Nook - Madison

The absolute best! If you have what it takes to get a reservation here, you will be rewarded with not just some of the most amazing food but an absolutely wonderful dining experience. Cannot recommend enough!!Food: 5/5

I wanted to love this place and waited for months to get a reservation but unfortunately the food didn’t live up to the hype. I will say that the food was beautifully plated, innovative and diverse. The atmosphere is lovely. The chef/owners are down to earth, it’s not stuffy like other fine dining and the vibe is playful. The music is 90’s hip hop and rap which is surprising but fun! The service is great and they are very accommodating to dietary restrictions. I can’t eat shellfish and they have gluten free menu options too!My biggest issues with the meal were two dishes were extremely over salted which is very disappointing. I have a high salt tolerance so this is not something I usually complain about. Second, the venison was super tough and they did not serve it with knives so it was a strange experience to eat. I ended up picking it up with my hands which was fine and fits the vibe of this place. I was a fan of the chocolate mole pairing but that might just be preference. I felt like it over powdered the venison.Two dishes were amazing: the pea soup with cream and a pesto and the Romain boat with grapefruit! I also quite liked the custard dessert which was so creative but I thought the custard needed more citrus to cut the sweetness.My final qualm is environmental/ethical. The menu was very neat focused which is fine but almost everything was flown in from crazy far away places. It felt like a strange disconnect after the chef talking about how they love nature and foraging but then the main ingredient in each dish was from thousands of miles away. So many nice restaurants in madison use farm to table locally available meat and produce u was disappointed that nook didn’t consider their environmental impact more.

Loved 10/10 would recommend! Had a great time and the food was phenomenal! Soooooo good!

I live the intimacy of 12 person seating per night at one long table. I've been here twice and all the food is thoughtfully prepared and inspired by what is in season locally. 12 courses are served with generous portions, so wear your stretchy pants. Plating on every dish is inventive and beautiful which adds to the value of the experience. Some past favorite dishes were lettuce soup, morels and cream of wheat, and mango tomato soup. The chefs are experts at reimagining classic dishes and adding a fun twist. Plus, they play 90's hip hop which is rad. The only warning would be to book well in advance because space goes fast. I find it best to be on a waitlist, but it is first come, first served to whoever replies fastest to the email alert. This place is a hidden gem in the Atwood neighborhood and we will definitely return!

Pretty fantastic experience, please read other reviews for positives and I absolutely echo their sentiment.However, I am giving a four star rating because the two times I have been, I have found that about half of the food was “too flavorful”…. Too sweet, too salty, too acidic, too rich… etc. As someone who does not love sweets, I also really did not like that 4/13 courses were desert. By the end I honestly wanted to throw it away.Overall it is a really fun experience and I will definitely go back to enjoy times with friends and the food and experience is incredible quality… just a bit much for me.