Awful! The worst dinner I've ever eaten in Madison! Would you like some salt with a side of salt? Out of regular sized hamburger buns! And sweet potatoes! The worst thrown together portobello sandwich ever, not to mention the cheese curds were mostly breading...do not waste your time unless you want to sit around listening to anarchist hipsters! UGH
Review Source:Oh I am thinking about those sweet potato fries as I type this. The number of crispy onions on my chicken sandwich is too damn low. Burgers are good, cheese curds are good, chicken is good. I can't wait to go again, but I may have to work up my loud talking voice to be heard in this joint.
Review Source:Ok Here is the scoop: Went here on Sunday because I have had the place bookmarked for ages.
Pros: The Outdoor Seating was great for a nice spring day. The burgers were absolutely incredible, as were the cheese curds. Â Lastly, my sweet potato fries were delish.
Cons: The Service was super slow. They seemed to be understaffed for the business they had. Only other complaint is parking can be a pain.
Go when you have some free time!
My husband and I went there on a friday night before a show at the overture center. We had made a reservation and when we got there the staff didn't know about it, found us a table anyways though. Our waitress dropped off menus after a while and then didn't come back for a long time. Finally she came and we wanted to order 2 dinners, when she said"Oh, I guess I should have told you that we don't serve the dinners on fridays, cause the fish fry takes up the whole kitchen" ?!?!WTF? Ok, so we ordered 2 sandwiches...It keeps on getting later and we are really hungry and gotta make it to the show, which we told the waitress when we caught her-I mean we ordered 2 cold sandwiches, how long can it take? The place isn't exactly big! She brought the food out just after we complained and what I got was literally disgusting! A soggy sandwich that fell apart in 5 pieces when I picked it up and tried to eat it. My husbands food wasn't good either, so we ate a little and left to catch our show.
It was very disappointing and we will certainly never go back there again.
Honestly, I know people are nice to you when you're paying them, but I hang out at The Fountain and can honestly say that the three people I've talked to on a regular basis are not only courteous and good at their job, but SO cool and nice. I have a regular rapport with Ruthie and Ryan, and Heather, one of the chefs is incredibly nice and real as well. Their reuben is also really good and I think I'm literally going to go grab a Hopalicious and eat one right now!
Review Source:Loved the food (had a reuban), great service from the bartender, and did not wait more than maybe 10 minutes max for my food. My impression of the decor was that it kind of seemed like a smaller, less pretentious version of Old Fashioned and kind of reminded me of the basement bar of the Heidelberg in Ann Arbor (if there's any chance someone would understand that reference). Also loved that it wasn't too loud and seemed a little more intimate than a lot of the other bars around the square. I would recommend this to anyone looking to have dinner and/or drinks where they can easily talk to people in a relaxed setting.
Review Source:I have been here three times by accident. We were always just around and the place was convenient, usually luring us in with some kind of special. I have never been disappointed. Their food has always been so good -- get the brat! The cheese curds are amazing. The bloodys -- oh yum and only $5. Really, everything on the menu is very reasonably priced, especially for the location. I would say the seating can be a little confusing, that's okay. The service makes up for it (I swear, there was one guy doing everything when we were there, yet you could not tell).
Review Source:A hidden gem!
I've worked in this area for about a year now and thought I had found all the good lunch spots in the capitol square area. Â Add this one to the list! Â
Came here with some colleagues for lunch during the week. Â There are two areas, the front--- which is mostly a bar area. The back area-- which also has a bar, but more dining tables. Â Our service was great and so was the food. Â If you're on the search for good cheese curds, check this place out. Â They were light and gooey and the ranch matched perfectly (funny, but true). Â They're hand breaded and locally sourced from Westby, WI.
I had the rueben which was pretty solid. Â picture attached. Â And yes, finally a restaurant that takes their cole slaw seriously. Â Very good.
My co-worker had the Shaved Ribeye Sandwich. Â The dude wouldn't shut up about how good it was! He kept saying stuff like "this sandwich changed my life" Â and "Wow, I didn't even need to dip it in Au Jus." Â He had a cup of the beer cheese soup which was also very good.
Add this place to your list.
