Sprecher’s Restaurant and Pub

We came here tonight for supper because we genrally enjoy the food here. My husband went to use the bathroom and our appetizer came. As my daughter and I got started on the nachos, my husband returned to our table and told us not to eat any more because he was in the bathroom and the cook was right next to him and left the bathroom without bothering to wash his hands and went directly back to working in the kitchen.
My husband confronted the manager about it and she seemed not to even care. She said that the employees don’t have to wash their hands until they return to the kitchen! That is against every food safety rule i have ever heard.
Needless to say we left and will never return.

I’ve dined inside, dined outside, and enjoyed food and beverages around one of the fire pits in the evening. They do a great job overall.
Everything I have eaten on the menu is delicious and properly prepared. One of their best specials occurs on Sundays. They have $ 6 appetizers all day, which really is a great deal. Those appetizers run anywhere from $ 7 to $ 12 other days of the week. I often come here with a friend and his wife and children, and we just order a bunch of apps to share. Last time, I tried the buffalo wings for the first time. Yum! They were slathered with a cross between a traditional creamy buffalo sauce and an almost sweet and sour flavor. There was definitely a hint of sriracha flavor as well. I’ll be ordering those again. The quesadilla and nachos are also big hits.
The outdoor area is a great place to enjoy some apps and drinks on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. They do have live music on some evenings, and that can make for a pleasant experience if you like the band.
Service is usually great, but watch out for sitting around the fire pits. My group found the service to be a little uneven the night we were hanging out around them. In addition, you realize that it is hard to socialize around pits that big, and even more awkward to try to eat when leaning back in an Adirondack chair. I suggest eating first then relaxing there later.

Food was about par with any chain american resturaunt, but the beer and staff were excellent. Skip the dining room and just have an appetizer and a drink at the bar!

I cannot recall a more frustrating dining experience. Starting with the 3 staff being unable to run the host station with empty tables throughout. Orders took forever to arrive, and we were not the only ones who waited well over an hour for basic orders to arrive. No acknowledgement or apologies for delay. Bill came, and after waiting further, finally had to go to host station to actually get the hell out. Group who never got seated left at same time and stopped another large party walking from hotel across street to warn them. At least they were saved, as I saw them turning heel to find alternative. Have always been fan of their brew but will never return to restaurant.

I have been here 3 times for group outings. Each time, I hoped the food would taste better — or at least be worth the price. The only thing going for it — IMHO — is the private room for groups.

I had the half Ruben, sweet potato fries and French onion soup. It was all very good. The menu surprised me. I was looking forward to a big selection of German food, but it was very limited. They should reconsider their name. The menu was varied and the décor was beautiful.

After several trips to Madison for business, I finally decided to give Sprecher’s a try. I’m happy I did. I ordered the Cream Soda, along with the BBQ Burger with Beer Cheese Potatoes. It was all terrific! The Cream Soda was to die for, and the burger and potatoes were great too. The potatoes especially were different from anything I could get back home and very flavorful. The service was friendly and very quick. The next time you’re in town, give it a try.

Good food, good beer, good soda, hot waitresses. I’d go again.
Good beer, good soda, hot waitresses, good food. I’d eat there again.
Desserts were good too.

I am a huge fan of Sprecher’s Nachos; if you are a fan of cheese sauce, crispy chips, jalapenos, and shredded chicken with lots of shredded cheese then these are the nachos for you! AND on Sundays they’re only $ 6! For me, I like cozy booths and quiet restaurants. Babe and I go specifically to Sprecher’s because on Saturdays or Sundays for lunch it’s always low key. I love their Orange Dream Soda and all of their food is solid. I’ve had burgers, BBQ pork, salads and all have been great!

Not great. I’ve been to the location in The Dells and had a wonderful experience, so I am pretty bummed.
I ordered a wrap with very dry and tasteless chicken. The rootbeer was delicious as always. I will not be hitting up this location again.

