The Free House Pub

I live and work close by so I’ve been to this place many times. They have a lot of taps but really only a decent selection. The best beers at at the smaller bar to the right of the larger one. The outdoor are on Parmenter is really a better place to hang out than the packed-​too-​tight patio. These Food Fight restaurants are starting to wear thin as far as food goes. It is all decent to good, but nothing special, but I think that is part of formula. It is fairly boisterous and meant for the after work crowd. The worst thing is the service. They just can’t seem to hire many personable people. Even at the bar, it just doesn’t feel right. They have huge TVs but don’t try to be a sports bar, they have lots of taps, but charge premium for less than premium. They have good food but not that great. It’s like they took their idea from the Hilldale or Verona Great Dane, but don’t make their own beer. So don’t seek this place out, but meet your work buddies there then find a decent place to eat, and a more friendly place to knock back a few.

Four of us came here on June 3^rd for fish on a Friday night. We waited about 20 minutes for a table outside. What a nice area to eat outside! We had the jalapeño poppers for an appetizer. Delicious! They were not fried, but grilled! What a nice change from the usual fried appetizer. We also split the fried cod and an order of grilled cod. Both were equally good. The fried had a light breading and was not greasy at all. The grilled had a good seasoning on it and was not dry. The french fries were the best I’ve had in quite a while, and didn’t even upgrade to garlic fries!

Great beer selection, nice concise menu, excellent outdoor patio. Definitely get the garlic parmesan fries!

We ate out on the patio. The atmosphere and food was wonderful. Friendly service. Large beer menu. Afterwards we walked around the quaint neighborhood. A great place for date night away from the kids. We’ll visit again!

It’s difficult for me to review this place 3 stars, but our food was extraordinarily slow coming out of the kitchen. Also, the cheese curd appetizers weren’t fresh and didn’t «squeak” — we actually suspected they might have just fried up pieces of mozzarella!
With the negatives out of the way, our portabella mushroom burger and bleu burger was pretty tasty! Also, our waitress was a nice and bubbly college aged girl who was fantastic. I didn’t have any of the beer, but they were all reasonably priced at $ 4.50 and feature many local brews!

Solid watering hole. Friendly and attentive staff. Local and regional distilleries well represented on the menu. Outside seating to boot. A welcome addition to the neighborhood.

We came here on one of the first decent nights this spring to enjoy the patio, cocktails, and food and we were not disappointed! Cozy cute atmosphere in downtown Middleton with great service. Decent beer selection, and a full menu of different types of whiskey. I had the grilled cheese which was delicious and my husband had the roasted turkey sandwich. Updating to the garlic parmesan fries is a good choice, but they could use some truffle oil. Prices are reasonable, the only thing that could make it better is some heating lamps on the patio for when after the sun goes down!

Food made this 4 stars. It was nearly 3. Free house struggles with a Very Congested entryway. They allow bar patrons to effectively block any access to the place. It was hard to get on the list because we couldn’t get to the hostess stand.
But FOOD.
It’s good. It’s got a zing of specialness. Not Mind blowing spectacular but Plenty of new tastes to explore.
1. Spicy deviled bacon eggs– I will just make them this way forever now
2. Sweet potato fries– YES. Crispy texture. Finally. If you like sweet potato fries try these.

I came here with a few friends for dinner and some drinks. Since it was so nice out we decided to sit outside on the patio, which was pretty spacious and luckily had a lot of seating. Unfortunately I never saw the inside of the place, but from what I could see it looked pretty nice!
They have a great beer selection, with a lot of great choices on tap. I ordered a burger and it was cooked exactly the way I had asked. The parmesan fries on the side were really good, although the pieces of parmesan were cut too big. Normally I would prefer this for a salad or on pasta or something, but for a finger food it made eating the fries somewhat difficult to eat as the parmesan didn’t adhere to them. My friend mentioned that they would be amazing with some truffle oil, which I thought was a great suggestion. Overall a pretty cool place with a decent menu! We will probably be back!

Been here several times since my first review so I figure it time to update. We still almost always enjoy their bar service. I think we’ve sat outside twice. We really enjoy their deviled eggs with siracha and bacon. We tried the cheese curds today and they were really tasty, very lightly breaded. The ranch they came with was really delicious. I would steer clear of their jalapeño poppers. They were insanely spicy and inedible. And my husband and I love spicy food. I’ve made jalapeño popper before and they should be seeded and/​or deveined more. Service is always really good, very friendly and they check on you often. My husband really enjoys their large beer selection. He can always find something new he can try. I also like how they change up their cocktail menu and the drinks are usually good and well made. We will keep come back here for drink’s and good bar food.

In town for a business trip and went here on the recommendation of a business associate. Wow! What a great meal! I got there around 6:45pm on a Thursday … and it took a little time to get a seat. Bar was packed with people! Great selection of beers on tap. I enjoyed a couple different local flavors. I got the Old Standby with the Parmesan Garlic fries on the side. The burger was tremendous and the fries were simply out of this world! Absolutely worth the buck fifty upgrade. The food was tremendous and the prices were reasonable. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area.

