We dined the last night Fresco will be open. It was excellent and made us sad that it is closing. We hope the space will go to another amazing restaurant. The views are terrific and the ambiance is great.
Emerson
Fresco will be missed in the Madison culinary scene. It was one of the best restaurants in a city with many contenders. We went on its final day for one last dinner. The food was superb, especially the corn soup, NY strip steak, chicken, and flourless chocolate cake. The entire staff is always friendly and professional, and their last day was no exception. We ate outside on an unseasonably warm evening, so it was quiet. Prices were always reasonable for well-prepared meals using excellent ingredients. Best wishes to all of their staff!
papa
Staff was very helpful and friendly. My dinner was disappointing. Pork was in need of an extra sharp knife. Not tender at all. Besides not having a lot of flavor dinner was COLD. Other items on plate were no better than what we could buy at super market. Cocktail was unique, very good although expensive. Dessert was also very good. I am not speaking for my wife. She enjoyed hers very much. I would never order that dish again. If there is a next time I will bring a bag from Culvers. This was a birthday celebration for my wife John Policello
MitchellH
We came in with a reservation, and a table was already prepared for us. The waiter was incredibly kind, and offered great suggestions. What a great restaurant with phenomenal views!
Ariana Haase
The appetizers are fantastic. Entrees are good. Service was wonderful and it has a beautiful view of the Capital building!
Kaela R.
I've been to Fresco a handful of times over the years and I always look forward to dining here. This place is such a gem in downtown Madison. The food is delicious, the service has always been great, and I've never been disappointed by the beautiful view of state street. Definitely worth a visit, especially if it's warm enough to enjoy the patio. During this particular visit September 2021 We ordered the pork loin, tortellini, and the Beignets. I recommend booking a reservation well in advance if you can as the restaurant is on the smaller side and they fill up on the weekends.Pork Loin
anonymous
At this time, I would not recommend this restaurant based off my one experience. The service and location is wonderful, however, the food really left something to be desired. Some items were incredibly salty while others were bland or even unpleasantly bitter. They were kind to remove the items from the bill, however I was ultimately left disappointed with a mine and my partners birthday dinner.
Keith Griffin
Very nice meal here. Sat outside in the rooftop by this sculpture which is very familiar as it's also on display at the FDR memorial in DC. A bit disconcerting to see the original on the roof of a restaurant in Madison Wisconsin until you realize its also an art museum building.
GrayT
We sat outside on the terrace at sunset. It was a beautiful view. Our server was wonderful and went out of her way to accommodate my daughter who has food allergies. We very much appreciated it. Sadly they were out of the duck I wanted to order. The airline chicken was an excellent fill in.
DanT
To eat outside with the Madison capital your drop back as well as to feel the energy of State Street was amazing. What made the visit even better was our service. Our waitress went beyond taking care of our group; from advise on a starter or cocktail to just plain hustling.
My wife and I had an absolutely fantastic meal. Chef Matt and crew are top notch as always. The venue also has quite the view from the rooftop. Highly recommend.
Kyle Patton
Fresco is phenomenal. The service was great, the food was expertly prepared, and creative in a way that really inspires me. I had been wanting to dine here for a couple years now and finally made reservations to make it out last night.Our server offered to take a photo for us, was attentive, and gave us the space we needed to have a very romantic evening. I can’t recommend this place enough.I was most impressed with expertly paired flavors on the menu, most notably in the chilled sweet corn soup. It was the best soup I have ever had.After our evening here, we discussed how professionally trained the staff was and how they made our night feel so special, in such a romantic and delicate experience that we will always treasure.I plan to eat at Fresco again soon to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. Couldn’t have been a more pleasant experience.
Deborah
We love the Food Fight restaurants and want to give them all 5 stars. However, Fresco, good as it was, did not totally meet our favorite things list. The main issue is.... what happened to hot food? I don't think Anything was hot, but I missed it most with the scallops. They were fine, but just a few minutes under the broiler just before bringing them to the table would have helped to enjoy them as hot enough cooked food. Not asking for overdone tough scallops - fine line to walk - but they were barely warm. The steak was fairly comparable. Hard to send back scallops, at least, for a few more minutes under broiler because so many vegetables and other ingredients were part of the ensemble on plate.4 stars is still a good review! Please patronize them. A beautiful rooftop restaurant with artworks surrounding you. Service was impeccable. Have a Aperol Spritz too! Delicious!
LoveGoldens
We had a lovely dinner. Tables were appropriately spaced . We could easily hear each other. The food was delicious. The menu was not extensive but there was a range of choices and prices were reasonable. The portion size was nice - not huge and not tiny either. Just right! I am sorry Fresco is closing. It will definitely be a loss. Enjoy it while it is here!
SgtMike
Meal at Fresco was outstanding. Server Jenna was great. The food looked and tasted fantastic. Sorry to hear that Fresco will be closing this year. We always ate here before going to a show at Overture Center.
