Isthmus readers pick their Madison favorites

Madison’s Favorites is a democracy. These restaurants, businesses, people and institutions have won the popular vote of Isthmus readers.

We asked; you answered. What, in the world of Madison, is the cream in your coffee, your Tower of Pisa, the smile on your Mona Lisa?

Madison’s Favorites is a democracy. We try to avoid placing obstacles in the way of your voting. We make it easy to get to the polls — any of your devices will serve; anyone can vote, and we don’t purge our voter rolls if you’ve moved and failed to answer our postcard. (Okay, there is no actual postcard.)

These restaurants, businesses, people and institutions have won the popular vote of Isthmus readers. Over the years, our readers have gladly shared their opinions; this year is no different. More than 5,300 of you voted. We thank everyone who participated.

But, as President Barack Obama noted on the occasion of his reelection on Nov. 7, 2012, “The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote.” Now that the votes are counted and the results are in, use this information. That’s what it’s here for.

Dining & Dishes

Dining has ceased to be just a way to nourish the body. It’s sustenance for the soul, a way to create local community (and support local farmers), a practical form of entertainment. Your favorite new restaurant, Mint Mark, covers all the bases. It serves market-driven dinners; weekends, it goes full-on brunch; and Fridays, it embraces the end of the work week with a martini lunch. But if a restaurant can make its name on pierogi and cauliflower, the kitchen really knows its stuff. Other kitchens across the board have equally enthusiastic followings.

New Restaurant

1. Mint Mark

2. BelAir Cantina

3. Longtable Beer Cafe

Steakhouse

1. Tornado Steakhouse

2. Johnny Delmonico’s

3. Smoky’s Club

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. Mediterranean Cafe

3. Nile Restaurant

Chinese Restaurant

1. Imperial Garden

2. Hong Kong Cafe

3. Chang Jiang

Japanese Restaurant

1. Red

2. Muramoto

3. Takara

Southeast Asian Restaurant

1. Ha Long Bay

2. Lao Laan-Xang

3. Sa-Bai Thong

Indian Restaurant

1. Swad

2. Swagat

3. Maharani

Mexican/Southwestern Restaurant

1. Taqueria Guadalajara

2. Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace

3. Eldorado Grill

American Cuisine Restaurant

1. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

2. The Old Fashioned

3. The Great Dane

Sandwich Shop

1. Milio’s Sandwiches

2. Casetta Kitchen & Counter

3. Stalzy’s Deli

Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant

1. The Green Owl Cafe

2. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

3. Fuego’s

Brunch

1. Sardine

2. Bassett Street Brunch Club

3. Short Stack Eatery

Food Cart

1. Banzo

2. El Grito Taqueria

3. Good Food

Patio Dining

1. The Great Dane Pub

2. Mickey’s

3. UW-Memorial Union Terrace

Deli

1. Stalzy’s Deli

2. Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen

3. Gino’s Italian Deli

Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

2. Ian’s Pizza

3. The Nitty Gritty

Fish Fry

1. Dexter’s Pub

2. The Avenue Club

3. Quivey’s Grove

Barbecue

1. That BBQ Joint

2. Smoky Jon’s #1 Barbecue

3. Famous Dave’s

Bakery

1. Batch Bakehouse

2. Bloom Bake Shop

3. Madison Sourdough

Health Food/Juice Spot

1. Willy Street Co-op

2. Saints Madison Juice Co.

3. Forage Kitchen

Restaurant for A celebration

1. The Nitty Gritty

2. Sardine

3. Eno Vino

Drinking

Not only food is local and artisanal. Frequently, drink is also coming along for the ride. Meet the person who brewed your beer — right in the taproom. Have an idea for a cocktail? Share with the mixologist. New watering holes strive to be community-oriented, with long tables for meeting neighbors and chatting with friends. And that’s true across the board — coffee, beer, wine, spirits.

