AJ Bombers

My son had heard about this place from a friend and really wanted to go here for his birthday. For a kid, this place is amazing. R2-​D2 flying across the restaurant and dropping peanuts into a bowl near your table=two thumbs, some toes and a nose up from my kids. The dry erase markers to order, the chalk to write on the boards, and markers to draw on the brick wall are simply awesome. My kids enjoyed doing things they would normally never be allowed to do at any other restaurant. The food, however, was not great. We ordered some cheese curds since it was the kid’s birthday. But, for as pricey as they were, they were seriously lacking in quantity! The food wasn’t great. It wasn’t terrible, but we didn’t enjoy our meals. The kids had a great time. We would consider taking them again and just letting them eat, but I don’t think we’d ever choose to go here without them.

Great burgers and the tastiest, tender chicken sandwich I’ve had in ages. Tots were fresh and crispy. Services wasn’t great as experienced before. Only go back because the food is consistently worth it.
Cool vibe atmosphere with graffiti everywhere and a cool peanut refill contraption hoisted from the ceiling. Check it out…

Cute place for burgers and beer.
«Peanut bombs» fly through the air bringing a bowl of salty peanuts to munch on while you wait for food and have a drink.
Fun graffiti everywhere and you’re encouraged to add your own over the top of the others wearing off.
Dry erase menus you fill out your order on.
Daily specials like «kids eat free on Sunday’s.
Yummy buffalo wing egg roll apps. with ranch or blue.
Good brew selection.
Fun burgers like the «Sconnie» with «frickels», or there was a cheeseburger with chunky peanut butter and bacon!
Favorite: «General Mustards» crispy chicken on a pretzel roll.
Only con: everything is charged separate. Tots, toppings, adds up quite quickly.
Last visit the fire alarm was pulled by a child and it went off for over 20 minutes as MFD tried to silence it going in and out; everyone seemed confused and unsure what to do. (Staff I mean) I was having a headache from chemotherapy and had to sit with my ears covered cuz they’re real sensitive to loud noise. So I couldn’t take a bite of my meal this night.
We asked the manager for a «to go box» and she gave us our meal for free and only charged us for our drinks to make up for the craziness and noise. That was very nice, professional, and unexpected.
We will keep coming back. Not to mention it’s a block from home.
Love the staff here. I love it when the wait-​staff talk to ALL people at the table. It bothers me when I’m out with friends or family and waitresses only talk to and make eye contact with the men at the table.
Former waitress to waitress:
you never know who’s paying the bill and thus your tip… remember ladies, the woman at the table may very well be footing the bill that night and you’ve lost any hope of a tip if you only address the men.
My boyfriend always has me sign for our card and I put in the tip amount. I’d never «stiff» anyone, but I believe in «random acts of kindness» and I might give a 45% tip for fun if it’s been a good work week and I’m feeling I was served like I matter.

This is a fish/​shellfish free establishment, and as someone with a severe seafood allergy, it is such a relief. My favorite things to get are the tots (ask for cheese on top, it’s $.50 but well worth it), buffalo chicken egg rolls, and the stuffed shroom burger, fried crispy with bacon.
It’s a very chill place, and if you sit at a booth, they can do a P-​Nut Bomb, where they fill these little bomb things with peanuts and push it on the track and it hits a target and the peanuts spill out into a bowl at your table. It’s definitely a lot of fun seeing that, and the food does the job, especially for fried bar food. I definitely enjoy going there, the bar staff is also pretty friendly and fun, and will engage with you if that’s what you’re looking for, and will let you be if you prefer to be left alone. Definitely let them know if it’s your first time coming in, and they’ll give you the rundown on how to do things.

Was disappointed by my AJ Bombers experience on a recent Saturday night. My dining partner was sold on their menu due to the variety of appetizers, which ended up being the highlight — the Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls were tasty. The flavor was good, and the portion was small but likely a suitable size for the price.
Our burgers didn’t have much wrong with them, but they were wholly unspectacular. In a town where gastropub hasn’t yet died down as a trend, it’s easy to get a flavorful patty. At Bombers, my Colonel Mustard burger tasted dry and didn’t live up to the sum of its’ parts. My partner’s Mad Sconnie Burger similarly didn’t meet lofty expectations.
Topped off by indifferent service and the worst iced tea I’ve ever tasted, Bombers left me unsatisfied. The concept is interesting, but the execution lacked.

