Muskellounge and Sporting Club

Great place, immaculate atmosphere. Like a cabin in the Northwoods. Vintage charm. Unique mixed drinks, adequate edibles, and dog friendly if you are into that. Highly recommend, always make it a stop when we are in town.

I met five friends here for an informal gathering. It has great outside seating and is dog friendly. I was able to enjoy a well made drink with my friends and not worry about leaving early to take care of my puppy. Bonus was the farm stand out front that we visited on our way out. Great day.

What a fun Saturday afternoon…Slushies, Fraboni’s “Musky Pizza”, Pfefferjager, Bloody Mary’s, Pulltabs, Games and Cocktails… No place better for a Saturday afternoon hangout. Amazing Slushies! Are you kidding in this heat! Fraboni’s Pizza best in Madison. Do not miss having a Pfefferjager either. If you know you know. The secret Bloody Mary mix..Thanks “Anne” now ya know. Boom it is that good. Robert, Glenn and Chad Thanks for making our Saturday so much fun!!!! Always an amazing time……Damn forgot to have a Tackle Box. Guess we are going to have to go back. A must stop in Madison!!!!!!

Update from 2nd visit: still great! The vodka coffee slush is amazing, and now that I've had their pretzel, I can rate the food as amazing. It was super busy with a wedding group in so the staff seemed a little overworked, but they still made sure service was good. I'll 100% be back here whenever I can! --- I had never heard of this place, I was looking at bars on the way from Monona to the isthmus, and came across the Musky. What a gosh darn gem. This feels like your pseudo-rich up north uncle who loves to fish fixed up his basement with "up north chic" vibes. It's a really chill atmosphere with a good selection of drinks. The tap list is A+, it's got some staples and also fun local stuff. The cocktail list is good and includes some draft cocktails like an old fashioned, a Manhatten, and a seasonal pear G and T. They all slap. Prices are reasonable. There's ample indoor seating and a small outdoor patio. Plenty of parking. Friendly bartenders. I'll definitely be back whenever I'm in the area.

Great drinks, friendly staff. Decent apps but wish they had more food selection. The musky pizza is awesome and from Fraboni's

I had to downgrade this place from 6 stars to 5 because it was too fun and I spent all my money. The bartenders were attentive and hilarious and even though the place was packed, I had my drink order handed to me pretty fast. The theme of the place is perfectly an up north cabin vibe and whatever scent they’ve got pumping through the place is my favorite target candle scent and made me very happy. Obviously I had a fantastic time and wish I could live here. I’ll probably be back everyday this week. PS. Cal’s legs were pretty nice. IYKYK.

I haven't had fun like that in a long time. Beautiful Northwoods-type bar, serving pints of Hamms for $2 during happy hour. Like the bartender said..."Can't beat two dollar beers." I was there alone for the first 3 or 4 beers, as I got there at 3 pm, right when it opens. There were a few other patrons. But low and behold, some old friends from the 90s, trickled in, and it was a great environment for catching up with old friends. They have great taps of draft beers...loved the Oberon. But that Hamms went down quicker than water on a hot summer Tuesday built for day drinking. They make delicious Fraboni's frozen pizza, or you can get a hot pretzel with mustard. They even sell Landjaeger and Pfeiffer Jaegers for $6 each. Of course you can always have the liquid lunch like I did. Outstanding bar staff. This is a place I'd rather keep quiet because I liked it so much...but eff it, right? We all deserve an oasis every now and then. Hope you like it as much as I did last night.

A nice selection of cocktails (including two frozen cocktails!) They offer 3 pizzas, soft pretzel, sausage, and a snack box with cured meat, cheese and crackers.

Bar is good. Food is mediocre at best. Lighting is good. Overall they've done a fine job turning a strip mall location into a decent bar. Good selection of beer and drinks. Some fun classic bar games. Food was pretty bad and felt like an afterthought. Fine if you need something to soak up the booze but certainly not a reason to go there. Service was friendly and efficient.

