Fresco

I’ve been to Fresco twice now and have been absolutely enamored both visits. This last weekend my boyfriend and I went to a late dinner at Fresco for Madison Restaurant Week. The restaurant is located at the top of the Overture Museum and has a really nice and relaxing vibe. The space is quite small but that definitely makes it cozier.
For the appetizer I had roasted brussel sprouts with a gouda fondue and pistachios. The brussels were served as a salad and the gouda fondue was perfectly flavored, a little smoky, and really added a richness to the simple vegetable.
For the main course I had the salmon with a lemon dill sauce served over a mix of roasted root vegetables. The salmon was cooked absolutely perfectly and the vegetables added a nice texture to the dish. The lemon dill sauce may have been one of my favorite parts of this meal due to it’s amazing flavor and ability to bring the whole dish together.
For the dessert (I was quite full at this point!), I had the earl grey crème brûlée. As a lactose intolerant I could only eat about ¼ of this dish unfortunately because it was so rich and creamy. The earl grey flavor really shined through.
Overall, I will always come back to Fresco. It’s the perfect restaurant for a date night or girl’s night out.

Fresco is a boutique restaurant on top of the famous MMoCA. It’s located in a prime spot on state street with an outdoor rooftop patio for good drinks and view.
I went there for restaurant week with a good friend. The atmosphere is actually somewhat romantic. It’s cozy, great lighting, simple and chic. There is also a bar area for people who want to come here for drinks and or waiting for a table.
The food was done well. I tried the brussel sprouts appetizer and the pork loin entrée. We were also given a nice basket of soft and buttery warm bread. They have a good drinks list with a wide selection of wine and cocktails.
Price and portions were decent, it’s definitely a good option for a date or a lovely someone to share an intimate time!

Fresco has been one of my favorite restaurants in Madison for a while and even a restaurant I’ve chosen for celebrating special events, like birthdays and wedding anniversary dinners.
I’ve never had a bad meal at Fresco. The appetizers and entrees are all delicious, perfectly cooked and well-​thought out. The usual food items that should always be fresh and not frozen — like scallops and salmon — are always fresh when I order them at Fresco. I like that a partial view of the kitchen is available at Fresco, too!
On my most recent trip, though, the red glass chargers on the tables were missing. When I think of Fresco, I always think of those red glass chargers on the tables! I was a little bummed to see that they were no longer placed on the tables.

I never knew Madison had any rooftop restaurants. I really loved the vibe of this place. The food was really good, service was beyond excellent (I wish I could remember the name of our waiter), and then there’s the beautiful view from the rooftop. It reminds me a little of some of the places I frequent in New York where I live. Next time I’m back in Madison I would definitely return.

Always outstanding. I’ve eaten here at least 8 times and always had a memorable experience. You really can’t order a bad thing on the menu. Service is excellent.
Great for a date before a show at the oveture.

The bartender makes a great martini. I had the short ribs — not what I expected (I should have read the description better — but I couldn’t stop eating it. YUM! The appetizers were fine. I would go right to the entrée an save room for dessert.

First time at Fresco. super cool room, with a classy but relaxed vibe. Two out of the three dishes were really really good! The salmon tartare appetizer with quail egg, fermented blueberries, and fried capers was fresh, unique, colorful, and worked really well! the pulled chicken sliders with peanut, cilantro, and green papaya were also very tasty, and the rolls were so tender. Both of those plates were rewarding.
The main entrée (braised short rib over homemade pasta) was ok. Lacked flavor. Huge portion, but really needed more spice. This one fell a bit flag for me. service was outstanding, not obtrusive, but very focused. would definitely recommend, although I do not live in Madison. Glad I tried Fresco nonetheless!

