The Paradise Lounge

Excellent dive bar with cheap drinks and low lights. Their fryer is hot, but it wouldn’t be a destination for dinner.

Only in America do places aspire to be a dive bar. Usually it is just a segue to bigger things. This place embraces, loves, and vocally recommends itself. Loud punk, cold beer, and a surprisingly good burger.
The place doesn’t pretend to be anything it is not. I was off a flight and hungry. Perfect.

This place is good for being a dive bar. My husband and I stopped in here last minute to get some food and a drink. The mixed drink I had was very weak. If I didn’t see the bartender make it I would have thought she didn’t put any alcohol in it. As for the food, the burgers are very greasy so make sure you ask for extra napkins however their cheese curds /​cheese balls are amazing.

The cheeseburger itself is worth four or five stars — it was the best one I have had in Madison. The atmosphere is classic local dive bar, though. Swearing patrons and loud voices, with classic rock playing in the background. I would definitely go again for the burger, but I probably wouldn’t bring my grandma.

Where is the loud heavy metal music I was promised in the last Unilocal reviews? Damn you, Unilocalers! Still a pretty good dive bar atmosphere, though.

[NOTE: I’m reviewing this as a foodie, and someone who doesn’t consume alcohol on a regular basis. Also as a foodie who went into this take out experience without realizing this was listed as a «Dive Bar.» Because I’m an observant male human like that.]
So it was a little off-​putting to walk in and see the circle of counter space surrounding the bartender. And it was a little awkward walking up to him and asking for my takeout. And I basically just wanted out of there asap. He didn’t do much to assuage my uneasiness either, since he never actually said a word to me. Are bartenders usually that much of a hardass? As a non-​bargoer, I just kind of assumed all bartenders are part time therapists and best friends as well. Probably my naïve Christian college experience talking. Take that paragraph as you will.
Anyways, the burger I ordered. I got the Paradise because, why not, it’s safe, and this is the Paradise Lounge. (Side note: I was SEVERELY disappointed that their lunch menu did not carry over to dinner. I’m sure there’s some marketing or ingredient pricing reasoning behind it, but there were some tasty looking burgers on that menu that I basically wasn’t allowed to try because it was 8PM. Dumb.) Let me just say, the entire way home, my car smelled AWFUL because of this burger. Like, I had no desire to open the box encasing whatever fowl-​smelling creation Mr. Grumpypants handed me. Do it for the Unilocal,though.
And (thank God), it didn’t taste nearly as bad as it smelled. But, it was unremarkable. Just another burger. Honestly feel like I could have got the same thing anywhere else — and probably a larger one, too… This thing was tiny. But I mean, it was palatable. So that’s always a good thing, I suppose.
My advice: If you’re like me, and not trying to drink away your Friday or just have a good time with friends (AKA, you just want some local grub), go during lunch and try one of the burgers I wasn’t able to.

I came in after a concert on a Sunday night (when, for some odd reason, many of their neighbors were closed — my guess is that the city shuts down for spring break… or something), there were actually a handful of people in there around 11:30pm. After a weekend of partying, I was mostly there for some hydration and to catch up with a friend from out of town (staying at a nearby hotel). The atmosphere wasn’t quite ‘paradise’ … more like a log cabin with some darts and pool tables. Their signage is pretty vintage, food options listed on a classic sign in a few places throughout the bar with those individual letters to create each item.
The only thing I found to be paradise-​like, was the fact that their grill was STILL OPEN! Yes, a bar with a grill, open past 10pm. I think she said they will keep it open until 1:30am or even close. Yes, it’s bar food… but you’re looking at cheese curds, deep fried broccoli bites, and in my case — I got their last ham and cheese sandwich!
The bartender was very nice and friendly. She was especially knowledgeable on what was on tap, even giving great suggestions on what we may like.

After the joke of the American on tap we wound up at this cool dive bar. It’s a narrow place with a pool table, foosball table and gambling machines. The place had lots of wood tables and booths. Flat screen tv’s with in eye view. Regulars were coming and going while we were there.
The staff and regulars were very nice to the new people. The place attracts a diverse group people and had the feel of a nice hang out place. The place is narrow with lots of wood tables and booths. There was your typical small selection of draft beers. Zombie dust was on tap for our tour.
If you look at my picture you will see a grill on the left right next to where people sit at the bar. They do have food but I didn’t try any. This was a genuine cool dive bar and I would be back.

Dive bar pretty much sums it up. You’re looking for a cheap beer and interesting company this is your place. Didn’t try any of their food but the menu looked decent enough. Our afternoon visit to the Paradise lounge was possibly our last. Return trips to Madison will probably not include this local yokel hang out. Unless of course we’re down on our luck and the horses just aren’t paying off.

