Good food. New England - Irish. Be sure to go here if you are a New England fan or if you want the best bangers and mash in the Madison area. Authentic Lobster roll too !
Since they remodeled and revamped their menu, I love coming here. I love coming here for lunch. I'm usually in and out fairly quickly. The lunch menu isn't terribly different from the dinner menu. My favorite items are the lobster Mac and cheese or the grilled cheese +bacon. Fish and Chips is a staple and should also be tried. The fries are really tasty here.
Boy oh boy is this place a shadow of its former glory. I worked used to work here a little over ten years ago; the place was cozy and hip. Since then, they've trimmed way the heck back on their whiskey and beer selection, the atmosphere has turned into a cigar-lounge kind of feel, and no Dublin City Burger? No corned beef and cabbage? What the heck!?!
It's like going back to those fun playgrounds we all knew as kids only to find everything has been replaced by safe, plastic equipment. I used to come here every New Years morning for good food and BM's. I don't think that will be happening anymore.
Well okay. They updated. Pretty stupid idea if you ask me. Which they didn't. Read their excuse. Sorry, if you want to be an Irish pub, well, be dark and, well, you know, Irish Pub-like. Is it bad now? No. But it has little character. Went there on a Thursday night, looking for a dark, quiet, cozy place. Found one, like, in the back corner of the bar. The wait staff are nice. We did wait a loooong time for our bottle of wine. But it did arrive and she apologized. We decided against ordering food. The bill was wrong. I asked and they corrected it. Overall. Well, not a bad place but now just kinda run of the mill.
This is one of my favorite places in Madison. The food is awesome and if you like Whiskey at all, this is the place to go. They have a great selection of everything from Bourbon to Irish. If you appreciate an Old Fashioned, be sure to have one as it doesn't disappoint. Highly Recommended!
I like this place, I really like this place. I'm not Irish at all not one bit, but the place oozes Irish to me. The Shepard's Pie was one to go back too with a good dark beer.
Nice place. I miss the Irish Pub feel to it though. Feels really modern. But good service and food
Dark with clean lines. Great place to have a drink. Outside seating available with view of the Capitol. Friendly knowledgeable staff.
Went during restaurant week. The charm that draws you in from the outside is not carried over into the pub; the inside no longer feels homey, but modern. It seems they have refocused their business away from food. My shephard's pie was okay.
Great place downtown and server was good. Had bottomless mamosa and veggie hash. Very reasonable price.
Outstanding service, great food, wonderful atmosphere, the only complaint is that it can get a bit loud in here.
I don't love the new decor Less Irish publike than it used to be ( and I have spent HOURS in Irish pubs!) Also lacking Harp on tap. Otherwise I enjoy it.
Food quality is very good. The new menu features some but not all of the usual Irish specialities: corned beef and cabbage entree has been removed. Server suggests the Reuben, but that is not the same thing as a corned beef dinner. Be ready for a noisy atmosphere, as noise from the bar pervades the whole place.
I liked it better before the remodel. It no longer feels like an Irish Pub. They also changed their menu with the remodel, very few Irish items left. The food is wonderful, but just don't go in expecting an Irish Pub experience.
Enjoy going there to grab a couple happy hour drinks. The location is wonderful!
Friday night
We ate at Brocach in Madison. The meal was a poor excuse for Irish let alone good food. It started off with the offering of "Lipton" tea, not Berrys or even Twining Tea. Two things, Lipton is cheap American tea and secondly the amount of tea in a tea bag from Across the pond is twice what is put in a Lipton tea bag. I ordered a Reuben and K ordered the beef pot pie, both became laughable. A Reuben sandwich requires a form of meat. They sell an 8oz burger so one might expect something more than 1oz of top fat and edge cut corn-beef. Oh ya, and as I recall a Reuben has Swiss cheese on it, not the case last night.
K's pot pie was almost as cut. I sheet of puff pastry over some shredded beef and more "large" cut veggies than beef. Frankly the meal was a joke and GREATLY OVER PRICED.
After the remodel this place is just another mediocre gentrified bar. All the great wood and Irish charm is gone. Wasn't able to order food because the kitchen closed at 9 but the drink selection is weak, about a half dozen beers and two red and white wines. They have a good selection of whiskey but it's over priced. Nothing to see here folks.
Used to enjoy Brocach as a warm and cozy spot for a pint and a shot after work on a winter's evening. Now it's a square, sterile, souless place. Shortly after their reopening I went in and our server wasn't sure if they had a happy hour. I know they used to. I won't be back to find out if she was correct, or just clueless.
If you're looking for a traditional Irish pub look and feel, this isn't the place. This place has a more modern decor to appeal to young professionals which makes sense since it's on the square. Prices higher that normal for Madison which makes sense given the location and target market.
I used to go there all the time. I loved the food and the atmosphere. Now it's become a bland and boring hipster bar. It has no personality. They definitely lost my business after their remodel.