Finally got back to Fresco… It’s been a while. Why? Their menu was decent, but boring, never changed (for what, 5 years?). They finally UPDATED their menu… fall is here and so is a new menu! I was excited to check it out. We went on a beautiful 75 degree evening, and their fall menu stared back at me. Wasn’t sure if it would work out: heavy dishes in moderate breezes, but the dishes were not heavy, a good betrayal to my eyes.
pros:
the food
Rolls — PERFECT! If I could, this is the highlight of the meal. These are squishy, soft, moist, peel-​apart, salt buttered-​topped yummy buns. These are THE BEST rolls I’ve ever eaten, and I’m from the South. I double-​dog dare anyone to send me a comment about another place that serves rolls this moist and fluffy (esp. if It’s near Madison)! They were free. ⁵⁄₅ stars
Pan Roasted Monkfish — Very Good! Not a fishy taste, good texture, excellent crisp on the 4 edges (panfried in oil, not a breading), seated on lightly salted purple potatoes (cooked down, to my perfection, about to mush with a fork) and cut Kalamata olives, then bathing in just-​the-​right amount of puttanesca sauce (pureed) (Guys, won’t be enough for you if you think this is slathered Italian sauce). The Fish and Sauce go great together, the potatoes are just extra flair on how to cook a fancy potato my favorite way. 4.5÷5 stars
Chicken Fresco — Very Good! Crispy Chicken on bone, good skin and juicy meat. Sitting on top of Fresco’s version of a stew: croutons, big english peas, red potatoes, carrots, onions, and what I call a garlic, chicken, vinegar gravy. SO good… slurp it up with one of their rolls. ⁴⁄₅ star
The View — inside or out (it’s more fun out)… great view.
The Drinks — Author and Artist: bourbon drink, good blend on alcohol, lemon
cons:
waitress — took 10 min to get my alcohol! Errrrgh. Then she was just… boring. No mention of specials, what’s her favorites, no embellishments of any kind, no… umm… dining foreplay. The food service went better — timing was average and food still warm. ³⁄₅ stars
Appetizer — savory tarte tatin, a puff pastry with pears, caramelized onions, swiss chard spouts, add duck, minus chevre. We were quite hungry by then, so overall, it’s filling and average, we liked it but it could be so much better. The pastry and the duck were over-​cooked, but you could actually taste the pears and onions, they popped. I’d give it ³⁄₅ stars (duck meat shouldn’t be dried out! It needs all that wonderful fat and juice)
Just wrong: according to Unilocal: the Seafood «Cioppino Pasta was one of the top dishes» here. They have taken it OFF the menu. Bad idea. Just Wrong.

Beautiful outlook and atmosphere, a little to much white to the point of sterile, but the view was more than enough to make up for it. What can I say, I’m a sucker for rooftops.
Food was good, creative, and really aesthetic. I had the scallops with lentils and a curry paste, all the flavors were spot on, even if the scallops were, how shall I say, Midwestern. But that is to be expected around here.
Grilled Peaches with goat cheese, pecans, honey, and arugula sounded awesome, looked great, and want bad, but something seemed missing in the mouth.
Come for the decently fancy food, come back for the view

Beautiful view, beautiful food, and amazing service. I had heard such amazing things about Fresco, and I’m delighted my dinner lived up to my expectations.
I came here last Thursday for my birthday, and we were immediately seated outside (granted, we had a reservation). The view of the capitol is just amazing from the roof. Our server served us our waters and our drinks very quickly. I had the rhubarb cocktail (I can see why people would like it, but I personally didn’t enjoy the bitterness) and my boyfriend had the Malbec. Our appetizers were the grilled peach and the grilled tuna. Grilled peach with honey, balsamic, arugula, and goat cheese: A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G!!! We were told this plate was one of the most popular dishes, and I completely agree that it deserves its popularity. Tart, savory, sweet goodness with a perfect goat cheese bite. YUM! Grilled tuna: very overshadowed by the peach.
For entrees, I had the salmon and my boyfriend had the scallops. My salmon was crispy and savory, though slightly too salty but very delicious. The potato crisps and beet pairing was my favorite part. My boyfriend enjoyed his scallops but he liked my salmon more.
And for dessert, Fresco allowed me to choose any dessert item for my birthday! Hooray! Beignets with chocolate and crème anglaise: Yes, yes! Note for the future: Definitely have a lactaid beforehand because the dairy filled desserts are worth it. Warm crème with hot beignets were sweet balls of perfection. We also had the chocolate mousse, which was also very delicious. Airy, creamy mousse with a spicy bite! We were pleasantly surprised, though I would order the beignets over the mousse any day.
Amazing service, delicious food, incredible environment. I cannot wait to come back.

I’ve heard so many great things about this rooftop restaurant and I am happy to say that I have finally made an appearance! Located above Overture Center, you can see out to the Capitol or down below to the long lines at the Orpheum before the show. I was there just before they screened a movie, I need to go back purposely for that! My friends had some cocktails that looked delicious. I enjoyed the food, but as I’ve learned from past experience — the more expensive the meal, the smaller the portion sizes (I guess it’s harder to mess up when there’s less?).
Also, those stairs to get to the top are a bit daunting… though, don’t chicken out by taking the elevator. A little exercise goes a long way!

