The Bar Next Door

This place is a gem in the current day and age we live in. You get this sense of nostalgia and out-of-bodiness upon entering the place, like "what year is it!?" The food was superb, best oyster Rockefeller I've had in a while (it's the bacon), medium rare steak on point, the whole 9, yall. Overall, this place is a fore runner on my return list. We had a great time!

Great food and great ambiance. I love the historic feel of the space and the music. I highly recommend the Cowboy Steak Oscar style or the Filet Mignon. The one reason why I didn't give them 5 stars was the service. We had 8:45 reservations and arrived around 8:50 but didn't get seated until 9:10. Either way they did provide communication on what was going with our table but still the principle of a reservation is to eat at that time.

The history of this steakhouse is interesting, however the quality and experience is not like it used to be. Older locals say this was the place to be! I expect a little higher class when paying premium for a dinner service. The drinks were wonderful, and then it went down hill. Service was mediocre, the shrimp appetizer was raw in the middle. They were out of standard menu items, appetizers and sides. The steaks were cooked to the proper temperature, however the whole meal was over salted. With small adjustments this place could be amazing like the stories of the past, but I see from reviews things keep slipping. Last note... your steak knives cant cut butter, please invest in new cutlery.

Whatever I write, I won't be able to do this place justice. One of the last remaining Madison gems is the Wonder Bar, and what a wondrous place it is. Want delicious food? Wonder Bar. Wanna take a step back in time? Wonder Bar. This is your go to Steakhouse in Madison, truly a hidden gem that I have had the pleasure of dining at.

I waited too long to leave this review, so hopefully I remember our server correctly! But my husband and I had our anniversary dinner here and it was delicious. However, the truly amazing part of our experience happened because of Kat, our server! Her enthusiasm, cool vibe and contagious positivity was so appreciated. We also appreciated her super sweet efforts to give us some delicious desserts! We had a great dinner and such a fun night at our visit to Wonder Bar. Do yourself a favor and try the crab legs! You won’t regret it!