Roxbury Tavern

Had some hit and miss experiences at Roxbury. First went here a few years back when wait at the Dorf House was too long (or it wasn’t open, can’t remember which), and have occasionally eaten here ever since. Service is always good and friendly. Atmosphere is quirky in a good way. Beers on tap are diverse and interesting (with some nice less common local options). Reason why I can’t give it a higher rating is because we have had some great meals here, but occasionally you will get something that is a real miss. Menu items are a bit all over the place, so that may be the driver of the wide variance in food quality.

We have frequented this quaint little bar a few times now…never to be disappointed. The service is friendly. The meals are homemade. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming. I can’t believe how many people pass this place up to head a few doors down. This is a gem and a do not miss. Nightly specials. . Great burgers.

This is my most favorite place in Wisconsin. I’m not exaggerating. It’s the coziest, friendliest, most heart-​of-​gold place.
Stop for a beer and a burger on the way to Devils Lake. Or get comfort food on Italian night. Don’t be in a hurry — the food and service isn’t slow, but it’s the kind of place that lends itself to conversation with strangers or a round of cribbage with friends.
For the semi-​regulars:
On my last visit, the owner Tom seems to be recuperating really well and he is getting around great with a cane. Go Tom go!
Bartender/​server Lisa has the greatest energy. Love talking to her. Thanks for all you do!
This place. Ten thousand stars. It always feels like home.

This place is great! Good food, neat atmosphere, and makes for a great country drive! Definitely recommend checking this place out!

\\We frequent the Roxbury Tavern often and find the the food has always been consistantly excellent, especially the lasagne. and homemade soups… The veggie burger is homemade as well, and the dusted kaiser buns are fresh and very good. A large beer selection is available with many dark varieties.
The décor is a little hap-​hazard for me, as it is a wonderful historic building, but to each their own as the owner is a one of a kind nice man, who doesn’t tolerate bad behavior or foul mouths, …worth a trip to decide for yourself

The Roxbury may very well be my favorite tavern in all of Wisconsin. It has a certain trancendental atmosphere once you plant yourself at the bar long enough.
Quirky, yes. It’s a highly original establishment, serving top quality food and drink as well. I highly recommend the Roxburger with the works, or the salmon special if they have it.
Arrived midday to see the smoker fired up on the porch, which was a welcome sight. Local breweries Lake Louie and Port Huron on tap, plus Lake Louie brewery swag if that’s your bag.
Fun rotating menu that changes with daily specials, plus an annual piano-​burning party that’s the stuff of legend. Worth making the detour every time.
Cash only, ATM on premise. Also, i’ve seen plenty of cyclists in here every time I go. They have a no large groups policy on their website, so don’t bring the whole peloton.

We were a group of 5 and everyone raved about their meal! Sides & Sandwiches every night, Mexican & Pizza on Tuesday, Italian Wednesday, Fish Friday (half pound of Alaskan Pollock/​homemade french fries/10.95), Cajun/​Creole Saturday (I had their amazing Pork Tenderloin Medallions). Save room for their homemade desserts! Best ever ~ really! Worth the short drive!

If you intend to come as a group, you might want to think again. The owner can be extremely unfriendly to groups and seems to have a particular dislike for groups of bicyclists.

We love the Roxbury Tavern. It’s a funky, eclectic place with great food and excellent service. There are some unusual touches that I particularly like… homemade jalapeño ketchup, homemade sweet and spicy pickle chips, spinach instead of iceburg lettuce on their fantastic burgers, tartar sauce with capers. The atmosphere is great too, from the canoe hanging from the ceiling to the books lining the walls. We’ve eaten at the Roxbury Tavern many times and have never had a bad meal no matter what we ordered.
Definitely worth a drive out from Madison. You won’t be disappointed. Bring cash or your checkbook; they don’t take credit cards.

