Lindsay F.
Yelp
It's a frigid night, but I don't want to cook. There's nothing in the refrigerator that resembles any sort of meal that can be slapped together unless I want to give a pickle taco sans any goodies a try. I don't. If I was a less fortunate soul, I'd have to get dressed into something resembling publicly acceptable and hike it to the Pinkus McBride up the street, but I don't...I have the 'Bou.
The Caribou is my neighborhood's dive gem. I can walk in through the back door, in anything that counts as "clothes." It's a bar, it's small, it's dark. There's a jukebox and darts, and only one person working any night I've ever been in. They are cordial and willing to banter while bar tending and cooking the food. It's cash only, leave the AMEX at home. The crowd is heavily bearded or has something else interesting going on with their facial hair/hair in general, but with a streak of friendliness you'll only find in the Midwest. The music is eclectically good, since you may have forgotten that there is a time and place for slow jamz and AC/DC back-to-back.
This is my favorite Madison burger. The bread is fresh, the meat is from Jenifer St. Market, and they basically cook it in front of you, to order. There's no question of freshness, and you can customize as you wish (yes, I'll take extra onions and pickles). Make it a cheeseburger if you're feeling frisky. Not everything is as magically delicious as the burger unfortunately - I am a grilled cheese aficionado, and my worst grilled cheese in Madison has probably been at the Caribou. It breaks my heart, but then I fill that grilled cheese sized hole with a beer.
The beer selection is decent, and they have interesting stuff coming through on their rotating tap. You can get your basic cocktail on here too, but don't ask for a wine list.
This is a good place for a chill night during the week for a few beers with friends, or a place to end the night on the weekends, although it tends to get pretty crowded in the wee hours.
