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At a time when so many of the places to eat on State Street are chains, along comes Sookie’s Veggie Burgers to disrupt that unfortunate trend.
It also has the distinction of being the only vegan or vegetarian restaurant on State.
Before John McCune opened Sookie’s March 23 in what had been Koi Sushi, he ran a cart that the restaurant improves upon.
Most of the sandwiches ($9) I’ve had at the restaurant have been excellent: the sweet heat beet burger, the vegan chicken and the spinach chicken pesto.
The chipotle black bean burger.
A chipotle black bean burger was the lesser of the sandwiches, more reminiscent of the former cart’s black bean burger. It was still good; its flavor was just less distinct than the others.
The sweet heat beet burger.
The beet burger patty, my favorite as well as my daughter’s, was thinner and got mashed down flatter and faster than the others. Its flavor, with a hint of sweetness, was a huge treat.
“If someone says they don’t like beets, that shouldn’t be a deterrent because the beets are almost undetectable,” said my daughter, who was as impressed by it as I was, and who generally avoids beets.
There was a lot to like about both vegan chicken sandwiches, and they’ll appeal to anyone who likes regular chicken sandwiches. The meaty vegan chicken was breaded, and air-fried, so no grease.
The vegan spinach chicken pesto sandwich should return to the menu within the next month.
The vegan spinach chicken pesto was just as wonderful. It was missing from the menu on my last visit because of supply issues. McCune said it should return within the next month.
All the sandwiches came on big, sturdy buns with a lot of delicious vegan mayo, red onion, tomato and leaf lettuce.
The menu offers fries and sweet potato fries, also air-fried, but we went with the hummus trio ($6), which was attractively laid out with slices of tomato and cucumber and fresh, soft, whole wheat pita triangles surrounding a scoop of hummus.
The chips and guac ($5) had two small cups of supremely creamy guacamole and a paper bag full of round tortilla chips.
The SuperCharge juice bar inside Sookie's.
SuperCharge opened a juice bar inside Sookie’s in May, featuring a well-stocked cooler of 16-ounce, grab-and-go bottled juices ($8), cold-pressed and packaged at the original SuperCharge location at East Washington Avenue and First Street.
Customers can also order from a huge menu of multi-ingredient juices and smoothies at the bar that are made to order. A tray of sample juices in little plastic shot glasses can steer you toward or away from certain ones.
The ABC was a good choice with green apple, beet, carrot, lime, cucumber, spinach, kale, parsley and sunflower microgreens.
Better was the fruit roots smoothie ($6/$8), one of 10 available. I was drawn to it because of the coconut milk, and it also had pineapple, blueberries, lemon, beet, maca (a Peruvian ginseng) and apple juice. Ginger made it sting a bit and turmeric added some bitterness.
The good news is that while smoothies used to take a long time to make at the Near East Side shop, the one I had inside Sookie’s was ready in minutes.
SuperCharge also sells its microgreens, the nutrient-packed seedlings of vegetables and herbs, out of the State Street shop.
Sookie’s and SuperCharge are separate businesses with independent owners and ordering systems.
Sookie's Veggie Burgers is welcoming, with a wavy rainbow mural across its main wall.
The large room is welcoming, with a wavy rainbow mural across its main wall. Its five comfortable booths along that wall were all filled one recent Friday at lunchtime. Seven round tables are also colorful and provide ample seating. The youngest customers can color the paper placemats with crayons found in dishes on the tables.
Soft music from female singer-songwriters dominated the playlist on one of my visits and provided the perfect backdrop for a relaxing meal.
Sookie's employees write customers' names and decorate the paper bags the food comes in.
Even cooler was that on my first visit, my name was written in marker along with a smiling sun on the paper bag my food came in. On the second visit, I got a smiley flower.
“We’ve got a couple staff members that’ll pretty consistently put flowers or suns or stuff on the bag,” McCune said, noting that he OK’d the idea.
In all of Madison, there are only two other vegetarian restaurants, Green Owl and the newly converted Jardin. Madison also has Just Veggiez, a catering, delivery and pop-up business. Surya Café in Fitchburg is taking a break for the summer.
Sookie’s goes a long way to fill a fast-casual, plant-based void in Madison, and if you need and a dose of positivity, there’s no better place to be.
Restaurant: Sookie’s Veggie Burgers
Hours: Daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Prices: Vegan burgers $9, sides $4 to $6, desserts $4 and $5
Outdoor dining: No
Delivery: Yes, through third-party apps.
Gluten-free: Lettuce wrap available
Vegetarian offerings: All vegan
Parking: Street parking and nearby ramp
Bottom line: Sookie's, paired with SuperCharge inside, is a healthy oasis on State Street.
Sookie's Veggie Burgers opened in March in what had been Koi Sushi.
Sookie's has a mix of booths and round tables.
Sookie's has a small sandwich menu where it's hard to go wrong.
Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery, 2827 Atwood Ave., opened in 2009 by Daryl Sisson and Kathy Brooks, did well in the warmer months by turning its parking lot into an outdoor cafe. One reason to visit the restaurant for brunch is its otherworldly smoked salmon and pesto omelet with cream cheese, which is served at all times. Another reason is its generous fish fry featuring panko-crusted cod, garlic-Parmesan potatoes, oven-roasted vegetables, homemade coleslaw and housemade tartar sauce. It's also served any day, any time. Read the full review here.
Wonderstate Coffee, 27 W. Main St., which opened a year ago on the Capitol Square, not only has wonderful coffee, but offers an inspired menu with lots of healthy choices. The mushroom sandwich on a sweet-tasting, housemade brioche bun is a standout from a menu of standouts. Inside are sautéed oyster mushrooms, kale, baby Swiss, caramelized onions, an over-easy egg and miso aioli. Wonderstate also does well by its soups. Read the full review here.
