Excellent ambiance and some of the best ramen I've had in the Madison area. Excited to try their sushi next time, which also looked incredible. The atmosphere is excellent for a moderately informal date or special occasion, or just grabbing a bite with friends. The cocktails were creative and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jessica M.
Tavernakaya is across the street from the State Capitol. Our group of 14 reserved a table a few days in advance for a Saturday lunch. For our party size, we had to provide credit card information to accommodate for a no show fee of $10 per person. They have a few tables at the front of the window which would put the State Capitol in direct view of a meal. Tavernakaya had planned for our party to be seated with Capitol views, however those tables are taller and not ideal for our party because of the young children. Instead, they accommodated and combined a few standard height tables towards the back of the restaurant. We tried several items from the menu: popcorn chicken, veggie tempura sushi roll, spicy TK miso ramen, TK tonkotsu ramen, sautéed udon with shrimp, and Japanese curry with pork. Overall, the food is a blend of multiple Asian countries without a very defining flavor profile. The popcorn chicken was a tad dry and the ramen did not arrive with hot broth. Although that is ideal for the young children in our party, I can't say the same for the adults. The pork belly was also extremely fatty. Understandably, it is pork belly and there should be fat but the fat should not be the majority. The veggie tempura sushi roll, sautéed udon, and Japanese curry were more redeeming and enjoyable. The staff was accommodating, friendly, and efficient. The location is convenient and parking was extremely easy, possibly because the farmers' market was moved to an indoor space for the winter.
Ukkarawas Seemaneepoot
Delicious sushi, good tasting iced tea.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kiro Chen
For the Madison downtown area. They're pretty good. The ramen and gyoza were solid and the mocktail they had was very good. Obviously they're not gonna be winning awards in Japan or anything but they're probably one of the better ramen spots in Madison in my opinion.Parking: It's located on the downtown square so no parking available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Denis D.
Oh boy! Fried rice, with cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage , and jalapeños and steak what a great find!!! I will be back!
Eloise
Greta spot for dinner! They have lots of smaller options that are affordable so you can try a few different dishes. I like the spicy tofu buns and the miso soup. Both dine in and to go dinner are great. The food comes out fast and there is normally not a wait time even if you don’t have a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Pork Buns
Jose Campo
Bad food! I could give zero if i could..Our first time to visit Madison and we went here to try some japanese food and it was a terrible experience! We could not eat the ramen, it seems like old and spoiled.. same with the sushi -- unfresh and almost saggy.. we had stomach ache later.. very disappointed with the food..
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Neil D.
Mediocre food and terrible interpersonal front of the house skills. We walked in for a late lunch, the hostess was on the phone, she didn't look up or give any sort of non verbal cues. The restaurant had plenty of seating and all seats at the bar were open. We took it upon ourselves to sit at the bar. We were immediately scolded by the shift manager, for not waiting for the hostess to seat us. After that a younger bartender took our order, we asked what's good. She had no recommendations as she is a self proclaimed picky eater. Our food arrived, underwhelmed (sushi and ramen). The bartender came back for last call (we ordered a Sapporo each)as they close at 2:00, for in between lunch and dinner service. Side note, we arrived at 1:45 and they failed to mention there is no real time for a Friday lunch. Our beer arrived and within 10 min they were sternly directing us to leave. Needless to say we left underwhelmed by the whole experiencewith full beers behind. Madison is a foodies dream, don't waste your time on this sub par nightmare.
Anjali Kase
We loved our experience here.. the staff was very accommodating of our 4 children, the food was outstanding, and the drinks were tasty. We live in Chicago but will definitely be back!
The happy hour menu is amazing! The tuna rolls are good. The veg fried rice was excellent with the mushrooms and veggies cooked perfectly. Decent vegan/veg options.The Ramen soup looked amazing--the soft-boiled egg & pork belly looked excellent! Very tasty meal & with happy hour it was easy to keep ordering food for a great price.The initial door host was a little rude--not welcoming or friendly at all ("Reservations?" was how she greeted us) but the waitstaff & barstaff were great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Oumou B.
Overall, the experience was pretty OK. I wasn't really overly impressed with the sushi but the tempura cheese curds were delicious. I would recommend to try the Fuji roll and they had a pretty solid shrimp tempura roll. Definitely had better sushi I'd recommend.
Dana C.
Great vibe at Tavernakaya, great views of the capitol, friendly staff. Nice surprise to have the chef deliver portions of the meal. Food was delicious, tempura cheese curds were amaziling light and airy with such gooey goodness! The Rainbow roll was one of the best that I have had and a large portion. Definitely will visit again soon!
Misaki Mason
Cool little place, friendly service. Unfortunately, the food taste and quality was VERY low. I got the pork buns (the pork was super hard) and spicy miso ramen for restaurant week. The pork buns were completely smothered in hoisin sauce (I mean dripping) and the ramen was overcooked yet old(?) so the noodles were soggy but hard, there was barely any soup, and the pork belly was either all fat or so hard you couldn't chew it. It was super salty and just not good. Ramen is my favorite food and I couldn't even finish the bowl. I did enjoy my dragonfruit drink, but overall disappointed for sure. Won't be back.
The salmon in the poke bowl was very generous. Flavors are great. Good sake selectionVegetarian options: So many more very good vegetarian rolls than you'd expect!!
