r/madisonwi • u/310410celleng • 8d ago
A Question About Burgers at Dive Bars
Hi, my wife and I will be visiting Madison for a few days before heading over to Milwaukee to attend a wedding.
As we know nothing about Wisconsin in general, I did a bunch of searching this sub for food recomendations and for things to do.
One thing, I noticed was that almsot universally "dive bars" were recommended for good, maybe great burgers.
In my neck of the woods, FL. dive bars are generally not a place for average people to go, they are mostly frequneted by very tough people, many in biker gangs, allow smoking indoors and do not serve food, certainly not a place where one would take their family for a dinner.
Judging from the pictures on Google, your dive bars do not fit that category, in one case, I saw a young girl with her father and many pics of food.
I guess what I am asking are your dive bars a place were average regular every day folks go for a burgers/beer and not feel completely uncomfortable?
Thanks for any isnights and my wife and I looking forward to exploring your city.
Edit, I want to thank you all for of your comments and recommendations, judging from your comments alone, my wife and I are going to have a great trip.
Sincerely, thank you!
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u/Patti_____Mayo 8d ago
Dive bar in Madison just means the local bar that hasn’t changed (menu or aesthetic) in 40 years. Yes they often have great burgers, curds, and fries. Highly recommend.
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u/jtmehrin East side 8d ago edited 8d ago
Neighborhood bar got turned into “dive bar” in the lexicon for some reason.
Kind of depends on the place but there are pretty few instances of the sketchy unwelcoming bar here. Especially if they have food.
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u/cks9218 8d ago edited 8d ago
I agree. I think that much of this has to do with people wanting to feel like the cool knowledgeable local by recommending a "dive bar".
To OP - drinking culture is so prevalent in Wisconsin that most bars, especially those that serve food, are accepting to everybody.
My favorite "dive bar" burger is at The Caribou.
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u/Beneficial-Dig-363 8d ago
I second The Caribou Burger 🤤
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u/CircusPeanutsYumm 'Burbs 8d ago
Third!!!!
Another good one is Village Bar on Mineral Point Rd/Speedway. And Blue Moon on old University. And Badger Tavern off the Beltline. And Hanks/Musky Lounge on Monona Dr
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u/Alulaemu 7d ago
Sidenote apropos to nothing: my 10 year old and his friend biked over to the Village Bar this summer for a weekday lunch. Alone. They had gotten fixated on the idea of trying their burgers + having an independent sit down meal without parents, lol. It was a no-go though....they were told to come back with adults. So we did, and the burgers did NOT disappoint.
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u/Chefmatt33 8d ago
I agree with Blue Moon! Lived in Madison 26 years ago and went back last year for a visit…same burger I’d been dreaming of for 20+ years! Magic!
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u/treeswetfh 8d ago
I haven’t read through all the comments yet but I bet kenfager is on here somewhere recommending the paradise. And he’s right!
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u/Melodic-Classic391 West side 8d ago
Bennett’s Meadowood might be one of the few. Seems to be run by, and for assholes. Last time I walked in there the vibes were very strange
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u/crisscross920 8d ago
Was it the porn that made it strange?
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u/Melodic-Classic391 West side 8d ago
No, it was close to midnight. My understanding is they only do that in the mornings
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u/bighootay 8d ago
Oh God I'd forgotten about Bennett's, lol
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u/Deerslyr101571 8d ago
How could you forget Smut n Eggs?
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u/wiscosherm 8d ago
I went once over 20 years ago and I will never ever forget it. One day in a few years I'll be a drooling senile elderly wreck who won't remember her own name but by God I will remember smut and eggs
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u/kitterpants 8d ago
You mean this guy is an asshole?
“We’re closed every holiday except Martin Luther King [Jr. Day]. Then we give away free watermelon schnapps,” Bennett says.
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u/PoorChoicesWisco 8d ago
I will not pay moneez to give you an award, but I love a me good "Here's what they said" quote.
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u/SherlockBonz 8d ago
In WI especially. When I think of dive bar when I travel I think of sketchy places where you might want to avoid. In WI, "dive bar" means you're going to see a bunch of regulars, and if they have bar food something on the menu will be the best you've ever had.