The Hilltop, 4173 County Road P, Cross Plains, was founded in 1938, and has been a restaurant ever since, undergoing expansions along the way. Its 6-ounce, center-cut filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms and onions was the best steak my friend and I had ever had. As an appetizer, the dynamite shrimp are ridiculously addictive. I agreed with my friend who called her meal at The Hilltop "freakishly good." Read the full review here.
Takara Sushi Station, 696 S. Whitney Way, brings unlimited sushi and other items direct to booths with a conveyor belt system. Almost all of it was first-rate on a recent visit. Read the full review here.
The Harvey House, 644 W. Washington Ave., which opened in July, bills itself as a modern-day supper club, and its atmosphere, prices and service elevate it into the upper echelon of Madison dining. The restaurant even landed at No. 8 on Esquire magazine’s "Best New Restaurants in America, 2021." The highlight of a recent meal was the Superior walleye that had a crisp crust made with an ingenious thin layer of buttery rye bread. Read the full review here.
Oliva, 751 High Point Road, which opened in 2008 at High Point and Old Sauk roads, is as good as ever. Chef/owner Mehmet Dayi goes heavy on the tomato sauce with fantastic results, making it hard to choose between his Mediterranean and Italian fare. It just depends on what you're in the mood for. Service in the large dining room is excellent, even on busy nights when the staff is stretched thin. Read the full review here.
Villa Tap, 2302 Packers Ave., has such a popular fish fry that owner Chris "Chico" Warren shuts down his grill on Fridays, and adds an extra fryer for the Icelandic cod, walleye, lake perch, bluegill and jumbo shrimp. The cod dinner features three thick pieces of fish, hand-cut by Warren, that are lightly and flavorfully breaded, with no greasiness. Read the full review here.
Kettle Black Kitchen, 1835 Monroe St., is an intimate, charming restaurant that opened in August in a spot that formerly housed Joon, Burgrito and Double S BBQ. Don't miss chef/owner Brian Hamilton's French onion soup, shrimp and grits cakes with bacon, and sour orange pie. Read full review here.
Marigold Kitchen, 118 S. Pinckney St., reopened in July after it was closed for 16 months due to the pandemic. With its smart, cheery, urban feel and signature breakfast potatoes, the cafe has been a Madison favorite for 20 years, and its recent change in ownership has been seamless. New owners Kristy Blossom Heine and Clark Heine, who took over the business from John Gadau and Phillip Hurley, had lots of experience as Marigold employees. Read full review here.
The International Catering Collective bus, 709 Atlas Ave., is parked in front of Gaylord Catering, offering some of the best, thickest clam chowder on Fridays. It's loaded with potatoes, carrots and tender clams. While some clam chowders derive most of their flavor from cream, this one had much more going on. The Friday haddock is also first-rate. Read the full review here.
D'Vino, 116 King St., which means "of wine," is just the type of rustic Italian restaurant and wine bar King Street needed. Chef Dino Maniaci and Jason Hoke opened the restaurant in March of 2020. The tortellini con pesto with puffy cheese tortellini, an exceptional pesto cream sauce, and roasted tomatoes and asparagus cannot be beat. Read the full review here.
The Marquette Hotel Cafe, 414 S. Baldwin St., offers one of the most reasonably priced breakfasts in town with excellent coffee and amazing pastries, through a self-ordering system. The omelets, breakfast sandwiches and fruit cups prepared by former Manna Café kitchen manager, Chris Stephens, are all must-haves. Read the full review here.
Hone, 708 1/4 E. Johnson St., in the former Forequarter space, was the most interesting new restaurant I got takeout from during the pandemic. Mike Parks, Hone's owner, discovered many of the restaurant's eclectic offerings during his nearly eight years in the United States Air Force. Don't overlook the orange scallops, five perfectly seared specimens in a winning curry yogurt sauce. Read the full review here.
Ancora Cafe + Bakery, 611 Sherman Ave., which opened in February in Maple Bluff, makes the loss of Manna Cafe easier to accept. The sundried and tomato & goat cheese scones are worth a visit on their own. Also enticing is the cafe’s egg & cheese sandwich on a tender brioche roll with pesto aioli, and its breakfast burrito with scrambled egg, sausage, cheddar, pico de gallo and salsa roja. Read the full review here.
Louisianne's Etc., 7464 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, has loyal customers that kept it going through the pandemic by getting carryout every week. The restaurant has stayed consistent over its 29 years because it has had the same head chef, Kevin Ostrand. He does great things with catfish and jambalaya. Vegetarians will be happy to discover the fettuccine with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and black olives sautéed with mushrooms in garlic butter and finished with sherry cream. Read the full review here.
Read restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurantnews
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Wisconsin State Journal feature writer Samara Kalk Derby writes about the arts and brings you the latest news on the Madison area's eclectic restaurant scene. She can be reached at skalk@madison.com or 608-252-6439.
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Sookie's Veggie Burgers is welcoming, with a wavy rainbow mural across its main wall.
The sweet heat beet burger.
Sookie's Veggie Burgers opened in March in what had been Koi Sushi.
The vegan spinach chicken pesto sandwich should return to the menu within the next month.
The chipotle black bean burger.
Sookie's has a small sandwich menu where it's hard to go wrong.
The SuperCharge juice bar inside Sookie's.
Sookie's employees write customers' names and decorate the paper bags the food comes in.
Sookie's has a mix of booths and round tables.
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