The food was adequate and the people who greeted us at the door were friendly, so two stars. Overall, though, the evening was less than stellar.
FOOD
I ordered the turkey club with sweet potato fries. «Thin sliced turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato served on a multigrain ciabatta bun with herb cream cheese.» The turkey looked like it was purchased from the grocery store deli, the bun was not like any ciabatta I’ve ever had (horribly dry and not chewy), and the cream cheese was runny — without reading the description I’d have thought it was sour cream with dried Italian seasoning dumped in it. It wasn’t inedible, but the quality reminded me of something you’d pick up per-​wrapped in the deli case of a supermarket for about half the price. The sweet potato fries were soggy, but had good flavor. I got a root beer which I usually enjoy in the bottle, but this was room temperature and seemed a bit thick and syrupy. They also charge for refills, which seems silly at $ 2.50 for about a can’s worth of soda. True, I don’t «need» more than that, but considering I can buy a four-​pack of large bottles for $ 4 the value is lacking. I’ve had takeout from Sprecher a couple times prior to dining in, and I’ve been continuously underwhelmed. They did have some bangin’ mashed potatoes that were fairly redeeming, but those don’t appear to be a side choice any longer.
SERVICE
While our server, Erin, was friendly, she was a bit of a mess. After being seated she came by about five minutes later to let us know she had no idea we were there. After she brought us our sodas, I asked for a straw and two waters. She came back with the straw pressed between her palm and one of the glasses — it just seemed a little unsanitary.
A different blonde woman brought our food, standing silently at the end of the table holding our dishes aloft until I raised my hand to signal the dish on my side was in fact mine. They were set down without a word — no wishes to enjoy, inquiries if we needed anything else, any of the standard server banter. So awkward. Erin came back to check on us after a few minutes, and announced to us that she was going to the bathroom. Really, truly didn’t need to know that.
When she finished with her bathroom break, she came back and asked if we’d be needing a couple of boxes. We’d had our food for less than ten minutes — I’d made it about a quarter of the way through my sandwich and had only made a small dent in my fries. My dining companion had almost his entire plate of pasta left. We had come in about two hours before closing — no need for the bum’s rush.
Erin forgot about our boxes until walking by again and went to go get them — by this time we were done eating and wanted to leave. It took her about five minutes to return, standing at the POS computer and occasionally literally yelling across the dining room for another server. When she brought the boxes over I asked her to split our check. Another server came by to ask her a question and they used the end of our table as a desk. I know we were done eating but there were literally dozens of empty tables — no need to sort their papers out with us sitting at the table.
OVERALL
I can often overlook service issues if the food is good, but my disappointing meal wasn’t enough to cover up being treated like we didn’t exist (or that the staff wished we didn’t).

After reading the other reviews I realize I should have waited to try Sprechers during warmer weather when the patio is open. Instead I was there in winter, in a booth near the door and nearly froze from cold drafts (air, not beer) everytime someone entered or exited the building.
The cheese curds and root beer were excellent. I had the Pub Salad with Buffalo chicken as my main entrée. It was very good, though I wished it had more greens. My date had the Saturday special: Prime Rib with veggies (zucchini, yellow squash and carrots) and mash potatoes. He said it was good. I thought it was the thinnest slice of Prime Rib I’ve ever seen and overpriced at $ 22.00.
I would like to go back and try some of the more interesting offerings. I’m not a beer drinker so it’s the variety of food options that will draw me back. I will make sure to go again when I can visit the patio everyone else raves about.
… Oh, and the heat must have been broken in the women’s bathroom that night, too, as it was damn chilly in there.

First time last night. Loved my grapefruit kiss drink. We ordered 3 appetizers. Brats fries, veggie quesadilla and spinach artichoke dip. Not crazy about dip but was all pretty good. Waiter, Trevor, made sure we got happy hour prices even though timing was close :)

I’m visiting the area and this the largest restaurant within walking distance to a couple of hotels. The place looks pretty clean and nice and my server was good. The décor is fitting and I like the separation of the restaurant and bar. Although the noise carries loudly into the restaurant area, so if you’re looking for a quitter restaurant this might not be the place. I ordered the cheese curds and rath pasta with blackened chicken and bacon. I washed it down with a root beer. The root beer was okay but there’s a small after taste I can’t place. Overall everything tasted good and the pasta was pretty tasty and a good amount. The menu has more than just German food so I’d say there was a good variety. So as far as my experience and expectation, everything was good. But I’ll agree with some other reviews, it’s a little more than I’d like to pay. I think the curds were over and the pasta after I added on the 2 items came out to $ 15 the pasta over $ 16 plus a drink makes for a pricey dinner.

Sprecher’s is great for a large group; very accommodating wait staff, handled the big table well, and everyone found something on the menu that they liked.
Food is pretty standard pub fare and was good, not impressive. I was not expecting to be blown away, and it did not disappoint.
Their beers were hit or miss — I had the Scotch Ale and hated it, and someone else got the Hefe Weiss and raved about it. The root beer is delicious, and I plan to stick to that in the future.

