BSR – Branch Street Retreat

I live maybe 2 minutes from this bar and would have eaten here every week if it didn’t suck so bad. Here is how it went: I walked up to the door on a Friday night and a scary woman, who I believe was an employee, just stood in the doorway and wouldn’t move or smile. The place was straight empty except for like 5 people, and when I walked in the door it was like a movie scene, everyone there (a drunk guy by himself, 2 wasted girls sprawled over the bar, the mean looking door lady, and the bartender) all stop and just look at me angrily and the bartender just says «what do you want.» I felt the most UNWELCOME I have ever felt in a restaurant. I turned around and left because I felt so uncomfortable. One thing that is most important is that people feel safe and welcome in a restaurant and you could not pay me to go back to that place.

First off, I have to say the bar looks great! Awesome big screen tv’s, nice barstools, pool table, and foosball.
We decided to try this since we just moved to the area. There was only one guy there. Ask about a bottle of Raspberry Red and if I would need to purchase the bottle or if it was by the glass.
His response, «I don’t know the price, pick something else.»
Soooooo I pick something on tap. The he gives us the menus, points to the appetizers and states «We can only do the fried stuff. No burgers, no sandwiches.»
We should have just left after getting our drinks. But we didn’t. Food takes 30 minutes to come out. We were the only people there, no exaggeration. I ordered hot wings. First bite, I just about threw up. He never mentioned that the hot sauce was made with HABANERO PEPPERS! Or that it was going to be fried to a overcooked, crisp. When I went to speak with him that this was more like HOT HOT HOT sauce. He laughed and went, yeah, our sauce is definitely a lot hotter than other places.
No disclaimer on the menu, no warning about this before I ordered. I couldn’t enjoy the food and was sick the rest of the night.
He was eating a sandwich behind the bar and said «Yeah I don’t eat that fried crap; disgusting.»
It was definitely one of the most bizarre bar experiences I have ever had. And one of the worst.

I live nearby the bsr and have had a fair amount of bad and mediocre times there but the last time was the worst. I went with two other companions we all ordered cocktails. We were ask doubles or singles and not wanting to miss out on a good time took the doubles. They were the weakest drinks of all time maybe a tablespoon of liquor in each ($ 20 for the 3). I get that their business may be struggling but serving non-​alcoholic cocktails at extreme prices is no way to make it better. Please do better I need good bars in my neighborhood.

Hard-​working guys who deliver! Definitely recommend the fish tacos and fish fry on Friday! Fun place, clean.

The family and I really enjoy the new BSR. We have become regulars. The Saturday morning breakfast specials are a great deal. Weekday lunch specials feature excellent homemade soups. My dinner favorites include the FISH FRY, BBQ pork, and fish tacos. Looking forward many more visits.

Great deals for Saturday brunch and the Bloody Marys are loaded! It’s nice, clean, and friendly, so it’s a good place to go if you’re from out of town and looking for some real Wisconsin flavor without the place being a dive or the townies looking at you funny.
It’s got modern bar video games, live music, and it’s a excellent for watching sports. The new management has done a great job making it the most fun, clean, and family-​friendly place to hang out in Middleton!

The burgers here are really the best I’m town. We created a list of 25 bars in Madison for burgers and this is by far in the top 3!!!’

So, against better judgement I went back and tried this establishment, and I even decided to bring a friend of the female persuasion. Now she tends to tell me to try to start off with the positives so here goes:
First off there was only three cars in the lot, so there was plenty of parking. So empty in fact, I just couldn’t decide where to park. After three or four minutes of not able being able to decide, my lady friend told me to «pick a spot already, I’m starving!» After subjecting her to three hours of the desolation of smaug, I owed her a meal for her unfortunate torture.
We walked in, and even though management has changed, nothing has been updated. Not even the décor! Well actually the pennants on the wall have been removed, but at least the lame tacky signs that say silly stuff about beer (that you can buy at east towne) are still up.
The menu has been greatly reduced, and so have the dinner plates! They’ve replaced them with plastic baskets, and wax paper. We decided to start with cheese curds. For three dollars, we got a very minuscule amount of them. Which is good thing, because the last thing I wanted was to have to say «WOW THERE’S WAY TOO MANY CHEESE CURDS FOR US TO EAT!» We then got our food. I got a greasy cheeseburger and fries. It’s quite exciting to see the grease eat through the wax paper. In fact it’s like it was trying to escape it’s measly wax paper prison. That reminds me: At least I didn’t hear about a bartenders anal seepage.
In closing I am quite satisfied that this experience was much worse than my previous visitation of this so called establishment.
With hugs and kisses, and sacarsm,
Joshua M.

Nasty. Ordered wings with blue cheese dressing and the dressing was ranch with cubed potatoes in it. No blue cheese! I actually laughed so hard cause thats pathetic. Never again!

Absolutely one of the worst bars I have ever been to. You walk into the most generic looking «Bar and Grille» with bland floors, checkered bar tables and nothing more. Drinks are the same anywhere else if not a bit more expensive. I can’t say much on this awful place but this. On the one night I was there, the real «push over the ledge» was the bartender who was too busy enjoying the attention from some guy who may or may not have worked there and was behind the bar chatting her up; and oh who were both drunk… Then these words came out of her mouth «Anal Seepage.» We didn’t stay to listen to the context. My friend and I left immediately, left no tip and will never return.

Beer: check
Free popcorn: check
Nice bartender: check
Cool bar games: check
Parking: check
This place hit the spot after a long day of work and while I only had one drink, I would certainly come back for more if I could. I liked the feel of the place and found everyone there to be friendly. The beer selection was good and had typical Wisconsin options and a few other varities.

The best texmex reasonably priced in Madison/​Middleton, everything is homemade. The kitchen is under the new stuff this year (2012). Nachos are to die for (tortillas are homemade also), simple menu and great service.

Disappointed and Disgusted on a Friday Night
1. Unwanted objects in our pint glasses (a bug, and a hair from, um, «downstairs» eeewww)
2. A local radio station was blasting loud commercials and the music was few and far between. GET SOME SATELLITE RADIO!!! Or let people play the jukebox
3. One bartender was nice but he seemed to be doing all the work while the other bartender only chatted up people she knew. Annoying.

Been about a year since I have been there. Basically this is because it seems to have gone downhill. A couple years ago when I was first ever there (2009), it was a fun place with good employees, and patrons that were friendly and plentiful on certain nights. The drinks were good and the food was pub food. When I last decided to not go back, the drinks were one main reason. They became very weak! We would take shots in addition to our drinks and still feel fine, like the booze was watered down or something. The crowd seemed to diminish and there weren’t many randoms that one could start a conversation with.
Pluses: they have (had-​not sure) free popcorn, WIFI and some decent bands would come in.

The Branch Street retreat is a descent looking bar. It as all the up to date TV’s, pool tables, Jux, and dart boards. The problem with the place is that it consistently plays rap music and that there is no on ever there. If you want low key this is the place to go. There drinks are also on the expensive side and they are not very strong.
On the plus side their food is delicious, their service is usually quick (because no is there) and you can usually find a descent seat to watch a sporting event by yourself. They also are kind enough to sponsor many sports teams (at least mine) for the last year or so. So I would love for people to start going there to make the place that much better. The only thing this place lacks is the crowd!