Brocach

Super good food & great service. Highly recommend the smoked salmon blt! The Friday fish fry is also exceptionally good!

I was visiting family in Madison last week and my daughter and I went out to dinner. Downtown Madison is busy on a Saturday night and it’s difficult to get into a decent restaurant without a wait. We decided to try this restaurant because it wasn’t overly busy. I visited Ireland for two weeks last summer and have a pretty fair idea of what a good pub is like. I don’t know whether this one was or not because we were seated in what I can only describe as a cubbyhole. Walls on three sides. My daughter’s view was me and the wall behind me. My view was of people going to and from the restrooms right around the corner. Our appetizer was brought to us with our entrees. I don’t know how any restaurant in Wisconsin could mess up cheese curds but Brocach managed it. They tasted like they were frozen then deep-​fried. The Shepherd’s Pie I had was… adequate. Nothing special. The only highlight was the dessert of Blueberry Bread Pudding with ice cream that was a very generous portion and tasty. This is not a place I will revisit.

I ate here three times in a week it was that delicious. Twice for lunch with colleagues and once for brunch with the family. Every single bite was delicious from the green salad to the squash soup to the French toast to the scramble. Service was equally as great — chef was very accommodating. I’ve eaten here in the past and it wasn’t nearly as good — there must be a new chef and definitely a new menu. I will go again and again, especially after seeing my 5 and 9 year old scarf down their food with big grins!

Awesome! Mac and cheese, grilled cheese, cheese curds, shepherds pie, and bangers mash all great! Wait staff… superb. We came in on a Tuesday night, 5 mins before kitchen closed, and all was great!

This is big step above regular bar food. There are many healthy options on the menu. I have enjoyed the shepherds pie, the salads, soups and the chicken dumplings. The selection of beers is diverse and the choices they have made for their offers excellent.

Recommend Shepherd’s Pie, stew beef rather than steak

Wow! I never expect much when it comes to a meal at a pub, since the focus is usually beer and other bevs. But this menu blew me away– their dishes are sophisticated and palate-​pleasing! I got the «Holla! Grilled Cheese» made with buttery challah bread, cheese curds and seasoned tomato powder… It was the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had, and the arugula side salad was fresh, crunchy, flavorful, and perfectly dressed. My dad got the shepherd’s pie with lamb and it was beautifully presented, tasted delicious and wasn’t too hearty/​filling. Mom’s chicken wings were pretty tasty, too, and our relatives’ «Hail Mary» burgers looked insane. This place popped into my restaurant explorations unexpectedly (I had heard of it but never was eager to go) when some relatives suggested we go after a Badger game… The setting was very comfortable and the food was great. So glad I tried it!

Stopped here for lunch with my young daughter before a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s. I picked it because I figured it would have a kid’s menu (it did). Really not a good experience with the service. While the food was really quite good (herbivore platter for me which had bread, pita chips, some kind of incredibly tasty hummus, carrots, olives) and macaroni and cheese for daughter (the BEST kid’s macaroni and cheese I have sampled anywhere), our service left a lot to be desired.
Upon entering we were told to sit where we liked. We found a spot by the window and behind us sat two girls, probably in their mid-20’s. Our server was VERY attentive to these girls, checking back on them at least 3x as well as conversing at length (I got the feeling maybe one of them had worked there with the server at one time by how they were chatting). This is fine EXCEPT he NEVER checked back with us, the only other people sitting in that area. He forgot to bring my daughter’s milk and even though I tried to flag him down and even call after him, «excuse me sir»…nothing. Finally we sat for a good 10 minutes after finishing eating, with me constantly trying to catch his eye (he would literally walk right past us to talk to the girls directly behind us!) and he came over and said, «oh, I forgot the chocolate milk.» I said, «we don’t need it now but can she get her ice cream cup?» I was pretty annoyed at this point as I had been at what I had hoped would be a simple lunch for nearly an hour. This should NOT have taken so long! When he returns with the ice cream it’s one of those pre-​done kinds in a styrofoam cup. Daughter is insistent on eating it but it is ROCK HARD. More annoyance for me as I try to chisel her ice cream into edible bites. Maybe they could take the ice cream out when they see the customer is close to finished eating main course? It added another 10 minutes on to a lunch I had wanted to exit about 30 minutes before.
I won’t return which is a shame because the food really was good. That’s why it gets 3 stars… the food was probably close to 5… service a 2.

