Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Madison

OpenTable

Updated 05 December 2024

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

Sultan

4.9

4.9 (15)

$31 to $50

Pakistani

Madison

About the restaurant

Small plates Pakistani restaurant serving modern takes on South Asian cuisine showcasing Wisconsin and Midwest ingredients. No tipping restaurant that pays all staff a living wage and profit share.

Top review

Todd

Dined on 7 Dec 2024

Everything was delicious. The host and servers were very kind and friendly. They also took time to explain each dish. We would definitely recommend and we’ll be returning for sure.

Discover more

Experience

Decolonize Tasting Menu

Williams's Pine Gables Supper Club

4.9

4.9 (497)

$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

DavidVIP

Dined on 8 Dec 2024

Excellent Rouladen. Highly recommended. Filthy Martini, MMM!

Buck & Honey's - Sun Prairie

4.7

4.7 (1571)

$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

Dave

Dined 2 days ago

Great food and friendly staff! It’s a great place to meet friends for cocktails and dinner.

D’Vino

4.7

4.7 (656)

$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

JeffVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Best swordfish I think I’ve ever had. Personally greeted at the table by the owner who shared his cooking method. Some standard Italian dishes and others with inventive flair. Great wine list by the glass. We will be back.

Villa Dolce

4.6

4.6 (641)

$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

Rene

Dined on 17 Nov 2024

The food is so tasty and the staff so friendly, the restaurant has the warm of a home kitchen it permeates into everything. We moved away and never miss an opportunity to go back.

Discover more

Popular dish

Meat Lovers

Buck & Honey - Mount Horeb

4.7

4.7 (84)

$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

Ashley

Dined on 28 Nov 2024

A group of my girlfriends and I went out to eat for my birthday and we had such a great experience. Not only was the food and drinks amazing, but so was our service. Our server was so sweet and attentive, and they gave us free champagne for my birthday which was so nice! I would highly recommend Buck and honeys for any occasion!

Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro

4.8

4.8 (953)

$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

Jeff

Dined 7 days ago

Amazing experience again. Been there twice and is now hands down my favorite restaurant in the Madison area

Discover more

4.7

4.7 (1962)

$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

Matt

Dined 2 days ago

It was our first time here and everything and everyone was wonderful. The staff was gracious and the food was outstanding!!

Discover more

4.7

4.7 (1378)

$31 to $50

Tapas / Small Plates

Madison

About the restaurant

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! Kitchen serves a late night menu from 9pm-10pm Sunday through Thursday, and from 10pm-11pm Friday and Saturday. The bar is open until 11pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday.

Top review

Kristan

Dined on 14 Dec 2024

We love the food and drinks at Eno Vino! The atmosphere is usually nice because they have a fireplace, but it was not operating when we were there so that was a bit unfortunate because it was a very cold blustery evening.

Discover more

Experience

Five Course Prix-Fixe New Year's Eve Dinner

Otto's Restaurant and Bar - Madison

4.6

4.6 (1662)

$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

TomVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Food was excellent and very nice wine selection at good price points

Explore Diners' Choice best of Madison

Explore more Diners' Choice lists