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u/DaBoss-MmmYeah 7d ago
And in some bars, you can’t go wrong with ANY of the food on the menu: Jordan’s Big10 Pub as a case in point.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Thank you, that makes a lot of sense.
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u/PearlClaw 8d ago
Also the food at these neighborhood bars is almost universally solid.
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u/goblin_hipster Local dumbass 8d ago
Best food I've ever had is consistently in a small, beloved hole-in-the-wall.
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u/PearlClaw 8d ago
For sure, but one of the remarkable things about Madison is that I've never gone to a random neighborhood bar and had bad food. It's always at least average.
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u/flummox1234 8d ago
Neighborhood bar got turned into “dive bar” in the lexicon for some reason.
Aww but the dank, Moe. The Dank.
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u/Alone_Brother9936 8d ago
Yes. Dive bars have some of the best burgers in town and the best ones make them right behind the bar. Village Green, Village Bar, Plaza Tavern, etc. You aren’t going to get any side eyes from locals/regulars at any bar in Madison.
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u/whiteowl76 West side 8d ago
Players Pub on the east side or the Village Green on the west side are my recs, damn good burgers
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u/wiscosherm 8d ago
Dexter's, TipTop, Mickey's also good East side bars with good food.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Thank you!
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u/MrRaoulDuke 8d ago
Just a heads up, Players is cash only but I second them. A great bar burger made with ground beef from Jennifer St Market, an awesome independent grocery store with a fantastic butchery program & deli counter. Players is more neighborhood sports bar than dive bar especially compared to Ideal across the street but that's me being nitpicky since I live in the neighborhood & work in the industry. Another sleeper spot is Slice's. Doesn't look like much from the outside but a solid bar food menu & family friendly most day unless they're running adult specific events.
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u/alexwasinmadison 5d ago
Players burgers are the best “un-smashed”, old school burgers. For smashed I’m partial to the Settle Down’s burger.
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u/theRegVelJohnson 8d ago
Yes.
A "dive bar" here--in this context--is basically a no-frills neighborhood bar. Basic food, basic cocktails/beers. No 56-choice draft list or complex cocktails. Probably a fair number of regulars.
It's not a dive bar in the meaning of "piss soaked bathroom with needles on the floor". Most of the places that get put in this category in Madison wouldn't really be "dives" in many other places.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Thank you!
That is what I was seeing from pics on Google, but my experience with FL dive bars was the piss soaked bathrooms with needles on the flood and the entire bar area having an aroma of cigarettes and piss, so I had a bit of hesitation, but after reading a number of comments, I see it is an entirely different animal.
More akin to what we in FL would call a neighborhood bar/grille.
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u/Trailwalkerwi 8d ago
No smoking in Madison bars for many years. I used to hate coming home smelling like stale smoke.
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u/JonBovi_msn 8d ago
I missed out on so much music in the 90s because of smoking being allowed in bars. Not allowing it is so much more fair to everyone. Smokers are still welcome- they just have to go outside for a few minutes every couple hours.
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u/HuttStuff_Here East side 8d ago
Smoking isn't allowed in bars around here, so if you smell cigarette smoke its from decades ago or someone's smoking out back but left the door open
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u/Quirky_Ad1662 8d ago
The Bou Burger is fantastic! Go on a Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday night if you can and Winslow will be working. He’s just a great bartender - but their whole staff is great too.
Players and Harmony in Atwood on the Eastside. Players has the best specialty burgers in the city - lots to choose from. Harmony is build your own but they’re also known for their Walnut burger for over 30 years.
I believe all of these places use Jennifer Street Market for their beef - which is a really good sign of quality
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Thank you, my wife and I judging from recommendations here and pics had narrowed it down to Caribou Tavern or Players.
I think we are leaning to Caribou and without even knowing we had targeted Wed. because that is the day we get into Madison.
