Bonefish Grill

I was a party of 4 on Friday evening 6 – 24. The food and drinks were delicious but the lack of service and recovery on part of leadership was poor.
1) we ordered the dinner for 2 (both couples)
2) 1 guest ordered dewars on the rocks of which the staff weren’t sure if they had it nor what it was
3) Our bread plates were removed before we finished the bread and oil… never offered more
4) the bang bang never arrived until we asked about it as our main entrees were delivered (bang bang arrived mid main entrée)
5) a watermelon martini was delivered to our table that we never ordered… the waiter cycle around the bar with drink in hand and redelivered it to the table next to us. Mind you the drink sat at our table for appx 5 minutes until the waiter could be flagged down
6) decaf coffee was ordered and never delivered
7) we ordered per the dinner for 2 strawberry cheesecake and instead strawberry shortcake was delivered. This was most disappointing as the waiter read the desert order back to the table… only after the we asked to we a desert menu (a menu was never delivered)
8) the bill was inadequately split (needed correction)
I’ve been here before and truly enjoyed the experience with my friends. Madison has many many good restaurants to eat at… we will think thrice before attending this bonefish. Bonefish compensated the experience by offering free bang bang on he next visit and 1 free entrée. Bonefish could learn from the recovery process of Biaggi’s.

Tried Bonefish Grill for lunch this afternoon and was mightily disappointed. The service was appalling which made the entire experience awful. Will not plan on returning.

I am originally from Frisco Texas and they have a few locations in the metroplex, so I am used to the upscale décor and the food quality from the other chains. Bonefish Grill was founded in January 2000 in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bonefish Grill is a seafood restaurant with almost 200 locations in 34 states, our knowledgeable waitress told us.
The menu includes grouper, tilapia, lobster tail, mahi mahi, Chilean sea bass, rainbow trout and salmon, all cooked over a wood-​burning grill.
The only other Bonefish Grill in Wisconsin is in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield. If you have younger children, Duncan recommends arriving earlier in the evening. Happy hour is from 4PM-6:30PM Sunday through Thursday.
When seated, the kids received a Bonefish Kids Adventure Menu and a pack of crayons. As someone who has traveled all over the country and dined at more restaurants than I can accurately remember, kudos to Bonefish Grill for nailing this one on the head.
I’m usually weary of seafood restaurants in non-​coastal states, but Bonefish pleasantly surprised me with its dishes, even thought I have been to the locations back home. Overall I enjoyed most of the menu items.
You have to try the Bang Bang Shrimp, crispy, tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce. Simply delicious for only $ 10.50.

Very friendly and knowledgeable server. Bang Bang shrimp is worth the trip alone. My husband and I both enjoyed our meals very much. good house cabernet as well. i will definitely visit again.

I returned this year to be even more thoroughly impressed with the staff, service, and food at Bonefish Grill! Our server was attentive, friendly, and prompt. The highlight of the meal was the personal service from the culinary manager, Rod (maybe Ron, sorry!!). He greeted our table and when he discovered it was my boyfriend’s birthday, he made sure to check in on us several times and even prepared an incredible dessert free of charge! He was absolutely amazing and made our experience so special.
I have nothing but praise for the staff and for their amazing food. We will definitely return for more special occasions, if not more often!

This is the first time I’ve been to Bonefish, and it has a typical upper scale chain restaurant vibe: chic, low lighting, and crowded.
This place got my attention when I realized the happy hour wine price was only $ 3.50! That’s a steal, and the wine tasted great. My mom really enjoyed her raspberry martini; the presentation was appealing and it was chilled to perfection.
As an app, we tried the Rockefeller oysters. I don’t traditionally like oysters, but I did enjoy the crusty, cheesy toppings. It still wasn’t enough to disguise the slimy innards, but that’s just me. I would recommend for any oyster aficionados in the Madison area.
I ordered the spicy tuna bowl as an entrée, and at 950 calories it was no light dish. The seared, sesame –encrusted ahi tuna was a little warmer than anticipated but sill paired well with the chutney salsa. Next time, I would probably order the Chilean sea bass I was drooling over at the table next to ours. I’m not a huge fan of chain places, but if I’m in the area I would stop by here again just for the pesto olive oil bread pairing.