The ‘dise!
I’ve heard so much about you, but we’ve never officially met! I’m glad that fate and circumstance have brought us together today!
+ Basic bar, all the way around
+ Typical bar fare food
+ Awesome happy hour deals
+ Great bartenders and staff
** A few of the «locals» are a little dicey; definitely an interesting crowd, but all is well.
+ Arrived at around 6:30pm on a Friday night, hoping to score a bar seat and some grub. Mission accomplished. Food came out quickly, it was tasty, and service was spot on. With two meals and two rounds of beverages (including some mixed drinks), out tab came to just around $ 30. More than fair.
Take note: the infamous Paradise Burger is actually quite good. It’s a 1/​3-​lb cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. All burgers appear to be pre-​formed and cooked to medium well, but they’re still quite tasty.
I’d definitely swing through here for a drink and some food in the future. I’m guessing it gets pretty busy as the night wears on.

The beer was cold and really good (Spotted Cow… must try it if you haven’t), the food was great (and cheap) and it’s just a great bar to hang out in.

I went in for lunch hungry, and had just twenty minutes to order something that would take the edge off. I chose the chili and a side salad and had 4 minutes to get back to the office, which was 3 minutes away if I heeled quick. Mission accomplished.

It is properly categorized as «Dive Bar» because Unilocal doesn’t have a «Dump» category. However, it seems to an outsider a safe dive (dump) given the size of some of the dudes tending bar and grilling. I had the impression that they were capable of ripping the arms off any troublemakers and beating them to within an inch of their life with their own newly-​useless limb.
Three stars for an unapologetic dump even though it smells pretty strongly of pee.

Giving it a 5, if you’re a hipster or frat kid this isn’t the bar for you (thank goodness) beer is cheap service fast

This bar is probably the best dive bar in the entire capitol area. They don’t have a great beer/​drink selection, but is this really where you’d go to take advantage of such a thing? What they offer instead is an interesting atmosphere, diverse crowd, weird layout, constant soundtrack of classic/​hard rock and thrash metal being played from the jukebox, and pitchers of PBR that cost $ 5.50 (a great deal considering that tall boys can run as high as $ 6 in some of the more outrageous nearby establishments). All in all, it’s a reliably enjoyable place to visit.
As a side note, my personal opinion of this place was marred last year when this guy sitting near my party produced easily the worst-​smelling fart any of us have ever experienced. It was so terrible that it caused an immediate spell of silence upon our table, as we could taste it in our mouths and it made our eyes water. I will never again be able to think of the paradise without thinking of this incident, but I did not consider this in my review.

IPA and cheese curds in an old reliable, definitively Dive Bar favorite here in Madison.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been here and not much has changed.
Great (mostly Wisconsin beers) on tap; great service; sports on the TV; and assured heartburn from the delicious fried menu items. Brats and burgers are good. Don’t skip trying the cheese curds or onion rings.

If you want to go to a dive in downtown Madison, then you definitely should check out Paradise. There’s 2 reasons why Paradise gets a 5 in my book:
1) They have cheap beer. Speciifically, the $ 5.50 PBR/​Leinenkugel pitchers are a steal.
2) The «ambience» is top notch. It attracts a great and varied crowd, with people of all ages and income. Also, they play metal music really loudly all of the time. So, if 80’s thrash is your thing, then you’ll feel welcome at Paradise.
These 2 points alone very easily help me ignore all of the shortcomings of paradise: The lack of décor, the food not being very good, the sort of weird layout, etc. etc. But they don’t matter to me, because that isn’t what I come to Paradise for. I go to Paradise to get away from the fancy drinks and yuppies that inhabit most other bars in the area, and to welcome the simple pleasure of drinking domestics to hard rock music.

Oh the Dice, what can you not say about this place. Has this bar changed ever? I think not.
The staff, on the most part, make this place. They can dish it back to all kinds of dynamic groups of people. Street people to politicians. You see them all in this place.
Some of the best bar food around. Curds and their freshly grilled burgers are some of the best around the square.

Looking for craft cocktails? Homemade tinctures and bitters? Mixologists wearing vests and ironic mustaches? Well, keep moving because the ‘dise has none of these! What is does have is pure divey goodness. Cheap beer. Cheap (and strong) drinks. An interior that hasn’t changed in at least 20 years. They also have a grill/​fryer that serves up not a bad cheeseburger. The clientele can be pretty varied which only adds to the charm. What I like most about this place is that it leaves all pretense at the door. It is a bar and grill. No slick marketing. No «themes». Just booze and food. And who can argue with that combo?

Divey. Diverse (and I mean diverse) group of people. From the first time I was in this place and someone was carrying a skillet on a backpack to this most recent time when I am pretty sure a meth head stole the glass from my table, you never know what you will find at the Paradise.
I would have it no other way.