Hawk’s Bar & Grill

Madison, United States

2.8

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 608-256-4295
Website:
www.hawksbar.com
Address:
425 State St, Madison, WI, 53703
Capitol
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.4 miPark at State
0.4 miPark at University
0.4 miIntercity Buses
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Music
Juke Box
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
No
Caters
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Open now
Local time (Madison) 11:03 Saturday, 31 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Tuesday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Wednesday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Thursday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Friday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 2:30 am

Description

Specialties

Hawk’s Bar & Grill has a variety of fresh salads, hand packed burgers, specialty sandwiches, and appetizers. We make our soups, sauces, and dressings in house. We have daily specials you can check online at hawks​bar​.com. We have a full bar with over 50 bears and wines to choose from, as well as specialty drinks and martinis. We have a big screen to watch all your favorite sporting events. In the summer, we have a great outdoor patio that looks onto State street. Hawk’s is locally owned and is celebrating 10 years in 2012.

History

Established in 2002.

Hawk is a native of Madison. He built Hawk’s Bar & Grill in 2002 to fill a gap in the downtown area for basic bar and grill fare. All of the items on the menu have a slight twist. There are classics like the Reuben, and something different like the Grilled veggie sandwich. Hawk’s won best new restaurant in 2003. We use only the freshest ingredients and pride ourselves on making many items from scratch.

Meet the Business Owner

Hawk S.

Business Owner

Hawk is from Madison. Has worked at Amy’s Café, Café Continental, Imperial Garden, Avenue Bar, Kosta’s, and Rock Island. He has a degree from MATC in Hospitality Management. Hawk owns The Jade Monkey Cocktail Lounge on the east side of Madison and The Atomic Koi Cocktail Lounge in Fitchburg.

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20 reviews of Hawk’s Bar & Grill

