Best of Madison 2022 Winners

The Best of Madison 2022 Readers’ Poll is here, and we’re celebrating the businesses, people and things that make this area our paradise on earth.
Best of Madison Paradise City on the left side with a flamingo in front of the capitol
Design by Tim Burton

The Best of Madison 2022 Readers’ Poll is here, and we’re celebrating the businesses, people and things that make this area our paradise on earth. In addition to the nearly 500 gold, silver and bronze winners, Madison Magazine’s editors selected 16 editors’ picks awards, which can be found here.

Dining & Drink

selection of sushi from Red

Sous chefs Salvador Luna and Francisco Lopez Xelhua at RED ­— this year’s gold winner in the Japanese/sushi category — craft plates with vibrant seafood and vegetables. Every roll is handmade using fresh ingredients, and the offerings include raw, cooked, vegan and vegetarian rolls. (Photo by Nikki Hansen)

Best Artisan Food Product
Nutkrack
Vicki Cookies
Tricky Foods

Best Bakery – Bread
Madison Sourdough Co.
Stella’s Bakery
Clasen’s European Bakery

Best Bakery – Sweets
Greenbush Bakery
Bloom Bake Shop
Batch Bakehouse

beef butter barbecue ad

Best BBQ
Beef Butter BBQ
North and South Seafood & Smokehouse
Smoky Jon’s #1 BBQ

Best Breakfast
Marigold Kitchen
Hubbard Avenue Diner
Short Stack Eatery

Best Brewery
New Glarus Brewing Co.
Vintage Brewing Co.
Working Draft Beer Co.

Best Brunch
Café Hollander
Sardine
Marigold Kitchen

Best Burger
Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry
DLUX
Village Bar

Conscious Carnirvore ad

Best Butcher
The Conscious Carnivore
Knoche’s Old Fashioned Butcher Shop
Ken’s Meats & Deli

Best Catering
Buck & Honey’s
Blue Plate Catering
Beef Butter BBQ

Beefbutterbbq ad

Best Cheese Producer
Hook’s Cheese Co. Inc.
Carr Valley Cheese Co. Inc.
Farmer Johns’ Cheese

Best Chef
Dave Heide, Liliana’s Restaurant
Tory Miller, Graze and L’Etoile
Giovanni Novella, Bar Corallini

Best Chicken Wings
Chicken Licks
Buck & Honey’s
Monk’s Bar & Grill

Monks 1280x720

Best Chinese
Imperial Garden
Chang Jiang
Taigu

Best Chocolate
Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier
Madison Chocolate Co.
Infusion Chocolates

Best Coffee Roasters
Just Coffee Cooperative
Rusty Dog Coffee
JBC Coffee Roasters

Best Coffee Shop
Barriques
Ancora
Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese

Best Curbside Pickup/Takeout
Culver’s
Parthenon Gyros
Ahan

Best Delivery
Glass Nickel Pizza Co.
Ahan
Parthenon Gyros

The Del bar with photos of Steak

Best Destination Restaurant (Outside of Dane County)
Ishnala Supper Club
The Del-Bar
Hi Point Steakhouse

Wollersheim 1280x720

Best Distillery
Wollersheim Winery & Distillery
Old Sugar Distillery
Driftless Glen Distillery

Best Fish Fry
Quivey’s Grove
Dorf Haus Supper Club
The Hilltop

Best Food Cart
Banzo
Curd Girl
Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Best Fried Cheese Curds
The Old Fashioned
Craftsman Table & Tap
Buck & Honey’s

Best Greasy Spoon
Mickies Dairy Bar
Monty’s Blue Plate Diner
The Curve

Best Home Meal Kit Delivery
Isthmus Eats
Pasture and Plenty
Fit Fresh Cuisine

Best Ice Cream/Custard
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co.
Babcock Dairy Store
Culver’s

Best Indian/Nepalese
Swagat Indian Restaurant
Swad
Himal Chuli Restaurant

Best Italian
Lombardino’s
Paisan’s
Bar Corallini

Best Japanese/Sushi
RED
Muramoto
Tavernakaya

Best Korean
K-Peppers
Sol’s on the Square
5 Star Korean BBQ

Best Lake View
Memorial Union Terrace
Eno Vino Downtown
Sardine

Best Latin American
La Taguara
Monona Bakery and Eatery
Estacion Inka

Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
Banzo
Parthenon Gyros
Mediterranean Cafe

