In every good food city, you’ll probably find a business story similar to Fairchild’s — talented chefs opening restaurants in late 2019 or early 2020, getting the rug pulled out from under them, and having to scramble to redefine their identities. What you don’t often find are wildly talented chefs who turn that struggle into a James Beard award within three years. The chef-owner team of Andrew Kroeger and Itaru Nagano have combined white tablecloth service and plating with neighborhood bistro comfort and humor, all laid over skillful technique and creativity. And man, the pastas.

Some places do good food, some places do good vibes, and some places just put it all together in a way you couldn’t break down into parts — the whole operation just makes you happy. Whether it’s the extensive birria menu, the fruity margs, or a stunning egg-topped chorizo mollete for brunch, Tapatios is the kind of place you’ll leave full, but also grinning. This is Mexican you’ll have no problem justifying technically leaving the borders of Madison for, and Fitchburg’s right next door anyway.

Alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison may bristle at how little this list resembles their food experiences in Madison, but there’s one key difference: I didn’t go to school here. But I’ll still brave the student hordes for one food item in particular, and that’s the Chipotle burrito-sized avocado spring rolls of the Fresh Cool Drinks cart. I’m not saying owner Tuy Anongdeth invented them (though she might have, it’s impossible to Google), but they’ve become a signature Madison food cart item on campus and occasionally at the summer farmers’ markets on both the Capitol Square and the north side. I usually go shrimp, spicy — but there’s no wrong choice.

Madison’s sandwich scene is having a moment, and Casetta has been leading the way since opening in early 2017. A stable of regular sandwiches — your turkeys, your roast beefs — are themselves gussied up just a little from sub-shop standard, and the menu is further enhanced by a rotating daily special. You’ll want to take advantage of their Instagram feed for advance notice on those specials, and online ordering to secure your bag before they sell out. Don’t skip the chocolate chip cookie, easily one of the region’s best.

It’s not a casual everyday dinner spot, but any conversation about essential dining in Madison absolutely needs to include L’Etoile, the first kitchen in the state to win the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Midwest award twice. Chef-owner Tory Miller has embraced founding chef Odessa Piper’s vision for centering local farms and farmers, and woven in his penchant for the occasional autobiographical Korean American reference. Add to that the outrageous skill of pastry chef Kristine Miller (no, the last name is not a coincidence, they’re married), and you’ve got a true classic worth the reservation.

American red sauce joints have come and gone in Madison (and seem to be on the verge of a little renaissance), but Osteria Papavero has been the OG of Old World Italian for nearly 20 years. Chef-owner Francesco Mangano has an intense appreciation for seasonality, proportion, and maybe just a hint of whimsy. His wild boar pappardelle and butterscotch budino are each Madison classics, and there may be no better date night spot downtown. If you see a special you like, order it; it could be gone the next day.

For a city defined by its placement on and around no fewer than four lakes, there’s not a lot of lakefront dining. Easily the most atmospheric dining room from which you can still look out onto water is Sardine, just off the Capitol Square in the Machinery Row building. The main menu offers unfussy French and French-adjacent preparations, and the bar turns out excellent cocktails — as well as one of Madison’s best hot dogs (which still feels like a secret even after a lot of time and attention). Chef-owners John Gadau and Philip Hurley have been crafting this complex and crowd-pleasing menu since opening in 2006.

It’s heartening to know that a restaurant like Ahan, which shifted from a mobile kitchen to a takeout-centric pandemic pop-up of sorts, can not only survive but settle in, thrive — even expand. You’ll now find Ahan on Williamson Street, run by the dynamic duo of Jamie and Chuckie Brown-Soukaseume, chef and general manager respectively. From noodles and soups to dumplings and fried chicken, Jamie’s homey and deeply informed recipes have earned her numerous accolades, most recently Madison magazine’s Chef of the Year for 2024.

Madison’s dining scene is great for its unexpected global diversity, but it is also a city in Wisconsin, and what city in Wisconsin worth its salt doesn’t have at least one great supper club? Other areas of the country unfamiliar with the term might think of Toby’s as a steakhouse or just an old-school restaurant, but the supper club is a true Wisconsin shibboleth. Get literate on relish trays, brandy old fashioneds sweet (this grammar is our answer to Philly’s “Whiz wit,’” so say it right), Friday fish fry, and boozy ice cream drinks. Toby’s has been doing it for decades, and they know how to take care of you Wisconsin-style.