When I was charged 50 cents for a piece of bread to go with my soup, I swore I would never go back. Of course it was not the 50 cents. It was the principal of the matter. I have been a chef and in the business for 25 years. You don't nickel and dime a customer for 5 cents worth of bread. Bad, bad policy. The place needs a little warmth to it also. Something about it seems kind of cold. It doesn't feel warm and cozy. the patio is nice though.
Review Source:Living in Middleton, this place is almost too easy for nights when we just don't feel like cooking, so we've ended up here several times since moving back to town. Definitely a gem in Middleton! My sister was married in this building back when it was Forrestal's, and I am impressed with the way they have used the space, allowing for plenty of room for larger groups as well as some semi-private tables.
Their house old fashioned is one of the best in town. The sandwiches on the menu are large and delicious, particularly the ABLT and pressed pesto. Splurge the extra $1.50 and upgrade to a side of the sweet potato fries, or better yet, the garlic parmesan fries!
This place serves up top notch bar food. Definitely deserving of four stars. The service however was mediocre at best. I took my parents for dinner and we sat at the bar for a good twenty minutes before someone offered us a menu. My dad isn't the most patient person in the world so we went out of our way to put our order in. That being said the food was very good. I started out with the vegetarian chili. Absolutely delicious. Lots of Flavor, lots of heat. Just enough to make your forehead sweat. For my meal I had the can chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. Very good sandwich, not dry, with plenty of spice. My parents had the turkey sandwich which was even better. The turkey wasn't processed it was freshly carved and the bread was toasted perfectly. Had the service been a little better I would have been at 4 stars all day long.
Review Source:I recently went to the Free House with two friends. Â We decided to go there because it was a beautiful early summer day and we wanted to sit outside. Â Their patio is amazing and I will definitely be back.
There was a short wait to be seated (which is expected on a Saturday night) and we made ourselves comfortable by the back bar. Â There's an awesome little spiral staircase leading up to a secluded and quiet small seating area, so we happily enjoyed their AMAZING selection of German beer up there while we were waiting for our table.
We were sat quicker than we anticipated and were very happy with the menu and the service. Â Like others have commented, their fare is the hip Wisconsin bend on American dining similar to what you'd expect at Cooper's or the Great Dane.
We got the garlic parmesan fries for an appetizer. Â YUM! Â I enjoyed the turkey sandwich and my friends both had burgers. Â Our only complaint is that they both requested their burgers to be medium rare and they both were cooked on the "well" side of "medium well".
After dinner, we continued to enjoy the patio and their large selection of excellent beers and cocktails. One of my friends offered me a sip of their old fashioned and it was perfect.  And, when we got our bill, we were all pleasantly surprised  as to how little we had spent.  The price point was definitely below what you'd find at a similar establishment downtown Madison.
Definitely check this place out, especially if you want some great outdoor seating!
A perfect stop for a vegan before (or after) the Mustard Museum. Â Best menu in the vicinity. Â I enjoyed an icy cold black IPA beer from the long list of regional offerings, a bountiful & delicious salad w/ plenty of avocados & chick peas, and we shared a heaping basket of sweet potato fries with smoky ketchup for the table. Â Who could ask for more? The menu also offers veggie chili, a portobello burger, and a veggie burger.
Review Source:Positives: Â The bacon & blue burger with fresh greens and grainy bun for 50 cents more was very tasty; Â the beer selection is thoughtful; Â the situation and decor is pleasant-breezy-suburban plus aspiring; Â the staff are smart, hard-working, sharp people.
Negatives: Â Beer prices are kind of high; Â the Gulden Draak was great but the Capital Maibock reeked of buttery/skanky uncleaned line - - no way will I go back for a casual and overpriced brew under dubious quality control; Â ueber-commercial and pretentious feel to the operation, for better or worse; Â you are likely paying for slickness, cool, or posture, not for essential quality (though the kitchen product was very solid).