This location holds a special place in my heart as it was here where I went on my first date with my girlfriend. While that amazing memory will never fade away, I hope the meal and service I experienced last night quickly disappears.
After we were seated, a manager/​owner/​someone who definitely not the waitstaff, stopped over and asked if we wanted something to drink and if we had any questions about the menu. When I asked what was the burger and soup of the day, he had to go back and find out. He returned and told us incorrectly what the soup was (Lobster bisque which is already listed on the menu). We learned later it was smoked tomato soup (when our actual waiter arrived).
Moving on from that, we opted for a couple salads and chicken and dumplings. We were a little confused with the salads. The greens were not dressed-​rather, the dressing was at the bottom of the salad bowl. It was somewhat awkward to try to mix the salad in the attempt to distribute the dressing. I will give them credit as the salmon and chicken added to our salads (one each) were perfectly cooked and for the amount, a steal for the $ 5 upcharge.
We ordered a cup of decaf coffee and bread pudding. After a few minutes, the waiter came back and told us that he would need to brew a carafe of the decaf-​almost hoping we would then, in turn, tell him not to. This wasn’t the case and we patiently waited for our dessert and coffee. A few minutes later and the coffee was brought to the table. A few minutes after that, our waiter returned and asked if we wanted anything else for our dessert. We reminded him that we ordered the bread pudding and he stated that he never heard that. Oh well, the wait continued and finally the bread pudding arrived.
The dessert was shared on a cedar plank (see picture I posted) and obviously the refrigerated dessert was warmed in the oven. The result-​A heated cedar plank with an ice cold (in some places lukewarm) bread pudding. Why they put it on a cedar plank (giving off the smell of cedar) is beyond my comprehension. Perhaps a savory bread pudding would benefit from the cedar but definitely not a sweet rendition like the one on the menu. Even more confusing was the apple «sticks» sprinkled on top. It seriously looked like someone ripped up a piece of barnwood and sprinkled hay on top. We quickly sent it back and with the delay of our initial server and the coffee, promptly asked for our check.
I could see ourselves going back to reminiscence over our first date and having a cocktail. Us, having a meal, probably better odds of the Cubs winning the world series.

Good place for drinks not much else.
Trust me, the Irish aren’t known for food for a reason. I’ve lived in Cork. But I’m guessing even the Irish would prefer something else.

The chef’s banger and mash was certainly not worth $ 17. The mash potato was cold, the cilantro as garnish looked like it was days old. The sausage certainly was not extraordinary!!! Our waitress served us one time and never asked us if we needed refills. A lunch for 3 costs us $ 42. Most definitely not worth our money. One of us had the cod sandwich special which was okay. The best I guess was their grilled cheese sandwich and that as well wasn’t the best. All in all, not going there again!!!

Fast and friendly service. Apparently there is a new chef. The Challah French toast was replaced by a banana French toast.
Unfortunately, the dish was a huge miss. The toast itself was fine. The chef added a banana butter. He tried to be inventive and topped it off with an eclectic trail mix consisting of banana chips, cinnamon toast crunch cereal, and candied mixed nuts… It was far too much. The nuts made the entire dish too salty and threw the flavor.
My recommendation to the chef: choose just one nut to candy, the pecan. The cashews and peanuts are far too much flavor and sodium. Then top with either fresh fruit, or perhaps a fancier bourbon banana. I ate half and felt wasteful because it wasn’t even doggie bag worthy.
I was a few blocks from my house before I threw up all $ 11 onto the sidewalk.
I do like B in general, but this dish was such a catastrophe I am downgrading my previous ‘4’ rating.

I had the newly updated pub burger and fries with a chef special curry sauce. The burger was very fresh and served on gluten free bread. I was really impressed with the fries which were still in their most raw potato form, and fried to perfection. The curry sauce was an excellent complement to all of the food on the plate. Service was good as well. Overall, it was a superb dining experience.

Best fish and chips, better than at a London pub! The fish Is excellent and perfectly prepared. Shephard’s pie was amaziiiiing, the meat was very well done. Definitely coming back.
PS brunch menu only available on Sunday’s– but they do have a few brunch specials on other days.

We visited Brocach for dinner during their recent restaurant week.
First the good. It was easy to get a reservation and were seated immediately when we arrived. Our server was friendly and checked on us at appropriate intervals throughout the meal. When it was obvious one member of our party was not enjoying her dessert the server offered to bring her another choice. The location is great and the atmosphere sets the mood well.
Unfortunately the food was underwhelming to say the least. Appetizers were disappointing — the beer and cheese flavors overwhelmed the mussels, and the bread served with them was so crisp as to be useless sopping up the broth. The salad was OK but included tasteless canned beets which would have been better left out.
I was having trouble deciding between two entrees and asked the server for a recommendation. The sweet potato crusted whitefish she recommended was bland and lackluster. I honestly don’t know why anyone would recommend it, other than that they were told to push it. The accompanying risotto was creamy but again tasteless. Both I and one of the other people I was dining with doused fish & risotto in the vinaigrette to make them edible.
Our other dining companion had the lamb roast, which was much better. For dessert, the bread pudding was good, but the crème brûlée was a disaster. The sugar was so thick that the top was burnt and the bottom layer was still unmelted crystals while the «crème» was a watery consistency that was wholly unappetizing.
Overall, the food did not live up to expectations and I would not return.