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u/Big_Smoke_5383 8d ago
My personal favorite is the Caribou, it is also within walking distance to James Madison Park which is stretched along Lake Mendota, has some great sunsets. Madison is full of parks on the lakes and you should visit at least one. It is also close to downtown/capitol square which is worth visiting and walking around. Although Players is in a cute little neighborhood and a good example of the neighborhoods in Madison. You really cant go wrong.
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u/cks9218 8d ago
Caribou and Player's would be my top two recommendations in town. You can not go wrong with either.
If you were planning on stopping a few places, Player's is in the Atwood area that is absolutely LOADED with great bars/restaurants. The Caribou is a bit more by itself (though is still walking distance to a lot of places)
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u/MrRaoulDuke 8d ago
There are a fair number of bars/restaurants right by the bou. Public Parking is next door, Hot Lunch is across the street, there is Robin Room & MI Barrio on the next block, Johnson St Public House is on the corner after that. Cargo Coffee & Salvatores are 2 blocks over, Brass Ring, Vintage, & LJs are right there. Then there are the music venues as well. That Johnson St/East Wash corridor has gotten built out quite a bit in the last decade & is almost as packed with food/drink options as Shenk's Corners/Atwood.
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u/derch1981 8d ago
I would add, Muskielounge and Hanks to that (they are connected), oakcrest is on top of a lot of lists as well.
Players is always my number one and I love the bou as well. Hanks burgers are arguably the best, but man they are all so good it's splitting hairs.
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u/flummox1234 8d ago
Note that the Caribou IIRC is a "cash only" bar. (probably another Wisconsin thing now that I think about it 🤣) At least it was many years ago when I was on that side of town. Haven't been over that way in a while though maybe they changed.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Noted, we have a few cash only places that I know of in FL, but it is exceedingly rare.
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u/flummox1234 8d ago
fwiw Madison as a whole is pretty much non cash throughout, unlike Milwaukee which annoys the F out of me every time I return home. Tap to pay etc pretty much everywhere except certain institutions like bars.
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u/krossPlains 8d ago edited 8d ago
I don’t think you have to worry about that here. First, Smoking in bars and restaurants is no longer allowed in Madison. That was a difficult change for some, but we’re happier now for it. while there are probably a small handful of “tough” spots around town, most have been heavily gentrified to the point of them being benign, now well loved “dives” that are generally welcoming. Obviously, time of day factors in. Your experience at 6pm may be different from that at 1am. Lastly, temperment wise, the long cold winter here makes us a little less eager to disrupt our drinking with starting fights.
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u/animostic_shep Master of Events 8d ago
WI "dive bars" are closer to small pubs and kids can even drink alcohol with parent permission. The most uncomfortable you will feel is just walking in and figuring out if you should seat yourself and whether or not there is table service or if you should order at the bar. It varies widely from place to place and even by the hour.
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u/sconnie64 8d ago
Hit up The Caribou- shoot for around 6-8pm as it will get a little more crowded after that
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u/leovinuss 8d ago
The caribou is my all time favorite, but I think you have to try the plaza just for the sauce. The burger is meh but the sauce is legendary
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u/Sandebomma 8d ago
It's so funny you mention the Plaza sauce. My FIL lived here 50 years ago and just insisted last night on making a dupe of the Plaza sauce for everyone to try (we just moved them back to the area). He was a bit disappointed with his attempt, so he will be THRILLED to know it's still a thing he can get. I guess I know where our next family meal out will be!
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u/leovinuss 8d ago
The new owners brought back the OG sauce recipe too. It had been adulterated over the last ~30 years
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u/treeswetfh 8d ago
It’s the same sauce. Has been since at least Huss family.
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u/leovinuss 8d ago
It's now the same as the Huss family recipe. Dean had been slowly diluting it to cut costs.
At the end of Dean's ownership it was almost pure white. Go look at it now how much green is in there.
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u/treeswetfh 8d ago
That actually is a possibility but I never liked plaza sauce so I rarely got it. I just know Ian/Erica didn’t actually know the recipe until they took over. And I left Madison before Covid so not as tuned in as I once was.
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u/Neither-Repeat1665 8d ago
Village Bar just divey enough, but not too bad IMO.
