Orpheum Lobby Restaurant

Good place for shows but miss the old bar & restaurant

Bleh. I didn’t think the prices were all that reasonable for Madison ($ 8 omelettes, etc aren’t crazy but aren’t particularly cheap) and the food was very mediocre. I had the mushroom omelette, which was dry and bland. The hashbrowns that came with it were ok, but not great. My fiancé had some very dry, dense blueberry pancakes that were really awful. Service was incredibly slow. I think you’re paying for the ambiance and the experience of eating in the lobby of a theater, and not for the food. I’d skip it.

We visited the Orpheum’s Sunday Brunch today. It wouldn’t be our first time to the brunch, and it is usually a good bet. Today was the first time we had been there later in the brunch hours, and if this visit is any indication of the state of things as they progress throughout the morning, I would advise; go early.
They always get asparagus right. Although I was surprised to see it in the dead of Winter, it was perfectly cooked and the light way it was dressed was just right. They also have the good sense not to keep it in a steamer, so it never becomes overdone.
Smoked salmon and bagels with all kinds of fresh toppings are also a mainstay at this brunch. And they make a lovely veggie benedict with thin slices of avocado and tomato nesting the egg. It gets a little ugly under the heat lamps, but maintains it’s delicious flavor and is never served dried out.
The fresh fruit and wild rice pilaf are flavors that blend nicely with their other entrée and side dish choices, making this brunch always worthwhile, along with always tasty little bites of danish pastries for dessert.
This time, the meat choices, of which there are several, sat in greasy room temperature pools of their own fat and the pancakes became severely dried up under the heat lamp, which seemed to go unnoticed as they were never replaced with fresh versions. Perhaps they should be done to order instead, or made in smaller batches. I also passed on the mushroom quiche which was not kept warm at all, possibly because the eggs were already green and dry from overcooking leaving you with a room temperature, rubbery pie. I bet it was a beauty about 20 minutes before they removed it from the oven.
The servers stood in a huddle at the back of the room and our friendly server came to the table to get us our drinks informing us that a drink comes free with brunch. My companion ordered a Bloody Mary, which was tasty, generous and good-​looking, but I noticed the server did not correct himself to inform us that only non-​alcoholic drinks were free. Kind of a misrepresentation not to say «non-​alcoholic» to begin with, and then, not mention it after your customer immediately orders a Bloody Mary. We were fine with that, but a person expecting a free beverage and not hearing the disclaimer may not be happy. The orange juice I ordered was also generously poured and of good quality.
When we asked for our bill, he was great about getting that to us, but when we looked for him to return and take our payment, he had disappeared with the other waitstaff. We had to get going and waited for awhile to try to pay with a credit card, but ended up needing to pool what cash we had so we would not be late to where we were going. So, although we generally leave 20% tips, we could only do just over 17% with the cash on hand. It did make me wonder how much is lost in wages when the staff disappears.
All in all, I always recommend this brunch to people who would like a good breakfast downtown on the weekend. If I am not going to be in that area, I prefer the Eldorado or Daisy Café for breakfast or brunch.

So my family from california came out to visit me, and we decided to take a road trip to madison to «explore». Well, although there isnt much to do in Wisconsin, I found state street to be a wonderful spot for people watching. We actually walked right by this place without even noticing that they served dinner. On a second stroll down state, looking for a place that would satisfy all ages, we found this place, and let me tell you, it saved the day!
My sisters and I had been fighting all day, and were now grumpy due to days in hotels and empty stomachs. We opted to sit on the patio, and I am so glad we did so. Excellent people watching paired with good food and wonderful service. We started with a cheese plate (great munchies for the four of us). I also got 2 miller lites, as they were 2.50 (score!) I got a smoked blue cheese burger with a salad and I enjoyed it very much. I only ate half, which left me perfectly satisfied with room for gelato later. We all enjoyed our peaceful patio dinner. If I lived in madison (never), I would be going here often.

