Craftsman Table & Tap

This place is run by the same people who run DLUX and Cooper’s Tavern and you should expect similar quality. I guess I would call it halfway decent rustic American fare. It is a great place to go if you don’t feel like getting out of your comfort zone, you’re party is large, or you are out with your picky bitch of a roommate for whom even the distant rumor of spice is off-​putting. They keep the inside kinda cold for my tastes so if it is a nice day I sit outside, they have a lot of seating out there. I like the brisket sandwich

My husband is in Middleton a couple times a year for conferences so this is our 2^nd time eating here. We really enjoy the food and beverage choice. They also have a great happy hour. The atmosphere is very relaxing and they have a couple different dining options (bar, dining room, patio). We have 4 kiddos and they were treated very nicely here. This is quickly becoming one of our go to dinner spots for sure. Great service, great food and a great atmosphere!

This is my second check-​in here, and this was a fabulous visit. The happy hour deal includes apps for $ 6, and my husband and I really enjoyed the three good-​sized smoked salmon cakes that had a lot of great, smoky flavor and were high in salmon and not breading.
I ordered the spinach and chickpea stew — delicious! It was plenty of food and had a good back end kick to it. The price was also impressive because it seems so unusual to find an entrée for $ 11.
The staff was very friendly, too. Casual but attentive (not overly, like some can be), plus they have a room with board games to invite «campers» which is appreciated.

I worked with the general manager, Liz, to get our large group of 15 ladies dinner with Craftsman, and it was wonderful. The food was tasty, our tables were in the middle of the restaurant, and our servers were kind and attentive. I will have to go back, it was great!

So let me tell you little boys and girls a story about the craftsman.
It is mothers day 2016, and I am preparing to get my brunch on. But not too hard, because sober Samantha said that I had to behave. So I order a bloody mary, and it comes out in the largest mug I have ever seen — tall, skinny, and beautiful. However, the bottom of the bloody was warm, and it was not strong enough for my taste.
There was a beer release for the vintage pink IPA, so I requested this as my chaser. A porter came out, and the waitress assured me that the beer was pink if I held it up in the light — when she realized her mistake she brought over an entire pint. Then another waitress realized the mistake and brought over a new beer chaser. All of a sudden, bam! its mothers day, and I have four drinks in front of me. Sober Samantha was not pleased until after her fourth mimosa — they were bottomless for only 10 bones — what a deal!
The food was amazing — I had a BLT Benedict, which is an amazing eggs Benedict on toasted foccocia with jalapeño aioli. The breakfast potatoes are on the fringe between very thick pub chips and circular french fries. Are you wondering whether that is a good thing? Well it is — they rock socks.
I was tricked into feeling like the service was great — pro tip to restaurant owners: It doesn’t matter how negligent your waitstaff are, as long as they are trained to apologize in free drinks.
Finally, please remember that rooftop patios are the best kind of patios.

Underwhelmed. Hostess nice. Bar service mediocre. Had the fish and chips which were «ok» but slaw was awful. Dining alone at bar I guess doesn’t get great service, but the bartender was busy. Just «meh» overall.

Excellent service, friendly staff — really enjoyed the outdoor patio. Cheese curds were fluffy inside and crisp on the outside and made with local fresh cheese.

Stopped by last week for a late lunch/​early dinner. Hummus app was great, as was the blue cheese burger. Wife thoroughly enjoyed the half soup and sandwich special. Very much on par with previous good experiences here.

Service was wonderful! Our server was so warm and friendly and fit in with our group with ease.
My friends tried the beer flight… ill let you draw your own conclusions as to the hilarity of THAT situation.
I got the crockpot. Was a little bland. Like the flavor was there, but it just needed to be kicked up a notch. The steak Oscar was definitely missing something, steak portion was very gristle-​esque.
Cheese curds were good! I’ve had better but they were definitely on par.
Great establishment overall!

I’m gluten free and our waitress was very helpful selecting a dish when I couldn’t decide due to all of the options! When the kitchen delivered my meal with the wrong side (cross contaminated) she rushed to correct the error! Here on Valentine’s Day, only waited 20 minutes for a table for brunch, food and drinks were great, and surprise Beero Bingo during Sunday happy hour a delightful surprise!