The parmesean garlic fries are SO GOOD. My friends and I devoured them. Real slices of parmesean on top and a great dipping sauce.

This is my boyfriend and I’s favorite place to take people who are visiting in town. The drink selection is huge (especially if you like whiskey) and the beer selection is pretty darn good as well. The only reason this doesn’t have a 5 star rating is because the wait staff could use some serious work.
We walked in on a Friday evening, prepared to wait for a table. They offered us one right away, but after sitting down it was far too close to the door and was very drafty. They let us know that the seating was «first come first serve» so we walked into the next area and sat down, thinking it would be no biggie since it’s «first come first serve». Well, a few minutes later a waiter comes by with a group of people, and asks us if we checked in at the front. We said yes, but then he told us that we would have to move because this wasn’t our table.
Come to find out, it isn’t «first come first serve» after all! It was a little embarassing, and wasn’t handled very well by the staff. Our waitress at our next table was also not very knowledgable about the beer list. I asked for «a wheat draft beer» and she brought me a bottle. It was a good beer, but not what I had wanted.
Even with all of that, their pretzel appetizer is to die for. If I could sleep on a pile of those fluffy pretzel breadsticks, I’d be the happiest girl alive.

Awesome beer selection. Fair prices. Good old fashions. The food was way better than just normal bar food. I would give this place 6 stars if I could.

I’ve only had the pleasure of experiencing the environment of this restaurant during evening hours. Casual ambient lighting and overall a very clean place to dine in with your loved ones.
Definitely recommend this place: D

I’ve been to the Free House perhaps a couple of dozen times. My experience has been that they were novel and really pretty good early on, but have settled into ho hum west side mediocrity.
The food is pretty bland and some of the options at on the spendy side… $ 15 for a fish po’ boy? I had the avocado salad and added chicken tonight. Decent portion of chicken… But it was more a green salad with a half sliced avocado. There were some garbanzo beans as well… but they seemed more a garnish than anything else.
I’ve had the last iteration of the the fish sandwich… Not the current $ 15 version. I was put off at the extra charge for an a request for additional tarter sauce…
My Mom had the prime rib sandwich… We often it rare… It came out a loud medium to medium well. It was pretty bland — albeit good for my Mom.
I really want to like this joint… But the service is spotty and the food is just sorta OK. I will way the beer selection is robust, they do serve
late and are open on Sunday evenings.

What can I say about one of my Top 5 bars in Madison?
The food is first and foremost amazing. I have ate almost everything on the menu and have only a couple times had something I didn’t think was stellar and delicious. I recommend this place to all my friends and they all have such good experiences here. I personally reccomend the Quesadillas, fish tacos, and ABLT.
They have 2 patios; one for just drinks and the other for drinks and dining. Both are relaxing and pleasant to sit in. The place is large and can accommodate large parties at a short notice even. They have 2 bars but the 2^nd one is usually only open on weekend nights.
They have a constantly changing quality beer list as well as a great selections of whiskey (whisky).
The staff cares about good food and good service so I would recommend making a trip here even if you are on the East side of town!

When our friends suggested this place for dinner, my first impression before coming here was «oh great, bar food.» I wasn’t completely wrong in that aspect, but I was definitely surprised at the quality of the food and service.
Four of us shared the fried cheese curds appetizer with ranch and honey mustard. Not too salty. Not too bad. I kept the ranch for my fries.
I ordered the California Burger. If finishing it in less than 5 minutes doesn’t tell you how good it was, then I don’t know what will. I requested the meat to be cooked medium, but it came out more medium-​rare. I didn’t bother returning it since I noticed the temp half way through the burger. French fries were seasoned well and not bland. Not soggy either, which is always a plus.
My fiancée loved her Free House Bleu Cheeseburger. She raved about the garlic aioli sauce it came with and dipped the life out of that burger in that thing. She also loved the garlic parmesan fries. It wasn’t just seasoned with garlic parmesan – it had huge shavings of parmesan cheese with a nice kick of garlic in the mix. She was a happy gal.
Service was great. Our server always checked on us at appropriate times and split our bill as evenly as he could, even though it really wouldn’t have mattered if a couple dollars went here or there. A for effort, though! The music that accompanied the evening reminded me of being a village with hobbits. It was entertaining, nonetheless, and actually fit with the ambience of the restaurant.
I take it back when I first said «oh great, bar food.» Definitely exceeded my expectations.

The food was phenomenal! This is one of my new favorite places outside of Madison. I wish the Friday night fresh fish fry was every night. Everything was reasonably priced and the atmosphere is one to be desired for by couples. The wait time was a little longer than I would have liked, but that’s a demonstration of how great the food is.

Great service, fantastic burgers and sandwiches, fun music choices, and great atmosphere — couldn’t ask for a better choice for both food and drinks. The menu stays up-​to-​date and the staff are both friendly and knowledgable. In the summer months, the patio is the place to be.
The service is usually quick and friendly. It’s not a long nor difficult table wait as there’s often room in the bar (you can also eat in there easily enough). The beer and whiskey selection is especially pleasing.