My best friend was in town and we were looking to grab a bite to eat before heading over to see Dueling Pianos. Â This place was nearby and I had heard good things about it. Â
It was busy and crowded and quite a few people milling around when we first walked in (surprisingly though, it wasn't loud until the live music started up). Â I was confused as to how seating worked because there did not seem to be a hostess, but there was no seat yourself sign either. Â Luckily, a few seats at the bar opened up, and we nabbed those right away. Â The bartender was very nice and attentive and we only had to wait a few minutes before he asked what we wanted. Â My boyfriend and I split chicken tenders and cheese curds and my best friend ordered the turkey club. Â Their beer selection was expansive and the prices were fantastic. Â
After about 10-15 minutes, the bartender came over and told my friend that they were unfortunately out of turkey. Â He was very apologetic and asked what else he could get for her. Â She decided on chicken tenders as well. Â My boyfriend and I got our food shortly after that. Â The cheese curds were great; they were fried in batter that reminded me of onion rings. Â They were not super greasy or heavy which was a major plus. Â The chicken in the tenders looked and tasted like actual chicken- not something you find very often anymore! Â I also really liked all the sauce choices they had available. Â
Because the kitchen had run out of turkey and because my friend had to wait so long for his food, the bar comped us a round of drinks and took half off her food. Â They really take care of their customers at this restaurant! Â I noticed the owner chatting to various patrons, many of which appeared to be regulars at the bar. Â If you want to go to a local bar/restaurant that has great food, good selection, and actually treats its customers like people, definitely check out Fountain. Â The only reason I took a star off was because seating was confusing.
My family and I were in Madison the first weekend of December as my oldest is part of the high school debate team. Â Being 'flatlanders' and not even remotely familar with Madison, our first night there, we were looking for a good family style local place to eat. Â Our hotel recommended The Old Fashion but The Fountain was literally within falling distance from the hotel and, as we were asking for directions to the Old Fashion from staff of The Fountain (unbeknownest to us-- they were even friendly in giving directions to one of the competitors!!)-- we looked at each other and thought "Why not, we're already here" (especially after we were informed that they were quite proud of their cheese curds). Â Couldn't have made a better "accidental" choice! Â Several locals seemed to be in the place and were eating (can't be bad if the locals are eating there). Â The staff were extremely friendly (have to give a huge hello and thank you to our server NAOMI, great gal, knowledgable about the menu items, the beer, and even other good places to eat for breakfast and lunch for the next day!! How do you get better than that??) . Â I had the red lager brat (single) my wife had the cheese burger, and the kids had the chicken tenders (the oldest was with his school group). Â Of course we had to start with an order of the cheese curds (never had any real Wisconsin types, only fast food imitations here in Illinois). Â Also had a side salad and one of the local micro brews [just ask for a Cow]. Â Couldn't believe how good the food was in general. Â The only complaint to mention was the char for my wife's cheeseburger but that's primarily due to her dislike of char than the burger itself. Â As many of the items on the menu that can be locally and organically sourced are sourced from local and organic growers (they even have their own pastry/ desert baker on staff and everything she makes is organic and local-- DO THE BROWNIE IF SHE HAS THEM AVAILABLE ON THE NIGHT YOU VISIT!!). Â Interiorly, it does look rustic/ well loved/ well used but we kinda liked that feel. Â Good prices too. Â Had we been able to stay later they were going to have a live jazz band but needed to get the yougers to bed. Â Would definately go back and would truly recommend it to others. Â I'm not to sure why the hotel didn't seem to recommend it as it is sooooo close to their front door but I would really recommend it.
Review Source:Went here for the first time this last weekend - very impressed. I had a steak sandwich and sweet potato fries and my brother got a burger - we both got bloody Mary's. All delicious. Gouda with the veggies in my bloody Mary? Good call. The waitress was super nice and knowledgable about the great beer selection they have. The place reminds me of a smaller version of the Old Fashioned, and I don't have to wait forever to get a table. Going back for sure.
Review Source:The Fountain flows with beers galore in this industrial bar. Â Packers fans come together to hoot and holler at the football screen and chow down on some pub grub.
Thumbs up for burger alternatives. Â I chomped on a grilled tuna steak burger with a lemon aioli. Â The burger was filling and super meaty tuna with just enough sauce to juice it up. Â
This is a great place if you want to play pool. Â The ceilings are sooooo tall, and even though there was a big game going on, you didn't have to yell to speak to your buddy.
Tried some beer and cheese soup for the first time. IT WAS GOOD!!!! Also had a bacon cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. The cheeseburger was very good the cheese was inside the burger like some super cheesy treat! The bacon was really good too (I think being in Wisconsin has something to do with that. I mean it is a dairy state!
Review Source:We chanced upon the fountain when turned away from the old fashioned and it's 1.5 hour wait. I'm so glad we did!!! After a long day on the road (we are traveling across the country from California) the fountain was a haven to our tired bodies and hungry bellies. We started with the cheese curds, and could have stopped there--so yummy! My husband got the fountain burger. Now, he is quite a burger connoisseur, so when he said it might be the best burger he ever had, I knew it must be fabulous! I had the Ruben (suggested by our sweet, attentive, knowledgeable server) and wasn't disappointed. The bread alone made the sandwich, but the flavorful corned beef, apple sauerkraut, and dressing put it over the top. The kids shared a basket of chicken strips and gobbled the generous serving size up. So glad we made the effort to find a local place for dinner. Such a respite from the fast food fare of the last few days. And our bill was under $40. That's rare for our family of 5. You must eat here!!