Visited for my first time last week. When we arrived around 7:30pm we were told there was a 45 minute wait. We chose to have a drink at the bar while waiting for a table. The service was quick and the bartender was very friendly. We ended up only waiting for 30 minutes and were even given a choice of two different areas to sit. I ordered the steak with crab and was pleased with everything. Great service, our waitress was very attentive. Would suggest trying it out if you’re on the west side of Madison.
–large bar
–plenty of room for large groups
–tvs near the bar area
–has both booths and tables
–street parking

We came here for their $ 10 Badger Bus deal, and that worked out great. A great deal if you are headed to a Badger game. When we got back the place was very busy (around 4 pm) on a Badger Saturday and service suffered. They seemed understaffed at that point. Overall the bus deal is a great thing. We’ll come back for dinner or lunch sometime when it’s not game day and see how things go…

Came at the recommendation of a colleague and Craftsman lived up to my expectations in every way. Our waitress was fantastic — told us right away that she had one other table which was a very large party helping set the tone for the pace of things. We were there to relax and take our time — reassured her — and then she managed to balance both us and her other table fantastically. Cheese curds were great — Churrasco wrap was fantastic and flavorful — beers were never empty (they had Great Lakes on draft!!! Swoon!) and overall just a great meal. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating despite being a bit busy — great staff and leadership at this restaurant.

3^rd visit. Not as good as the other two, because of the service we received from Shandi. It is surprising too because it wasn’t as busy as the other times. She seemed preoccupied with cleaning duties (at 7pm … it’s not like it was closing time).
The cheese curds are (still) the best of four times we had them at different places in Madison this trip.
I ordered a pot roast that had no flavor. My coworker who ordered it as well agreed with me; we tried salt and pepper and ended up trying to give it some «oompf» with Worcestershire sauce that Shandi brought us from the kitchen once we tackled her when she occasioned by.
The Jury is out for me if I am going to bring someone else here on my next trip. Madison has too many other places I’d like to try. Ah… but that roasted brussels sprout salad may make me come back. And the cheese curds!

I’ve been living in Madison for nearly 3 months now, and while I love 99 percent of everything here, my side of town (west sidddddeee!) is severely lacking in bars. Let me explain. I just moved here from the Bay View area of Milwaukee where I literally had 8 – 10 bars within a walking distance of less than a mile. And these were nationally ranked bars like Sugar Maple and Burnhearts. So, to move to a quieter part of town with no craft beer bars within 2 miles, well it hurts my beer soaked soul a little.
Thankfully, while not in walking distance, Craftsman has been a go to staple for my husband and I when we need a good beer and great food.
The beer selection is constantly changing and has a wide variety of types and flavors. If you can’t find something here, well then you are just too darn picky.
The food too has always been on target. For appetizers, try the hummus plate! I know what you are thinking, really, hummus? BEST HUMMUS PLATE I HAVE EVER TRIED. Two words, pickled onions. Will blow your mind! The veggie burger was quite good and really juicy!
Service has always been very fast and friendly, and the prices are comparable to many restaurants in the area.
Really great, relaxed atmosphere to enjoy a great meal and an even better beer. Cheers!

A local friend suggested we start our day at Craftsman, as she had been to several restaurants in the same group and found them all to be pretty tasty. She was not wrong. They have a nice beer selection with a good variety of local beers.
We started out with the pretzels, which were good but nothing special. I feel like if pretzels are something common in your town, you really have to do something to make them stand out a bit – these were pretty simple.
I ordered the bahn mi sandwich, and it was delicious. I’m not a big sandwich person (I leave that to the hubs), but if I had to pick a sandwich to convert me, this is a contender. Soft bread, slightly spicy mayo, and flavorful meats and vegetables. It’s not really a bahn mi, so if you’re a traditionalist, you might want to skip this one. The cheese curds I ordered as my side were crispy, creamy, and had the right amount of squeak. The hubs ordered the biscuits and gravy benedict, which he said was delicious. They come with skillet potatoes which basically look like thick potato chips. Salty and slightly crispy on the outside, smooth and creamy on the inside.
After we had finished our meal, someone came by and let us know that beer bingo would be starting soon. Beer bingo? I love beer bingo! We hung out for a bit, played a few rounds, and had a couple more brews before we decided to head out. There are beers and gear available as prizes (I won a beer for knowing the answer to a trivia question!).
Do it. Go play beer bingo!

