Trail Of Beers: Broadway

The seam at the edge of Madison and Monona is just right for a lazy afternoon of stuffing one’s face and washing it down with alcoholic libations. South Towne land lays claim to a surprisingly rich tavern terrain for the bar crawler, packed tightly with quality, budget-friendly food and drink. The A.V. Club recently ate and drank our way through Broadway.

South Bay Lounge (5404 Raywood Ave., 608-222-6382)
Excellent service and creative bar cuisine are the hallmarks of just-off Broadway South Bay Lounge, a vaguely tropical-themed restaurant and bar. This is no gastropub, just a Wisconsin bar that calls its fish-fry “the best in town.” Bountiful salads and specials like a burger with melted pepper-jack cheese and crisped bacon help to dismantle stereotypes of bar food: This towering achievement in burger architecture is massive enough that significant profit margins seem unlikely, especially with the giant pile of french fries alongside. Whether South Bay takes in the shorts on this one or not, it’s clear that a chef in love with cooking haunts the kitchen.
Wisco detail: The bartender/waitress calls all patrons “hon” and is super-efficient, warm, and possibly a mind-reader.

One of the South Bay Lounge's artery crushing burgers.

Antlers Tavern (‪2202 W. Broadway‬, ‪Monona, 608-222-9872‬)
Antlers cuts the imposing gloom of its narrow confines with light emanating from its namesake animal horns over the two pool tables in the back room. Burgers, mini-pizzas, and bags of chips are the main sustenance here, along with tap beer. The odor of antiseptic fighting with permanently burned-in smoke initially provokes a fight-or-flight reaction, but after a few minutes it’s less alarming; olfactory sense in humans is amazingly adaptable.
Wisco detail: Burgers are grilled in a little hooded enclosure called the “Gomez Grease Machine.”

The Tower Inn (1008 E. Broadway, Monona, 608-222-7855)
The Tower Inn’s boxy space might work well as an energetic nightclub with its high ceilings and generous square footage, but instead the owners opted for a sunny and low-key sports bar with fish-fry and dinner specials boosting bar food staples like chicken strips and burgers. An unadorned hamburger is a giant patty on a seeded bun and served with chips, plenty of food for even a hungry full-grown adult.
Wisco detail: The daily drink specials mean cheap, cheap beer to go with shooting pool and pitching darts.

‪Joe's Fire Station‬ (‪900 E. Broadway‬, ‪Monona, 608-222-5788‬)
Not much food here beyond vacuum-sealed snacks in bags, but having a drink at ‪Joe's Fire Station‬ is enjoyable purely for the high-concept execution of the converted fire station-turned-bar. The crusty proprietor is a bartender from another era, professional but clearly not someone who gives a fig if you stay or go.
Wisco detail: A placard on one wall tells of the “Fireman’s Lament,” a libidinous tale involving a fireman, his wife, a bedroom, and a burning building.

Bourbon Street Grille (6308 Metropolitan Lane, Monona, 608-222-4410)
The food at ‪Bourbon Street Grille is, unlike the rest of the entries here, overpriced and a little disappointing—nearly liquid crab cakes shouldn’t run 10 bucks, much less down one’s sleeve. The view of boaters floating down the river is fun, though, and eating fried alligator outside with cold beer has its charms.
Wisco detail: The uppermost deck is far above the waterway between Squaw Bay and Upper Mud Lake and seems to be the designated smoker’s area. Boaters on shore leave lounge up here puffing away, sunburnt and armed with cans of Miller Lite.

‪Bridge Lounge‬ ‬(‪6414 Bridge Rd., Monona, 608-221-3992‬)
The Bridge Lounge looks exactly like a sketchy dive bar from the outside and even shares a building with snake and lizard purveyor Reptile Rapture. But it turns out to be a classic Wisconsin family-owned joint with bumper pool, Skee-Ball, and four pool tables. The bartender will make nachos, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs, chicken wings, and other greasy snacks. Jalapeno pretzel poppers for two bucks are a salty, calorie-rich treat that go down easy while getting to know all the friendly bar patrons.
Wisco detail: The popcorn machine has little paper baskets in front and feeds a steady stream of semi-sloshed people who mostly knock pool balls around, chat at the bar, or duck out to the smoking porch.