Best Mexican/Southwestern
Taqueria Guadalajara
Pasqual’s Cantina
Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Best New Orleans/Cajun Style
Liliana’s Restaurant
Louisianne’s Etc.
North and South Seafood & Smokehouse

Best New Restaurant
The Harvey House
The Botanist Social
Blind Shot Social Club

Best Old-Fashioned
The Old Fashioned
Cimaroli’s Supper Club
Dorf Haus Supper Club

Best Outdoor Dining
Buck & Honey’s
Eno Vino Downtown
Riley Tavern

Best Pizza
Salvatore’s Tomato Pies
Sugar River Pizza Co.
Glass Nickel Pizza Co.

Best Restaurant
Buck & Honey’s
The Harvey House
Eno Vino Downtown

Best Sandwich Spot
Stalzy’s Deli & Bakery
Casetta Kitchen and Counter
Milio’s Sandwiches

Best Seafood
Tempest Oyster Bar
Sardine
North and South Seafood & Smokehouse

Best Server
Rachael Peterson, Green Acres
Jackie Flock, Cimaroli’s Supper Club
Darien Walter, Bar Corallini

Best Southeast Asian
Hạ Long Bay Restaurant
Sa-Bai Thong Thai Cuisine
Lao Laan-Xang Restaurant

Best Specialty Food Store
Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen
Fromagination
Willy Street Co-op

Best Steakhouse
Tornado Room Steak House
The Del-Bar
Delaney’s Steak Seafood Wine

The Del bar with photos of Steak

Best Supper Club
Ishnala Supper Club
Tornado Room Steak House
Toby’s Supper Club

Best Tapas (Small Plates)
Eno Vino Downtown
Mint Mark
A Pig in a Fur Coat
Eno Vino Wine Bar & Bistro

Best Vegetarian/Vegan Focused
Green Owl Cafe
Everly
Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

Wollersheim 1280x720

Best Winery
Wollersheim Winery & Distillery
Bailey’s Run Vineyard
Drumlin Ridge Winery

Nightlife

person holding a tiki glass

Brock Landers, a nonalcoholic cocktail with Lyre’s Spiced Cane, Lyre’s Coffee, Banana, Pineapple, Coconut, Orange Lime and Nutmeg, from Blind Shot Social Club. Blind Shot won gold for experiential fun, bronze for new restaurant and bronze for local craft beverage. (Photo by Courtney Terry)

Best Bar with a View
Eno Vino Downtown
Baraboo Bluff Winery
Driftless Glen Distillery

Best Bartender
Liz Gerber, Mint Mark*
Anne Leahy, Robin Room
Jenn Dachauer, State Line Distillery

*Liz Gerber is no longer at Mint Mark

Best Bloody Mary
Café Hollander
Short Stack Eatery
Driftless Glen Distillery

Best Cocktail (Not Old-Fashioned or bloody mary)
Honey Cap, Old Sugar Distillery
Smoke Show, State Line Distillery
I Sat By The Ocean, Bar Corallini

Best Cocktail Kit
Old Sugar Distillery
State Line Distillery
Driftless Glen Distillery

Best Dive Bar
Le Tigre Lounge
Caribou Tavern
The Dive Inn

Best Local Craft Beer
Spotted Cow, New Glarus Brewing Co.
Fantasy Factory, Karben4 Brewing
Warped Speed, Lake Louie Brewing

can of Untitled Art next to a glass with fruit around it

Untitled Art won gold for local craft beverage for their selzers and nonalcoholic beers. (Courtesy of Untitled Art/Photo by Nikki Hansen)

Best Local Craft Beverage
Untitled Art
Brix Cider
Blind Shot Social Club

Best Neighborhood Bar
Mid Town Pub
The Atwood
Leopold’s Books Bar Caffè
Garth’s Brew Bar

Best Patio
Riley Tavern
Skål Public House
Driftless Glen Distillery

Best Private Parties
Buck & Honey’s
The Coopers Tavern
Everyday Kitchen – Madison

Best Sports Bar
5th Quarter Sports Bar & Grill
Wilson’s Bar & Grill
Pooley’s Sports Bar and Event Center

Best Wine Bar
Eno Vino Downtown
Toot + Kate’s Wine Bar
Grape Water Wine Bar

Arts & Entertainment

painting in green, purple and pink

Xizhou Xie, the gold-winning local artist, pours paints to create abstract designs (pictured). She incorporates different art styles and materials in her pieces that are available in her home gallery or at events. Other local artist winners this year were Lindsey Salzwedel and T.L. Luke Art. (Photo by Timothy Hughes)

Best Art Gallery
Dark Horse ArtBar
River Arts Inc.
Farwell Gallery

Best Classical Music Group
Madison Symphony Orchestra
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Willy Street Chamber Players

Best Columnist
Doug Moe, Madison Magazine
John Nichols, The Cap Times
Michael Perry, The Wisconsin State Journal*

*Perry’s column was recently retired.