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Madison, WI
Stopped by earlier today and honestly had a great experience. Between the two of us we had honey onion soup, cheese curds, and the southwest quesadilla. although this was too much food (don’t get a full size in quesadilla it lasted two for lunch and dinner) the food was of amazing quality and well worth the money spent! Friendly Great staff!
Place rating: 1
Eau Claire, WI
Worst bar. I waited for a half hour for the cretin of a bartender to acknowledge my existence only to be told he wouldn’t make a drink for me because he didn’t want to. I have nothing more to say about this bar other than that if you’re going here, out of all the bars in Madison, you’re wasting your time.
Place rating: 1
Madison, WI
They fucked up a burger tonight. A burger order. I usually like this place, but tonight the cook was so high (visibly high) he misheard add bbq sauce as add corn and beans.
Place rating: 2
Minneapolis, MN
Super Slow! 10 minutes in line and then 45 minutes for two burgers and chicken strips. The place was only half full. Food was ok, but not worth the wait
Place rating: 2
Washington, DC
Went to Hawks yesterday for a late lunch with my co-​workers. I ordered the Taco Tuesday special — 3 Fish Tacos (in this case it was Cod) for a great price of $ 6.50. After placing the order, my friends and I waited close to 25 minutes for two orders of fish tacos and a salad. Keep in mind that we were the only ones at the restaurants ordering food. Once we picked up our orders at the counter and started to dig in; I was pretty disappointed at the lack of flavor and the strange toppings on the tacos. Sometimes cheap food is incorrectly linked with poor quality of ingredients. In this case, I think that’s accurate Although I don’t want to scrutinize them too severely for one plate of tacos, I likely won’t choose to eat there in the future.
Place rating: 2
Madison, WI
I tried the grilled tomato basil veggie sandwich, and it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was hoping for something lighter, but it was enormous and not the healthy or smaller alternative I was looking for. I didn’t particularly like the flavor and wished I had ordered something different. I liked my Irish potato soup pretty well, but other than that, I probably wouldn’t make a point of coming back here.
Place rating: 4
Madison, WI
Great food and atmosphere ! I like how they have two seating areas: you can sit by the bar and get the «sports bar-​feel» with all the TVs and game paraphernalia OR you can in the room with the counter and play board games on the big tables. Their seasoned fries and chilli are to die for ! They are vegetarian friendly and have the two tasty sandwiches along with a soup selection. I haven’t tried their drinks as I am mostly there during the lunch hour, but I will be back for those fries !
Place rating: 2
Madison, WI
The type of place where the bartenders are too busy checking their phones, talking with their friends, and playing their shitty music too loud to notice you’re there. AC/​DC sucks brother, especially at top notch on a Wednesday.
Place rating: 4
Madison, WI
I hip place for Happy hour on State Street, with a neo-​funk-​jazz motif interior that evokes shades of a yesteryear Chicago Loop hangout. The beer was nice and frosty and the «Special of the Day» crunchy and fresh fish tacos were simply fantabulous!
Place rating: 2
Madison, WI
Burgers way over cooked and overpriced. Fries were ok. Maybe expectations were a bit high. Menu is limited. Probably a great place to drink beer though.
Place rating: 4
Madison, WI
My overall conclusion is that it’s good for the price. If you’re in a group and you’re looking for cheap eats, this is a good place to go. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Pros: if you order large salads/​appetizers, it can easily turn into a meal for two. Generally, the prices for large sizes are still under 10 bucks so if you find someone to split it with, or want to take some home, then it’s a great deal.
It is all self service, which is nice because you don’t have to tip a waitress (only the cooks/​kitchen staff/​bartender. Definitely still tip!)
The grilled cheese is solid
The quesadilla was pretty good
The Mediterranean salad was mostly good. I’m not a fan of sweet couscous but that’s a personal preference.
Cons: limited seating during big games
The atmosphere is a bit run down and leaves much to be desired
Place rating: 4
Madison, WI
I had only been to Hawk’s once before, and that was for a single beer to drink outside during the summer months. My friends and I came here to enjoy watching the Badgers get into the Final Four. We decided to order some food before the game started and were pleasantly surprised. I ordered the cheese curds and their Honey Onion soup, and my roommate ordered their baked Brie plate. Everything was very good! I would’ve preferred my cheese curds to be a little more ooey gooey, but the breading was just right. The soup was also very good, maybe a little too sweet but I guess you should expect sweet when the soup has the word honey in it. The Brie plate was also very good — it came with a lot of bread, some green apples and some sort of herby butter to spread over everything (and a lot of Brie, of course). The burgers and everything else coming out of the kitchen looked so yummy too. Can’t wait to come back!
Place rating: 2
McFarland, WI
So sorry to have to update this review, but the last few visits have been less than wonderful. The last time we were there, which is probably the «last» time, my salad was wet/​runny, sparse, and overpriced given the quality. It’s also taken for-​ev-​er to have food prepared. I know, it’s a small kitchen, so there’s that. I’m no longer a fan.
Place rating: 3
Madison, WI
Hawks at first glance looks like a nice sit down with wait service but to my surprise it was entirely all on you to order, pour your water, grab your silverware and condiments (no theyre not on the table), and grab your food from the window! I saw several mislead people who walked in, sat down and waited at their table for a waitress that never came. They eventually figured it out…
The food was good. Looked great but didn’t live up to the presentation as much as I had hoped.
Place rating: 2
Salem, MA
I had dinner at Hawk’s while visiting Madison during a conference, and I chose it because it had vegetables on the menu, and those seem hard to find behind all the friend cheese curds in this town (believe me– not a complaint). This place is definitely straightforward, no frills, nothing special with the food. My husband and I both got salads, and they were pretty mediocre.
Also, my main disappointment is that the beer menu doesn’t list all the beers! I had the bartender recommend something for me, which turned out to be fine, but a few minutes later I saw a waitress bring someone else the Leinenkugels Honey Wheat that I had been searching for! I saw it listed nowhere on the menu! Ugh! Sadness.
Hawk’s served its purpose in providing vegetables, but nothing special here!
Place rating: 4
Carmel, IN
Very good menu for a bar and an excellent selection of beer. The décor is very nice and comfortable to enjoy the company of friends, a sports game, a drink, and a great meal. I had their steak sandwich which was a nice slab of steak marinated in one of 5 marinades that I got to choose when I ordered. The steak was tasty and cooked to a level that allowed me to eat the 0.5″ thick steak like a sandwich instead of eating it open face. The seasoned curly fries were also quite tasty! I’ll definitely go enjoy another sandwich and beer the next time I’m in Madison.
Place rating: 2
Middleton, WI
The food here is overpriced. We wanted something greasy that was easy to eat. The little plate of fries barely fit the bill. $ 3, pfff your better of stopping at McDonald’s. Drinks seemed pricey as well.
Place rating: 3
Milwaukee, WI
I had the pleasure of dining at Hawk’s during a recent trip to Madison for a work-​related conference. The staff was funny and provided honest recommendations from their menu.
We split an order of mozzarella sticks (3.5 stars) — good consistency, if not a bit messy — the tomato basil sauce was a nice touch. My friend tried the grilled tomato basil veggie (at the recommendation of one of the workers), and seemed to enjoy it. I had «the real deal» grilled cheese with bacon (3.5 stars); it was one of the better restaurant grilled cheeses I have had — with at least 4 types of cheese to choose from, and the ability to mix if that’s your thing! The bartender was friendly, and the beer specials were adequate. I had the Ale Asylum Hopalicious, which provided a nice kick to go with the grilled cheese.
There is nothing bad about Hawk’s from this visit, but it was a standard 3-​star eatery. I would eat there again, but I am only in Madison once every few months, so I can’t say «OHMYGOODNESSMUSTHAVEHAWKS» — there are other places in Madtown I’d like to try first. For what it is worth, this hit the spot on a cold fall evening and was quiet enough to have a conversation in a non-​crowded eatery.
Place rating: 4
Verona, WI
Didn’t go into the bar area so this review is only for the dining room.
Pretty small dining room area but they packed in as many chairs/​tables as possible. You order and pick up at the same counter so customer service is really negligible. It seems like a larger scale chipotle.
Since you aren’t reserving tables you can fit in a larger group (as long as you grab the seats as they become available). You can also stay as long as you want since you don’t have to worry about a waiter rushing you to leave. Also each person can walk up to the counter and order their food so there is no mess with splitting the bill.
Their turkey burger with the cilantro mess on top was awesome. BF had the steak sandwich and he loved it. Everyone else in the party seemed to be happy with their food as well.
Downside – wait was FOREVER! And the chairs were just plain wood. Ouch.
Although we had a pleasant experience… I’m not dying to go back again.
Place rating: 3
London, United Kingdom
Had only ever been here for the occasional drink before today. I stopped in for lunch with my sister as we were hungry and it was the first place we saw at the time! (hah!).
The food wasn’t amazing, but wasn’t bad at all. Nothing special, but tasty bar fare. A bit overpriced, I’d say, for what we got. But pleasant service and the place is clean in the daylight (that can’t be said for many bars!).