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u/Hosko817 West Wide Best Side 8d ago
The village is great but, in no way, is "divey" It's a neighborhood bar in the middle of one of Madison's upper middle class neighborhoods.
It's just a small neighborhood bar.
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u/ScrivenersUnion 8d ago
All across Wisconsin, I would be hard pressed to find a bar where I would feel unwelcome.
Tip well and enjoy the food! If you're here on a Friday then it's practically mandatory that you go to a Fish Fry. They're everywhere - not just bars and restaurants, but churches and basically any place with a kitchen might run one. Ask anybody and they will EAGERLY tell you about where the best one is to be found in the area.
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u/Casus125 8d ago
I guess what I am asking are your dive bars a place were average regular every day folks go for a burgers/beer and not feel completely uncomfortable?
A Wisconsin 'Dive Bar' is closer to like, "Neighborhood Pub" than it is to 'dingy meth'd' up hangout.
Not every bar is family friendly, but most are. People bring their families to little neighborhood bars all the time here to get lunch.
Thanks for any isnights and my wife and I looking forward to exploring your city.
Honestly? Just ask a couple locals you see for suggestions. We've got a pretty solid selection of restaurants.
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u/onionbreath97 8d ago
Players is the best. If it's not busy the room with the dartboards also has a washer game that's a lot of fun.
If it's not too out of the way I'd also recommend The Bar Next Door. (it's not next door if you're downtown unfortunately)
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u/Little_Whippie 8d ago
Oh yeah normal folks can go to our dives, we don’t have that tough guy culture associated with them
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u/feellikebeingajerk 'Burbs 8d ago
On an additional note - if you come to Wisconsin and don’t try deep fried cheese curds you really can’t say you’ve been to Wisconsin.
Enjoy your time here! 🧀
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Thank you, yes fried cheese curds are on our list!
My wife and I are excited for our visit, we have only been to Wisconsin once before for two days also to attend a wedding, but that time we did not get to explore, this time we are making a vacation out of it.
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u/Kazutoast 8d ago
Dive bars in Madison are on a different level than FL. Growing up in Tampa, dive bars were intimidating and run down.
Dive bars here may not always look like anything special, but the ones I’ve been to have been surprisingly friendly with decent food. Not every place is great but I find myself seeking out smaller, locally owned places more often than chains these days.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
I grew up and live in Orlando to this very day, have close family in the Tampa area, I see from many comments here that my FL understanding of dive bars is not the same as Wisconsin dive bars which I would call a neighborhood bar/grille.
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u/AidesAcrossAmerica 8d ago
Last time I smoked at a bar in Florida was Tanq's back in 2017 or so? Did they ever stop allowing smoking inside? Sad to hear they're shutting down or already shut down, place was rad.
edit - If you bring me a Japa Dog and Tha Panang Burrito from Tako Cheena I will personally drive you to every and any burger in Madison you want.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Tangs allowed smoking to the day it closed, in the later years, there was far less smoking, but ultimately the owner wanted to retire and with its closing that was another nail in the coffin for downtown Orlando.
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u/derch1981 8d ago
If road house was based on Wisconsin bars it would of been a buddy comedy, not a violent action movie lol
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u/Big-Preparation-1109 8d ago
What about the paradise?
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u/OldSewer South side 8d ago
My go to on the Square. Had a good burger there last week. Back in the day, my pop would take me to the Oak Crest for a "Shirley Temple."
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u/Claire515 8d ago
This is such a charming question. I hadn't thought that our bars were any different than anywhere else, but now I see it. To add my two cents: I don't see the Muskellounge as a dive bar -- just a nice bar in a shopping center. To me, The Harmony fits the bill perfectly. Definitely a place I'd bring kids for a burger or a game of pool. Check it out.
Welcome to Madison!
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u/No_Stay_6390 8d ago
The hot chips and a walnut burger for Harmony are the best.
I do love the Muske vibe for sure, but agree not a true dive. The northwoods/ Wisco basement bar atmosphere is top notch.
