Missing Mom’s Cooking? Madison’s Comfort Fuel Must-Haves are Here to Help!
When you are cold, homesick, and craving a meal cooked with love, here are some of Madison’s coziest comfort restaurants to cure that homesickness. To find the best, I set out to find the perfect atmosphere: casual and warm, dim-lit yet vibrant. Comfort food can mean many things, different to each individual and family, depending on what makes you feel right at home. I set out to find the basics, the best soups, Macs, sandwiches, and shareables, and I found my new three favorite restaurants: Coopers Tavern, 107 State, and Tipsy Cow.
Cooper Tavern is one of my favorite places to eat out in Madison because the atmosphere is immediately cozy and warm once you step inside. The second reason is that everything on that menu is cooked with enough love to call it comfort food. This tavern has great seating, an excellent bar, and a fantastic staff. So get cozy, come hungry, and enjoy.
When we think of comfort food, we may go to Mac and Cheese, maybe tomato soup, or a good sandwich, and the good news is that these are rated customer favorites here at Coopers Tavern. The Pork Belly Mac, as they call it, is a full entree that presents a plate of Mac and Cheese with pork belly pieces arranged on top. I love pork belly and Mac and Cheese, but I was hesitant with this matchup. It was as if UW-Madison and the University of Michigan decided to join football teams. However, of course, this was the first thing I ordered, and let me tell you, it will be on my table every time I go there. Coopers Tavern also hits our comfort food spot with another fantastic dish that my brother got, a grilled cheese sandwich with harvest soup, and what a beautiful presentation it was on the plate. The grilled cheese is handcrafted with Wisconsin Cheddar, whipped goat cheese, and fresh basil on grilled sourdough toast. On the side is a delicious warm cup of their Harvest soup, a roasted red pepper, and tomato soup with blue cheese crumbles. I know. I am drooling, too.
Coopers Tavern has a diverse menu of exceptional dishes, from appetizers to desserts, and is known for its extensive beer and cider lists. Going to dinner there once was not an option, and there were too many amazing things on the menu, so what was I forced to do? Go back, this time with my parents.
Now, I may be the only one who classifies a chicken sandwich as comfort food, but this sandwich has to be the best chicken sandwich I have ever had. Coopers Tavern, you have outdone yourself truly. Their chicken sandwich consists of breaded chicken breast, sliced apples, bacon, Gruyere, and Wisconsin Maple syrup aioli on a pretzel bun. I can give you a second to read that line again if necessary.
Since trying Coopers Tavern for the first time, it continues to hit every box I need to cure homesickness: a cozy vibe, great food, and kind people. Check out their brunch menu, offered Saturday and Sunday, 10 am-2:30 pm. It looks unreal!
107 State is another, more upscale tavern that adds Italian influence to its dishes. Located at 107 State Street, this tavern has the same dimmed atmosphere that allows you to sit back and relax. Slide into a booth, remove your coats, and open that massive menu. Tip #1 is to come not hungry but absolutely starving.
As I opened the menu, my eyes were immediately drawn to big bold letters printed, “The Burger Lab.” I was already captivated by the title, just as I was to learn their meat is from Jenifer St. Market, a small business in Madison known for selling the finest meats and fresh produce, as well as the best beer selection in town. In The Burger Lab, I had two options: The Dairyland Bliss, a double smash burger with American Cheese, Griddled Onion, Bread, and buttered pickles with Wisco Sauce. Next was The Gar-licky, another smash burger with garlic confit compound butter, Sharp Cheddar, lemon aioli, and romaine. Enough said, I was still thinking, what could Wisco sauce be? Burgers are a lot of people’s top comfort food. This one will do the trick if you want a burger to take you back to a good time, like a summer barbeque. The Dairyland Bliss burger, which my friend ordered, looked like it was sculpted to perfection. With just one bite, it was easy to tell how juicy and tasty it was, I am just kidding, I had more than one bite.