Best Comedy Group/Comedian
Monkey Business Institute
Lady Laughs Comedy
Atlas Improv Co.

turtle and flower cookies

Vicki Cookies won silver for Artisan Food Product and bronze for experiential fun. (Courtesy of Vicki Cookies)

Best Experiential Fun
Blind Shot Social Club
Wine & Design
Vicki Cookies, Cookie Decorating Classes

Best DJ (not radio)
DJ Nick Nice
DJ Sarah Akawa
The Susie Show

Best Local Artist
Xizhou Xie
Lindsey Salzwedel
T.L. Luke Art

Best Local Band
Madison County
Soggy Prairie
Mars Hall

Best Local Celebrity/Prominent Madisonian
Charlie Shortino, NBC15
Amber Noggle, WKOW
John Stofflet, NBC15

Best Local Cover Band
Cherry Pie
Madison County
Universal Sound Dance Band

I Am Glytja 1280x720

Best Local Influencer
Rippeology, @Rippeology
IamGlytja, @IamGlytja
Everyday M&K, @everydaymandk

Best Local News Website
channel3000.com
nbc15.com
wkow.com

Best Local Podcast
Black Like Me with Alex Gee
HERself Podcast
Say It Out Loud

Best Local Singer/Songwriter
Bree Morgan
Elizabeth Mary
Mike Zibell

Best Local Theater
Overture Center for the Arts
American Players Theatre
Barrymore Theatre

Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Best Museum
Madison Children’s Museum
Chazen Museum of Art
Wisconsin Veterans Museum

family with four kids in the middle of the woods

Poppy and Olive Photography won gold for best photographer. (Courtesy of Poppy and Olive Photography)

Best Photographer
Poppy and Olive Photography
Krista Brinkmeier Photography
Maureen Cassidy Photography
Karmen Lindner Photography

Best Radio Team
Jonathan & Kitty, 105.5 Triple M
Mornings with Dave & Amanda, Life 102.5
Johnny and Dee, 94.1 WJJO

Best TV News Team
Amber Noggle, George Smith, John Zeigler and Lance Veeser, WKOW
John Stofflet, Leigh Mills, Maria Lisignoli, Brian Doogs and Mike Jacques, NBC15 Evening News
Tim Elliott, Erin Sullivan, Charlie Shortino and Gabriella Rusk, NBC15 The Morning Show

Best TV Personality
Charlie Shortino, NBC15
Chris Reece, News 3 Now
John Zeigler, WKOW

Home & Lifestyle

plant on top of a table in a home

Dwellings, gold winner for interior design, can help spruce up your living space. The company provides in-store and in-home consultations for everything from designing an entire home to accessorizing one room at a time to choosing the correct paint color. (Courtesy of Dwellings)

Best Alterations
Binh’s Tailoring Alteration Service
Right Size Alteration Services
Monetti Tailoring

Best Antique Store
Odana Antiques & Fine Arts Center
The Cozy Home
Antiques Mall of Madison

Best Assisted Living
Oakwood Village
Oak Park Place
BeeHive Homes of Mt. Horeb

Best Auto Body Repair
Zimbrick Inc.
Sparkle Auto Body
Ball Body Shop Inc. – Division of Smart Motors Inc.

