Isthmus readers pick their Madison favorites

Hive mind. Crowdsourcing. Collective wisdom.Human-based computation. This is now a common path to knowledge as people gather information via all manner of social media. Isthmus has been doing this for years, though, with our annual Madison’s Favorites poll. We used to do it the old-fashioned way, with page-sized ballots that ran in the paper and were counted ballot by ballot, yes, by hand. Now the voting is done online, but it’s still the same basic principle: we ask, you answer. And we spread the collective wisdom far and wide. Our sincere thanks to all who voted and congratulations to the winners.

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While the term “foodie” has run its course, the sentiment behind it is arguably still at play. Diners are ever more particular about what they eat: Who grew the ingredients? Who cooked the food? How is it plated? And the hunt is always on for the next great table. Speaking of which…

The top honors for new restaurant go this year to Bar Corallini, the seaside-inspired Neapolitan pizza and pasta bistro in Schenk’s Corners. Not only is the food beautiful, the restaurant provides a narrative to go with it…you are in Italy, relaxing with a Negroni, watching soccer at the bar. Cin cin!

Another newbie on the list is Beef Butter BBQ, whose brisket bested longtime pitmaster Smoky Jon, whose ribs still came in strong in second place.

Growing popularity for the healthy, hippie-ish (yet hip) grain bowl resulted in a top spot for Forage Kitchen, which mixes up the healthy ingredients on State Street and at Hilldale.

The most beloved pizza is once again Salvatore’s Tomato Pies — still a new kid on this scene, even though it opened its doors in 2012. The thoughtful topping combos and local sourcing transformed the local expectations for what should come atop a pie.

Yet old favorites show their staying power. The Tornado Steak House, retro before it was cool, is still the favorite spot to indulge in escargots and a steak — or even rabbit or venison. Venerable Mickey’s Tavern has the preferred patio, come summer. And where do you want to get a bratwurst? The Memorial Union Terrace, of course.

New Restaurant

1. Bar Corallini

2. The Heights Kitchen

3. Bartaco

Steakhouse

1. Tornado Steakhouse

2. Rare Steakhouse

3. Johnny Delmonico’s

Pizzeria

1. Salvatore’s Tomato Pies

2. Glass Nickel Pizza

3. Ian’s Pizza

Italian Restaurant

1. Lombardino’s Restaurant

2. Cento

3. Osteria Papavero

Middle Eastern Restaurant

1. Banzo

2. Nile Restaurant

3. Mediterranian Cafe

Chinese Restaurant

1. Imperial Garden

2. Hong Kong Cafe

3. Ichiban

Japanese Restaurant

1. RED

2. Muramoto

3. Edo Garden

Southeast Asian Restaurant

1. Ha Long Bay

2. Lao Laan-Xang

3. Sa-Bai Thong

Indian Restaurant

1. Swagat

2. Swad

3. Maharani

Mexican/Southwestern Restaurant

1. Taqueria Guadalajara

2. Pasqual’s Cantina

3. Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace

American Cuisine Restaurant

1. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

2. The Old Fashioned

3. Graze

Sandwich Shop

1. Milio’s Sandwiches

2. Casseta Kitchen & Counter

3. Stalzy’s Deli

Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant

1. The Green Owl Cafe

2. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

3. Forage Kitchen

Brunch

1. Sardine

2. Short Stack Eatery

3. Bassett Street Brunch Club

Food Cart

1. Banzo

2. Good Food

3. El Grito Taqueria

Patio Dining

1. Mickey’s Tavern

2. The Great Dane Pub

3. The Heights Kitchen

Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

2. Roman Candle

3. The Nitty Gritty

Bakery

1. Batch Bakehouse

2. Bloom Bake Shop

3. Greenbush Bakery

Restaurant for Late Night Eats

1. Tornado Steakhouse

2. Ian’s Pizza

3. Short Stack Eatery

Restaurant When Your Parents Are Paying

1. Sardine

2. (Tie) L’Etoile / Tornado Steakhouse

Wings

1. Chicken Licks

2. Wings Over Madison

3. Alchemy

Grain Bowl

1. Forage Kitchen

2. Everly

3. Barriques

Bratwurst

1. UW-Memorial Union

2. State Street Brats

3. The Old Fashioned

Salad

1. Porta Salad, Paisan’s

2. Corn, Black Bean and Quinoa salad, The Weary Traveler Freehouse

 3 (TIE) Local Roots, Forage Kitchen / Warm Duck Confit salad, Sardine

Fish Fry

1. Dexter’s Pub

2. (TIE) Toby’s Supper Club / The Villa Tap

Vegan Dish

1. Butternut Squash Curry, Everly

2. The Banzo, Banzo

3. Heathen Vegan Shoplifter’s Delight, Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

Barbecue Dish

1. Beef brisket, Beef Butter BBQ

2. Ribs, Smoky Jon’s #1 Barbecue

3. (TIE) Pulled Pork, Smoky Jon’s #1 Barbecue / Texas Brisket, North and South Seafood & Smokehouse