Stumbled in one night and can't wait to go back. Â Hostess graciously offered to pull up a couple of extra stools to an already crowded bar so that we wouldn't have to wait. Â Food was great (especially the smoked ketchup ... seriously, why have I never thought of smoked ketchup), beer was great and the whiskey selection was great. Â Great great great.
Review Source:I really like the bar area the big windows and open atmosphere really create a great vibe for the space. The bar staff was very friendly and attentive. The beer selection was pretty good, as was the food. I had the buffalo chicken wrap; it was nothing to write home about but it was good nonetheless. My boyfriend had the Cajun chicken sandwich and the garlic Parmesan fries. His sandwich was really good and we both really liked the seasoning on the chicken. If I'm on that side of town I'll definitely go back to try some more things on the menu.
Review Source:Free House is located around a growing restaurant cluster around Parmenter St in Middleton in the old Forrestal's Gallery. Â The building is historic and has been home to many former businesses - the building dates to the 1800s.
Free House's beer, cocktail, and separate whiskey menu are extensive. Â This explains the crowded bar area in the entryway around happy hour on my visit. Â The food attempts to match other local upscale bar food (The Great Dane, The Laurel Tavern, Coopers Tavern). Â Granted, the crowds I've seen here are mainly divided into the bar group and families with children in the dining area and neither are likely going to demand fussy hipster ingredients. Â Chicken fingers, a standard burger, and grilled cheese are all available. Â The restaurant does have sweet potato fries, parmesean fries, and a homemade vegetarian chili, though, so it's not exactly a country dive bar, either.
As a vegetarian, I appreciated the availability of a veggie burger made in-house. Â I had mine with a side of greens. Â It was fairly good, though needed some sort of additional moisture from sauce or veggies. Â My friend's "Big Tex" burger was loaded with sauce and needed to be cut in half to avoid a BBQ fashion emergency. Â The goat cheese beet salad and fish fry special (on a Wednesday night, no less) at the neighboring table looked like good bets for next time.
Service is quick and prices are reasonable. Â The decor is probably a work in progress but I'm guessing with time they'll bring the current "rec room chic" up a level or two.
Not sure why anyone would knock this place. I went on a Wednesday around 2:00 pm and the place didn't have much going on but that was to be expected. The hostess/waitress welcomed us right away with a smile and friendly attitude. I used to live in Middleton and the first thought that went through my mind was that I wish this place had existed when I lived here. The decor is quite nice and the restaurant is spacious and clean. However, it should be noted that the restaurant seems to be comprised of two separate buildings that were later conjoined with the bar in the middle, which does give it an awkward albeit unique feel.
Anyway, we ordered the jalapeño poppers which we both thought were very spicy but very tasty. They were grilled instead of fried so the jalapeños were fresh and the accompanying dipping sauce was a great compliment to take a little edge off the peppers heat. I had the BBQ burger which had a mound of sliced jalapeños and cheddar on a Colonial bun. I loved it! My GF had the ABLT which according to her was "super good". She got it with the sweet potato fries which she thought were "awesome" and I'd have to agree with her on that. Also the sweet potato fries came with a side of chipotle ketchup and again it was spicy but very good. The theme here was SPICY and it's one of the reasons why we liked it so much.
I will be going back soon!!!
We went here on a recent mid-week night. Â We got seated in the quieter side of the restaurant, which I was glad to see--compared to the entry/bar area, which was crowded, sounded like there was a live band, and had a football game on. Â
The server was attentive and quick. Â I was going to get a beer but their cocktails list was tailored to the British public house feel so I tried one and would do so again. One of us ordered the avocado salad and the other ordered a burger, and both of us were pleased enough to want to return.
I enjoyed coming here on a quieter weekday night. Â Not sure what the weekend atmosphere is, but I have hopes to make this place a semi-regular outing.
I went to The Free House on a date after my dad mentioned a good review he'd seen in a local newspaper.
I loved the building right away. It must be in an old house or something, because the tables are located in what looks like a former dining or living room. We had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated (it was a Friday or Saturday night), so we sat at the bar for a little while first. I had a Wisco 75 cocktail. I thought it was great--very fruity and light. My boyfriend had a glass of Glenmorangie whiskey, a favorite of his.