Best Auto Parts
Zimbrick Inc.
O’Reilly Auto Parts
Weaver Auto Parts

Best Barbershop
Monona Barber Shop
Mark’s Barber & Styling
Blue Chip Barber Club

Best Bed & Breakfast
Sunniva Inn
The Livingston Inn
Iron Amethyst Inn & The 2One Speakeasy

Best Bookstore
A Room of One’s Own
Mystery to Me
Frugal Muse Books

Best Boutique Hotel
Mansion Hill Inn
Graduate Madison
Hotel Ruby Marie

Best Childcare
Hearts & Hands Children’s Center
Lodgic Kids Camp – Madison
Academy of Little Vikings 4K & Childcare

Best Chiropractor
LSM Chiropractic
The Joint Chiropractic
Zelm Chiropractic Center

Best Cleaning Service
Primavera Cleaning Service
4 Senses House Cleaning
Mother Earth Cleaners

Best Clothing (Men)
Duluth Trading Co.
Jazzman
St. Vincent De Paul Store

tropical clothing on racks

St. Vincent De Paul Store won won four Best of Madison Awards. (Courtesy of St. Vincent De Paul Store)

Best Clothing (Women)
St. Vincent De Paul Store
Hive of Madison
McFee on Main

Best Dealer Auto Service Shop
Zimbrick Inc.
Smart Motors Toyota
Don Miller Auto Group

Best Domestic Auto Dealer
Zimbrick Inc.
Don Miller Auto Group
Bergstrom Automotive

Best Dry Cleaner
Klinke Cleaners
Lake Mills Cleaners & Dyers Inc.
Best Cleaners

Best Electrician
Dave Jones Inc.
Cardinal Heating & Air Conditioning
Hill Electric Inc.

Best Flooring
Sergenian’s Floor Coverings
Nonn’s
Coyle Carpet One Floor & Home

Best Florist
Felly’s Flowers
Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses
Brenda’s Blumenladen

Best Furniture
Don’s Home Furniture
The Century House
Rubin’s Contemporary Furniture

Best Gift Shop/Specialty Store
Orange Tree Imports
Booth 121
National Mustard Museum

Willystreet Co-op

Best Grocery Store
Woodman’s Food Market
Metcalfe’s Market
Willy Street Co-op

Best Hair Salon
ANiU Salon & Spa
Ecco Salon
Kismet Aveda Salon

Best Health Specialty Store
Community Pharmacy
Willy Street Co-op
The Healthy Place

Best Heating & Cooling
Dave Jones Inc.
Harker Heating & Cooling Inc.
Cardinal Heating & Air Conditioning

Best Home Accessories
St. Vincent De Paul Store
Booth 121
Brenda’s Blumenladen

Best Home Builders
Hart DeNoble Builders
Veridian Homes
Michael F. Simon Builders

Best Home Health Care Agency
Agrace
SSM Health at Home
UW Health Care Direct

Best Home Repair
Waunakee Remodeling
Michael F. Simon Builders
Ganser Co.

the edgewater

Best Hotel
The Edgewater
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club
AC Hotel by Marriott Madison Downtown

Best Import Auto Dealer
Zimbrick Inc.
Smart Motors Toyota
Don Miller Auto Group

Best Interior Design
Dwellings
Zander’s Interiors
Sprinkman Design Collective
Fig Interiors LLC

Best Jeweler
Goodman’s Jewelers
TQ Diamonds
Chalmers Jewelers

Best Kitchen & Bath Design
Nonn’s
Dream House Dream Kitchens
Frey Construction & Home Improvement

Best Laser Hair Removal
ANEU Med Spa
Ideal Image Madison
Robertson Cosmetic Center

flowers display

The Bruce Co. won gold for Lawn, Garden & Landscape and silver for Outdoor Living. (Photo by Shawn Rundblade)

Best Lawn, Garden & Landscape
The Bruce Co.
Brenda’s Blumenladen
Badgerscape Design & Landscape

Best Local Etsy Shop
TacoCat Creations
Boutique608
Will James Leather Co.

Best Luxury Auto (Import and Domestic)
Zimbrick Inc.
Lexus of Madison
Bergstrom Automotive

Best Moving Company
Badger Brothers Moving
Two Men and a Truck
Gorilla Movers of Wisconsin

Best Music Store
Strictly Discs
B-Side Records
Sugar Shack Records

Best Musical Instrument Store
Ward-Brodt Music
Heid Music
Spruce Tree Music & Repair

Best Nail Salon
Diamond Nails & Spa
US Nails & Spa
ANiU Salon & Spa

Best Nondealer Auto Service Shop
Mike’s Automotive Repair
Smith’s Service Center
David’s Certified Auto Repair

Best Outdoor Living
REI
The Bruce Co.
Brenda’s Blumenladen

two photos of dogs in water

Camp K9 Pet Resort & Day Camp won gold for Pet Day Care & Boarding. (Courtesy of Camp K9)

Best Pet Day Care & Boarding
Camp K9 Pet Resort & Day Camp
The Dog Den
Paradise Paws Camp & Resort

Best Pet Supplies Store
Mounds Pet Food Warehouse
MadCat Pet Supplies
bad dog frida

Best Physical Therapy
UW Health Sports Medicine Center
Capitol Physical Therapy
Integrated Physical Therapy

Best Plumber
Dave Jones Inc.
H.J. Pertzborn Plumbing & Fire Protection Corp.
Monona Plumbing & Fire Protection Inc.

