Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry

I am in town for work and in the taxi from the airport, the driver recommended several local spots to try. After seeing this was high on the list here, I went with a coworker for dinner. It is fairly dark inside. There are TVs that were playing older shows or movies (black and white era… Maybe 50s?) The music was all from the same era, the 4 seasons, etc. The booth was all wood, no padding, but not really uncomfortable. There was a small light at the end of the booth opposite the entry point that we both had to use to read the menu. We both ordered the Heart Throb which is spicy, but tasty. It had pepper jack cheese, bacon and a jalapeño cream cheese spread. The burger was perfectly cooked and the bun was very soft. The burgers come alone and we ordered one side of fries to share. The fries were plain, just a little salt. We did order the garlic mayo sauce to dip the fries, which was tasty as well. Neither of us had alcohol, but I had an unsweetened iced tea which was as expected. The total bill for both of us was about $ 24 which is a good price, in my opinion, for a downtown meal.
Was this the best burger of my life (as advertised)? No. But it was tasty and perfectly cooked. They definitely know what they are doing over there. If I’m in town again, I would go back.

Atmosphere is nice, were seated quickly. It’s a bit dark and sometimes can get loud.
I ordered the black bean burger and it was really good. Black bean burgers can be really hard to eat bun-​and-​all so I kind of picked mine apart a bit.
We ordered cheese curds to start, and fries later. If you’re like me and have a hard time picking between one or the other — just go with the curds. Both are way too much food, and you can definitely find average fries anywhere else.
This place has some nice vegan/​vegetarian options too.

At first I was kinda pissed that fries weren’t included with a burger but then I reminded myself that the burgers cost 8 – 10 bucks not 12 – 14 and the fries are only 2 dollars. It’s actually kind of nice for people like my mother who have smaller appetites and would rather steal a few from everybody else than get all her own and not be able to finish them
The melting pot burger is a meme, try something else. The onion rings are a must for me
It’s more like 1.5 $ because you can just get a burger and get out of there for 10 bucks, though I will concede I never do

Any place that has a charcoal grill will win me over! On top of that, Dottys has such a wide variety of burgers and toppings that there is something for everyone. The sides range from
fantastic to amazing, guaranteed to satisfy any craving! For dessert I love a good strawberry shake which they make with chocolate shoppe ice cream on an old fashion spindle so they are nice and thick! You can really tell that the staff enjoys working there and it’s fun to see the open kitchen while your meal is prepared!!!
A must eat place!

Dotty’s is probably the best place to grab a burger in Madison. I love their southwest burger and sweet potato fries. Don’t miss their shakes, which are really good. Their «sundae» is disappointing: hard vanilla ice cream with cold syrup, not hot fudge.
Every time I’ve eaten at Dotty’s I’ve had to wait in their cramped lobby. Thankfully, I’ve always been seated quickly. Prices are average, which is nice for the student crowd.

Best lamb burger ever, and definitely the best burger place in Madison. The cheese curds are amazing as well. Only two complains are that the restaurant is very dark and loud, and the drinks are a little overpriced. Still, I go there all the time because of the amazing food.

It all had begun when they started salivating while they selected specimens from a food library that was up the street. They entered into a nearly empty and dimly lit establishment, a tavern of sorts, to the prospect of imbibing a few locally crafted brews… And sinking their teeth into hopefully what would be succulently grilled patties of ground beef with toppings of one’s choice, sizzled and melted on, and then thusly placed inside a soft bun. They would of course, be devoured with gusto.
We were seated by a nice waitress who was also quite cute. Our eyes meandered through the menu, and we selected a drink each, as well as an order of fried pickles. These requests arrived promptly which, was excellent as grumbles could be heard emanating from our stomaches…
Sip, sips from the brews, which aided us in increasing our electrolyte population, and began softening us up for the endorphins tsunami later to come. I imagine the appetizer was plucked from a plastic barrel, sliced, breaded and sunken into the depths of a deep fryer. These strange commodities were paired with their companion, a sidekick of ranch. For me, they were a bit too crunchy, but you know to-​may-​to, to-​mah-​to…
When most of the fried pickles were gone, a Toadstool for each of us appeared. A Toadstool’s identifying qualities are melted Baby Swiss, sautéed wild mushrooms, and English garlic sauce. It was very good… very very good. So good, in fact that I ordered another one.
We were unwound by the waves of endorphins surfing though our synapses, and we entered into a realm of the sublime. Now, one of the issues that has been mentioned by a many a Unilocaler, is the tendency to receive horrible service during off peak hours. There is something to be said of this place, as for this late lunch we enjoyed, we did not encounter that here.
Our waitress, who was concluding her shift, introduced us to another of the clan, for our order last round of drinks. He was also attentive and our bill came and went with ease.
It was a nice memory to spontaneously create. I would suggest taking the time to stop in, reading the multitude of reviews is all well and good, but your personal experience will be your own.
— Late Bloomer