Now, this place has all the steaks and porks and salmons anyone could wish for, but that was not my mission; I needed my comfort food, my cozy, grounding, and calming favorites that brought me right back home. For me, this is pasta. What can I say? I was born and bred into a carb-loving family, and pasta was a frequent dinner meal. The Pasta Bar, written in bold on the menu, immediately drew my eye. Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, with butter, Black Pepper, and Pecorino, my favorite type of pasta worldwide, was obviously the first one listed. It took strength to read any further. Next is a Penne Ala Vodka, a dish of penne tossed in Vodka, Tomato Cream Sauce, and a touch of chili, another highly rated pasta here at 107 State. The list goes on: Fettuccine with broccoli, pepperoncini, Pecorino, and butter, I mean, come on! Rigatoni with Bolognese is a great choice as well. The Pasta Bar was nothing short of impressive. It was an easy choice for me. I told the waiter about one order of the Cacio e Pepe.
The dish came out, and I swear there was a twinkle in my eye: a perfect bowl of delicious creamy pasta made with love and crafted to perfection. 107 State’s black pepper pasta made it to my Cacio e Pepe number one spot, passing New York City’s NoMo Kitchen in SoHo.
To add another amazing fact about the spectacular 107 State Menu, a special offer stands on Thursdays after 9 pm and Fridays/ Saturdays after 10 pm, an indescribable Late Night Menu featuring their signature dishes from their pasta bar and nightly specials. Drop in after your night on the town!
Tipsy Cow is another infamous Madison downtown joint with a lot of character, fantastic food, and a cozy and casual atmosphere. Upon sitting in the dimly lit restaurant, there is an array of tables, booths, and bar seats for your choice of a dinner vibe. I prefer bar seats and chose to sit right up front for a full experience. The staff was welcoming and kind and helped me pick between the insane amount of choices, from starters to desserts. Let me tell you, this is by far the most choices I have ever seen on a menu for starters and sharing plates. The Alligator Bites was one plate that shocked me to see as the first starter on this diverse menu. Yes, this entails farm-raised alligator, battered and deep fried, served with Cajun dipping sauce, and the choice of making the dish “Marky mark” style, otherwise known as buffalo. This is one of their highly rated and recommended dishes.
The Tipsy Cow has every kind of comfort food you seek, from their crispy chicken wings, fried cheese curds, chicken fritters, hot soft pretzels, fried pickles, Korean BBQ fries, truffle fries, tator tors, and, of course, nachos. I did not mention at least ten other platters, all unique and made to perfection. It was overwhelming, to say the least, and I had no idea what to pick or expect. After a long time, my friend and I decided to split two starters, one being hot soft pretzels and another order of wings.
As we continued through the menu, I was shocked to see just how much comfort food this place had and how unique they made each classic dish with twists and touches. They have fun salads, like their truffled mushroom salad and a tequila chicken salad. Tequila? Chicken salad? I know; I had my questions, too. So I asked, and I learned that the salad includes grilled or crispy, tequila-glazed chicken with guacamole, orange segments, tortilla strips, chipotle vinaigrette, and pico de gallo. My jaw dropped to the floor, I dropped my menu on the bar, and said, “I am sold.”
The soup choices feel like home, from their tipsy chili to their clam chowder, house-made with Sassy Cow cream, and their tomato soup, which they garnished with cheese curds. Tipsy Cow also offers a homey meal of Mac and Cheese, tacos, and burritos.
My next battle was choosing from their sandwich menu. Twenty-one choices range from burgers to melts, sandwiches, grilled cheeses, and clubs—another simply overwhelming decision.
I skimmed until my eyes met a sandwich that would go down as one of my favorite sandwiches I have had to this day. The truffle portabella mushroom sandwich is a roasted portabella mushroom paired with black truffle, Roth Kase Gruyere cheese, baby arugula, and aioli. It came out on a crispy sourdough, and the mushroom was sauteed in garlic and butter, making it juicy with a hint of black truffle. The gruyere melted perfectly over the mushroom, and layered on top of that was the arugula, tossed in olive oil. The aioli was on both sides of the bread, creating the ultimate flavor experience.
The Tipsy Cow is an upbeat, casual spot that is warm and cozy to cure your homesickness and comes with food cooking with lots of love and fun. Their unique touches on each dish bring a fun twist to what comfort food can be. Add this to your restaurant list, it is a must!