My family and I had my 2^nd graduation dinner here and we all loved the food, view and the service! Their muscles, steak and seafood pasta are awesome!

I can never choose a favorite restaurant in Madison but after dining at Fresco for the second time I’m almost sure this is it. The atmosphere and the food create an exceptional experience that I’m not sure anywhere else in town can match. Last night we had one of those meals that was so perfect in every way that I’m still beaming.
Ambiance:
Fresco makes you feel like you’re in South Beach but instead of the people you’d find in South Beach you have nice Madisonians. On top of the Contemporary Art Museum, you have to walk up a beautiful spiral staircase surrounded by giant windows up the atrium to get to the restaurant. The inside is very modern and hip looking, but not sterile. Because the walls are windows, everything is light and you get a beautiful view. Therefore, you can dine here in the winter and still sort of feel like you’re eating outside.
However, if the weather is nice and there’s a table available, you should absolutely sit on the rooftop patio. The patio has a garden and some interesting statues. As I mentioned earlier, it feels like a more laid back version of a lounge at a boutique hotel in Miami. It’s unique and beautiful. The highlight is the view of state street’s signs, nearby churches and the Capitol building (lit up at night!). If you have guests in town, this is the perfect place to take them to show them how pretty our city can be. This would also be a wonderful venue to host a party. I cannot speak more highly of it.
They hold events here in the summer that are really fun. Last summer we went to a Riesling tasting here and even if we weren’t sampling a ton of awesome wine, the combination of the open, window surrounded interior and the fun patio would’ve been enough for a fabulous evening. Definitely recommend checking their event calendar.
Food:
I haven’t tried anything I didn’t like here. The menu is creative but not trying quite so hard like some of Madison’s other upscale, foodie spots. It’s possible to order an appetizer and an entrée or enjoy a tapas style meal by sharing the awesome small plates with your group. I love that they have so many salads and vegetable dishes on the menu that are actually inventive and appealing. No need to feel like you’re making a sacrifice by being «good». They use a lot of fresh ingredients and portion sizes are such that you walk out satisfied without being in a food coma.
The menu changes seasonally, and when I returned for the second time I was really disappointed that the risotto cakes were no longer on the menu because they ROCKED. At the end of the day this just meant I got to try a whole new set of amazing dishes. Highlights included the grilled peach, scallops, salmon and lobster Cobb salad. They briefly grill the romaine in the salad and subsequently chill it. I’ve never been so excited about eating lettuce; it was delicious. We shared the chocolate filled beignets for dessert which were fabulous.
I can’t review Fresco without mentioning the awesome cocktails. The Rhubarb was one of the best cocktails I’ve tried in Madison. The flavors complimented each other in a very sophisticated way, the tartness of the rhubarb with the spice of the pepper infused vodka. This impressed both my mother who enjoys girly, tropical drinks and my father who usually dislikes sweet cocktails. He actually wanted his own! But he stuck with a Hungarian wine which he tried and loved off the unique wine list.
Wrap up:
The service was just as excellent as the food and the atmosphere. Our server was really helpful and attentive. The best part was when my dad was talking about how he saw all of these gorgeous radishes at farmer’s market and how he’d love to just munch on one before we ordered food, and a few minutes later our waitress returned with a sliced radish in a dish as a snack. He loved it!
The prices are super reasonable. I think it’s one of the more affordable «nice» restaurants in Madison. Fresco is a perfect date spot, girls night spot, birthday dinner spot… really anything. I love it.

We had a grand old evening at Fresco. If the weather is nice, and you’re out on the roof, there is just no nicer location to eat in Madison. The view of the Capitol in the evening is lovely.
They’ve just redone their menu. Everything we had was very good or great. The lobster risotto as a starter was garlicky with big hunks of lobster. The chickpea ragu is not totally appealing to the eye but went down yummy. I had the bayoubaise — the shrimp just stole the show. My partner was blown away by the gnocchi.
It was our anniversary, and they gave us a complimentary dessert to celebrate, which was very sweet of them. The rosemary honey crème brûlée was as good as the version of the classic at Sardine, which. I think, says a lot. Romantic and fun. We’ll be back!

