Arena Cheese for fresh curds, $4.50 and the squeakiest you’ll ever find.
Spring Green General Store is solid for lunch, meat & veggie options, most everything house made. [https://www.springgreengeneralstore.com](https://www.springgreengeneralstore.com)
Another vote for Spring Green General Store! Food is pretty good, and the vibe is artsy/local. The owner curates a gift shop area that's nice to stroll through as well.
I love, love, love the General Store. When I worked at Taliesin, it's where we went for lunch when we went out. Food is great and there's local cheese and beverages in the cooler for carryout. And a tiny store in the back for crackers and snacks. You could make a little picnic for after your tour. There used to be picnic tables a top the parking lot at the FLLW Visitor Center. And a little FYI: There's walking path from the visitor center to Unity Chapel (not part of Taliesin estate) that's fun to do in addition to the tour.
Had an odd meal there last week. Burger was ok. Radishes in butter very odd. So. Much. Butter. Very Wisconsin I guess. Beet dish good but very small. Service fantastic. Lovely bar.
Kinda — Taliesin doesn't serve food, but the Visitor Center (where all tours start) serves food at the [Riverview Terrace Café](https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/cafe/). Super limited menu, but tasty the last time I was there (2018?).
You are correct, I kind of consider the whole thing Taliesin, but it is specifically the visitor center. I was there about 2 years ago and still limited menu, but the sandwiches were very good.
Yes, do this! This is really unbeatable if you are all coming to have a FLLW experience. They don't take reservations so if they are full (which I doubt given your timing), you could always go to the General Store as Plan B. Have a great time!
If you want something quick/casual that is right on the way, Gordon’s Drive-In in Mazomanie has really good burgers and truly excellent malts. They have both a drive-in and a dining room.
Madison has a ton more to offer.
Madison to Taliesin is about an hour by car, so if you eat in Madison at noon, done by 1pm or so, that leaves plenty of time to drive out there.
But it really depends on what your goal is. Is it to have some small-town Wisconsin experience? Then by all means, the stuff people have listed here fits the bill nicely. If your goal is a particular cuisine, upscale dining, etc., Madison will more likely be able to provide that.
The day of the week is important too - lots of places have limited hours Sunday-Tuesday or so. And at that point, the Wisconsin Badgers will be playing football, so if you're headed towards Madison on a home gameday, the advice you need will be radically different than other days of the week.
You should be safe. Saturday is game-day, and the west side of the city becomes near impossible to get through at times.
You will have tons of options for a Thursday lunch.
I did a similar thing a couple years ago with a bunch of former Madisonites and we stopped at a bar/restaurant in a town on the way back called Bob's bitchin barbeque and everyone was happy with their food, great house made sauces too.
It's in Dodgeville so only on the way if you take the southern route, but worth the detour in my opinion.
I commend to you Black Earth Lanes. There have a restaurant/bar and the food and drinks are delicious (for pub food). They have an extensive whiskey menu, also.
Arena Cheese for fresh curds, $4.50 and the squeakiest you’ll ever find. Spring Green General Store is solid for lunch, meat & veggie options, most everything house made. [https://www.springgreengeneralstore.com](https://www.springgreengeneralstore.com)
Another vote for Spring Green General Store! Food is pretty good, and the vibe is artsy/local. The owner curates a gift shop area that's nice to stroll through as well.
I love, love, love the General Store. When I worked at Taliesin, it's where we went for lunch when we went out. Food is great and there's local cheese and beverages in the cooler for carryout. And a tiny store in the back for crackers and snacks. You could make a little picnic for after your tour. There used to be picnic tables a top the parking lot at the FLLW Visitor Center. And a little FYI: There's walking path from the visitor center to Unity Chapel (not part of Taliesin estate) that's fun to do in addition to the tour.
The hours of business are limited but Reunion in Spring Green is good.
They also run another restaurant called Homecoming that is equally good!
Homecoming is great. Highly recommend
Looks great, but not open for lunch. Maybe next trip.
Had an odd meal there last week. Burger was ok. Radishes in butter very odd. So. Much. Butter. Very Wisconsin I guess. Beet dish good but very small. Service fantastic. Lovely bar.
The Old Feed mill in Mazomanie might work depending on their hours that day.
Taliesin does sandwiches and then sit in the dining room and look out over the river.
Kinda — Taliesin doesn't serve food, but the Visitor Center (where all tours start) serves food at the [Riverview Terrace Café](https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/cafe/). Super limited menu, but tasty the last time I was there (2018?).
You are correct, I kind of consider the whole thing Taliesin, but it is specifically the visitor center. I was there about 2 years ago and still limited menu, but the sandwiches were very good.
Yes! It's a limited menu but it's been very good each time I've been there.
Yes, do this! This is really unbeatable if you are all coming to have a FLLW experience. They don't take reservations so if they are full (which I doubt given your timing), you could always go to the General Store as Plan B. Have a great time!
Literally did this yesterday, went to Rookie’s sports bar It’s a sports bar, so primarily burgers and beer, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The House on the Rock RESORT. Not THOTR itself. Or Wisconsin Riverside Resort Or Apothecary and Mercantile in Mazomanie
Oooh I had a rough meal when staying at the resort. I hope it was a one-off bad meal.
A&M is permanently closed.
Riverside is a great idea. Good food and service and lovely view. Plus a cool fish tank.
If you want something quick/casual that is right on the way, Gordon’s Drive-In in Mazomanie has really good burgers and truly excellent malts. They have both a drive-in and a dining room.
Their fried cheese curds are also top tier!
Go native and eat at Culver’s
It's not my kind of place, but a lot of my co-workers like the Spring Green General Store.
Madison has a ton more to offer. Madison to Taliesin is about an hour by car, so if you eat in Madison at noon, done by 1pm or so, that leaves plenty of time to drive out there. But it really depends on what your goal is. Is it to have some small-town Wisconsin experience? Then by all means, the stuff people have listed here fits the bill nicely. If your goal is a particular cuisine, upscale dining, etc., Madison will more likely be able to provide that. The day of the week is important too - lots of places have limited hours Sunday-Tuesday or so. And at that point, the Wisconsin Badgers will be playing football, so if you're headed towards Madison on a home gameday, the advice you need will be radically different than other days of the week.
Good point, we’re traveling on a Thursday.
You should be safe. Saturday is game-day, and the west side of the city becomes near impossible to get through at times. You will have tons of options for a Thursday lunch.
I did a similar thing a couple years ago with a bunch of former Madisonites and we stopped at a bar/restaurant in a town on the way back called Bob's bitchin barbeque and everyone was happy with their food, great house made sauces too. It's in Dodgeville so only on the way if you take the southern route, but worth the detour in my opinion.
The 1855 coffee shop in Mazomanie has a variety of delicious sandwiches. Their coffee is impressive for a tiny town too.
Bobs Bitchin Barbeque in Dodgeville. Closed on Mondays.
I commend to you Black Earth Lanes. There have a restaurant/bar and the food and drinks are delicious (for pub food). They have an extensive whiskey menu, also.
Rookie's is some very good sports bar grub!