Reslly cool vibes. The place had tons of options which is always appreciated. Bartender was great too, made drinks quick.

I had to downgrade this place from 6 stars to 5 because it was too fun and I spent all my money. The bartenders were attentive and hilarious and even though the place was packed, I had my drink order handed to me pretty fast. The theme of the place is perfectly an up north cabin vibe and whatever scent they've got pumping through the place is my favorite target candle scent and made me very happy. Obviously I had a fantastic time and wish I could live here. I'll probably be back everyday this week. PS. Cal's legs were pretty nice. IYKYK.

As a 40 something guy from deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin who's trying to make the most of my time in Madison I've found the Muskellunge to be a nice hangout every now and then. I've also had way more than my fair share of good times with booze and really dig that they have rather stellar selection of NA beer. Pair it up with one of their local sourced hot soft pretzels or a pair of Landjagers this place is a real treat! For those who indulge in the good stuff it's got well stocked bar too... The Muskellunge also has great staff that welcomes everyone. I really appreciated that the bartenders have even recommended other NA brews that they carry! While the ambiance is gives off a great vibe it's not a quaint little beer hall. If you go, don't be surprised that it's the size of your typical bar in the city- it can be crowded and at times noisy. Lots of cool things to do like shuffle board, ping-pong, darts, and pull tabs! It would be awesome if they had a couple Spooky machines to feed though... Not a bad stop solo ,but is a great location to meetup with friends. Bottom line the Muskellunge is a winner!

Overall, I enjoyed my time at the Muskellounge. Probably the #1 thing that will keep me coming back is the fact that they allow dogs indoors. I struggle to consider a place that allows dogs outside only in Wisconsin to be super dog-friendly -- that's a very limited season. Muskellounge is truly dog friendly, and I appreciate that beyond belief. Then, there's the fact that they have a great beer and cocktail list. I was able to get NA options (always a huge plus) and a lovely dark beer. You go to the bar for service, and despite a busy crowd on a weekend night, I did not have to wait forever to grab someone's attention. Always a huge plus! Not to mention, staff was knowledgeable when I asked a question, prompt in their service, and very kind! My primary complaints are two-fold, and admittedly probably not of any concern for many potential patrons: (1) the noise! The music was unnecessarily loud, and the concrete floors etc already will make sound from patrons carry a bit. We initially sat on the couches and were so far away from each other we literally could not hear each other speak when we yelled. Which brings me to my next complaint (2) there actually isn't a ton of tables for all of the space they have. Some might not find a problem with this, but coupled with the struggle to hear each other, some smaller tables might be nice. Their tap list is also impossible to browse... it's only up on the wall along the whole length of the bar in some kind of artsy format which makes it really hard to read. There's essentially no tap list and you just have to ask... or spend a lot of time, movement, and dedication. All of this said, I still overall enjoy the drinks and people of the Muskellounge. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. I plan to be back and I'm not even really in the area.

Always a good time at the Muskie - we're regulars now! We love their rotating cocktail specials and boilermaker combos (pb&j is our fave!) Their small food menu is excellent, plus you can always eat at either of the restaurants next door on the patio. Muskellounge is dog friendly and we have definitely enjoyed taking our new pup to the patio! Big fans of the shuffleboard, ping pong table, and darts! Stop by for a fun cocktail and stay for the games!

First and foremost there is a muppet that is a replica of the bartender. If you are a big fisherman you will love all the fish on the wall. My husband loved the whiskey old fashion sweet, and I had a delicious Hurricane. Plenty of parking and the prices aren't bad either. Go check it out don't forget your fishing pole lol just kidding

HUGE muskellunge fan over here. I love the quirky, vintage, hipster interior. Also..dogs are allowed Inside, which makes it truly the best. One of my favorite cocktails in all of madison is on draft rotation (summer i think ) Order -Aperol we've been through When it's back on the menu! They also serve two of my favorites @batch_bakehouse pretzel @frabonimonona Pizza Get both