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Drink Wisconsibly, the saying goes. Yet in Madison it is possible to drink hyper-locally — it is decidedly possible to Drink Atwoodly, for instance. The neighborhood taproom is not only a place to get a locally brewed beer or a thoughtfully curated craft brew from out of state. Increasingly, they are joining coffeehouses as community gathering spots, the site of everything from art shows to poetry readings to yoga classes.

That’s all certainly true for Isthmus readers’ favorite taphouse, the one-and-a-half-year-old Working Draft Beer Co. on East Wilson Street. Not only is it a friendly neighborhood living room, it’s also brewed the third-favorite local beer with its New England IPA called Pulp Culture. First-place local brewer Karben4 also has the favorite local beer with its old-school IPA, Fantasy Factory.

The chummy element comes through loud and clear with your votes for favorite bar arcade going to Willy Street’s new I/O Arcade Bar. And Q: What is your favorite pub trivia night? For the fourth year in a row, it’s the Echo Tap.

But there is a world beyond beer (though if you’ve been keeping track of taprooms opening on the near east side, it might seem otherwise). Colectivo, with its three locations (South Pinckney Street, State Street and Monroe Street) is your favorite coffeehouse (is it a coincidence that all three also serve house beers on tap?). Madison’s own Just Coffee Co-op is the favored local roaster of coffee beans. It’s fair trade, it’s organic, and it’s worker-owned — about as Madison as you can get, without growing the beans in a community garden plot.

Happy Hour

1. Genna’s

2. Tempest Oyster Bar

3. Sardine

Bar for Craft Beer

1. BarleyPop Tap & Shop

2. The Malt House

3. Brasserie V

Taphouse/Brewpub

1. Working Draft Beer Co.

2. The Great Dane Pub

3. Ale Asylum

Bar Patio

1. Mickey’s Tavern

2. Genna’s Lounge

3. The Great Dane Pub

Wine Spot

1. Eno Vino

2. Grape Water Wine Bar

3. Table Wine

Bar for Cocktails

1. The Robin Room

2. Merchant

3. State Line Distillery

Sports Bar

1. Players Sports Bar

2. Wilson’s Bar

3. Jordan’s Big 10 Pub

Soccer Bar

1. Nomad World Pub

2. The Coopers Tavern

3. Hawk’s Bar & Grill

LGBTQ Bar

1. (TIE) PRISM Dance Club / Shamrock Bar

2. Five Nightclub

Bar Arcade

1. I/O Arcade Bar

2. Art In

3. Dave & Buster’s

Pub Trivia Night

1. Echo Tap & Grill

2. The Nitty Gritty

3. The Brass Ring

Coffeehouse

1. Colectivo

2. Barriques

3. Johnson Public House

Local Coffee Roaster

1. Just Coffee Co-op

2. Colectivo

3. Rusty Dog Coffee

Brewery

1. Karben4 Brewing

2. Working Draft Beer Co.

3. Ale Asylum

Locally Brewed Beer

1. Fantasy Factory, Karben4 Brewing

2. Hopalicious, Ale Asylum

3. Pulp Culture, Working Draft Beer Co.

Winery

1. Wollersheim Winery

2. Baraboo Bluff Winery

3. Drumlin Ridge Winery

Distillery

1. State Line Distillery

2. Old Sugar Distillery

3. Yahara Bay Distillery

Craft Cocktail

1. Gin Gimlet, State Line Distillery

2. Honey Cap, Old Sugar Distillery

3. Bee’s Knees, State Line Distillery

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What beats retail therapy? It’s not so different from that other kind of therapy, except you come home with something tangible, usually in a bag.

Shopping IRL has all kinds of intangible benefits, too, even if it’s just browsing. Tactile feedback. Visual entertainment (who doesn’t love a thoughtful window display?). Aromas, from food — like food from the hot bar at the Willy Street Co-op, once again voted favorite grocery store. Or soaps and herbals from Community Pharmacy, once again your favorite pharmacy. The enticing smell of fresh ink as you flip through the pages of a book at favorite bookstore A Room of One’s Own.