Disappointing Brunch. Some hot dishes cool, unmarked dishes. Fennel coleslaw? Server was the pits, Alex? Neglected to tell us we could order eggs/​omelets. When we saw a table nearby receive their eggs (after we were already finished) we asked her for future reference how do we get eggs & she responded «Basically you just have to ask. I discouraged omelets because the kitchen gets backed up, it can take up to 20 minutes & then people complain if they can’t eat at the same time.»
WTF? So by «discouraging omelets» she meant not telling her customers who are paying for them anyways! All-​you-​can-​eat is a joke because the line was all the way out the door & we asked her if it would let up & she said «Probably not. Check?» Felt like she was just trying to turn the table over as quickly as possible.
Seriously, worst waitress ever. Brought out-​of-​town guests & probably wouldn’t go back again…

We decided to try the Orpheum for Easter brunch. Hoping to beat the rush, we arrived fifteen minutes before they open (which is ten am, by the way). Thankfully we were seated and able to get up to the spread quickly, because the food line was literally out the door within 20 minutes. The seating was cramped, but the food was really quite good for a buffet. Fresh fruit, bagels, two types of salmon, great asparagus, pancakes and waffles with cinnamon butter, and meats galore (included, of course was the Easter ham). We’d go again, but hopefully they’re not as busy on a non-​holiday morning.

This is a review about the bar. I loved it!
I was visiting a friend in Madison when we discovered this gem. We were looking for a cocktail bar, and at first we weren’t sure this was open because it was empty, but the bartender waved us in.
Usually I’m not a fan of unconventional cocktails and at first I eyed the menu suspiciously when I noticed it was mostly rum and vodka based. I don’t trust a place without gin. But a lot of the drinks have fresh fruit muddled into them (strawberries, watermelon) and that is actually delightful! Plus, the bartender did make me gimlet (with gin, not vodka), so all was well in the world.
Plus the bartender, I’m pretty sure his name was Cleyton, was super nice. He was quiet at first but eventually told us some stories and taught us to appropriately use a Boston shaker (which you might think is obvious, but we did mess it up earlier that evening). And he kept the bar open for quite some time, which I loved, seeing as in Boston everything closes at 2:00 at the lamest. Damn Puritans!
Anyway, I had a great time and I would highly recommend it to people looking for some yummy cocktails.

We went to State St. with plans to see a movie at the Orpheum and eat somewhere…
When we saw the street sign advertising half off drinks for their wed. night happy hour we decided to dine as close to the theater as possible. What a good decision. We split a bottle of wine and enjoyed the free mussels wings and cheese platter while we watied for our meal. I ordered the Walleye which was crunchy and deliciously spiced. My companion ordered the vegetable gratin which was incredibly creamy, and in fact almost too heavy, but delicious none the less. Waitstaff was attentive without being over-​bearing. I had concerns about the space at first — that it might be loud, booming, and cold, but it actually surprised me in that it was plenty warm and not too loud. After settling the bill we were able to walk just a few steps away into the theater. How delightful!

Madison certainly has some gems. If i could transport this place to San Francisco i would. totally awesome old theatre vibe, kept in the original style including cool vintage photos (like that of Louise Brooks) in the ‘lounge’ aka bathrooms. Excellent happy hour with complimentary snacks (piles of cheese, crackers and mussels) where we shared a bottle of wine for $ 14. you can catch a movie there too afterwards.

Wednesday NIght Happy Hour is pretty killer. Free cheeses, crackers, mussels, wings when you purchase any drink. My friend and I shared a half price bottle of wine.

Came here for breakfast.
They serve amazingly bold coffee, with real Wisconsin cream and sugar cubes. The hash browns were spiced to perfection and went really well with my eggs over easy, grilled white toast slices and smoked bacon.
I couldn’t think of a better way to wake up and start the day off right.

Been eating here a lot lately which is always a good sign! Think slightly gourmet-​ified comfort food at very reasonable prices and you’ll get the idea. The menu isn’t huge but there’s pretty much something for everyone. I mean, where else could one conceivably order fried cheese curds, duck breast, a bbq pork sandwich, and brussel sprouts?
Saturday breakfast is a normal order-​from-​the-​menu affair, but Sunday brunch is where it’s at if you want to stuff yourself. I like to have advance notice that I’m going so I can eat healthy and exercise for a good week leading up to it. You can usually beat the rush if you’re not too hung over to make it there before 10:30.
Oh, and they have movies and concerts.

One of my favorite places for happy hour. Drinks are good and sometimes they even have a free buffet :) It does get kind of busy sometimes, so make sure you get there early if you have a group bigger than 4.
The lobby area is so cool and rustic like. The bathrooms are a trip to the early 1900s.
Must stop in the winter: décor is seasonable and their hot drinks are really really good.