After touring the Wisconsin campus we wandered into Aj Bombers for lunch and were blown away by the peanuts delivery to the table. Excellent service, and the Monday specials. The burgers — cheese curds & tots were on point.

Good bloody Mary’s. They make their own bloody Mary mix. It comes garnished with dill slice pickle, two olives, lemon, lime, and a ¼ slice of a burger stacked with a mozzarella sick wrapped in bacon.
Their mimosas camein a generous wine glass and nut a flute in other establishments. They use Tropicana O.J. which is greatly appreciated.
The peanuts are good too, not to mention free. Our friends from Texas was just delighted at the entire peanut bomb drop scheme.
I’ve had their burgers before and it was just okay, my take away impression definitely wasn’t an award winning one. The meat was dry and flavorless, even the Stella hot spicy cheesy burger buns couldn’t save the entrée.
Definitely stop here for a good for a good drink if not for the peanut show!

I am so glad my boyfriend introduced me to this place on our first date. I love the stuffed shroom and the fries are super tasty! The parking can be a little inconvenient but it’s well worth it.
Peanut bombs are fun!

We came to A J Bombers on a Monday, it was more meat Mondays wich got us an extra Patty no charge. Had the A J burger, excellent and juicy meat, nice soft and fresh bun. The service was fast and friendly from the waiter with the handlebar mustache and he kept our drinks full! We will be back, ya I got to try their bloody Mary! Just a laid back and fun place.
!

National Burger Day has come so I went to get me a burger…
And I was disappointed I could have found a better burger at Mcd’s I think it was more the bun that made this burger bad then anything …
The only good thing I liked was the frys and my water lol

The food was excellent, I can see why the Sconnie has been voted the best burger in Madison. The service was prompt and the waitstaff is wonderfully friendly!

Their bomber burger (patty + stuffed mushroom) is SO GOOD. It’s definitely the cheese that makes this burger. The burger itself was kind of greasy, but the cheese on it was delicious.
I also got some cheese curds (visiting from out of town, HAD to get the curds) and they were amazing. Not gooey, it still held its curd shape. The dipping sauce was great (had some bacon in it?).
Vibe was very chill. Peanuts all over the floor and the booths were all written on. There was barely anyone inside on a Friday night around 8:30pm.

I’ve been craving a good bacon cheeseburger for awhile so my fiancé went online and looked up a few places and came up with this place to try. The atmosphere was different, the way the peanuts are delivered to you scared the crap out of me. Server was decent. Prices were decent. As far as food. We ordered the buffalo chicken egg rolls to share — amazing! For a burger I ordered the Milwaukee burger. I’ve definitely had better burgers but it wasn’t bad. It didn’t seem special enough to win a food competition (Can’t remember what just remembered seeing it on the menu). Overall a decent experience would definitely come back and try something else.

I Love A.J. Bombers. The signature sauce and the deep fried mushroom really makes a burger sing! I’ve tried several other burger joints in a search for the better burger but I seem to have not found one yet. Long live A.J. Bombers MKE!

I came here for the birthday burger and I loaded it up with everything I could.
I can say I totally dig the Mad Sconnie Burger and this place was certainly a good way to start off my birthday celebration in Madison!

Whoever reasoned that a bacon cheeseburger is the ultimate grease fest of a meal, apparently never graced their lips with a peanut butter bacon cheeseburger. Oh it exists, and AJ Bombers is whipping them up real good.
Don’t be turned away by the excessive richness of this glorious menu item. The Barrie Burger at AJ Bombers is a strange masterpiece you didn’t know you needed in your life until you’ve had your first taste. One bite and those buds in your mouth will be confused. The unctuousness of the cheese, the heartiness of the burger and the succulence of the bacon all manage to meld in cohesion with that crunchy peanut butter.
It’s as if Mary Burke and Scott Walker were to run into each other on the street. They of course acknowledge each other on good terms and carry on because that’s what politicians do. This is the confrontation between the burger and the peanut butter. While there is some initial tension and wariness, both parties coexist in relative harmony. The peanut butter and the bacon cheeseburger are the same way. They meet, acknowledge their competition, and live on as two powerful flavors/​political figures.
Now isn’t that lovely.