I stopped by for the first time after going to Wollersheim for their brandy event. Wollersheim did a great job with tasting at different tour stations, but the place was a zoo due to popularity, and the place had an over-​sanitized feel, though this is necessary to provide a venue for the crowds.
So, then, looking for something laid-​back and homey, went into Roxbury, and the Dorf Haus wasn’t open yet (good reviews on Unilocal). The Roxbury Tavern was, and although I had read the hiccuppy reviews, it looked welcoming, and it was. Sitting at the bar was a feast for the eye — — great hanging things and odd bar-​ish things. The Port Huron stout was a semi-​decent brew, and then noticed a sign for grilled asparagus for $ 3.95. From where I was sitting, I could watch the burgers being made on the grill (done with style and care) and then how the asparagus was grilled (vegetarians be careful — — it was done in the same spot on the same griddle as the burgers). The asparagus was super tasty on a bed of spring greens with lemon (though a touch heavy due to the old burger flavor and post-​grill butter drippings), the people were really nice (especially the waittrix, who was super genuine and naturally fun, not over-​the-​top manic fun — — but genuinely nice), and the atmosphere was actually kind of rare and wonderful. I’ll head up there happily from MIddleton again (under half an hour) to sit at the bar, with the really nice people, on both sides of the bar. Next time I’ll also get a burger. A really fine experience.

I’ve passed-​by the Roxbury Tavern on a number of occasions — usually while riding my bike or when visiting the Dorf Haus for their awesome fish fry. Folks have been telling me about the Tavern’s Sunday breakfast for quite a while, but for some reason I never made the special trip to give it a try until this past weekend.
I arrived at around 11:00am and was nervous the place would be too full. Upon entering, I was pleasantly surprised to find that only 2 tables were occupied, and the waitress invited me to «sit where you’d like.»
I grabbed a corner table and took-​in the ambiance, which is quite political, but light-​hearted. There’s also a wide array of items — it gave me the feeling of visiting that semi-​nutty aunt who’s on the brink of becoming a hoarder, but in a good way.
The waitress stopped by with a menu and offered coffee. I took it, along with a glass of water. I didn’t need the menu, as I was there for one thing, and one thing alone: the Roxbury’s infamous pancakes.
Yes, the pancakes that you’ve probably heard about — the fresh-​milled organic ones that are supposed to be divine.
I ordered the blueberry pancakes and settled-​in. A small group of bicyclists wandered in, grabbed a table, and received prompt service as well. The waitstaff was obviously on their A game this morning.
As was the kitchen, because my pancakes arrived after just five minutes of waiting. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. The three pacakes were served with a single pat of butter, a bottle of real maple syrup, and a trio of pork sausage links.
I wished there would’ve been more butter, but alas, I did my best to evenly distribute the pat. A light drizzle of syrup, and I was ready dig-​in.
The pancakes were piping hot; the first bite was a bit too hot to taste, so I went for the sausage links — same story. So, I cooled my jets for a bit…
After a few minutes of waiting, I got my first real tastes, and… underwhelming. Perhaps I had built-​them-​up too much beforehand, but they didn’t taste any better or different than the pancakes from anywhere else… and, I think I prefer the Pancake House and Willalby’s much more.
They weren’t bad; they were just unimpressive… On the thin side, light on blueberry, cooked «average» and not really exciting or unique. The pork wasn’t anything spectacular, either. So, the entire breakfast was a solid C.
The price was fair, the service was great, and I liked the environment.
Roxbury = MEH
Service = 4 stars
Food = 2.5 stars
Value = 3 stars
MISC = 3 stars
If you’re feeling like a little road trip, drive on up to Roxbury and check out the Tavern. The egg breakfasts I saw looked good from afar… perhaps I’ll have to give them a try in the future.

We went for brunch on Sunday and it was quite nice. Really not busy, which was pleasant. Awesome bar. The menu was small, but the eggs were great. They also brought out a tray of full-​jar jams. Lots of charm and good service

Woohoo! As good as it gets! Tons of books. From Palin to Plato to the Guinness Book of World Records on shelves in the tavern. They also make great sweet and spicy pickle chips seasonally and have seasonal Lake Louie on tap.