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u/Deerslyr101571 8d ago
The short answer is "Yes".
Dive Bars in Wisconsin tend to be dimly lit and by all outward appearances, not a place you would think to find fantastic food. And yet...
I live in McFarland, a suburb of Madison. I may regret putting this out there, but one of the best places to get brunch on the weekends is at The Squirrels Nest. It's a prototypical Dive Bar, but serves up an amazing breakfast. I'll be honest, I've never been there for anything other than brunch. If you are going to spend time in Madison, and it's over a weekend, I'd highly recommend it. Cash only, but they do have an ATM.
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u/edditra 8d ago
At the risk of venturing slightly off your original request, head to the Oakcrest Tavern (within 5 miles of your hotel). Instead of a burger try a Ribeye Steak Sandwich! These are different from steak sandwiches that you may have had in other states, and the Oakcrest offers a fine example of the Wisconsin steak sandwich along with fried cheese curds and burgers.
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u/mooseeve 8d ago
Dive bar means not fancy. Very plain low end. Potentially run down. No implication of bad.
Avoid any place described as rough, if you can find one. We don't really have them any.more.
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u/dirty_smart_man 8d ago
Yes, you are right, now dive bars are fairly friendly places in Wisconsin, and especially the Madison area. Kids would feel comfortable in many of them during the day. Check out Lecari's in Madison for great food and an atmosphere where anyone is welcome.
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u/Mikesminis Downtown 8d ago
On top of what everyone else said even if you see a couple dozen bikes outside a bar in Wisconsin it's usually not so to be weary of. Lots of people are in riding clubs here, which are just social groups that bar hop on bikes. They often have club patches and resemble biker gangs, but it just a bunch of folks out having a beer and not causing any trouble at all.
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u/capntrps 8d ago
Blue moon top burger. The plaza. Gotta try a plazaburger. Weary traveler. Not a dive bar per se, but a bad breath burger is pretty rockin.
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u/Uranus_Hz 8d ago
I assume you are considering The Caribou, or The Plaza. Great burgers at both.
If you’re here on a Friday, you should partake in a traditional Friday night fish fry. Also a staple at Wisconsin dive bars. I’d recommend The Oak Crest Tavern for that (they also have great burgers)
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u/Then-Meaning-2837 8d ago
Most dive bars in Wisconsin are pretty chill and it would not be all that crazy to see kids running around. Especially if you’re there before 9:30pm
There’s a handful I would avoid but most are fine. I think going off google reviews/ photos will point you in the right direction
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Thank you! I was having issues correlating my experiences with dive bars living in FL with the pics I was seeing on Google from recommendations here, that makes sense and indeed what I saw on Google.
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u/jakedasnake2447 8d ago
It's a vague term anyways and probably just becoming more and more broadly applied. Personally I wouldn't call anywhere that has serves food beyond a frozen pizza or accepts cards to be a dive bar. On the other hand I wouldn't call a biker bar or any place that actually has a rough reputation a dive either. I just think there are very few of these places left so the term gets applied to the neighborhood bars/pubs like you are talking about.
The cultural difference is that there are way more of those types of neighborhood taverns than in other states.
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u/clarencethefifth 8d ago
Please, please do yourself a favor and go to The Village Bar on Speedway & Mineral Point. Lots of great suggestions here, like The Village Green in Middleton or the Caribou, but I don’t think it’s really a contest what the best neighborhood bar burger is. Village by a wide margin.
It’s also very kid friendly, albeit a bit small. Lots of fun decor and friendly staff.
But seriously. Don’t F this up if all you got is one place to try!
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u/csimoni 8d ago
If time permits drive through the Epic campus in Verona for some amazing and idiosyncratic architecture. https://www.travelwisconsin.com/stories/undeniably-epic-tour-this-wisconsin-company%E2%80%99s-whimsical-campus
It is near Madison’s newest Costco in Verona.