I’ve been to Bombers twice now, once on a Friday night (loud) and now on a Monday afternoon (empty.) I vastly preferred the lunch experience; the personality of the place is less «college party» and more «burgers and bar for young people.» Either way, it’s a little buzzfeed-​y. They allow writing and drawing on the walls and furniture, and there are far less phalluses, cusses, or slurs than one might expect.
Both times I’ve had burgers; the first was barbecue/​southwest oriented, and I found it a disappointment; I could hardly taste the burger, and the accouterments were passable. However, the second, the Colonel Mustard, was far superior; the burger’s flavor was overwhelmed by the pretzel roll and «sweet and tangy mustard,» but it had a nice texture and moistness. The roll and mustard in question were both very tasty, and the restaurant’s lettuce and tomatoes taste fresh.
I also ordered the crispy chicken sandwich and the fries ($ 2.50 extra, and paying upwards of $ 2.00 to get any side) and sadly both were just above fast food level. The chicken was served on the same sort of egg bun one might associate with a McChicken, and while the fries have pepper and a little green spice to garnish, neither are detectable in taste with the over salting of the fries.
The presentation of all could do with improvement; every one was served alone on wax paper and an aluminum dish, including the fries. Why the side wasn’t placed upon one of the very large plates for the entrees is beyond me. The wax paper makes the plate look HUGE, highlighting how silly the lack of a side seems. They do offer peanuts by way of a sliding blimp that crashes into a vent, piping down peanuts into glossier aluminum bowls. The drinks are served in proper glass, which is a bonus.
The staff is varied by night and day. At night, it was very high-​energy and a little aggressive and impersonal. By day, a sole bartender caters to five or six patrons, and mine today is very pleasant. The energy is a few clinking glasses, light chatter, and the venue’s music, focused on alt rock. The lowest it got: Everlong by Foo Fighters. The highest victory; Black Sheep by Metric (though with the vocal by Brie Larson from Scott Pilgrim Vs The World!) It’s worth noting that by ordering two entrees, the bartender might have perceived that I was a food critic; I actually didn’t come in with that intention today, but just wanted to try the chicken as well after not having breakfast!
Bombers is generally passable. If you’re with a group who likes diverse burgers, or you’re looking for a quiet lunch, this fits that bill comfortably. But none of its burgers are the best of their kind in the city, and it’s not nearly as quiet as most of the cafès around. Try it once or twice, but there’s better around.

When researching places to get food, I go to Unilocal for a good idea of where I want to spend my money. However, I feel that the reviews by others really have done a disservice to how amazing the food is at AJ Bombers. To compare the burgers here to any burgers at a chain, including Five Guys, tells me you don’t know what a well crafted burger with grass fed beef tastes like. I realize that service plays a role in reviews but you must have an idea of what kind of restaurant you are attending before you chastise the service for things that they do not have control of, like business and table configurations and limitations. That being said this place is burger joint and bar, the want people to hang out have a few beers and order some food.
I went for lunch and was not able to indulge in some of the beers they had but the food was outstanding. I had the mad sconnie burger which had many delicious components that played well with each other with a side of fries and some onion rings. The later two tasted as if they were cut to order, along with the generous amount of garlic and seasoning, you definitely couldn’t stop at one if you tried.
The atmosphere is definitely fun, a real guys hangout. Old veterans would probably get a little kick out of the theme of the place. The peanut bombers were a real interesting touch, why have a waiter or bartender deliver peanuts when you can set up something from Pee Wee’s playhouse to do the job for you!

What did you say? More Meat Monday?! Yes, it is true. An extra patty for free on Mondays!
Ok, enough of that. The burger? Delicious. I got the Wisconsin burger (bacon, colby jack, hold the onions). The bun was light and delicious. The burgers were cooked perfectly. You don’t order your burger as a particular temperature. Yet, they still come out perfect.
There is not much to say bad about place. The only thing was trying to figure out where to go and what to do when we walked in. No one greeted us or seated us. We kind of just found our own way.

THIS PLACE IS SO MUCH FUN!
If you’re looking for a fun atmosphere to impress out-​of-​town guests or grab food before a game/​event this is a GREAT OPTION.
Good food, great staff, awesome menu and you can WRITE ON THE WALLS.