Or even the enticing smell of new tires in a bike shop — Revolution Cycle — or auto dealership — Zimbrick. That’s the call of the open road, baby.

Madison shows its quirky side in several picks. Like your favorite jeweler. Burnie’s Rock Shop, an ode to rocks as they are found in the wild, bests the expected gold-and-silver focused shops. Your favorite gift shop is the hyper-local Anthology, with its progressive political fervor and numerous Madison- and Wisconsin-centric t-shirts, cards and prints. And your favorite women’s clothing boutique isn’t even a storefront — it’s on wheels! Grasshopper Goods, Madison’s first mobile boutique, was started by Karen Tardew in 2017 in a converted 1977 Freightliner Step Van.

And Madison loves its thrift stores. If you can’t get it free on the curb on Aug. 15 (the date when downtown leases turn over, now universally referred to as “Hippie Christmas”), St. Vinnie’s is the next best bet. Home decor is best coming from vintage shop Rewind Decor on Williamson Street, which specializes in Mid-Century Modern pieces and some of the best of 1970s kitsch. After all: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Grocery Store

1. Willy Street Co-op

2. Woodman’s

3. Metcalfe’s Market

Liquor Store

1. Steve’s Wine Beer Spirits

2. Woodman’s

3. Star Liquor

Men’s Clothing Boutique

1. Jazzman

2. Hive of Madison

3. Context Clothing

Women’s Clothing Boutique

1. Grasshopper Goods Mobile Boutique

2. Refind Style

3. Hive of Madison

Jewelry Store

1. Burnie’s Rock Shop

2. Goodman’s Jewelers

3. Chalmers Jewelers

Bike Shop

1. Revolution Cycles

2. Budget Bicycle Center

3. Machinery Row

Auto Dealer

1. Zimbrick

2. Smart

3. Don Miller

Home-Decor Store

1. Rewind Decor

2. Homegoods

3. Century House

Pet Supply Store

1. Bad Dog Frida

2. MadCat Pet Supplies

3. Mounds Pet Food Warehouse

Pharmacy

1. Community Pharmacy

2. Walgreens

3. Hoey Apothecary

Bookstore

1. A Room of One’s Own

2. The Book Deal

3. Mystery to Me

Gift Shop

1. Anthology

2. Orange Tree Imports

3. Little Luxuries

Thrift Shop

1. St. Vincent de Paul

2. Goodwill

3. Agrace Thrift Store

Garden Store

1. Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses

2. Madison Greenhouse Store

3. Jung Garden Center

Outdoor Recreation Store

1. REI

2. Fontana Sports Specialties

3. Glide Disc Golf

Record Store

1. Strictly Discs

2. B-Side Records

3. Mad City Music Exchange

Gaming Store

1. I’m Board

2. PrePlayed

3. (TIE) Video Game X-Change / PowerNine Games

Vintage / Antique Store

1. Rewind Decor

2. Retro-Revolution

3. Odana Antiques

Craft / Specialty DIY Store

1. Wisconsin Craft Market

2. Artist & Craftsman Supply

3. Anthology

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This category is called “services,” but it’s really all about people. You could even call this category “people that people need” (a rejected working title for the Barbra Streisand song). Because it is really the people behind these services that make them sing.

Do you need to get your car fixed? Schedule an appointment with Dutch’s Auto Service—“Wrench wenches with an attitude”! Nan Mortensen and Crystal Rossman started the LGBTQ-positive shop in 2011 and are now in their second, larger home on North Sherman Avenue.

The Dog Den came out on top for doggie day care. It too is locally owned. Laura Schorrack started this positive reinforcement-based dog daycare and training facility and has since opened Madison’s first puppy-specific doggie daycare, The Puppy Den. “A lot of dogs create really good friendships when they’re at daycare,” says Schorrack. “It generates this whole big family.”

And Ultimate Arts once again takes top honors in body art. Despite its quiet, out-of-the-way location on Commercial Avenue, Sleevin’ Steven, Stripe and the rest of the artists make it worth finding.

Speaking of people. You have guests coming to town — and nowhere to put them. The Madison Concourse Hotel staff knows how to host your guests in the style you yourself would (if only your spare bedroom wasn’t also your home office).