We had family visiting and took them here for Lunch on Sunday. They have enough space to accommodate big groups which is nice. We played beer Bingo and had a great time.
They had a nice beer selection. The beer flight is pretty cool because you get to try small glasses of 4 different beers. There happy hour specials were a good deal.
The food is fine/​pretty good… nothing spectacular, but nothing wrong with the food. 3 stars is the perfect way to describe it. I was a little disappointed that they were still only serving the Brunch Menu at 2 PM on a Sunday. I was hoping to order an entrée, but the selection was limited to breakfast items, salads, and sandwiches.
I’d probably come back here again if I’m looking for a fun place to go for happy hour with a large group, but there are other places I’d rather go for a meal.

Deeeelicious!
First, the upstairs is a pretty cool area to sit and wait for a table. When we arrived we realized we forgot to make reservations (sigh) and were forced to wait around for an hour. But luckily they have a bar and seating area upstairs where you can order drinks and appetizers while you wait! I had wine, my boyfriend had beer and we of course ordered some cheese curds. They are so good, some of the best in Madison! Perfectly seasoned and still gooey inside.
When we were finally seated, I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I’d be (probably from eating almost all of the curds) so I ordered a soup and salad combo. You get a lot of food for a cheap price ($ 6.99). The soup was a creamy tomato soup and the salad is a simple tossed salad with lots of feta. Both were yummy, I really enjoyed the soup though and I could have eaten an entire bowl of it. My boyfriend had the Craftsman burger and really enjoyed it. Service was great, too.
We will be back, next time with reservations!

I’ve now been to Craftsman twice — once for dine-​in brunch and once to pick up dinner to go. Both experiences were wonderful.
For brunch service was quick and quiet with a friendly waiter. I had the morning bun french toast and it was perfect for my sweet-​leaning breakfast preferences. The caramelized sugar in the bun was delicious, and the rich custard sauce cut the sweetness (but made for an incredibly indulgent dish).
When I went for takeout the other night the bartender who took my order over the phone was funny and accommodating, and the coordination with the kitchen was excellent — I had given him my expected arrival time and they literally delivered my box to the bar as I was walking in the door. I had gone for the brisket melt with fries and I couldn’t have been happier.
As a barbecue fan, for me the meat was more reminiscent of pot roast than what I generally think of for brisket, but it hit the spot all the same. The cheese had melted into the meat and the caramelized onions rounded out the flavor. The fries were browned and flavorful, and surprisingly held up despite getting a bit steamed in the to-​go container on my drive home from Craftsman.
In addition to the food, the restaurant hits a nice note with its design — it’s on Frank Lloyd Wright Avenue and the designers clearly pulled their inspiration from the road’s namesake.

I have been to the Craftsman Table and Tap twice, and both have been very good experiences. To begin… let’s discuss the cheese curds. I’m wee bit obsessed with cheese curds. I’m making it my mission to try every curd in town. The curds at Craftsman are one of a kind. They have some kind of crazy crispy breading that is like none other. My first bite I was unsure of them. The second bite I was intrigued. The third bite I was excited… they are good. Different, but really good. Of course I had to take a picture or two of the bucket of curds spilling out onto the plate… like every other person who goes there. They also have an excellent beer selection, and I appreciated the server’s beer suggestion!
The first time I ate there, I ate off the lunch menu, which doesn’t have a ton of vegetarian options. I chose the Falafel Pita. I like falafel… but I don’t eat it very often, so my standards are probably not all that high. Personally, I thought it was good with nice fresh vegetables and a good soft pita. And… it was pretty, which is obviously very important. ;) The second time I chose the quiche of the day which included fresh green beans and tomatoes. This was maybe the third time in my life that I’d ever eaten quiche. I can’t say I’m really a quiche fan… but I was trying to be adventurous and try something new. I don’t know that I’d order it again, but that’s more my fault than the restaurants. I’m sure to all the quiche lovers out there it would be delectable!
Both times I ate outdoors. The seating area is nice, save the crazy loud trucks going by all the time. Both times we had friendly, helpful servers. I am excited to go back and try out some more of their vegetarian menu options!