text: Best Brewpub in the United StatesnnThis review applies to all four of the Madison area Great Danes I have been to the original downtown location over x and have been to the other three locations x each noticing minimal difference in quality of food drink or service Altogether I figure I have eaten at the four Great Danes at least times in the past years and had only three lessthantopnotch experiences there see below In fact my wife and I love this brewpub so much that we rented out half of the downtown pubs outdoor garden area for our rehearsal dinner the evening prior to our weddingnnMadison has a lot of great restaurants but there are a few dishes that are hard to find here done properly including Mexican and Chinese food in general Buffalo wings and nachos Well maybe the only place in Madison that actually has good nachos is the Great Dane where they have lots of good toppings lots of good cheese and will custom craft them to your particulars And their wings while breaded and not the classic Buffalostyle are quite tasty if overpriced Their artichoke dip served in very tasty dish made out of a hollowedout freshbaked loaf of bread are the best I have ever had GDs soups are also very good and their onion soup with melted cheese and croutons will rival that of any restaurant anywhere on earth they use some of their beers in it and it is awesomennGDs hamburgers are among the best burgers in Madison and I especially like their Dane Burger which is topped with their awesome artichoke dip I sometimes will ask for them to make me a Dane Burger with a healthier buffalo patty The Applewood Bacon Burger is also excellent but not as good as the Vintage Brewing Companys similar BlackandBlue Burger the best burger in town The thick fries that accompany the burgers among other side options are outstanding when you dip them into GDs chipotle mayonnaise nnMy favorite dish on the menu is the Southwest Tortellini which is a cheesefilled spinach tortellini with blackened chicken black bean salsa and creamy cilantro sauce served with a garlic bread that will shame of garlic breads served by Italian restaurant The Inner Warmth Peanut Stew a vegetarian dish is flavorful filling spicy and excellent I heartily recommend the Thai Chicken Pizza as well as the buffalo chicken pizza when it is available I have always considered comfort food to be a lame affectation of the retrotrendy types but GDs meat loaf is really good its chicken pot pie is no longer a dish for ones grandparents and its macandcheese is extremely good especially the buffalo chicken version I have had most of their salads and they are also topnotch with very fresh lettuce and other ingredientsnnOK as good as the Great Danes food is its beers are even better I am a beer aficionado have been to dozens of breweries around the US and aside from a half dozen or so Belgian breweries the Belgians brew the best beer in the world I would be confident that the Great Danes beers would compare more than favorably with the beers of the very best breweries anywhere The Old Glory APA American pale ale like an IPA but a bit lighter with citrousy Cascade hops is easily the best pale ale I have ever had The Crop Circle Wheat beer is one of the finest wheat beers made in the YOUS If one were to ask beer experts to name the best breweries in the YOUS Bells in Kalamazoo would make many of those lists Aside from their stouts Bells makes the finest stouts in the country hands down the Great Danes beers are better across the board Bells makes some mediocre beers the Great Dane does notnnIve had three lessthanpositive experiences at the Great Dane Many years ago on Mardi Gras they ran a drawing contest I won a Great Dane golf shirt but one of the owners had been giving me bad looks for no reason at all he called over a bartender and had her tell me that I won a different prize something trivial instead and took back the shirt I got so mad that the owner had been such a jerk that I did not go back for months afterward This year I had mussels steamed in a beer garlic sauce and the mussels did not taste fresh And for Mothers Day we went to their brunch buffet and were partially disappointed The omelet and carving stations were very good but the pancakes waffles French toast bacon and sausage had been made hours before and were not worth eatingnnSo why so many neg reviews for GD I am guessing some are bogus I have had such uniformly positive experiences that I just do not believe some of the complaints and I am also guessing GDs owners refused to pay this sites AdBribery demand so they get hit with more neg reviews Google the sites adpolicy if you do not believe mennIn summary if there is a better brewpub in the US I would sure like to go there nnThe Great Dane is highly recommended