Just killed it tonight. New chef.
Stopped in for a glass of wine at this rooftop restaurant with great views. Wine list has an excellent selection from around the world. Bartender was knowledgeable and very helpful and offered tastes.
Asparagus white bean soup with dill, honey and truffle oil was outrageous. If I could marry a soup this one might have been the one I wanted to spend the next thirty years with. (Cha, ya’re rilling your eyes but try it before ya judge me…). Great wedge salad — nice light buttermilk dressing. Bread is incomparable.
Nice folks. Great view. Great food. Thanks for a nice Sunday evening!

Came up to Fresco sort of on a whim this past Saturday night. They had availability for two so we headed on over (and up).
The location is fantastic, inside the MMoCA and up on the 3^rd (ish) floor. Outside, especially in the summer, the view is amazing of the capitol and downtown.
The décor completely fits as though its inside of a modern art museum. Very modern, with bright colors and sharp lines. A little trite, but fits the overall vibe.
The food was delicious– we had some scallions to start which were devoured instantly. I had the chicken in a pea/​leek risotto and pureed cauliflower, which was much more interesting than it could have been. Girlfriend had a wedge salad that she really enjoyed.
Overall, modern american cuisine in a modern museum environment– the food, while not insanely unique, was definitely good, and goes well with a very cool ambiance and a great view.

This place is one of those where I «swear I’ve written a review already.» I’ve been a few times for various occasions.
Fresco capitalizes on its location, atmosphere, views and their food is pretty good! I’ve definitely enjoyed the patio the most, when it’s nice enough to sit out there.
One time we had pretty terrible service and were waiting for a server about 20 minutes after we were seated. When the hostess/​manager saw us still waiting, she took care of us and grabbed our first bottle of wine– something I know most places wouldn’t do.
Unfortunately, I came back with a large group recently and had average service, where the waiter disappeared between courses.
The most recent time I visited, I ordered cioppino pasta entrée and absolutely loved it. All the fish was fresh and had a good flavor. Also, those pretzel buts they bring before the entrees are amazing.
They have some really exciting wine events coming up that I’d love to try. They also used to have a really good special on their cocktails– $ 5 before 9pm! I can’t find any information about it on their website, but it might be worth a try.

I have a love/​hate with Fresco. For the location (rooftop) and view (all of State Street and the Capitol), Fresco gets a five– it’s perhaps the best in those two categories in the city.
However, with what they DO with that amazing space, they get them a 2 or 3. With the fantastic rooftop location and outdoor patio space, they should have more outdoor furniture, a cocktail bar, and a lounge-​esque DJ/​music set-​up EVERY night in the summer (at least on weekend nights). It’s really such a shame.
Still, the food is excellent (if not a tad pretentious) and the cocktail menu is nice. They have a fantastic happy hour deal in the summer (Fresco Fives) and they also have a late night-​ish cheaper dinner menu sometimes.
While there’s really a lot of room for improvement, the location on the top of the art museum and the high quality food and drink still earns them a solid 4.

I’ve been to Fresco a few times, primarily for cocktails. I haven’t had eats here, but hope to gnosh on some of their offerings soon.
+ Service is always prompt, friendly, and helpful (helps that on the past three visits, I’ve been there right around 4:30pm)
+ Astonishing views
+ Some really creative cocktails, and reasonably priced
+ Decent brews list
I’ll update this after tossing some of their grub down my gullet. But, you definitely can’t go wrong dropping-​by for some drinks and amazing views.

Enjoyed pre-​theater dinner on March 6. I had the seared tuna salad, and I tell you, it was off the charts! Perfectly seared tuna on a bed of fresh greens, with mushrooms, almonds, hard-​boiled eggs, kalamata olives, grilled potato, black sheep truffle cheese and champagne vinaigrette. I was nervous to order a salad because I didn’t think it would be filling enough, but it was perfection.
I also tried my husband’s entrée, which was their house made ricotta cheese gnocchi. That night’s special sauce was bacon truffle. It was rich and wonderful!
The service was not as expected for such great food and ambiance. The server was friendly and helpful with the menu, but was not on top of her game. I asked to keep the wine list at the table so I could choose my wine prior to dinner arriving and then she walked off with it, never to return. After our food was delivered by another server I asked for the wine list and the person asked me what kind I thought I’d want. When I said Cabernet, she quickly said we only have one that comes by the glass and left to fetch it before I could tell her I still wanted to look at the menu. She was in a huge hurry to grab the wine, but it didn’t arrive until I was nearly finished with my meal, at which point I was not particularly interested in drinking it.