Happy Hour

1. Genna’s Lounge

2. Tempest Oyster Bar

3. Nomad

Bar for Craft Beer

1. BarleyPop Tap & Shop

2. The Malt House

3. Dexter’s

Taphouse/Brewpub

1. The Great Dane Pub

2. Working Draft Beer Company

3. Karben4 Brewing

Wine Spot

1. Eno Vino

2. Table Wine

3. Grape Water Wine Bar

Bar for Cocktails

1. Merchant

2. The Robin Room

3. Eno Vino

Sports Bar

1. Players Sports Bar

2. Jordan’s Big 10 Pub

3. Wilson’s Bar

LGBTQ Bar

1. Plan B

2. Shamrock Bar & Grille

3. Five Nightclub

Dive Bar

1. The Caribou Tavern

2. The Plaza Tavern

3. Paradise Lounge

Pub Trivia Night

1. Echo Tap & Grill

2. The Nitty Gritty

3. The Brass Ring

Spot for a night out with friends

1. Memorial Union

2. (tie) Genna’s Lounge and Mickey’s Tavern

Coffee Shop

1. Colectivo

2. Barriques

3. Johnson Public House

Liquor Store

1. Steve’s Wine Beer Spirits

2. Woodman’s

3. Cork ‘N Bottle

Brewery

1. Karben4 Brewing

2. Ale Asylum

3. One Barrel Brewing

Locally Brewed Beer

1. Fantasy Factory, Karben4 Brewing

2. Hopalicious, Ale Asylum

3. Commuter Kolsch, One Barrel Brewing

Winery

1. Wollersheim Winery

2. Drumlin Ridge Winery

3. Fisher King Winery

Distillery

1. Old Sugar Distillery

2. State Line Distillery

3. Yahara Bay Distillery

Craft Cocktail

1. Honey Cap, old Sugar Distillery

2. The Regret, Merchant

3. Bloody Mary, Short Stack Eatery

Goods

It’s right there in the name: Goods are good. Where would you be without furniture for your dwelling, wheels with which to get around, clothes for your bod, and fun trinkets to brighten the day for your sweetie?

Grocery Store

1. Willy Street Co-op

2. Woodman’s

3. Metcalfe’s Market

Specialty Food Shop

1. Fromagination

2. Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen

3. Penzey’s Spices

Men’s Clothing Boutique

1. Jazzman

2. Context Clothing

3. Hive of Madison

Women’s Clothing Boutique

1. Grasshopper Goods Mobile Boutique

2. Change Fair Trade Fashion Boutique

3. Rupert Cornelius

Kids Gear Store

1. Capitol Kids

2. Tradition Market

3. St. Vincent de Paul

Jewelry Store

1. Burnie’s Rock Shop

2. Chalmers Jewelers

3. Goodman’s 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. MadCat Pet Supplies

2. Bad Dog Frida

3. Mounds Pet Food Warehouse

Pharmacy

1. Community Pharmacy

2. Walgreens

3. Hoey Apothecary

Bookstore

1. A Room of One’s Own

2. Mystery to Me

3. Half Price Books

Gift Shop

1. Anthology

2. Little Luxuries

3. Orange Tree Imports

Thrift Shop

1. St. Vincent de Paul

2. Goodwill

3. Agrace Thrift Store

Garden Store

1. Jung Garden Center

2. Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses

3. Madison Greenhouse Store

Outdoor Recreation Store

1. REI

2. Fontana Sports Specialties

3. Movin’ Shoes

Record Store

1. Strictly Discs

2. B-Side Records

3. MadCity Music Exchange

Vintage/Antique Store

1. Rewind Decor

2. Odana Antiques

3. Retro Revolution

Gaming Store

1. I’m Board

2. Pegasus Games

3. Netherworld Games

Services

After you have goods, sometimes they break and need to be repaired. Hair grows and must be cut. Your skin comes out of your mom plain and eventually has to be tattooed. Where to have these things done?

Gym

1. Functional Integrated Training

2. Capital Fitness

3. Anytime Fitness

Specialty Fitness Studio

1. Flyght Cycle

2. The Barre Code

3. ReformMadison

Yoga Studio

1. Dragonfly Hot Yoga

2. Inner Fire Yoga

3. The Studio

Salon

1. Thorps Haircuts & Color

2. Elevation Salon & Spa

3. Cha Cha Beauty & Barber

Spa

1. Elevation Salon & Spa

2. Kneaded Relief

3. Sol Escape

Body Art Shop

1. Ultimate Arts Tattoo

2. Capitol City Tattoo

3. Steve’s Tattoo and Body Piercing

Veterinary Clinic

1. All Pets

2. Lakeview

3. Isthmus

After-School Program

1. Young Shakespeare Players

2. Madison School AND Community Recreation

3. Goodman Community Center

Day Care

1. Red Caboose

2. Creative Learning Preschool

3. Bernie’s Place Child Care Center

Bike Repair Shop

1. Revolution Cycles

2. Machinery Row

3. Budget Bicycle

Auto Repair Shop

1. Dutch’s Auto Service

2. Zimbrick

3. Ben’s VeeDub Shop

Out & About

Getting out includes dating, biking, skiing, dancing, dog exercising and meeting your neighbors at Madison’s many festivals. Those festivals in turn encompass such activities as drinking beer, eating bratwurst, lavishly buttering sweet corn (and eating it), bicycling, cross-country skiing, listening to jazz, or opera, or traditional folk, or watching fireworks over the lake. Life is good.

City Park

1. James Madison

2. Tenney

3. Olbrich

Dog Park

1. Prairie Moraine

2. Warner

3. Capital Springs

Golf Course

1. University Ridge

2. Vitense Golfland 9-hole

3. Glenway

Bike Trail

1. Capital City State Trail

2. Southwest Commuter Trail

3. Lake Monona Loop

Downhill Ski

1. Tyrol Basin Family Ski and Snowboard Area

2. Cascade Mountain

3. Devil’s Head Resort

Place to XC Ski

1. Elver Park

2. UW Arboretum

3. Blue Mound State Park

Sand Volleyball Court

1. The Wisco

2. Ten Pin Alley

3. Five Nightclub

Spot for a First Date

1. UW Memorial Union Terrace

2. Natt Spil

3. Olbrich Gardens

Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests

1. UW Memorial Union Terrace

2. The Old Fashioned

3. Dane County Farmers’ Market

Dance Club

1. Plan B

2. Sotto

3. Five Nightclub

Festival

1. La Fête de Marquette

2. Willy Street Fair

3. Taste of Madison

Arts & Media

Sure, there are the theater groups. There are the bands: blues and hip-hop and rock. There’s radio and television and print. But really, everyone must bow down to the cats. Thank you Apollo, Baby Girl, Bootsy, Boggs, Chi Chi, Curtis, Danger, Johnny Whiskers, Lenny, Mercutio, Missi, Pink, Sappho, Sirsha, Stanley, Trouble and the many more Cats of Madison, all found on Instagram.