It might be worth a visit just for the bread and pesto they serve at the start. We were scoping this place out for a potential birthday spot for my Mom and it should do nicely. Great shrimp appetizer, wood-​fired chicken and Kobe burger for a test run. We’ll be back for the lobster for mom. Our server was fast, professional and knowledgeable.

This was my first visit ever to a Bonefish grill and I was very pleased over all with the selection of wines and variety of foods offered. While the pricing was moderate-​higher side, I felt the quality, freshness, and attention to detail balanced the cost. I ordered the Haddock special offered for the month and thought it was superb. The amount of food and freshness of it all made it positively perfect. I was delighted with my dinner paired with a red blend wine. The atmosphere of the restaurant along with the waiter made the experience even better. Our waiter was very pleasant and knowledgeable about all of the dishes along with the specialty drinks and wine pairings.

Bang Bang Shrimp: Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a spicy cream sauce on top a bed of lettuce. The shrimp was piping hot when it arrived, but it was very flavorful. I would find myself eating some lettuce to cool down my mouth after each bite of shrimp. I didn’t taste any spice, but the dish was still good.
Grilled Lamb Chops: Wood-​grilled seasoned chops in a balsamic demi-​glacé sauce. Served with a steamed broccoli and green beans. My girlfriend ordered this medium-​rare but it came out well done. As she expected, the meat was a little dry which was upsetting. This would have been a great dish if the meat was more tender and juicy because the flavor was definitely there.
Grilled Rainbow Trout: Wood-​grilled and served oscar style. I absolutely enjoyed this dish. The fish was seasoned well and had great flavor. I was caught off-​guard by the tiny lumps of crab meat but the béarnaise sauce was excellent. The asparagus was cooked perfectly for my taste. It was tender but also had a good crunch to it. The garlic mashed potatoes was probably my favorite of the two sides. The white truffle mac & cheese was good, but not great. I still enjoyed it though.
Can’t wait till the next time we go back.

As many reviews on here mention, the bang bang shrimp is quite delicious and definitely a great way to start the meal. Food is overall very good, haven’t had anything on the menu I didn’t like.
They have a bottomless bubbles brunch special and while the mimosas are average, what keeps me coming back is the sangria, so good!
If if wasn’t for mediocre service I would give them 5 stars. Every time I go it seems like it takes a long time for the wait staff to take the drink order, apps/​entrée, and continue to check back. I’ve learned just to be ready with everything you want to order the first time they come around or you end up doing a lot of waiting.

The food is always really good!
I also must say that their service is so great! Their servers are knowledgeable and always check on you and are very friendly.