Review Source:Good. The Fountain burger was a nice patty of high quality chuck covered in bacon and cheese. It was charred but still managed to miss an element--perhaps something as simple as salt or onion powder? The pretzel bun really tasted like a pretzel, and though the mustard aioli didn't add much I like the concept. Also there were a few chewy pieces of meat. Fries were fine. Prices a little above average. I'd return, especially after and for a few more beers.
Review Source:Stopped in here for a beer after realizing that Moe's sucks a horse's ass and has a staff the equivalent of a horde of decapitated zombies. Â
The Fountain was all right by us, bartender was friendly and prompt, beer prices weren't horrible, atmosphere was OK. Â That's about it, really.
After being informed that the wait time was close to an hour and a half at The Old Fashioned, my boyfriend and I stumbled across The Fountain. It seemed to be pretty similar to The Old Fashioned as far as the menu was concerned so we said why not. It wasn't very crowded at all. The food is made from local products, which is always a plus. We ordered some cheese curds to start, and I ordered the Red Lager Brat (single) and my boyfriend had the Pulled Pork Sandwich.
The cheese curds were really good. They're kind of like cheese sticks but a million times better. The brat came on a pretzel bun with a ton of sauerkraut. It made for messy eating but was hearty and delicious. My bf said his sandwich was good too. Our server was very, very attentive and would show up every 5-10 minutes to see how we were doing. I'll let you decide if that's a bad thing or not. The other sandwiches and burgers on the menu looked like they were worth a second visit, so I expect I'll be coming back in the future.
I ended up heading here after an awesome review in the Isthmus. My dad was in town heading to a hockey game with my brother and me. I thought I'd bring the boys here since I wanted to try it and it wasn't as busy as some of the college hang-outs (e.g. The Nitty). The food was good and the servers were kind, but it was a little small and not a lot of variety on the menu. We all got burgers/sandwiches, and they were tasty, but nothing out of this world. I would head back soon for the bar, however, as they have great drink specials, and the staff was nice. Cool bar.
Review Source:After a rocky first visit (burger was cooked well done but the saving grace was the chef coming out to apologize), the Fountain has really delivered quality consistent food. Â Their burgers are made from local ingredients and are very solid. Â Cheese curds are amongst the best in town (Graze are still the best). Â Very friendly waitstaff with a barback that is over 100 years old. Â While not as diversified as the Tipsy Cow (and not even close to the Old Fashioned), I like coming here for the great people and food.
Review Source:I've eaten lunch at The Fountain twice since its recent opening. Â Both times the food was excellent. Â My first meal was a grilled cheese sandwich, made from cheddar and provalone, grilled perfectly. Â I enjoyed a rich tomotoe bisque soup with the sandwich. Â Today, I wanted a hearty bowl of soup to help take the chill off. Â The Fountain served up a delicious, large bowl of baked potato soup, with bacon, cheese and sour cream. Â The service was friendly and accommodating. Â Â I hope to try the place for dinner soon.
Review Source:It's kickoff time at the start of the Wisconsin-Nebraska game. Looking for a haunt for a group of 8, I stumble upon The Fountain, nearly deserted despite drink specials and HDTVs showing the Wisconsin domination beginning. Meanwhile, the Tiki Shack next door hopped with a boisterous, sloppy crowd. Was this a bad sign?
Not in the least. The bartenders and waitress took great care of us over the whole game. The smart tap list (all Wisconsin, mostly Madison) is accompanied by a good selection of bottles. We were surprised by the complementary chips and salsa, and at one point the chef even brought out some delicious beef sandwiches for the group to sample. I didn't try any, but I've never seen people react that positively to a beef sandwich before. A few of us ordered cheese curds and fries, which came quickly and were also very good.
Lots of little touches made this place stand out, including a gluten-free beer offering, the aforementioned freebies and the great mural on the wall, which I didn't have much time to study on account of too many Badger touchdowns.
We'll definitely be back. Looking forward to trying sandwiches and the "Beers of our Fathers" list, if only because Blatz has been the punchline of many a joke since I've moved here. Wisconsin Regional cuisine seems to be on the up-and-up in Madison, and this place offers an easy-going, friendly version.
Some friends and I popped in to The Fountain for a post-dinner drink last weekend. We went with their special of the night, screwdrivers with fresh-squeezed OJ. It was pulp-free and you couldn't taste the vodka, so it was fine by me (I'm not a big fan of OJ or vodka).
The bartender (and presumable owner) was very friendly and very excited about their food menu - it's nice to see someone who is passionate about what they're doing.
The bar is warmly lit and has an old-timey feel, and they did a great job of opening the flow between the front and back room, something the former occupant TIki Shack lacked. I'm interested to give them another go-round.
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