Bear & Bottle

601 N Sherman Ave – www.bearandbottlewi.com

All of the non-local beers at Bear & Bottle come from California, and the bear on that flag is presumably the inspiration for the restaurant name. The restaurant and a few other commercial spaces were built in 2016 on top of a portion of the Lakewood Plaza Shopping Center parking lot. Unlike the rest of the property, there’s no parking between this building and the sidewalks, so it does a lot of work to do away with the strip mall feel of the place. Parking is in the back, or diners can take advantage of the mostly adequate bike lanes on Sherman or Commercial like I did.

The interior of the restaurant is nice enough, but it feels a little contrived. It seems like the wood inside was not distressed by any sort of weather or age but instead came that way from a factory. The space is light and airy. It feels open but manages not echo or feel boomy. Large garage door style windows line the street sides of the restaurant and are frequently open. We chose to sit on the patio, which is quite nice.

There are a couple dozen beers on tap, mostly from California, including a mix of popular favorites and deep cuts. Several Madison-area stables are also available for whoever in your life still thinks Spotted Cow is the pinnacle of alcoholic beverages. The cocktail menu offers some original creations alongside a few classics. I really enjoyed the Resting Peach Face, which was definitely sweet but not cloying. Later I had their B&B Old Fashioned, which is one of the more exciting takes on the drink I’ve had. I really liked the vanilla notes. Fitting for a California-themed spot, it was very far from Wisconsin-style.

The food menu offers a decent amount of variety. The menu is a little unfocussed, but it’s not sprawling. I ordered the Banh Mi Sliders, which I would not have done if I had more carefully read the description, “soy smoked seafood patty, cucumber, pickled carrot, spicy mayo, King Hawaiian bun.” They were fine, but they really didn’t succeed as a banh mi for me. King Hawaiian rolls have a place, but they are no substitute for the usual french bread. I also really missed the cilantro, sliced jalapeño, and pickled vegetables that I normally expect.

Service was quick and competent. Our drinks consistently came out quickly and so did our food. Our server was friendly, checked on us at the right times but was unfussy, matching the overall casual vibe of the restaurant.

Before the restaurant opened one of the owners told the Isthmus that “we want to give people a downtown experience without having to drive downtown.” I think they’ve been partially successful. The patio along the sidewalk does a huge amount of work to make the corner feel like a place someone might actually want to be instead of a non-space to be traversed as quickly as possible. While we didn’t see a lot of people walking by, the bike lanes on Sherman get a lot of good use. This area feels like it’s on the verge of tipping into something that really would feel like a cute little downtown.

This wasn’t my first time at Bear & Bottle, but it’s not one of my regular haunts. Unless you’re really into beers from California, this is not a restaurant worth a trip across town, but it is a nice spot for local folks. I left thinking that I would still be excited to go back, even though the food I got was not really what I wanted. I look forward to exploring more of the cocktail menu and trying something else to eat next time.