Performance Group (theatre/comedy)

1. Young Shakespeare Players

2. Monkey Business Institute

3. American Players Theatre

Live Music Venue

1. High Noon Saloon

2. Majestic Theatre

3. Orpheum Theater

Singer-Songwriter

1. Frank Busch

2. Beth Kille

3. Art Paul Schlosser

Rock Band

1. Bassliss aka No Love Dog

2. Cats on Leashes

3. Hussy

Americana Band

1. WheelHouse

2. (tie) Driveway Thriftdwellers and Oak Street Ramblers

Jazz Artist

1. Ben Sidran

2. Tony Castañeda

3. Hanah Jon Taylor

Blues Band

1. The Jimmys

2. Cash Box Kings

3. Meat Jelly

Hip-Hop Artist

1. Rob Dz

2. Young delta

3. CRASHprez

Dance Band

1. VO5

2. Mad City Funk

3. Natty Nation

Club DJ

1. Nick Nice

2. DJ Boyfrrriend

3. DJ Konduit

Karaoke

1. Karaoke Kid

2. Ohio Tavern

3. Lazy Oaf Lounge

Local Website

1. Isthmus.com (Isthmus)

2. (tie) tonemadison.com (Tone Madison) and lovemadisonweddings.com (Love, Madison)

Radio Station

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

2. WMMM-FM, “Triple M,” 105.5

3. WERN-FM, Wisconsin Public Radio, 88.7

Radio Show

1. Mel & Floyd, WORT-FM

2. Jonathan and Kitty, WMMM-FM

3. Knobs to Eleven, WSUM-FM

Journalist Radio/TV

1. Amber Noggle, WKOW (ABC)

2. Dylan Brogan, WORT-FM

3. John Stofflet, WMTV (NBC)

Journalist Print/Web

1. Dylan Brogan, Isthmus

2. John Nichols, The Capital Times

3. Jessie Opoien, The Capital Times

Twitter

1. (tie) @journalistish, Allison Geyer, Isthmus and @madisontraffic, Madison traffic

2. @uwmadison, UW-Madison

Instagram

1. @cats_of_madison, Cats of Madison

2. @epicureanchronicles, Epicurean Chronicles

3. @midwestmunchers, Midwest Munchers,

Podcast

1. Titanic Minute

2. (tie) adam asks chuck and downtown madison life

People

A city is only as great as the people who live there. In that sense, Madison is very fortunate. The leading vote-getters in this category are only the top of a long, happy, inclusive list that also ranges from Olympic curlers Becca and Matt Hamilton to Ziggy the Willy Street Cat (technically not a person).

Politician

1. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin

2. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan

3. Madison mayor Paul Soglin

Activist

1. Ali Muldrow, GSAFE

2. Brandi Grayson, Young, Gifted and Black Coalition

3. Brenda Konkel, the Tenant Resource Center

Bartender

1. Dylan Estey, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

2. Johanna Heineman-Pieper, Camp Tripalindee

3. Craig Spaulding, AC Hotel

Chef

1. Tory Miller, L’Etoile/Graze/Sujeo/Estrellón

2. Dan Fox, Heritage Tavern

3. Oscar Villarreal, Fuegos

Educator

1. Fred Swanson, transition/special needs, West High School

2. (tie) Anthony Cao, director of choirs, West High School; and William Cronon, Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies; UW-Madison

Athlete

1. Ethan Happ, UW men’s basketball

2. Steve Stricker, PGA golfer

3. Robyn Wiseman, Madison Radicals

Odds & Ends

A walk-up song is the song the PA system plays when a batter approaches the plate in baseball. It’s your theme song, the song you’re known by. “Jump Around,” the anthem that ushers in the fourth quarter of home Badger football games, has apparently jumped the confines of Camp Randall to signify the city at large. And while they failed to gather as many votes, perhaps “Let’s All Go to the Bar” by Deer Tick and “Sex and Beer” by Wisconsinite Pat McCurdy do get to the heart of a certain sentiment, too.

2018 Phrase To Be Banned

1. “Fake news”

2. (tie) “Make America great again” and “lit”

Madison’s Walk-Up Song

1. “Jump Around”

2. “Sweet Caroline”

3. “Feelin’ Groovy”

Madison’s most overrated feature

1. State Street

2. The lakes

3. UW Memorial Union Terrace

Madison’s most Underrated Feature

1. The lakes

2. Bike-friendliness

3. UW-Arboretum