Hotel

1. Madison Concourse Hotel

2. The Edgewater

3. AC Hotel

Gym

1. F.I.T. (Functional Integrated Training)

2. Orange Shoe

3. Anytime Fitness

Specialty Fitness Studio

1. Flyght Cycle

2. The Barre Code

3. REFORMadison

Yoga Studio

1. Dragonfly Hot Yoga

2. Inner Fire Yoga

3. The Studio

Salon

1. Thorps Haircuts & Color

2. Elevation Salon & Spa

3. ANiU Salon & Spa

Spa

1. Le Spa

2. Elevation Salon & Spa

3. Kneaded Relief Day Spa

Body Art Shop

1. Ultimate Arts Tattoo

2. Wayward Tattoo

3. Blue Lotus

Veterinary Clinic

1. Isthmus Veterinary Care

2. Sauk Point

3. Lakeview

Doggie Day Care

1. The Dog Den

2. Camp K-9

3. Dog Haus

After-School Program

1. Creando Little Language Explorers

2. Young Shakespeare Players

3. Madison School and Community Recreation

Day Care

1. Creando Little Language Explorers

2. Red Caboose

3. Creative Learning Preschool

Bike Repair Shop

1. Revolution Cycles

2. Budget Bicycle

3. Machinery Row

Auto Repair Shop

1. Dutch’s Auto Service

2. Zimbrick

3. Capitol Tire & Service

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When you go out to play, you love James Madison Park. It is named, of course, after the city’s namesake, the 4th president of the United States (and co-author, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, of The Federalist Papers, although he lacks a major song in the musical). James Madison Park is a slender stretch of Lake Mendota shoreline with basketball and volleyball courts, canoe and kayak launch and storage, and the historic former synagogue Gates of Heaven that is a popular site for weddings and other events.

Another popular site along the shore of Lake Mendota, the UW Memorial Union Terrace, is your favorite place to take out-of-town guests. The yellow, orange and green metal cafe tables with their iconic sunburst-motif chairs, local beer on tap, bratwurst (Madison’s Favorite, btw!) and bands (free!) compete with the natural beauty of the waves, sailboats, and the UW crew practicing on the water.

Head just south of town for the favorite trail to bike on. The Capital City State Trail meets up with the John Nolen path just south of the Beltline and Lake Monona. The asphalt-paved trail is wheelchair- and stroller-friendly. It heads west through the Nine Springs Creek preserve area, wending its way through Fitchburg and Dawley Conservancy Park before joining the Badger State Trail (if you want to make a run for the Illinois border) and the Southwest Commuter Trail (if you want to head back to the heart of the UW-Madison campus).

Madison in the summer is dotted with neighborhood festivals, but the fête de la fête is La Fête de Marquette. It’s ostensibly the Marquette neighborhood’s musical toast to Bastille Day, with bands representing the music of former French colonial nations. But really it’s just a joyous, sun-drenched homage to what is invariably the warmest weekend of the year.

City Park

1. James Madison

2. Tenney

3. Olbrich

Dog Park

1. Prairie Moraine

2. Capital Springs

3. Yahara Heights

Golf Course

1. Pleasant View

2. (TIE) Glenway / University Ridge

Bike Trail

1. Capital City State Trail

2. Southwest Commuter Trail

3. Lake Monona Loop

Place to Downhill Ski

1. Tyrol Basin

2. Cascade Mountain

3. Devil’s Head

Place to XC Ski

1. UW Arboretum

2. Elver Park

3. (TIE) Blue Mound State Park / Odana Hills

Sand Volleyball Court

1. The Wisco

2. (TIE) Olbrich Park / The Coliseum Bar

Museum

1. The Chazen

2. Madison Children’s Museum

3. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests

1. UW Memorial Union Terrace

2. Olbrich Gardens

3. Dane County Farmers’ Market

Festival

1. La Fête De Marquette

2. Willy Street Fair

3. Art Fair on the Square

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When The Sylvee opened a year ago, it was a sea-change in Madison music venues, a major investment in a mid-size concert venue, and it’s been racking up the name bands to prove it. It slips into the poll in its first year taking top honors for favorite concert venue.

If The Sylvee’s 21st century design and East Wash-corridor-colonizing location says new-new-new, there are plenty of longtime favorites reappearing on the poll as well. Glittery VO5 is once again readers’ favorite dance band, and homey hoedown kings WheelHouse returns as favorite Americana band — and one of its members, Frank Busch, also scores as top singer-songwriter. Blues band The Jimmys and hip-hop artist Rob Dz are both repeat winners and no strangers to the top three over the years. DJ Boyfrrriend (first place) and Nick Nice (runner-up) swapped places from last year’s poll. And Karaoke Kid is still the best place to belt out the lyrics while slightly (or not-so-slightly) tipsy.

First-time winners for their spunky garage pop-punk with a social conscience are this year’s favorite rock band, Gender Confetti.