Excellent ambiance and some of the best ramen I've had in the Madison area. Excited to try their sushi next time, which also looked incredible. The atmosphere is excellent for a moderately informal date or special occasion, or just grabbing a bite with friends. The cocktails were creative and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Tavernakaya is across the street from the State Capitol. Our group of 14 reserved a table a few days in advance for a Saturday lunch. For our party size, we had to provide credit card information to accommodate for a no show fee of $10 per person. They have a few tables at the front of the window which would put the State Capitol in direct view of a meal. Tavernakaya had planned for our party to be seated with Capitol views, however those tables are taller and not ideal for our party because of the young children. Instead, they accommodated and combined a few standard height tables towards the back of the restaurant. We tried several items from the menu: popcorn chicken, veggie tempura sushi roll, spicy TK miso ramen, TK tonkotsu ramen, sautéed udon with shrimp, and Japanese curry with pork. Overall, the food is a blend of multiple Asian countries without a very defining flavor profile. The popcorn chicken was a tad dry and the ramen did not arrive with hot broth. Although that is ideal for the young children in our party, I can't say the same for the adults. The pork belly was also extremely fatty. Understandably, it is pork belly and there should be fat but the fat should not be the majority. The veggie tempura sushi roll, sautéed udon, and Japanese curry were more redeeming and enjoyable. The staff was accommodating, friendly, and efficient. The location is convenient and parking was extremely easy, possibly because the farmers' market was moved to an indoor space for the winter.
Delicious sushi, good tasting iced tea.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
For the Madison downtown area. They're pretty good. The ramen and gyoza were solid and the mocktail they had was very good. Obviously they're not gonna be winning awards in Japan or anything but they're probably one of the better ramen spots in Madison in my opinion.Parking: It's located on the downtown square so no parking available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Oh boy! Fried rice, with cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage , and jalapeños and steak what a great find!!! I will be back!
Greta spot for dinner! They have lots of smaller options that are affordable so you can try a few different dishes. I like the spicy tofu buns and the miso soup. Both dine in and to go dinner are great. The food comes out fast and there is normally not a wait time even if you don’t have a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Pork Buns
Bad food! I could give zero if i could..Our first time to visit Madison and we went here to try some japanese food and it was a terrible experience! We could not eat the ramen, it seems like old and spoiled.. same with the sushi -- unfresh and almost saggy.. we had stomach ache later.. very disappointed with the food..
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mediocre food and terrible interpersonal front of the house skills. We walked in for a late lunch, the hostess was on the phone, she didn't look up or give any sort of non verbal cues. The restaurant had plenty of seating and all seats at the bar were open. We took it upon ourselves to sit at the bar. We were immediately scolded by the shift manager, for not waiting for the hostess to seat us. After that a younger bartender took our order, we asked what's good. She had no recommendations as she is a self proclaimed picky eater. Our food arrived, underwhelmed (sushi and ramen). The bartender came back for last call (we ordered a Sapporo each)as they close at 2:00, for in between lunch and dinner service. Side note, we arrived at 1:45 and they failed to mention there is no real time for a Friday lunch. Our beer arrived and within 10 min they were sternly directing us to leave. Needless to say we left underwhelmed by the whole experiencewith full beers behind. Madison is a foodies dream, don't waste your time on this sub par nightmare.
We loved our experience here.. the staff was very accommodating of our 4 children, the food was outstanding, and the drinks were tasty. We live in Chicago but will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The happy hour menu is amazing! The tuna rolls are good. The veg fried rice was excellent with the mushrooms and veggies cooked perfectly. Decent vegan/veg options.The Ramen soup looked amazing--the soft-boiled egg & pork belly looked excellent! Very tasty meal & with happy hour it was easy to keep ordering food for a great price.The initial door host was a little rude--not welcoming or friendly at all ("Reservations?" was how she greeted us) but the waitstaff & barstaff were great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall, the experience was pretty OK. I wasn't really overly impressed with the sushi but the tempura cheese curds were delicious. I would recommend to try the Fuji roll and they had a pretty solid shrimp tempura roll. Definitely had better sushi I'd recommend.
Great vibe at Tavernakaya, great views of the capitol, friendly staff. Nice surprise to have the chef deliver portions of the meal. Food was delicious, tempura cheese curds were amaziling light and airy with such gooey goodness! The Rainbow roll was one of the best that I have had and a large portion. Definitely will visit again soon!
Cool little place, friendly service. Unfortunately, the food taste and quality was VERY low. I got the pork buns (the pork was super hard) and spicy miso ramen for restaurant week. The pork buns were completely smothered in hoisin sauce (I mean dripping) and the ramen was overcooked yet old(?) so the noodles were soggy but hard, there was barely any soup, and the pork belly was either all fat or so hard you couldn't chew it. It was super salty and just not good. Ramen is my favorite food and I couldn't even finish the bowl. I did enjoy my dragonfruit drink, but overall disappointed for sure. Won't be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pork Buns, Spicy TK Miso Ramen
The salmon in the poke bowl was very generous. Flavors are great. Good sake selectionVegetarian options: So many more very good vegetarian rolls than you'd expect!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Rolls, Salmon Poke Bowl