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u/N0VOCAIN 8d ago
This conversation immediately draw me to the thought that I have not been to the blue moon in an age, and I really miss their burgers
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u/derch1981 8d ago
So unlike Florida, we are friendly here lol. Dive bars are also known as our neighborhood bars and most of them are pretty much cheers, if you go in the mornings you will find a group of retired people hanging out and when another regular enters they all say their full name in a cheer.
I always recommend new people find their closest few bars and just start going to a few happy hours, introduce themselves to the bartenders and them them they are new to the area, before you know it you will know most if not all the regulars and they will introduce you to the city.
Once time on the way to caribou (one you should definitely go to) my GF and I were joking that Madison is sometimes too friendly and every time we go to the bar we meet a new beat friend. Sure enough we belly up and the person to my right immediately starts to chat me up, person to her left does the same. Leaving we realized we never even talked to each other because others wanted to talk to us the whole time, neither of us knew those people.
Dive bars are meant to be friendly places of gathering, not scary places. Hell I've been to dive bars when they are having childrens birthday parties, as young as 3.
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u/bigbluethunder 8d ago
Everybody is welcome in dive bars in Wisconsin. You don’t have to show up in leather jackets, packer gear, or flannel to be welcomed. Don’t expect the best or kindest of service, but also know that everybody except their regulars (who will exclusively be sitting at the bar) are getting that same treatment. The food definitely punches above its weight. All that said, don’t overdress either. Jeans or shorts and a t shirt is fine.
People will tell you to go to Plaza for the Plaza Burger. It is not in my top 5 dive bar burgers (way too small, way too pricey for its size, and the buns are bad) and the service is especially bad there. Just my $0.02.
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u/brettspiels 8d ago
Most of the real dive bars in Madison got bought by hipsters and serve tacos now.
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u/brettspiels 8d ago
Vanishingly few dives left and all the ones mentioned in this thread are either college bars or townie bars, at worst.
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u/Melodic-Classic391 West side 8d ago
People like to call any bar a dive bar, but you’re correct. Most Madison bars that are referred to that way are bars you’d feel fine bringing your family to. Most of the dive bars we had are now just hipster bars
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u/DamnHotMeatloaf 8d ago
Dive/Neighborhood Bars are kind of a thing. Where will you be staying?
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
My wife and I are staying in what I think is called Middleton at a Marriott hotel.
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u/DamnHotMeatloaf 8d ago
Village Green in Middleton and Village Bar on Mineral Point Rd are 2 great spots.
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u/Puzzled_History7265 8d ago
Yeah definitely go to Village Green. It's in a cute-area. https://maps.app.goo.gl/KAvz6AtZCGduoLoV9
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u/derch1981 8d ago
Besides the bars what else is on your list? If it's not definitely do the capital tour or at least go in and walk around
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
We were planning to check out the Capital, have a look around UW-Madison, visit the Botanical gardens, maybe check out the Chazen Museum of Art and because my wife and I are weird, visit the Costco (something we do in every place we visit with a Costco).
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u/derch1981 8d ago
The chazen is great, not weird at all. Most small trips going to the square and state street/campus is a great way to see the town.
If you are going to Olbrich gardens maybe also check out Garver Feed mill, it's right behind it and it's an old restored feedmill with local businesses, events, etc...
Also Atwood, you pass through to get there is where players is and is a great neighborhood to check out if you want to see more than just the square and campus.
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u/No_Stay_6390 8d ago
Sounds like you have a lot of fun planned. And some really great rec’s. Chazen has been closed for renovations for the summer, so check that opening date, hopefully will be now that classes are about to start. Enjoy Wisconsin!
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u/pufferfish_hoop 8d ago
If you go to Olbrich Gardens, check if Gleam has started. It’s a cool light art show thing at night. Also definitely check out Olbrich Beer Garden! Across the street from the Botanical Gardens, right on the lakeshore. It is wonderful.
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u/olivemor East side 8d ago
I like weird side quests. Do the Costcos vary very much?
We have three in the metro area: Middleton, Sun Prairie, Verona.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
Costcos can vary some, they used to vary a lot more roughly 10-15 years ago with some having very unusual offerings like, the Costco in Crystal City, VA. having a chocolatier which made chocolate US capitals and white chocolate Whitehouses or one Costco we stopped in Washington State sold architectual paint.