Our first-ever winner of a favorite comedian category is Antoine McNeail. He’s not just a joker; he started a monthly comedy and poetry jam to raise the visibility of comics and spoken word artists of color. And note, Madison is a great comedy town. Runner-up in the performance group category is the improv outfit Monkey Business Institute. Monkey Business came in second to the Young Shakespeare Players, another repeat winner. In that troupe, kids, ages 7-18, blanch at nothing — performing even the toughest of The Bard’s five-acts. In 2019, it’s Hamlet. That play espouses a sentiment perhaps common to all the winners in this category and the Madison arts scene in general: “This above all: to thine own self be true.”

Live Music Venue

1. The Sylvee

2. High Noon Saloon

3. Majestic Theatre

Performance Group (theater/comedy)

1. Young Shakespeare Players

2. Monkey Business Institute

3. American Players Theatre

Comedian

1. Antoine McNeail

2. Cal Smith

3. Dina Nina Martinez

Singer-Songwriter

1. Frank Busch

2. Linn Jennings

3. Beth Kille

Rock Band

1. Gender Confetti

2. Seasaw

3. No Love Dog

Americana Band

1. Wheelhouse

2. The Mascot Theory

3. Oak Street Ramblers

Jazz Artist

1. Hanah Jon Taylor

2. (TIE) Lo Marie / Tony Castañeda

Blues Band

1. The Jimmys

2. Cashbox Kings

3. Madtown Mannish Boys

Hip-Hop Artist

1. Rob Dz

2. Crashprez

3. (TIE) Dequadray / Fringe Character

Dance Band

1. VO5

2. Wurk

3. Mad City Funk

Club DJ

1. DJ Boyfrrriend

2. Nick Nice

3. Saint Saunter

Karaoke

1. Karaoke Kid

2. Ohio Tavern

3. Crucible

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What could a visitor from outer space discern about Madisonians from the results of this category?

They are a politically engaged populace who favor progressive politicians who are out gays and lesbians (as are the first-, second- and third-placers in the favorite politician category, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin). Well, truth be told, Baldwin did tie for third with new Gov. Tony Evers, who is straight — but readers were super glad to have him regardless.

This politically engaged populace likes to look at photos of cats on something called Instagram. These people love to follow the doings of their one-year-young soccer team, Forward Madison (“The Flamingos”) on Twitter. In their consumption of the news, they favor the alternative, from alt-newsweekly Isthmus (and its staff writer, Dylan Brogan) to community-supported radio WORT-FM (and its former assistant news director, Nina Kravinsky).

Their favorite activists work to house the homeless and protect tenant rights (Brenda Konkel from the board of the Tenant Resource Center), combat racism and police violence (Brandi Grayson of Young Gifted and Black), and support black women’s progress (Sabrina Madison of the Progress Center for Black Women).

What do these people do when they want to relax? Fast Food Film Friends, their favorite podcast, suggests they love to eat junk food while watching movies.

Website

1. Isthmus.com (Isthmus)

2. Channel3000.com (WISC-TV)

3. Madison.com (Wisconsin State Journal and Capital Times)

Radio Station

1. WORT-FM, listener-sponsored community radio, 89.9

2. WMMM-FM, “Triple M,” 105.5

3. Wisconsin Public Radio

Radio Show

1. Jonathan & Kitty, WMMM-FM

2. Mel & Floyd, WORT-FM

3. Knobs to Eleven, WSUM-FM

Journalist Radio/TV

1. Nina Kravinsky, WORT-FM

2. John Stofflet, WMTV

3. (TIE) Charlie Shortino, WMTV / Dylan Brogan, WORT-FM / Leigh Mills, WMTV

Journalist Print/Web

1. Dylan Brogan, Isthmus

2. Scott Gordon, Tone Madison

3. John Nichols, Capital Times

Podcast

1. Fast Food Film Friends

2. (TIE) Record Store Dropouts / Tone Madison

Twitter

1. @forwardmsnfc, Forward Madison soccer

2. @hksperl, Hayley Sperling, Wiscontext

3. (TIE) @scottgordonwi, Scott Gordon / @isthmus, Isthmus

Instagram

1. @cats_of_madison, Cats of Madison

2. @simply1sullivan, Sullivan the Special Needs English Bulldog

3. @wisconsin_farmhouse, WI FarmHouse | Jamie

Politician

1. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

2. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan

3. (TIE) U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin / Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers

Activist

1. Brenda Konkel

2. Brandi Grayson

3. Sabrina Madison

[Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note that the winner of favorite gym was F.I.T. Functional Integrated Training.]