Walking in, Bonefish feels unlike the mid-​price range chain (Bloomin’ Brands) you’ve come to expect from other area competitors. The décor is understated, simple, and elegant, for example the one steel wall art on the accent wall instead of showing seafood motifs in your face. The really don’t get enough credit for this. Though the plastic salt and pepper grinders on the table was off-​putting, and did not mesh with the overall atmosphere.
We ordered the 6 shrimp stuffed with crab on a bed of sauteed spinach from the specials menu, a cup of the corn and crab chowder, fish & chips, and an ice tea, all for $ 40.12 before tip.
Our waiter was changing shifts and we ended up with another waitstaff instead of the original one that sat us, I’m not sure if it was due to this shift lapse, but we had to remind another waiter for our bread. The bread comes with a dish of pesto oil for dipping, instead of dry seasoning, this was a deliciously fresh basil pesto with finely diced kalamata olives. The bread is tantalizingly crusty, the crust is almost glowing, with an extremely airy and soft interior.
The soup was brought out the same time as the bread. By most restaurant standards, the portion could have very well been considered a ‘bowl’. It was really generous. The name is not what you’d expect, it’s corn chowder yes, but the lump crab meat is sprinkled on top. At first it may seem unappetizing to see such white meat on top of your soup, but it was delectable! Very Santa-​Fe style, thick with sweet corn and red peppers, the luscious crab meat worked better spooned with the soup, rather than mixed in.
Our dishes arrived soon after, the shrimp dish was amazing! Each jumbo shrimp was cooked perfectly, tail on, succulent and still almost translucent, it didn’t have a hint of fishiness or rubbery texture. The stuffing was almost all crab, and I did not detect a bit of breadcrumbs, it had a hint of Hollandise-​like sauce. The bed of spinach created the perfect compliment for each bite.
The fish and chips arrived with 3 slabs of lightly battered, fluffy cod. My partner kept exclaiming that «it’s SO good!». It was quite remarkable, definitely a contender to any fish fry’s around the area.
My dish was so excellent that this was the first time in a long time that I could recall where I didn’t feel the need to reach across from me and steal my partner’s food. I was perfectly content with my order and wanted to savor every bite.
Service was friendly without being obtrusive, everyone seemed genuinely nice and unpretentious.
The restaurant is beautiful without feeling stuffy, there were people in joggers, sweats, and then there were very nicely dressed couples.
We’d definitely recommend this spot for mid-​priced seafood, a romantic date, or for girl’s night.

Visited here with a large group celebrating a friend’s birthday.
The menu is quite large and has a lot of options but nothing too exciting. I ordered the Bang Bang shrimp as an appetizer to share and they were delicious albeit very unhealthy. As an entrée I ordered the Cobb salad but substituted shrimp for chicken. The base of the salad was very bland, romaine lettuce that consisted of mostly white and crunchy pieces. The dressing was nice but maybe a little too much as the salad got soggy quite fast. The shrimp was chewy and tasteless– nothing like the bang bang shrimp and lastly they forgot to add the blue cheese. So, overall, don’t get the salad.
Some of my friends have extreme allergies and found this restaurant to be less than ideal for their needs. The waiters weren’t very aware of the items that may contain nuts or other allergens and had to ask the kitchen multiple times. The bread, for example, contained peanut oil which was a surprise. My boyfriend ordered fish tacos and was surprised when they had pesto on them (was not listed on the menu) and as he is allergic to nuts he had to send them back.
I would not come back. Very below average food and bad service.

Last time my wife and I came here, we had a great meal. The bang-​bang shrimp was delicious, my Kobe burger was flavorful, and her seared tuna dish was satisfying. That was almost a year ago.
We came back here recently with another couple. The bang-​bang shrimp is still impressive. I ordered the Oscar Wild Mahi Mahi, which was one of the specials and came broccoli, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. The portion of the fish was measly. My palm was bigger than the whole thing. It was dry and kind of bland. Completely disappointed.
My wife ordered the Tilapia Imperial, which is one of their popular dishes, paired with steamed spinach and potatoes au gratin. She really enjoyed the potatoes and the tilapia, but did mention the sauce was too sour with too many capers. Luckily, she likes capers so she didn’t mind it too much.
Service was good. Our server was informative, attentive, and had a sense of humor without being lame.
I wouldn’t count this place out yet. Maybe I won’t order any fish next time.

Since most communities have independently-​owned upscale restaurants,.the idea of dining at an ‘upscale restaurant chain’ such as Bonefish Grill often eludes me. Nevertheless, we had a better-​than-​expected time dining here.
The ambiance set a great tone and high expectations for the night. We kicked off with seasonal cocktails and I appreciated that the Grapefruit Basic Martini was ‘fresh and grapefruity.’ It featured the ‘bitter’ side of ‘bittersweet’ which really hit the spot after cookie-​filled holidays.
The meal began with fresh-​based bread and seasoned dipping oil. It was tasty, but it wasn’t inhaled as quickly as the coconut Thai Shrimp appetizer we ordered. Both the Shrimp bisque and shrimp/​scallop entrée impressed the ‘SeaFoodie’ in our group. I enjoyed the Sirloin and Crab Cake entrée. The crab cake was loaded with flaky crab meat and the sauce that accompanied it added flavor to the crab cake, my steak, and the bland crab-​fried rice side dish.
Service was excellent. When they brought the wrong taco entrée to a guest at our table, they replaced it quickly with an apology and a free dessert.
Bonefish Grill doesn’t compare to the best high-​end local restaurants, but the food and drinks are good — as are the prices. On Tuesday, they offer a variety of three-​course dinner options for less than $ 20.

