By Kevin Revolinski | Photos by Nicole Hansen Photography
Pictured (L-R): Weary Traveler Freehouse, Tornado Club Steak House, Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge
Perhaps it’s a Midwest peculiarity, but it can often be hard to find restaurants serving food as the clock creeps past 9 p.m. But night owls rejoice — here are a few kitchens that will feed you later.
WEARY TRAVELER FREEHOUSE
This “international comfort food” kitchen serves until midnight, so if you want a Bob’s Bad Breath Burger, salad or some goulash, or even heavier mains such as a cowboy steak or salmon filet, you got it. wearytravelerfreehouse.com
NATTSPIL
At Nattspil, the kitchen doesn’t stop cranking out its famous three-cup chicken (or tofu) and specialty brick-oven pizzas until 1 a.m. The cool, vibey restaurant with Asian decor and live DJs also offers a great pulled pork sandwich, crispy lamb wontons and more. nattspil.com
LOLA’S HI/LO LOUNGE
This cool “experiential vinyl bar” serves eats until 10 p.m. on weekdays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Try the deviled eggs, Asian dumplings, noodle dishes and tavern-style pizzas, paired with one of their seasonal cocktails or mocktails. lolasmadison.com
GREAT DANE PUB & BREWING CO.
The downtown location serves food until 10 p.m. on weekdays, but on the weekends there’s a limited late-night menu available until midnight. Expect some starters, wings and a few sandwiches and salads. greatdanepub.com
THE BAR NEXT DOOR
This fine tavern adjoining a Super 8 in Windsor has the latest bar food you can find, with their kitchen closing at 1 a.m. But, it also serves more than standard bar fare — think mussels, ahi tuna, banh mi and disco fries (dressed up with red-wine onion gravy and mozzarella curds) — alongside regular cheese curds and smashburgers. facebook.com/thebarnextdoor20
TORNADO CLUB STEAK HOUSE
It may be unheard of that a supper club would serve food this late, but this iconic downtown fine-dining spot has a dedicated menu for its lounge area from 10 p.m. to midnight — so you can eat at the bar if a New York strip or scallops hankering comes late. tornadosteakhouse.com
AROD’S TEX MEX
Looking for burritos, quesadillas and tacos after midnight? From Thursday through Saturday, Arod’s Cottage Grove Road location stays open until 2:30 a.m. Bringing the Tex to the Mex are four grilled sandwiches, including BBQ brisket and the Garza, a thick slice of bologna on Texas toast topped with cheese and beans. arodstexmex.com
ALCHEMY CAFE
While typical table-service dinner hours end at 9 p.m. at this East Side eatery, you can still order off a short menu at the bar before closing time at midnight, with options including soups, curry fries and bourbon cocoa buffalo wings. alchemymadison.com
PAUL’S PEL’MENI
After-bar munchies built the reputation of this place years ago when it first opened on State Street. Two locations later, and now with a full bar, Paul’s still only offers Russian dumplings — potato, beef or a mix of both — and still serves late on Thursdays, until 1:30 a.m., and Fridays and Saturdays until 3 a.m. paulspelmeni.com
Also Check Out
These places also serve food until 10 p.m.:
- Waypoint, waypointonthewater.com
- The Hound Alehouse, thehoundfitchburg.com
- Village Green, vgtavern.com
Need later? The Nitty Gritty’s kitchen closes at 11 p.m. most nights in Middleton and at midnight downtown.