Went to Brocach with the wife the day after Christmas. The space is nice and inviting and the gentleman who met us at the door was acting as host, bartender, busser, server, and who knows what else.
Didn’t affect service in the least. Got the bangers and mash and found it to be great — a good lunch portion that didn’t leave me feeling like I needed a food coma after and didn’t leave me feeling like I’d overpaid.
Draught selection is just super, food is good, atmosphere is nice. What else do you need?

I am falling more in love with Monroe Street with every restaurant I try there. Brocach rocks. The ambiance is super cool and cozy, only complaint is I wish the place was bigger! We came in with a large party and had to wait about an hour. The bar area is a little small but the drinks made up for it.
I tried the special Old Fashioned with ginger and it was delicious. We then tried a Scotch Egg for an appetizer which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had never heard of it before but can’t wait to have another! For my meal, I had the apple brie sandwich with bacon with a side of greens. The sandwich was a little small for an entrée, but the quality of the ingredients were top notch and the flavor was awesome. The salad was okay, but you got a lot of it to help fill you up from the small sammie. Overall, I’d order it again.
Service was great, and our food came out fast. From what I’ve seen of the capitol location this place is much nicer. Can’t wait to return to Monroe St. and Brocach!

We came here with a good sized group right after the Badger vs Minnesota game. We called ahead and made reservations just as the game let out. We all hung out in the bar area before our table was ready. The bar is good sized and very well stocked both with a lot of beers and friendly bartenders.
We were seated fairly quickly considering how busy of a rush they had gotten with the game letting out. I cannot say enough about our waiter. He was quick, informative about the menu and even snuck in a joke or two. Very fun and friendly while giving great service.
For food I had a scotch egg as an which looked amazing and tasted just as good. For the meal I ordered the Hail Mary burger, at the recommendation of our server, which delivered in a big way. This burger is stacked high and huge! The kitchen prepared it exactly the way I requested and the flavors were great. If I absolutely had to throw in a gripe it would be on the fries. Pretty positive they are the pre made frozen kind when put up agains the rest of the food they just don’t quite measure up. For my preference I like firm/​crispy fries and these are softer, that can be boiled down to personal preferences. Again our server was quick with the beverages and had a great memory.
We were in and out in about and hour and half with a table of nine directly after a huge Badger football home game. The food was great, the service was better. I’m not sure what more you could ask for. Monroe street strikes again, I’ll be back.

I really wish I could give this place a better review. I’ve been three times and each time I’ve really enjoyed the food. The service, on the other hand, is just awful. Last Sunday my husband and I came for brunch. We were seated right away but sat there for 20 minutes before we even were offered water. We finished our coffee before the food arrived and were never checked on to see if we wanted more. I actually had to go in the back with our mugs and ask for more coffee. They said they ran out and would bring us a carafe when it was ready. Never did.
Another time I was with four other girls for a happy hour/​dinner. It was not busy at all and was fully staffed so I was thinking it would be a different experience. Unfortunately it just wasn’t. From wanting more water/​wanting to order another glass of wine, needing silverware & napkins with our food sitting there, and then trying to flag our server down to get our bill taken care of, it was just really disappointing. :(
The good food just doesn’t outweigh the poor service.

This place is UNBELIEVABLE. it’s osteria papavero and gastropub in one!!! Omg, if you’ve been to the branch at the Capitol, this is a totally different restaurant. They don’t share a menu, and the food is WAYYYYYYYYY better.
You can make reservations for big groups and by the table are HUGE sofa booths, very very nice to sit. Not so convenient for getting out if you’re on the inside, but that’s too bad for those who didn’t realize the negative points in exchange for the good view: p
Food:
DUCK FAT FRIES. how can anyone not have this on the menu!!! oily little wedges.
Seafood risotto — soooooooooo good. best I ever had
Shepherd’s pie — so huge you have to eat it for several meals (females and small appetites only)
Here, go ahead, go share my new favorite restaurant. Everyone leaves satisfied!