We dined the last night Fresco will be open. It was excellent and made us sad that it is closing. We hope the space will go to another amazing restaurant. The views are terrific and the ambiance is great.
Fresco will be missed in the Madison culinary scene. It was one of the best restaurants in a city with many contenders. We went on its final day for one last dinner. The food was superb, especially the corn soup, NY strip steak, chicken, and flourless chocolate cake. The entire staff is always friendly and professional, and their last day was no exception. We ate outside on an unseasonably warm evening, so it was quiet. Prices were always reasonable for well-prepared meals using excellent ingredients. Best wishes to all of their staff!
Staff was very helpful and friendly. My dinner was disappointing. Pork was in need of an extra sharp knife. Not tender at all. Besides not having a lot of flavor dinner was COLD. Other items on plate were no better than what we could buy at super market. Cocktail was unique, very good although expensive. Dessert was also very good. I am not speaking for my wife. She enjoyed hers very much. I would never order that dish again. If there is a next time I will bring a bag from Culvers. This was a birthday celebration for my wife John Policello
We came in with a reservation, and a table was already prepared for us. The waiter was incredibly kind, and offered great suggestions. What a great restaurant with phenomenal views!
The appetizers are fantastic. Entrees are good. Service was wonderful and it has a beautiful view of the Capital building!
I've been to Fresco a handful of times over the years and I always look forward to dining here. This place is such a gem in downtown Madison. The food is delicious, the service has always been great, and I've never been disappointed by the beautiful view of state street. Definitely worth a visit, especially if it's warm enough to enjoy the patio. During this particular visit September 2021 We ordered the pork loin, tortellini, and the Beignets. I recommend booking a reservation well in advance if you can as the restaurant is on the smaller side and they fill up on the weekends.Pork Loin
At this time, I would not recommend this restaurant based off my one experience. The service and location is wonderful, however, the food really left something to be desired. Some items were incredibly salty while others were bland or even unpleasantly bitter. They were kind to remove the items from the bill, however I was ultimately left disappointed with a mine and my partners birthday dinner.
Very nice meal here. Sat outside in the rooftop by this sculpture which is very familiar as it's also on display at the FDR memorial in DC. A bit disconcerting to see the original on the roof of a restaurant in Madison Wisconsin until you realize its also an art museum building.
We sat outside on the terrace at sunset. It was a beautiful view. Our server was wonderful and went out of her way to accommodate my daughter who has food allergies. We very much appreciated it. Sadly they were out of the duck I wanted to order. The airline chicken was an excellent fill in.
To eat outside with the Madison capital your drop back as well as to feel the energy of State Street was amazing. What made the visit even better was our service. Our waitress went beyond taking care of our group; from advise on a starter or cocktail to just plain hustling.
Restaurantji Recommends
My wife and I had an absolutely fantastic meal. Chef Matt and crew are top notch as always. The venue also has quite the view from the rooftop. Highly recommend.
Fresco is phenomenal. The service was great, the food was expertly prepared, and creative in a way that really inspires me. I had been wanting to dine here for a couple years now and finally made reservations to make it out last night.Our server offered to take a photo for us, was attentive, and gave us the space we needed to have a very romantic evening. I can’t recommend this place enough.I was most impressed with expertly paired flavors on the menu, most notably in the chilled sweet corn soup. It was the best soup I have ever had.After our evening here, we discussed how professionally trained the staff was and how they made our night feel so special, in such a romantic and delicate experience that we will always treasure.I plan to eat at Fresco again soon to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. Couldn’t have been a more pleasant experience.
We love the Food Fight restaurants and want to give them all 5 stars. However, Fresco, good as it was, did not totally meet our favorite things list. The main issue is.... what happened to hot food? I don't think Anything was hot, but I missed it most with the scallops. They were fine, but just a few minutes under the broiler just before bringing them to the table would have helped to enjoy them as hot enough cooked food. Not asking for overdone tough scallops - fine line to walk - but they were barely warm. The steak was fairly comparable. Hard to send back scallops, at least, for a few more minutes under broiler because so many vegetables and other ingredients were part of the ensemble on plate.4 stars is still a good review! Please patronize them. A beautiful rooftop restaurant with artworks surrounding you. Service was impeccable. Have a Aperol Spritz too! Delicious!
We had a lovely dinner. Tables were appropriately spaced . We could easily hear each other. The food was delicious. The menu was not extensive but there was a range of choices and prices were reasonable. The portion size was nice - not huge and not tiny either. Just right! I am sorry Fresco is closing. It will definitely be a loss. Enjoy it while it is here!
Meal at Fresco was outstanding. Server Jenna was great. The food looked and tasted fantastic. Sorry to hear that Fresco will be closing this year. We always ate here before going to a show at Overture Center.