Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Madison

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

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!

Williams's Pine Gables Supper Club

5.0

5 (535)

$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

John

Dined 1 day ago

Great food and wonderful people. Really enjoyed being there.

Villa Dolce

4.9

4.9 (658)

$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

Cathy

Dined on Jun 25, 2025

Exceptional experience in every category, as usual.

Discover more

Popular dish

Meat Lovers

Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro

4.8

4.8 (1029)

$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

Monica

Dined 3 days ago

We went for a birthday lunch and both enjoyed the walleye sandwich. The tiramisu was fantastic and hit the spot on a hot day. Delicious food, friendly service, beautiful setting and a great value!. I can’t say enough good things about my recent experiences at this restaurant! It’s consistently excellent.

Eno Vino Downtown

4.8

4.8 (2268)

$31 to $50

Bistro

Madison

About the restaurant

Eno Vino Wine Bar & Bistro Voted "Madison's Best Wine Bar" By Madison Magazine Readers, consistently over the years. Eno Vino offers 200+ wines by the bottle & another 45 by the glass. From the beginning, Eno Vino was established as a place to share great wine, sensational, hand-crafted cocktails and fresh, inviting food. Whether you would like to entertain friends, enjoy an evening out with a loved one or unwind during happy hour ~ we invite you to enjoy an evening at Eno Vino.

**Please note**
For outdoor terrace reservations- Please call the restaurant at 608-455-0663.
All guests must be 21 years of age to drink alcohol, regardless of parental accompaniment.

Top review

Monica

Dined 1 day ago

Food was delicious. We had the scallops, beef birria empanadas, shawarma flatbread, and the chocolate fondu. All food was exceptional. Service was a tad slow probably as they got busier but overall great experience.

Bonfyre American Grille

4.7

4.7 (2376)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Madison

About the restaurant

Bonfyre features Contemporary American Cuisine in an upscale-casual environment. In addition to our hand-cut, wood-fired steaks, guests can enjoy fresh seafood, rotisserie chicken, pastas, signature salads and so much more from our seasonally changing menu.

To complement the cuisine, Bonfyre’s bar features classic cocktails with a modern twist, creative new libations, domestic craft beer selections and a wine list consisting of 60 labels from both North and South America.

Top review

Katie

Dined on Jun 21, 2025

Staying downtown near the capital, this place was a little off the beaten path, but worth the 10 minute drive. Nice ambiance. There is a Mexican restaurant down the hall that was playing VERY LOUD music, but I think we were only affected by it because where we were seated. Service was prompt, friendly and attentive. Food was delicious! The only drawback I would say was the NY Strip was a little overpriced for the cut quality and didn't include a soup/salad. Side grilled cesear salad was out of this world! Would definitely recommend for a nice dinner place in the Madison area.

Otto's Restaurant and Bar - Madison

4.7

4.7 (1681)

$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 – 5:00 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

Charles

Dined 5 days ago

Excellent Mediterranean-inspired seafood. Excellent service.

Sugar River Pizza Company

4.8

4.8 (499)

$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

Kristin

Dined on Jun 26, 2025

Kyle did a great job taking care of us, and the food was excellent as always. We got sandwiches this time, instead of our usual pizza, and they were delicious.

Buck & Honey - Mount Horeb

4.7

4.7 (116)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Mount Horeb

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 house. We are privately owned and offer a wide variety of traditional fare with only the freshest available ingredients, curated by our Executive Chef, Sammy Millan. We are new to the Mount Horeb community and couldn't be more excited! Great pastas, tender steaks, seafood, fresh entree salads, unique specialty sandwiches, critically acclaimed Friday fish fry and our deliciously crispy thin crust pizzas round out our offerings. Check out our extensive wine list too. We offer a cozy environment with amazing staff. Join us for live entertainment and special events. Also We serve brunch from 11am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. We also have an amazing event venue on the second level. We are here to show what Wisconsin hospitality is all about!

Top review

EARL

Dined 2 days ago

The entire staff was friendly and very helpful. Food was amazing and live music was pleasant to listen to. Highly recommend and would definitely go back. Thanks Earl & Lynn Carkson

Buck & Honey's - Waunakee

4.7

4.7 (528)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Waunakee

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.

Top review

RobertVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Food was great as was the service. The noise level was well above normal. Should have one dining room for people that enjoy the quiet dining.

Rare Steakhouse

4.8

4.8 (2003)

$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

Nicole

Dined on Jun 22, 2025

Enjoyed our dinner, my steak was over charred but still delicious. Service was great and we will be back.

Explore Diners' Choice best of Madison

Explore more Diners' Choice lists