Once we were seated, it took several minutes for our server to arrive, which was a bit annoying. She was very polite and nice, though. My boyfriend had the buffalo chicken wrap, and his only complaint was that it could have been a bit spicier (but he has a high tolerance for spicy food; my taste buds are crazy-weak, and I thought the wrap was plenty spicy). I had the salmon sandwich, and it was delicious. The salmon (an actually manageable size, which seems rare for a salmon sandwich) was fully cooked but not overdone, the lettuce and tomato were fresh, the lemon dill sauce was delicious, and the bun really held up well.
Overall, I loved The Free House, and I'll definitely be back again.
I was in Wisconsin for training for the week and this place was close to my hotel. Â Also, they had fried cheese curds on the menu which I HAD to try! Â I had been hearing about these things for weeks from my coworkers who have already been out there. It was a Friday evening and the place was pretty packed. The atmosphere was typical suburban bar. Not too rowdy, but loud. I'm not a beer drinker, but the Pinot Noir was good! :o)
We had to wait a few minutes before our waiter came. The fried cheese curds were good! They tasted like fried mozzarella sticks to me, but still pretty good. My coworker got a burger and I got a deluxe grilled cheese sandwich that we shared. Both were really tasty and filling. She decided to try the clam chowder and it wasn't that great. I may be a little biased, but I don't buy seafood in the Midwest. Unless it's deep fried in beer batter and served with fries. The specialty is meat and cheese. Seafood, I'm sticking to the east coast. I decided to try the sweet potatoes fries which were very good.
Overall I liked this place. It was walking distance from our hotel, the people were friendly and the food was good. It was a nice place to have a laid back and chill meal after a long week.
I'm very fond of the Free House, and as a local, I will return to it often. The atmosphere is excellent. A great chalkboard mounted to the exposed brick wall over the bar lists all the current (and all-Wisconsin, and all awesome) craft beer listings. Every one of their signature cocktails contains locally distilled spirits - try their Free House Old Fashioned, made with Yahara Bay cherry brandy. Yum!
As you might have figured, the focus at this place is on the local bounty. From the Clasen's hamburger buns to the locally sourced beef, not much will show up in your glass or on your plate that's not from nearby. And of course, it's all delicious.
The Free House has two owners, and each of the 10+ times I've been there, both owners are around. I'm pretty sure they don't sleep - one manages front of house, the other works in the kitchen. I'm sure their constant presence contributes to the quality of the place.
On the whole, the staff is A+. They have some extremely talented bartenders who always remember everything about me, to the extent that I'm a little alarmed. In general the servers are competent, although I've had one or two slightly unpleasant experiences with frazzled servers on busy nights. And this is one of the very few downfalls I've discovered about this place - it does get very busy. If it's a Friday or Saturday night, or if there's music on the (beautiful) patio, expect the Free House to be noisy and crowded.
On the whole, I highly recommend the Free House. My favorite way to enjoy this establishment is to sit at the bar with a microbrew and split some delicious grub with a friend. The bar has the best atmosphere and the most talented staff, and you can't go wrong.
Won't be going back.
Decent selection of beer and clean premises, but that's about where it ends.
I had the ABLT and it came to the table without the avocado. We tried to flag down the server 3 times without results. There were only 2 other tables present. Finally got the Host's attention and got the avocado. I had to wait so long that my sandwich cooled significantly. the bread (grilled, not toasted) got soggy and oily, the bacon was too chewy, and there was nothing spectacular about the palette. The greens were ok, but also very oily.
My husband had the portabello sandwich. the bun was as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge. It actually hurt his teeth to bite into the cold bun and then the very hot portabella. There was also nothing special about the flavor of his selection either. The bun would be better toasted at the very least
He had a Guinness which came in a can. It was an older beer. If you drink Guinness, you know it doesn't have a long shelf life in a can.
We sat inside because of rain. The restaurant area was very warm, as in I was sweating. It's 60 degrees out today. It made it very uncomfortable to eat.