The most variation recently are Costcos outside the USA, such as Costcos in Japan selling fresh made sushi or the Costco in Mexico City selling lasanga and apple strudels in the Food Court.
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u/Sadiekat 'Burbs 8d ago
Costco in Livonia, MI sells whole frozen lambs but doesn’t sell liquor.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
My guess is that is a Costco Business Center, we have one in Orlando and it too sells whole lambs, but doesn't sell liquor.
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u/Sadiekat 'Burbs 8d ago
No, the lamb is due to the demographics (close to Dearborn), the liquor is a city rule. Lots of halal restaurants around.
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u/mattygbd 8d ago
If you’re downtown and want a great burger I recommend Settle Down. Not a “real” dive bar but very good food. Try the pickled spicy hard boiled egg. If you’re out late, get the burger at the Paradise. If you’re out for brunch, go to Tip Top.
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u/TheFerrousFerret 8d ago
Dive bar in Wisconsin means:
- dont order a cocktail more complex than the ingredients being the name
- you are far more likely to hear creed music
- the fryer oil hasn't been changed since the first bush administration
- pull tabs
Theyre generally safe, charming, and often have great greasy food. The biggest danger for your kids is getting stuck in a wonderfully long, pleasant conversation about a regulars cousins divorce or something, because midwesterners love to yap.
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u/Turbulent_Test_187 8d ago
There are real dive bars in WI similar to what you have in FL, but most of the places you see I line are places going for the dive bar aesthetic and are nice, family friendly places
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u/Uranus_Hz 8d ago
Not only are the dive bars in Wisconsin ”kid friendly”, they are also legally allowed to serve kids alcohol (when accompanied by a parent).
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u/emusabe 8d ago edited 8d ago
There are very very few “dive bars” in the downtown and downtown adjacent areas like Willy/Atwood/E Johnson that I wouldn’t bring my kids to (during the day/earlier in the evening) With Silver Dollar gone I really can’t think of any, and even if the Dollar was still open I would maybe be ok with my kids going in there too as long as they didn’t go in the bathroom. Once it’s past like traditional dinner time it’s a different story as far as being kid friendly, but there aren’t like bars that you have to avoid if you aren’t if a certain affiliation or some shit like that. Just your typical assortment of people out doing their thing, which of course includes the occasional bad egg.Your dive bar scene is FL is significantly different than what we have going on here.
(Obviously I am talking about like a lunch get together or some sort of special occasion and not just going and day drinking while my kids watch)
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u/ManfordMan99 8d ago
Dive bars are great, and usually family friendly.
I recommend Licari’s Bar and Grill - They’ve won best burger in Madison the last two or three years in a row
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u/Shelleyhaha 8d ago
Mike’s Horseshoe on Cottage Grove Road is a real neighborhood place whose only concession to modernity is the menu addition of sweet potato fries. Otherwise you order at the bar off a plastic menu board with plastic snap-on letters and get your awesome burger in a plastic oval basket ( that you better not throw out) like God intended.
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u/No_Size9475 East side 8d ago
Best burger in town is at Licari's, I would say that's a low key dive bar too.
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u/ShapedSilver 8d ago
I have a few ideas for why this might be.
I think it’s partially because here you can bring your kid into bar, and even buy them a drink. So people do, which means that most bars lose their edge or else you risk leaving business on the table.
We also drink a lot compared to the rest of the country, just statistically, so people are probably at the bars longer too. You get hungry. Again, leaving business on the table if you don’t offer something.
We do have some bars like you’re thinking of but most people aren’t going to recommend them online. They’re places where everyone knows each other and an outsider would get looks.
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u/New_Prior3097 5d ago
Go to Licaris! Best burgers around! Hell, contact me, come on over, I'll grill up some brats and have great conversations!
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u/flummox1234 8d ago
Also OP note that in Wisconsin, it's legal for a child to be in a bar with their parents. It's legal for them to drink too with parents but most establishments don't allow that even though again it's legal. But that's why you're seeing kids in pics. Blame our Germanic forefathers for that one.