Recently went for lunch for the first time. My partner got ceviche, which she enjoyed as a light meal and did look nice. It wouldn’t have been enough for me. I got a lunch special: 2 – 3 fish tacos and a caesar salad. The caesar was pretty good, large portion. The fish tacos were a little fishy, juicy, and heavy with mango. Some might really enjoy those qualities but it was not my taste. I try every fish taco in town when I have a chance :)
Drinks were large and strong, which I always appreciate. We had the modern mojitos, which were quite heavy on the orange and grand marnier. We were seated quickly, great looking restaurant. Staff was OK; good looking people but we didn’t like the ipads. Didn’t come back for a long time when we needed waiter. I’ll be back to try dinner.

You might not know but they have a great happy hour from 4 — 6:30 PM and I LOVE happy hour! The bar is big and rarely ever busy. The décor is awesome too!
My favorite appetizers are the Crab Cakes and & Sashimi. For entrees I love the Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Salsa! I also love trying their specials. You can never go wrong with one of those! Right now they have a Saucy Shrimp Appetizer that I hope they make part of the menu because it is fantastic. They are known for their Bang Bang Shrimp but I think the Saucy Shrimp is better.

Everything was okay, just nothing to make me go to the 5 star rating.
I started with the Crab Chowder, the lump crab really made this a good soup. Unfortunately the soup would only have been average on its own.
Next was the Lobster Roll which was a let down mainly because it was pretty small for the price. The bread was super good, but the lobster part didn’t have a lot of flavor.
The best part of the whole meal was the slaw. They should sell this on its own!

Went in on a Friday, wait was about an hour and a half. It was well worth it though. The bar makes fantastic drinks, but it took them a long time to make our drinks after we ordered (waited about 5 minutes).
Ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer, definitely a must order. One of the best apps I have had in a long time. Wait staff in the restaurant was fantastic. Definitely will be going back.

Bonefish Grill is carrying the momentum of their grand opening quite nicely. We showed up around 6:30pm on a busy Friday night and stood at the bar for about 15 minutes before realizing the first-​come-​first-​served bar area includes not just the bar, but the tables to the left of the divider. The entire restaurant is basically half bar area, so it’s likely you’ll find seats quickly if you show up with a smallish party.
The restaurant seemed otherwise really well staffed, but there were just two bartenders serving all thirsty Madisonians in the building. The bar was being slammed with orders, so it took awhile to get our drinks. Incredibly, when she got to us, the bartender who took our order was friendly, warm, and genuinely interested in helping us pick out the right drinks. I didn’t expect the extent of her kindness for whatever reason. Maybe she has resting nice face.
If that’s the case, our waiter also had resting nice face. Everyone we interacted with at Bonefish seemed to genuinely enjoy interacting with customers and care that we had a good experience. This left a really good impression.
The menu is a bit pricey, especially for the things they specialize in, but the wood-​fired, fresh seafood flavor is worth the setback, at least once in your life. The bang bang shrimp is supposed to be what they’re most popular for, outselling all other appetizers combined, but we went with the Thai coconut shrimp because we’re rebels. My first bite in, I doubted shrimp could get better than that — definitely try it if it sounds appealing to you.
P. S. When you punch in their address, Google Maps currently takes you about 5 minutes out into the country. We corrected the location but I’m not sure how long until it goes into effect. Drive towards West Towne Mall’s JCPenney and you’ll see it from the street.