Madison, WIBreakfast

Marigold Kitchen reopened on South Pinckney Street in July 2021 after sixteen months closed, and the Wisconsin State Journal’s review treats it as the brunch room Madison keeps coming back to. The dining room seats eighty, which on a weekend is nowhere near enough. Soup is a particular strength, the roasted chicken and quinoa among them, and the breakfast burrito is the plate the paper singles out. Expect a wait rather than a table if you arrive late on a Saturday.

Madison Magazine's breakfast guide sends you to this Williamson Street cafe for its abundant scone selection and its seitan hash, and describes a room decorated like the whimsical home of a quirky relative, which is how it fits the Willy Street neighborhood so exactly. Counter service, no reservations, a line out the door on a weekend. Order a scone and the seitan hash, and take the table in the front window if anyone gets up.

A retro diner on Atwood Avenue that Madison Magazine's breakfast guide lists among the fourteen rooms it sends readers to, and one of the few on the list where a vegan can order most of the menu. Booths, a counter, and a jukebox aesthetic that has not been updated because it does not need to be. Order the blue plate breakfast, and go early on a weekend because the guide warns the wait is real.

Madison Magazine's breakfast guide tells you to come to this Middleton diner for the breakfast and stay for the always freshly stocked dessert case, which is the whole pitch in one sentence. It opens at seven and runs a full breakfast and brunch menu all morning. Order eggs and hash browns, then take a slice of pie from the case on the way out, which is the part regulars plan the visit around.