This new place could not be any closer to our home but it took us until this past weekend to check it out. It was a bit cool but not too bad to hang out on their patio (parking lot). Given Covid we opted to sit outside though now the inside is open to a limited occupation. We did scope out the interior and liked how they designed the place for an "up nort" sort of feel. We ordered our drinks and a big pretzel at the bar. The bartender was very friendly. We tried a couple of their slushies - the pina colada and the margarita which were good. Another tried a cherry cooler - thumbs up and the last a traditional Wisconsin Old Fashion - very good. The hot pretzel was tasty as were the cheese and mustard dips. Post-Covid I definitely would hang out here since the interior is so inviting. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Been to the Muskie 4 times. First three were great ... drinks are excellent ... tasty, classic cocktails made with fresh ingredients. Atmosphere and vibe are really fun and service was always good. The 4th time we left after 20 minutes of sitting at the bar and not being served. This happened after asking two other employees who were behind the bar if they could make us a drink ... neither could (I get it), but the fact neither communicated to a bartender was poor. Not to mention that the bartenders themselves weren't exactly swamped; they should have noticed we did not have drinks in front of us. I'm sure we will return, and I am hopeful we will enjoy it as we have in the past!

Muskellounge is one of the few places in Madison that allows dogs inside and not just on their patio, which is wonderful in winter when we don't want to sit outside with our dog. The decor gives spectacular up north outdoorsy vibes but there isn't much that absorbs sound so it can get really loud. Pair that with the (super fun) shuffleboard table and it can get hard to hear. The cocktail list looks amazing but they do not rotate their tap beers very often. They do have some food which can elevate the experience as well (pizza & pretzels). A more creative and rotating tap list would move them up to a 5 for me, as well as a better way to manage the sound.

Live bluegrass music with no cover Mondays 7-10:30! Loads of fun. Great place to meet friends and enjoy drinks inside the rustic fish camp or outdoors on the patio.

Way way too expensive, this place measures drinks, defiantly avoid this place, especially when so many other great bars are right around the corner on Atwood & Williamson. I think the flies landing on me gave me more attention than the snooty bartenders.

Just stick to cash and pay as you go in this establishment. Didn't have the best experience and we have been there before. I understand hospitality but lacked it when I got the female bartender.I understand being annoyed with patrons after a hard day. But service was unacceptable

It is so wonderful to have the Muskellounge on the Eastside! They have created a great, no-frills outdoor patio area with plenty of tables outside stretching into the parking lot. Thoughtful COVID procedures are in place - you order at the window (masked) and the servers bring your drinks to your table. There is a bathroom you can use inside, of course, as well. Cocktails are DELICIOUS and exactly what you would expect from the owners of Robin Room and Mint Mark. I ordered a gin gimlet (and then another gin gimlet) and my partner ordered a margarita and a $2 Hamm's. Everything was delightful - there is a great selection of liquors, wine, and beer (ranging from Hamm's to craft brews). The Muskellounge offers a few snack options: there are a couple small plates and you can order thin crust pizzas (from Fraboni's I believe!). We ordered fish fry from Lake Edge Seafood Company to enjoy with our cocktails. The inside of the bar gives off an effortlessly cool, laid back vibe. Can't wait for COVID to be over and be inside playing shuffleboard with the perfect cocktail and friends. Go there and enjoy yourself! I don't think you can go wrong.

Great innovative drinks and cool ambiance with games (like ski ball) and many Muskee's!

Patio plus good beer selection plus free beer token for bike week! And the employees were super kind and helpful! 10/10

Busy and loud on the weekends, but tasty drinks. Very limited food offerings so grab dinner before visiting.

Thank god for a new neighborhood bar! Great patio, friendly bartenders. Lots of variety of drinks. It's got something for everyone I think. They make good old fashioneds and they have frozen drinks ready on hot days.

Love hanging at the Musky! Great atmosphere, excellent drinks and an attentive staff.

I was standing next to the owner when he said someone gave this bar a one star review...I'd give this bar ten stars if I could. It's perfect. Old school and not pretentious and already my favorite bar in town. Seventy stars!!!