I went here with my family for a Sunday brunch. Luckily we had a reservation, because there was quite a line of walk-​ins waiting. I loved the unique experience of eating in the lobby of a theater. It was very airy and slightly cold, but still a grand atmosphere. If you haven’t been in the Orpheum before, it’s definitely worth leaving your table and exploring the facilities a little.
The brunch buffet was neither too snazzy nor too plain. I enjoyed having the basic brunch options of pancakes, french toast, sausage and bacon, but also appreciated the flare the lox/​bagel platter, vegetarian eggs benedict, and spinach salad brought to the meal. The only thing I felt was really lacking was a good selection of desserts– but honestly after eating some of all of the above, I didn’t have room for another bite.
The staff had some trouble keeping up with bringing out fresh batches of food for the buffet line, as well as clean plates. Granted, I was there on a very busy day, but having to wait 15 minutes to dig into an avocado vegetarian eggs benedict is painful! Also my table’s server wasn’t quite on top of it – we got our «how the buffet works» spiel about 20 minutes after we arrived.
All in all, a solid brunch in an enchanting atmosphere.

My family went here for Easter brunch, and although we went out to brunch to celebrate this special occasion, it looks like a lot of the dishes we had are offered as regular brunch selections. We had a very nice experience and recommend going here if you have the money!
We were greeted by our server right away who explained to us how the buffet works, which includes a free non-​alcoholic drink. We opted for these drinks (coffee and fresh squeezed OJ) rather than pay for a mimosa or bloody mary, though everyone around us ordered those. She also explained that the chef can make us an egg dish, such as an omelette, though a regular and vegetarian eggs benedict were in the buffet. I ordered an omelette while my husband enjoyed multiple servings of eggs benedict.
The other selections in the buffet line were very delicious. Some of the highlights for us were very common brunch items done incredibly well. They included the bacon (crisp but not burned with some flavorful fat still attached!), home fried potatoes, asparagus salad, spinach salad, and delicious kringle.
Again, we were quite happy with our experience. And although it wasn’t cheap ($ 18 a person) we think we got our money’s worth. Not only did we have some fresh, great quality food, but we ate a lot of it! Plus, the server packed up the rest of my omelette for me to take home (we fought the temptation to throw in more food from the buffet into the container). And, of course, the setting is absolutely beautiful. The Orpheum is a wonderful place to dine in Madison (plus I hear that they show movies here, too… haha)

Went on a Thursday to catch up with a friend at the bar. We took the advantage of the 4 – 7 happy hours when the rails are $ 3 and there are FREE snacks (assortment of fruits, cheese, wings!!, crackers etc). Good deal. The bar itself is fairly small and feels a bit breezy. The bartender was attentive and very nice — he knew how to make my rum&coke just the way I like it.
I’m willing to come back and try the food.

My husband and I just visited Madison for the first time, and we loved it. Our dinner at the Orpheum was fantastic; the food was good, but the best part of the experience was the ambiance. The lobby is beautiful and romantic, and the wait staff is really friendly. The whole place is «cool» without being pretentious. We loved that CASABLANCA was playing in the lobby (it was projected on the wall the whole night). The place is casual and elegant at the same time — we just loved it. It made us so sad to know we didn’t have a restaurant like this in Chicago.

The lobby restaurant was a nice, moderately priced breakfast on a saturday morning. The inside was practically empty at 10am so it was easy to get a table for 5. The outside area was full which was our first choice since it was such a lovely Saturday.
I had the egg sandwich with bacon and it was very, very good. I’m so used to NY prices so $ 8 was nothing comparatively. I was very content as were the rest of us. I would recommend the food although it might be a little pricey for a quick breakfast…

Sweeping staircases, chandeliers, and an underlying sense of historical romance … this is how I remember the first time I walked into the lobby restaurant. I’ve only ever eaten here for dinner, but it has proven to be excellent every time. Dinners are reasonably priced and the service is wonderful. I always feel really pampered whenever I eat here…
…which is slightly ironic, considering that my favorite thing on their menu is fried chicken. I know, I know, how crude — but really, it’s amazing — they give you a real honeycomb to dip the meat in, freshly made real mashed potatoes, and green beans with slivered almonds.
*Their bar is a fun place to stop in for a drink with a friend or two as well.

Okay, its noisy, the staff isn’t always attentive, but it is kinda cool… the brunch when I visited (admittedly over a year ago) was very extensive and unusual, not your normal bunch of overheated eggs and what not. I’d go back, but I’d grab a waiter and tell ‘em that a full coffee cup is essential to my good health!