (and more) every year! Great pastas, tender steaks, fresh entree salads, unique specialty sandwiches, critically acclaimed Friday fish fry and our deliciously crispy thin crust pizzas round out our offerings. Check out the extensive wine list. Join us for live entertainment and special events. Now serving brunch from 10A-2P on Sunday!

Top review

Joshvip

Dined 2 days ago

Great atmosphere for brunch with speedy service and great food.

Buck & Honey's - Monona

4.7

4.7 (1427)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Madison

About the restaurant

At Buck & Honey’s, we've taken great care to ensure your first visit makes you feel like you're stopping by an old friend's. We're locally owned and offer a wide variety of traditional fare made from scratch with only the freshest available ingredients.… Great pastas, tender steaks, fresh entree salads, unique specialty sandwiches, critically acclaimed Friday fish fry and our deliciously crispy thin crust pizzas round out our offerings. Check out the extensive wine list, craft cocktails and beer selections. Join us for live entertainment and special events. Located on the Yahara River in Monona, featuring 23 boat slips for boat parking and dock side carry out.

Summer months include patio seating, that is first come first serve, and non-reservable.

Top review

JanWvip

Dined 3 days ago

We had the special which was crusted grouper. It was fantastic. Samantha was our waiter. She was friendly and efficient. We were celebrating our birthdays and she made it special.

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Popular dish

Firecracker Shrimp

Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro

4.7

4.7 (936)

$31 to $50

Farm-to-table

Madison

About the restaurant

Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro is located on the banks of the Sugar River in Paoli, WI. The Schoolhouse was built in 1864 and was converted into a restaurant in 2008. We pride ourselves in supporting local vendors and ingredients to bring you the best quality dishes.

Enjoy a meal in our beautiful bistro or on the deck/patio as weather permits. We have a great selection of wine, cocktails, and carry a variety of domestic and craft beers.

The Schoolhouse is also a great venue for small events - micro weddings, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, baby showers, and any other celebrations!

Top review

Karen

Dined 4 days ago

The music that evening was fantastic! Perfect for our evening and lovely to meet everyone.

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Chicken Salad Sandwich

The Melting Pot - Madison

4.7

4.7 (640)

$31 to $50

Fondue

Middleton

About the restaurant

At The Melting Pot, fun is cooked up fondue style, creating an out of the ordinary dining experience.
You'll discover all the ingredients for a perfect evening, including attentive service, private tables, & an atmosphere of casual elegance. In addition to the cheese & chocolate fondues which have made The Melting Pot famous, they offer a fine selection of beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian & gluten free entrees, as well as an exceptional wine list & a full bar. You may enjoy a romantic evening for two, a special occasion with forty of your closest friends, a dining experience to impress your boss, or a night out with the family. Whatever the occasion, an evening at The Melting Pot is always a celebration. Reservations are highly recommended. We do our best to ensure every guest receives the highest level of service. As such, we are unable to hold your reservation longer than 10 minutes past your selected time. If you are running behind schedule, please just give us a ring!

Top review

Davis

Dined on Oct 6, 2024

Always a great experience staff is always very friendly and helpful.

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Experience

Oktober FondueFest

Experience

BFFF(Best Fondue Friends Forever)

Experience

Thursdate

Rare Steakhouse

4.7

4.7 (1938)

$31 to $50

Steakhouse

Madison

About the restaurant

Dining and libations on Capitol Square with an incredible view of the Capitol, Rare combines craft cocktails, in-house dry aged steaks and attentive service in an unabashedly old-school steak house setting. Madison's downtown steakhouse features specialty cuts dry aged in-house, like the Rib Cap and the Delmonico as well as offering more traditional cuts like our filet and our rib eye. Rare is also one of the only purveyors of A5 Wagyu in Madison.

Complimenting our steaks and entrees is a specialty cocktail list and an extensive wine list with everything from wines for a big celebration to a weekday dinner.

If you're just looking for a drink after work, Rare offers discounted cocktails, wines and snacks at happy hour.

Top review

Sherrie

Dined 2 days ago

Fantastic waiter…prompt and professional. Excellent food and drinks. Love the ambiance.

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4.7

4.7 (624)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Italian

Madison

About the restaurant

Wine/Cicchetti (pronounced: che-kett-ee) Bar
Fine Italian Dining
Irresistible little snacks of every imaginable configuration from the varied regions of Italy. Eat them at the bar with an ombra (shadow) of wine with an aperitif. Fine Dining Menu Also available Wed-Sat-Classic Italian favorites and daily chefs specials including Chicken Parmigiano, Sicilian Steak and Shrimp Scampi. Sunday Supper 5-8PM

Top review

Russ

Dined 3 days ago

The smell of the food is intoxicating. Everything looks and tastes fantastic.

Williams's Pine Gables Supper Club

4.7

4.7 (484)

$31 to $50

American

Madison

About the restaurant

Welcome to William's Pine Gables Supper Club.
We look forward to seeing you soon

Top review

Ryan

Dined 2 days ago

Prime Rib was great! Everything our party had was great.

Otto's Restaurant and Bar - Madison

4.6

4.6 (1654)

$31 to $50

Mediterranean

Madison

About the restaurant

A locally owned Madison favorite, Otto's is set in a beautifully restored 1870s stone farm house with two dining levels. The menu features creative, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, fresh seafood, Certified Angus Beef steaks and more. A friendly lower-level bar serves classic cocktails and fine wines, and half-price appetizers from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. Tuesday – Friday. Outdoor dining and live jazz are featured on the deck Spring through Fall, weather permitting. Otto's is also open the first Monday of each month (excluding holidays) in the Spring and Summer when live music is being performed. Main level dining area is wheelchair accessible. Online reservations are available for the dining rooms only, bar and deck table reservations should be made via telephone. Reservations are recommended for dining in the bar, outdoors, and inside for parties of 6 or more. In the event your party is unable to attend, please contact us by phone to cancel your reservation.

Top review

Gordon

Dined 3 days ago

Had reservations for dinner but thought we would have a drink before hand. We sat at the bar and waited for the bartender. A waiter came in and got some soft drinks. Another couple walked in and handed them menus as he looked at us, without menus, and told the couple the bartender would be there soon. Looked at us again and walked away. Thankfully that waiter did not wait on us for the rest of the night. Everything else was great. Would highly recommend Otto’s.

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