I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed Sprecher’s yet because they are a hidden gem in some ways that people in the Madison area should frequent more often.
Why do I say that? Their outdoor patio. It is fantastic, easily my favorite in Madison. It can occasionally get busy but of the dozen or so times I’ve been there it’s usually very comfortable and not crowded. They have firepit tables, trickling ponds, a big lively central bar where people are always having a great time, TVs for the games, and a live band on most weekends.
I think the spacing is crucial, everything just feels very open and welcoming. On a nice summer day where you want one of their delicious cool beverages and some food, they have you covered. The bands they have vary, but they always play at an appropriate conversation volume which I see many restaurants get wrong (I’m looking you Claddagh!). And the music is agreeable to a wide range in my opinion; often folk or bluesy stuff, not hard rock, metal, or rap. Not that there’s anything wrong with those genres, but this planned choice makes them more accessible without a doubt.
If you’re a meat eater you’ll want to get one of their burgers; nothing terribly exceptional but one of the better menu choices and you get your money’s worth. Their cheese curds, nachos, and other bar style appetizers are reasonable too. That’s about where I stop with the food train, because unfortunately most of the other dishes I’ve had were a big miss or overly expensive for my budget. Burgers and Apps will keep you in the $ 10 – 12 or less per item range, but most dinners are $ 15 and up, so the bill gets high fast. And at that price I’d like to be wow’d a bit more. Everything on their menu sounds tasty, but the execution in my experience has just been off. And friends have echoed this as well so it’s not just my own interpretations.
Service can be good at times or just ok, I’d like to see more consistency on that end but the last few times I’ve been have been positive. Sometimes it seems like they have too many people staffed, looking bored or wandering around aimlessly when my party is sitting waiting for drinks/​food or a table. Orders have been occasionally wrong, but again nothing recently on that front. These are easily improvable areas, they seem to be on the right track, and nothing has been terrible so I’m happy to keep returning for that beautiful patio.
That’s the gist of it, if you haven’t been please make a point to get there before the summer is over. The patio is just fantastic, and while parts of the inside are nice too, the outdoor section is just something you can’t miss.

We just hosted my Dad’s surprise 70^th Birthday party at Sprecher’s and I have to say, from the get go, everyone we worked with was over the top accommodating and such a pleasure. Planning this event from the West Coast could have been very challenging, however, I felt such at ease walking into the place on that afternoon. Angie, our waitress, was on point with every request and such a pleasure to work with. The appetizers were great, and due to a restricted medical diet, they had a great selection of vegetarian options!
I highly recommend this place for casual drinks, get togethers with family, or to listen to the live music!
We cannot thank you all enough for such a wonderful day that my Dad will remember forever!

I wanted to love this place because they have tasty root beer and I was excited to sample the brewery in its home state.
The beer — delicious. I had a Hefe Weiss — light and refreshing. The root beer tastes the same as if straight from the bottle.
That is where the good part of the experience ends. The Thai lettuce wraps taste like a lean cuisine orange chicken dish was microwaved and served with butter lettuce. Horrible. Also had the Thursday rib special — half a rack of ribs with two sides. The onion rings leave more to be desired a slightly soggy. The jalapeño slaw is just dry cabbage and jalapeño. More appropriately named a cabbage salad.
Come for the beer, and go to a different place for the food. Spechers I expected more from you. Revamp your food to match your delicious beer.

The ambiance was excellent and the ouside seating had a lot to offer. Unfortunately, the service was poor. It took nearly 40min for our server to take our order. In fact, another waiter had to step in and take our order. Once the food came it was cold and flavorless and the bacon was leathery.
Bottom line, drinks on the patio are a great idea, skip the food.

Sprecher always sounds like a good idea, and I always go in with high hopes only to leave feeling slightly disappointed with the food.
The menu has a great variety and everything sounds good, but when you get your food it’s always just okay… nothing special or memorable.
I go here for the atmosphere more than anything. The outdoor area is super nice. There are tons of tables with comfortable seating including some with fire pits in the middle. The outdoor bar has huge TVs and fans. It’s a really cool place to hang out and great for groups! Did I mention that the happy hour prices are amazing? $ 3 for a beer!
They have lots unique drink options. The alcoholic ginger beer is very good and refreshing on a hot summer day. The alcoholic root beer isn’t very good; I wouldn’t order it again.