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Gotham Bagels has been permanently changed by the pandemic, with customers needing to order from their phones or from its website.
Owner Joe Gaglio, who opened the shop 15 years ago on East Mifflin Street, off Capitol Square, said most customers like the new system and that his employees will allow certain people to come inside if they are having trouble or don’t have a smartphone. He said that happens four or five times a day.
Gaglio said he’ll eventually allow for indoor seating, but at a reduced capacity, and customers will continue to order online.
Owner Joe Gaglio said he'll eventually allow for indoor seating again, but at a reduced capacity, and customers will continue to order from their phones.
My brother, who lives in Chicago, had doubted that Madison had a bagel shop that rivals anything he can get there, but became a believer during a recent visit.
We had a such a great experience eating bagel sandwiches from Gotham Bagels, in fact, that we’ve made it a tradition.
So, last Sunday, with my brother back in town, we returned to the shop. As we waited outside with a small group of others, an older couple asked me for help navigating the QR code. I’m no whiz when it comes to this brave new world, but was at least able to get them going.
Soon after, another customer asked me for help finalizing her order. Where to click isn’t as obvious as it could be.
Our sandwiches were ready 23 minutes later. It was easy to see how long it took because Gotham sends a text after you order and another when your food is ready to pick up at the window.
We walked a half-block to the Capitol and ate on a stone bench.
The Luchador! with scrambled eggs, chorizo, provolone, cotija cheese, guacamole, radish, red onion, cilantro and spicy red cabbage slaw.
I’m partial to the Luchador! ($14.50), the menu’s most pricey sandwich, piled high with good, Mexican-themed ingredients: perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, chorizo, provolone, cotija cheese, guacamole, thinly sliced radish, red onion, cilantro and spicy red cabbage slaw. I ordered it on a sesame bagel so as not to detract from the other flavors.
Simple can sometimes be better, and you can’t go wrong with a lox and cream cheese bagel ($9). My daughter ordered it with scallion cream cheese and added onions ($1.50) and arugula ($1.50), which seemed like expensive additions. She said she liked the combined salty bite of the lox and everything bagel.
The Mensch aka Jewish Girl with egg whites, hot smoked salmon, avocado mash, cucumber salad, greens and tomato.
My brother ordered a sandwich with a confusing name, The Mensch aka Jewish Girl ($13.50), with egg whites, hot smoked salmon, avocado mash, greens, a bright red tomato slice and old-fashioned deli cucumber salad made with sour cream.
Six months ago, Gaglio said, he heard from a woman who thought the name of the sandwich, long known as Jewish Girl, was offensive. In all the years he has offered the popular sandwich he has never received a complaint, he said, but he changed it to The Mensch in what he admits was a knee-jerk reaction.
Now that it has the weird hybrid name, few people have ordered it, Gaglio said, adding that he intends to change it back.
“It’s an amazing sandwich,” Gaglio said. “Let’s face it. The East Coast, mostly Jewish girls from UW, are our best customers. That’s our demographic.”
My brother loved the combination of flavors, but complained that the avocado and creamy cucumbers made the inside so slippery it was hard to keep together.
He also commented on the bagel’s freshness and nice, chewy consistency. He, too, chose a sesame seed bagel so it wouldn’t dominate the sandwich.
My daughter ordered an enormous bag of bagel chips ($3.60), which are a great snack because they’re baked not fried. The chips come in all types and sizes, with many as wide as a full slice of bagel.
Three items we ordered as subcategories with each sandwich were left out of our bag, and we went back to ask about them, even though by the time we did the shop was closed.
The bowtie pasta pesto salad.
Employees who were cleaning up gave us the missing items and we were lucky to try the exceptional bowtie pasta pesto salad ($2.50 for 5 ounces) with its strong, plentiful pesto, and noodles that were thick, not flimsy.
A bag of sweet potato Joe Chips.
A bag of sweet potato Joe Chips ($1.95) from a company called Joe Tea out of Montclair, New Jersey, was excellent.
My daughter got a Colectivo cold brew coffee ($2.95) that was rich and strong, and she drank it black because the ordering options didn’t include cream and sugar. Gaglio said they usually put single-use cream and sugar in the bag, but ours didn’t have it.
The cranberry/rosemary juice ($5.25) made in-house was very good, and a 4-ounce fruit salad ($1.50) was a reasonably priced way to end a meal with blueberries, red and green grapes and pineapple.
What’s frustrating about Gotham is that you can’t just walk up to the window and order a beverage or anything else spontaneously.
“For the most part, all of our customers love the ease of ordering bagels sandwiches from their home,” Gaglio said. “Students will be half in their bed, placing their bacon, egg and cheese order. And then all they’ve got to do is come down and pick it up. So we’ve reached a whole new group of customers, because it’s so easy to order.”
As for my brother, he’s in luck because Gaglio, with partners, has opened three Chicago outlets in the past two years.
Gaglio calls them satellite locations. “There’s no dining rooms, they’re little kiosks, but they work out really well.”
Location: 112 E. Mifflin St.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. until noon
Prices: Plain bagels $1.50, bagel and cream cheese $4.50, dozen bagels $16, sandwiches $7.25 to $14.50, matzo ball soup $6.75.
Credit cards: Accepted
Vegetarian offerings: Limited, but a few
Parking: Street, nearby ramp
Bottom line: Gotham Bagels serves authentic bagels and epic bagel sandwiches.
Gotham Bagels has been around for 15 years, surviving where other bagel shops have closed.
A lox and cream cheese bagel with onions and arugula on an everything bagel.
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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The food, drink and beer menus are full of so many great choices, you'll be planning your next trip before finishing your first meal.
This renamed Downtown cafe has a secret urban patio perfect for a weekday breakfast or lunch.
Great sandwiches and service from a tiny shop on Monroe Street.
Gotham Bagels has been around for 15 years, surviving where other bagel shops have closed.
Owner Joe Gaglio said he'll eventually allow for indoor seating again, but at a reduced capacity, and customers will continue to order from their phones.
The Luchador! with scrambled eggs, chorizo, provolone, cotija cheese, guacamole, radish, red onion, cilantro and spicy red cabbage slaw.
A lox and cream cheese bagel with onions and arugula on an everything bagel.
The Mensch aka Jewish Girl with egg whites, hot smoked salmon, avocado mash, cucumber salad, greens and tomato.
The bowtie pasta pesto salad.
A bag of sweet potato Joe Chips.
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