I think this would be a good place to catch a few drinks or hit happy hour with some co-workers, but I'd skip eating here and head to one of the better restaurants in the area.
They say they are locally sourced for food, but I'm not entirely sure what part is locally sourced and which isn't. While I applaud using local sourced and keeping small businesses going, making bland food doesn't do justice to the local suppliers.
Went here last night for my birthday dinner. The wait was about 45 min, which is fine we like to have a drink at the bar before we eat most times anyways. The bar was nice and big, great choices for local/WI beers and microbreweries. Cocktails were also reasonably priced. I should say that the bartenders were super nice and friendly. We ordered a simple appetizer of chips and salsa, took a very very long time. The bartender said the ticket got lost. The bartender took care of a drink and the app on our tab which was very nice and unexpected.
The menu however was underwhelming. A little pricey for what looked like a very small burger patty (I would guess 1/4 lb) They also do not have dessert on the menu and being my birthday I wanted something sweet. We decided to skip dinner and go to an Italian restaurant down the street.
I think for drinks we will prob be back; it was a fun and inviting atmosphere and bar service was great aside from the very late appetizer which really wasn't their fault. Maybe we'll try the food sometime if they jazz up the menu a bit.
I probably would have given this restaurant 2 1/2 stars if I could have, but didn't think it deserved a 3 star rating. Â The term "meh" definitely applies here - nothing exciting with the food, drinks, service or atmosphere. Â The homemade chips, guac and salsa were all bland and the portion size was very small. Â My sandwich and my dining companions' burgers were very bland. Â Oh, and don't order the sweet potato fries.
If you're looking for a burger/sandwich/fry place you can find much better in Madison, or even Middleton!
I flipped the rating between two and three stars, trying to decide which would be most accurate... after much debate, I settled on the two. Â Truth be told, I'd like to rate The Free House at a 2.5 - 2.75, but I can't rate it a full 3.0 in good conscience.
I've been to the FHP four times since they've opened, and each experience has been mixed. Â I've yet to sit inside, as the patio area is really wonderful. Â The covered tables, the field-stone ground cover, and the "alcove" feel make for a relaxing and enjoyable place, even when the thermometer is pointed well into the triple digits. Â There's ample shade, so that helps a bit.
The tap selections are excellent. Â Kudos to the FHP for their great taste in micro brews. Â While the offerings aren't exotic, they are well rounded and I guarantee there'll be something for everyone.
Scotch and whisky selections are decent as well; you'll find most of the usual suspects on their liquor menu. Â Prices are reasonable, the two pours I had were "clinical" - clearly measured to the exact mL. Â
The food and service are where the mixed feelings come into play. Â The servers are friendly, but sparse. Â On three of the four visits, we sat for some time between drinks; food seemed to take a long time to arrive; follow-ups were few and far between. Â During one of the visits, we had an exceptionally great server who was prompt, super friendly, helpful, and great with follow-ups. Â But, 1-out-of-4 does not a 4-star review make.
Food quality has been consistently "meh." Â I know Wisconsin likes its food to border on the bland side, but come on. Â We've tried the jalapeno poppers, which were uniquely presnted - sliced on the half, grilled, and filled with creamed cheese; aside from the jalapeno flavor they were boring. Â Despite being charred, there wasn't much smoke/grill flavor, and the creamed cheese tasted like gruel. Â We had high hopes for it, but were left for wanting.
The cheese curds were pedestrian; on par with what you'd find at any number of places. Â If you're looking for a handmade curd, look elsewhere.
For entrees, we've tried a bunch... I won't go into tremendous detail as this would soon turn into a novel. Â The sandwiches are "bready" and bland - chicken didn't have any unique flavor; burgers were on the dry side and the beef was "lost" by the toppings - a good burger should stand on its own. Â
The salads are nice, but when adding chicken, I'd appreciate a little more than 3 - 3.5oz of flavorless chicken breast. Â The loaded grilled cheese was embarrassing - someone mentioened it in a filtered review, and our experience was the same as his.