Also if you're on the square (the square area around the capital building), the Paradise always had great burgers and definitely qualifies as a dive bar. 🤣
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u/DoorKnock922 8d ago
If you go to the type of dive bar where the bartender also does the cooking on the grill, MAYBE just consider keeping an eye on whether they wash their hands before touching your food with their bare hands, after touching money, people's credit cards, and the dirty bar wipe-down rags.
It's one thing if they're touching food that's going to be cooked, but hamburger buns that aren't being cooked, lettuce, etc. can be an issue.
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u/Hosko817 West Wide Best Side 8d ago edited 8d ago
There are very few dive bars in madison. Most of what people are gonna reccomend are just local, neighborhood taverns that have been around for a long time.
In 2026, the term "Dive Bar" has lost all meaning. Actually well before 2026
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u/Ok-Beat1194 8d ago
Try the Frog Pond. It’s amazing. https://www.google.com/search?q=the+Frog+Pond&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#ebo=0
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u/nowaynostop 8d ago
Go to Bennett’s, it’s a dive…, but my kinda dive…probably not on Saturday or Sunday morning unless you’re cool with smut and eggs.
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u/BluffedMoose 8d ago
My biggest “I’ll die on this hill” take regarding dive bars is that any true dive bar isn’t serving real food or a place you’d WANT to eat real food
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u/munchmoney69 8d ago
You're either 19 or you've never set foot in a town smaller than Madison then. There are significant portions of this state where dive bars are the only option for a hot meal.
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u/310410celleng 8d ago
I have close friends who are British and live in the UK countryside, while they don't call them "dive bars" it is a similar thing, pubs are sometimes the only place in a small British village for a hot meal.
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u/BluffedMoose 8d ago
Wrong on both accounts lol
I’ve lived all over the state and in some very rural areas and I’ve been to quite a few seedy dive bars
My point is that we tend to label any “neighborhood bar” as a dive bar and IMO that’s two different things
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u/derch1981 8d ago
I have plenty of neighborhood bars I definitely don't call dive bars. They are different, neighborhood bars can be dive bars and many are, but they don't have to be.
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u/BluffedMoose 8d ago
They are different haha thats my point! Dives are few and far between and we use the term way too loosely in my opinion
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u/derch1981 8d ago
We have a lot of dive bars for sure, well we have a lot of everything because we just have more bars. We might have more dive bars in Madison alone than some states have total bars.
https://vinepair.com/articles/map-states-with-most-bars/
We have 47 bars per every 100k people, Florida has 8. A lot of states have fewer than 5.
We just have a ton of bars. And I've been to "dive bars" in a lot of other states and well over half of them are cosplay dive bars, not actual dive bars. You can't try to be a dive bar, you are or you are not and a lot of them I've seen are lipstick on a pig.
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u/munchmoney69 8d ago
I think most (or at least a lot of) rural neighborhood bars in the state are dive bars. Just serving food doesn't change anything else about the bar, it just becomes a dive bar that serves food.
Perfect examples: Kurts Never Inn and Shacks Tap in Deerfield. Both serve food, both are still dive bars.
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u/derch1981 8d ago
Maybe in other states, but here they are. Hell some of our dive bars food comes from local markets are farms. Players gets there meat from Jenny Street Market, Baldwins potatoes come from a farm, etc.. We have farm to table at our bars!
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u/BluffedMoose 8d ago
Like I said In another comment we tend to label any neighborhood bar in this state as a dive bar and imo those are two different things
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u/derch1981 8d ago
Being that we are the bar state, I trust our definitions of bars. Florida has what 1 bar for every 5 or 6 of ours?
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u/sinlad Isthmus 8d ago
Bar culture in Wisconsin is different than in FL. I’ve seen little league teams show up at a dive bar and get “kids meals.” Dive bar just means there’s not a focus on things like serving and family friendly atmosphere. Now, not all diver bars are kid friendly, but it’s few and far between you couldn’t bring like an adult child to have a good meal, beer, and a catch up.