05.24.2024

Today’s Forecast

76º | 68% chance of rain | Sunrise 5:24 a.m. | Sunset 8:23 p.m.

Give in to the tempeh-tation

Veg out: your guide to Madison’s vegan and vegetarian restaurants

A picture of a vegan BBQ sandwich with some French fries on a green checkered napkin.

Nothing beats a (vegan) burger and some fries. | Photo via Justveggiez

Eating meat-free isn’t always easy, but in Madison, it’s a piece of (vegan) cake.

Our local food scene is as vibrant as ever, so it’s no surprise there are a slew of local chefs serving up fresh, vegetarian bites across town. From vegetarian barbecue to scrumptious vegan tacos, here are 20 restaurants serving up meat-free fare in the 608.

🍊 The brunch bunch

Marigold Kitchen, 118 S. Pinckney St.
The bright, inviting spot near the Capitol often has lines outside the door for its breakfast burritos, omelettes, and wraps.

Short Stack Eatery, 301 W. Johnson St.
This popular breakfast spot features a menu sprinkled with vegan and vegetarian plates. Check out the Vegan Hacks menu.

☕ Coffee shops

Black Locust, 829 E. Washington Ave.
This menu is vegan-, vegetarian-, and omnivore-friendly. Plus, the avocado toast is Instagram-worthy.

Indie Coffee, 1225 Regent St.
One of City Editor Ally’s favorite spots, this coffee shop’s menu includes plenty of vegetarian options and you can choose from soy, almond, and oat milk for your latte.

A photo of buffalo tofu fries on a red checkered napkin.png — Mad Rabbit Cafe, new to Willy Street, has a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options. | Photo via Mad Rabbit Cafe

🌱 Plant-based bites

The Green Owl, 1970 Atwood Ave.
Everything on this menu is vegetarian and can be made vegan upon request, like the cauliflower steak sammy or Madison Philly.

Justveggiez, 540 State St.
Black-owned, family-owned, and 100% vegan, this State Street spot even has plant-based cheese curds. Wisconsinites rejoice.

Mad Rabbit Cafe, 805 Williamson St.
Whether you want grilled tofu and kimchi tacos, or fried chick’n sandwiches, the Mad Rabbit will hop to it.

Sookie’s, 502 State St.
Curb your burger craving at his spot that’s self-proclaimed as “100% plant-based, and tasty as hell.”

Click the button below for 12 more spots to satisfy your craving.

Lettuce go

Asked

Have you eaten at a local vegetarian or vegan restaurant within the past month?

A. Yes
B. No, but I have considered it
C. No

Have a bite

Events

Friday, May 24

Bicycles and Brews | Friday, May 24 | 4-7 p.m. | Starkweather Brewing Company, 2439 Atwood Ave., Madison | $99 | Get your bike tuned up by Curbside Bicycle while enjoying a beer inside.
Rod Tuffcurls & the Bench Press | Friday, May 24 | 8:30 p.m. | Majestic Theatre, 115 King St., Madison | $25-$49.50 | This Chicago-based band plays joyful originals and effervescent covers of popular songs.

Saturday, May 25

Dragonfly Monitoring Walk | Saturday, May 25 | 10-11:30 a.m. | UW-Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison | Free | Be a citizen scientist and monitor dragonflies on this guided walk.
Midnight Memories: 1D night | Saturday, May 25 | 9 p.m. | Majestic Theatre, 115 King St., Madison | $17-$37 | Team Zayn or Team Harry, all Directioners are invited to dance the night away to the boy band’s biggest hits.

Sunday, May 26

Faux Stained Glass Workshop | Sunday, May 26 | 1-4 p.m. | The Lone Girl Brewing Co., 114 E. Main St., Waunakee | $54 | Enjoy some of Wisconsin’s fine beers while making Wisconsin-themed fine art in this inclusive class setting.

Monday, May 27

McFarland Memorial Day Parade | Monday, May 27 | 12 p.m. | American Legion Post 534, 4911 Burma Rd., McFarland | Free | Pay tribute to our armed services in this parade and community picnic.

Tuesday, May 28

Open Studio | Tuesday, May 28 | 4:30-6:30 p.m. | Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd., Madison | Free | Visit with local letterpress artist Phil Hassett and watch him work.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Holiday

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, Metro Transit will operate on its reduced Sunday schedule on Monday, May 27. Routes 81-84 won’t operate.

Traffic

Prepare for changing traffic patterns on University Avenue starting next week. The city will reduce both directions through October as they work to restore greenways and culverts.

Sports

Warner Park has a new 90 ft by 20 ft video board, just in time for the coming Madison Mallards and Madison Night Mares seasons. Additionally, the field is now artificial turf rather than natural grass. (Channel 3000)

Opening

The Rise of Icarus, the tallest water slide in America at 145 ft, opens this weekend at the Mt. Olympus Water Park in Wisconsin Dells.

Edu

Meningitis is now on the state’s list of immunizations needed for incoming seventh graders for the 2024-25 school year. Read the full guidance. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

Festival

Want to sling your loved one over your shoulder, race through obstacles, and win some cash? You’re in luck. Sign up for the Wisconsin Wife Carrying Championship, happening on Thursday, July 4 during the Monona Community Festival.

Home

Did you know you could finance your fixer-upper with home equity? You could get up to $50K with a HELOC — calculate your payment.*

History

Wright time, wrong place

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed boathouse for Madison that never was

608today - Fontana Boathouse - May 24.jpeg

Frank Lloyd Wright designed a boathouse for the Badgers in 1905. | Photo via Wright’s Boathouse

In 1905, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a boathouse for UW-Madison.

The plans were commissioned by a rower named Cudworth Beye, a student commodore of the crew team. Beye and his teammates wanted a second site they could row out of when Lake Mendota was too windy, choppy, or frozen over.

Wright agreed to do it if the students could fund it. But the students couldn’t come up with the cash, so the boathouse remained on paper only.

That is, until 2007 when it was finally built, but not in Madison.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Fontana Boathouse is now on the shore of Black Rock Channel in Buffalo, New York. Its horizontal lines, cohesiveness with nature, and general austerity make it an unmistakable, quintessential Wright design.

It is now run by a nonprofit and offers tours, in case you find yourself in Buffalo.

The Buy

Group A, The Buy 5.24.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

The ultimate kitchen appliance for summer: the Cuisinart 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker. No ice, salt, or hand-churning required — simply freeze the bowl and pour in your custom creation. We’re thinking black raspberry or chocolate chip…

Answered

How often do you use the Beltline?

With the Wisconsin DOT looking toward the future of the Beltline, with public meetings forthcoming, we asked you how often you drive on Madison’s busiest road.

The answer, quite a bit.

Several times a week: 34%
Several times a month: 28%
Daily: 24%
Rarely: 14%

City Editor Jonathan is in the several times a month camp. He’d rather just make his way through town and maybe pull off to visit one of Madison’s cool vintage stores.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Jonathan

From the editor

Bacon is my favorite food. I unabashedly like meat. I also just like a very good meal. One of my favorite restaurants in all of Madison is Jardin. Meat lover or vegan, no matter. The place is awesome.

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