Best Real Estate Company
Stark Company Realtors
Sprinkman Real Estate
Matt Deadman Homes Brokered by Real Broker LLC

Best Retirement Community
Oakwood Village
Attic Angel Community
Oak Park Place

Best Roofer
Frey Construction & Home Improvement
Waunakee Remodeling
Ganser Co.

Best Secondhand Store
St. Vincent De Paul Store
Agrace Thrift Store
Dane County Humane Society Thrift Store

Best Shoes
The Shoe Box
Morgan’s Shoes
DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

Sundara spa

Sundara Inn & Spa won gold for Spa. (Courtesy of Sundara)

Best Spa
Sundara Inn & Spa
Kneaded Relief Day Spa & Wellness
ANiU Salon & Spa

Best Specialty Spa
ANEU Med Spa
A Healer’s Hand + The Nest
Robertson Cosmetic Center

A Healers Hand 1280x720

Best Tattoo Shop/Artist
Blue Lotus Tattoo & The Piercing Lounge
Ultimate Arts Tattoo
Starkweather Tattoo Collective

Best Tech Service/Repair
Ampro Data Services Inc.
Graphite – Apple Premier Partner
Madison Computer Works Inc.

Schmidts 1280x720

Best Towing Company
Schmidt’s Auto Inc.
Liberty Towing Service LLC
Prairie Land Towing

Best Used Car Dealer
Zimbrick Inc.
Smart Motors Toyota
Schoepp Motors

Best Veterinarian
Sauk Point Veterinary Clinic
Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic
Lakeview Veterinary Clinic

Best Wealth Management
Madison Partners
Dorn Wealth Management
Eventus Wealth Advisors – Ameriprise Financial Services

Best Windows & Doors
Waunakee Remodeling
Frey Construction & Home Improvement LLC
Ganser Co.

Best Wisconsin Bank
State Bank of Cross Plains
Associated Bank
Monona Bank

Best Wisconsin Credit Union
UW Credit Union
Summit Credit Union
Heartland Credit Union

Recreation & Fitness

Tenney Park

Tenney Park was voted gold for Park. (Photo by Richard Hurd/Courtesy of Creative Commons)

Best Alternative Fitness Center
Burn Boot Camp
Basecamp Fitness
Transformation Center

Best Bike Shop
Machinery Row Bicycles
Budget Bicycle Center
Atkins Verona Bicycle Shoppe

Best Campground
Devil’s Lake State Park
Governor Dodge State Park
Blue Mound State Park

Best Dance Studio
Kehl School of Dance
Storybook Ballet
Dance Life Studio and Fitness

Best Fitness Center
Princeton Club
Anytime Fitness
Harbor Athletic Club

Best Golf Course
Pleasant View Golf Course
University Ridge Golf Course
Door Creek Golf Course

Sue Shapcott

Sue Shapcott won gold for golf instructor. (Photo by Darren Hauck)

Best Golf Instructor
Sue Shapcott
John Gaschke
Jeremy Cabalka

Best Martial Arts Studio
Silver Lining Taekwon-do
MadCity Martial Arts
Kicks Unlimited Karate

Best Park
Tenney Park
McKee Farms Park
Wingra Park

Best Personal Trainer
Mike Onsrud Personal Training
Jenna Schulz, Orange Shoe Personal Fitness
Amy Sanborn, MadPower Training Center

Best Pilates
REFORMadison
Club Pilates
Prairie Athletic Club

Best Running/Biking Trail
Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Ice Age National Scenic Trail
Capital City Trail

Best Sports & Recreation Shop
REI
Rutabaga Paddlesports
Movin’ Shoes

Best Yoga Studio
Dragonfly Hot Yoga
Inner Fire Yoga
Perennial – Yoga, Wisdom, Community

Best Youth Programs
Goodman Community Center
Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO)

Madison Magazine’s editors also selected 16 editors’ picks awards, which can be found here.

Best Of Madison Taste

Footer that says Subscribe with covers of Madison Magazine