Dotty’s is the classic burger in Madison. I’ve been eating here for 25 years and the food continues to be solid. From the stadium, to the capital to its current location, I am just a little happier when I walk inside. Great atmosphere, great location, great food. I do miss the Banana Crème Pie. Try a burger and shake; then have a beer, You’ll feel like a new man. This is a must visit.

We were only in Madison for one night and wanted to get a good dinner while we were there. We jumped on Unilocal and found Dotty’s was nearby and had great reviews so we ventured over.
We got there probably around 730pm on a Wednesday night. It wasn’t too busy and we were seated right away. Our server (who’s name I forgot) came over right away to get our drink order.
The menu isn’t huge, but everything looked amazing. Especially the burgers, which is their specialty. We ordered a side of poutine, I had the Melting Pot, and my husband ordered the Gladiator. The poutine was amazing! Delicious gravy and a few fried cheese curds on top. SO GOOD. Big portion, too. The burgers are not HUGE… but they are good size. They both were AMAZING. The sauces were to die for! Especially the English Garlic. Just so good!
The have a decent beer selection, too with local beers. which we wanted to try. Our waiter was really good about helping with a beer recommendation, too.
We are really happy we chose Dotty’s as our one meal in Madison. It was awesome and I’d definitely recommend!

We ate here for the first time tonight. It was my husband and me, our five year-​old, and our 1 year-​old. I would say that DDD is kid friendly but not really baby friendly. No high chair seemed to be available, and you can’t eat a greasy, drippy burger while holding a wiggly toddler. However, the food was amazing. We started off with a strawberry shake that had a fabulous flavor and a deliciously smooth texture. Next we had a sampler basket. The fried mushrooms, onion rings, and mac ‘n cheese wedges were fantastic. The fries were okay. The English garlic sauce was very flavorful.
I had the Toadstool burger, and it was perfect. I would not change a thing. It was cooked exactly as I requested, and I was sorry when it was gone. My husband had the Melting Pot burger. He enjoyed it very much.
Our food arrived fast, almost too fast. I would’ve liked more time to enjoy the appetizer before our main entrees, because you end up with the conundrum of not wanting your burger to get cold, but then the appetizer gets cold. Also, at the end of our meal, it took a bit long for the waitress to bring our check.
Overall, I was very impressed. We will definitely be back!

We were tired after a long day and this place with its unique name definitely caught my eye. As this is a straight food review (we ordered take out and brought it back to the hotel), I’ll stick to my typical pro’s and con’s.
Pro: Good sourcing, good products, very good portion size (just got a burger, no side). Cooked perfect (medium, woo! Not overdone at all!) and nice crisp toppings. I got the lamb burger. Very tasty and hit the spot.
Con’s: Well, I shouldn’t say con’s, but more ‘suggestions’. For Dotty’s, when take out is ordered, it would be nice to mark which burger is which. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Luckily, my feta cheese is easy to catch. For the take out patron, the food cools down quick. Still good, but I know my burger would have tasted that much more awesome if it had been hotter. Still really good, but next time, we’ll eat in. It’s a la carte, folks, so just remember, fries are extra.
If you want a really good burger in Madison, be sure to check this place out.

Don’t be fooled by the name. Great burgers (the menu is a la carte). The place is charming with the wood booth seats. We had the toadstool and the Mediterranean lamb burgers. The lamb burger was great ;)

Food: 4
Service: 3
Uniqueness: 4
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
Being so close to the Kohl Center, this place can get really busy and the service can take a hit. If you’re in the area, try it for lunch on a non-​gameday.
Dotty’s is a Madison legend. The food here isn’t pretentious or super unique, it’s just deliciously prepared with a lot of fried stuff. The fried mac and cheese bites and the fried mushrooms are must haves for me. They come with an excellent garlic dipping sauce that will blow your mind. The burgers are awesome because you can totally customize them to what you want.
If you haven’t tried bison before, definitely give it a shot here as it’s one of the only places that offers it as a choice. It’s got a different flavor and is leaner than beef but it’s really tasty.

Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry is a great place but you can’t see that from the outside. Best thing to do is just go in, I assure you, Dotty’s is charming. Wood booths, smaller but not boutique, cool décor, Marilyn Monroe movies playing with the sound turned down so you can hear the jazz music. And I am not into jazz but it suits this place so well.
We got a table right away. Service was good. Our server knew what was good on the food and beer menus and made a couple great recommendations. The food is mostly casual and that was alright by us. We started with an appetizer sampler basket which has fried cheese curds, fries and more along with dipping sauce. For dinner we had burgers. All were cooked as we had ordered them; medium, rare and medium rare.
Prices reasonable and we scored street parking.

Dotty’s was highly rated on Unilocal so we had to come try it out while we were in town. The main goal of being here was just for the cheese curds, but it was a nice bonus that there was a good amount of local beers. While looking at the menu, we weren’t sure we’d be able to eat that many cheese curds so we opted for the SAMPLE BASKET and had a little bit of everything. In addition to the food, I ordered a beer sampler, of course.
The sample came with all fried items such as curds, mushrooms, onion rings, mac-​n-​cheese wedges, etc. The plate was meant to be shared and it was a lot for two people especially when it was all fried. Definitely tasty within the first few bites, a good plate to order if you can’t decide what to eat from the apps menu.
Dotty’s is a very spot for some quick bites, some good beer, and enjoy a game or 2 on TV, even if the TVs are outdated (who doesn’t have HD?!?).

Burgers are home cooked, ridiculous, beer choices are excellent, not overly battered, awesome cheese curds. Good background classic music, great staff. Pure pleasure to visit. In a downtown full of great choices, this is a laid back atmosphere standout that excels without trying hard.
Big City
www.bigcityrocks

I had to check out a rumor which is why I chose this place. Rumor was that this place had one of the best burgers in Winsconsin. Being a burger affacionado, I had to put this claim to the test on my visit to Madison. I will admit that the atmosphere is a little weird. Jazz standards and wooden booths say more steakhouse to me than burger joint. Up until you see the menu, you almost feel underdressed in a T-​Shirt and Jeans.
The food makes up for the confusion that goes on with the décor. The cheese curds are a delightfully light and crisp. The onion rings are thick and crisp and go nice with the slightly spicy sauce that accompaines them. We even went so far as to try out a third side, the buffalo fries which is something so obvious of a good idea that you wish you would have thought of it. Of course you can put buffalo sauce on french fries.
The star of the show was the burger. I went for the Melting Pot. You can tell that tese people know what they’re doing when it comes to burgers as the default cooking temperature for their burgers is a perfect medium. This gives you a nice smoky char on the outside with a juicy interior. The garlic sauce works with the three cheeses to create a perfect harmony. Add in crispy bacon and you’ve got yourself a winner.

This place rocks.
It looks like a bar with tons of history.
Staff is super friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive.
The vibe is like a bar but intimate.
The food here is great.
The burgers are made to order the way you want, the garlic sauce goes perfect on the burgers to me. My favorite burger here is the kobe beef burger but even then compared to the other burgers beef, bison, chicken lamb etc etc it becomes a tough choice. Next time I’m in town I might just try one of each lol, yes they are that great and flavorful.
The cheese curds are awesome here.
Really can’t say anything bad about this place.
I do wish it was a chain lol that is available all over the country. It beats shake shack etc etc.
Give it a shot if you are in Madison

Almost 5 stars, but the service was spotty.
Ok our food was delicious from start to finish. As others have noted, the cheese curds are outstanding, not greasy like most places. The wings were also excellent, big and plump.
The burgers of course were fantastic, each of the 4 of us tried a different one and they were all great, not a morsel left by the end of the meal, and we were stuffed and happy.
Go here.

Dottys is excellent.
Fantastic service (frosted water glass) and delicious burgers. Id give it five stars if I had tried more items from the menu.
Warm ambiance.
Easy menu.
Just a good solid burger. I had the Gold and Green on a bed of lettuce and John had the pesto-​y hot one. Both delicious!
Try the bacon mayo.
To note: every butger can be on lettuce for $ 1 more.
We will be back!

Ein sehr gutes Restaurant.
Es ist bekannt für die besten Burger in ganz Madison und dem ist auch so!
Der beste Burger, den ich jemals gegessen habe.
Hier komme ich sehr gerne wieder hin.
Die Preise waren durchschnittlich.