Those of us who used to enjoy the drive from Madison to the Roxbury Tavern are heartbroken by the slow downward spiral of the Roxbury Tavern. Had you visited in its heyday, you would have feasted your eyes on all sorts of iconoclastic local humor and a décor that reflected and sometimes surpassed the ambiance of a north woods tavern. However, for reasons that cannot be fathomed, the Roxbury Tavern has suffered the blight of a fern bar wannabee, a failed make-​over that gutted the charm and replaced it with an unsettling color scheme reminiscent of an Amazing Journey through some section the small intestine. It does not lend itself now to good digestion. The transformation seems to have been engineered to filter out the younger and adventurous crowd and welcome the richer retired geriatrics, and the changes to the pricing and menu add to this conclusion, with downtown prices that are completely out of character for the community and other local eateries. If you can’t afford a $ 5 beer, we don’t want you in here.
The service is russian roulette. On a good day you might be blessed with the cheerful and helpful Michelle. If the gods are not smiling upon you, there is the chance you will be cursed with the abrasive and rude Rhonda and have one of those «my pooh don’t stink» experiences that the patrons complain about quietly. God help you if you arrive with 12 members of you research lab and share a table… if you need to leave early and pay your bill independently of the the others at your table… Rhonda will tell you to appoint a treasurer and work out your portion of the bill with him or her! Laziness is antithetical to good service. This is a relatively recent development. In times past we remember fondly some helpers that provided good service.
On the plus side, the tavern offers some fund raising benefits for worthy causes, provides a place for some political candidates to garner support, and there is some good free music on occasions, all welcome and a great service to the community. For that reason alone some of us return and continue to support the tavern.
However, if you goal is to eat good food at a reasonable price, this possibility is now less likely than it was in the days before the intestinal pink redecorating effort.
If you are constipated and need to quickly have your bowels loosened, consider ordering one of the items that has been fermenting in the nesco cooker all day or heated up in a microwave after being frozen after its previous incubation in the nesco. For example, the so called burrito or taco that no Central American would recognize by appearance or taste. Think hamburger helper in a limp tortilla.
If you want the authentic small town friday fish fry experience, you might be surprised at the jaw workout as you attempt to masticate the doggie chew toy texture of the chinese pollock from the discount rack of the Piggly Wiggly. Unlike the tender flakey cod or haddock samplings you might expect from your Catholic church basement fish fry, you will be wondering how the cheapest, lowest grade fish in such tiny portions could possibly be worth eight or nine bucks. But you won’t know if your intestinal distress is being caused by the fish or the limp fried potatoes, which rather than being prepared in the Belgian manner, have been boiled in oil, not at the optimum temperature for crispy results, but rather at the perfect temperature for producing a dull brown limp and greasy mess that will increase your intestinal motility so rapidly that you won’t be wanting any more of the fish.
To avoid any of the internal discomfort that might be confused for dysentery, stick with the deep fried selections, despite the poor preparation. The likelihood of killing off pathogens is higher with the hot oil bath. The microbiologists of my association have suggested this plan. Avoid the lasagna (which seems to have undergone a transformation not for the better in the past 2 years). Avoid any sandwich with meatlike materials that have been incubating in the Nesco. The burgers are occasionally okay but on occasion the meat has been gamey and indicates that something was kept in the refrigerator a few days longer than was wise. Carry most towelettes or antibacterial solution in case your fingers should inadvertently brush up against the table top or chair.
The menu has been pared down over the years and some more ambitious items have been removed. The decision making has been simplified. If you eliminate the cautionary items, you have just a few choices remaining. If you arrive on a ‘theme’ night, where you will find spagetti or ‘cajun’ style offerings, apply the general principles and avoid anything that has a stewed element to it. The scallops have been known to have a rather bitter flavor, so avoid those. The ‘cajun’ offerings involve a rather parsimonious spoonful of spiced stew ingredients and it will probably not satisfy a normal person’s appetite, even if you are brave enough to risk the squirt