With each visit, we've left with a happy/sad feeling. Â The drinks and atmosphere are consistently good. Â The food is consistently underwhelming. Â The service is consistently "off." Â The price is hardly ever a value; we've averaged around $48-$55 per visit for 2-3 people.
I know it's hard to make a new place work... but I'd pay more attention to giving the food some recognizable flavor, improve the service a bit, and ease-up on the breadiness of the sandwiches. Â A little tweaking, and this could be a solid place.
The Free House Pub = MEH
Food = 2 stars
Service = 2 stars
Value = 2 stars
MISC = 3.5 stars
Arrived at 5:45, but the place was already packed. Since I was dining solo I decided to forego a wait and eat at the bar.
Arrival: It took a little longer than I would have expected with 3 people behind the bar to get someone's attention, but finall I I asked the bartender for a drink list and he handed me a beer list. No biggie. Asked a different bartender if there was a drink/whiskey list and got the right menu this time.
Drinks: There are a number of interesting cocktails using locally distilled liquors. Theres also a fantastic selection of Scotch whiskeys arranged by region of origin, including Oban 14, one of my favorites. At $9.50 it's just a smidge more than I would expect to pay at a place like this. Unfortunately the price wasn't the only issue. First, they served me a fine single malt scotch in a highball glass. Second, for $9.50 I would expect at least a 2 finger pour, this was barely more than 1 finger in a narrow highball glass. I'm thinking it was probably a 1 shot pour at best. I don't think I'll be ordering another straight whiskey here anytime soon. Stick with the cocktails.
Food: Food took about 15 minutes from order to service. Pretty impressive considering how busy they were. I ordered the Big Texan Burger  which is local beef on a local bun with bbq sauce, fried onions, and cream cheese. The patty was tasty and well seasoned but I ordered medium and this was cooked past that closer to the well side of medium well. The patty itself was a little small and got lost under the rest of the toppings. Speaking of the toppings, the BBQ sauce is spicy..like. quite a bit hotter than I would have expected, that must be why they put the cream cheese on it. Still, everything together didn't quite work. The patty which clearly was tasty was overpowered by everything else, and by the time I was done I was still craving a BURGER. I ordered the Garlic Parmesan fries and unfortunately we ran into another problem with the bartender not listening to what I said. When my order came it had sweet potato fries. Had another bartender check the order, sure enough, he put in sweet potato fries. Considering I had a conversation with my fellow barmates on which fries I should order, we were certain it was not a mistake on my part. I kept the sweet potato fries since I want to eventually try both. The fries themselves were crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and had just the right amount of sweet. Serving size was again a little small considering I paid a dollar extra for them. All in all, the food was high quality, but not quite what I asked for and may not have quite been to my taste, but I can't hold my preferences against them.
The thing that really turned the visit around for me was some time talking with Tim , the owner. He asked how everything was, and when I said there were a couple of issues he was totally responsive. Right down to coming by with the bottle of Oban later in my visit and pouring me another serving in apology for the previous short pour. I confirmed with the owner that they are doing a 1.5oz pour. So $9.50 gets you 1 shot. Tim also talked with me about some future plans for the place including a possible expansion out front that will be a whiskey and wine patio. According to him, he wants to be the preeminent whiskey/scotch bar in the Madison area. Considering the place is only 6 blocks from my house, I highly approve.
All in all I can't complain. They're busy, they just opened, and the food is clearly of a high quality. I'm excited to come back again a few times over the coming months and see if they're able to smooth out the bumps.
All I can say is WOW! Â A great eatery for lunch or dinner or drinks after work. Â They have an excellent bar with a wide range of beers, wines and scotch and whiskey. Â It is located in a historic building in downtown Middleton and it is a major step up from the grease spoon bars located in the area. Â The bar area is set up to open up 8 doors to their out door seating area.
Their food ranges from custom apps, to sandwiches, to fresh local beef burgers to custom salads (greens are available as a substitution for fry's at no charge). Â I would imagine their menu will grow over time.
I'm for sure hooked on the Free House Pub!
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