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This place is the bar amongst which all breakfast places will have to measure up to. The scrambler is a beast of a breakfast which has already been touted as a hangover cure in other peoples' reviews. It's true, I know from experience. Basically an over-sized meat (of your choice) and cheese omlette over hash-browned potatoes with more pure melted Wisconsin cheese goodness over the top of it all. Along with a side of gravy, 4 pieces of toast, and a masterpiece milkshake, this meal could maybe even cure cancer. Too bad you'll have a heart attack right after all the cancer cells wave the white flag.
I never even bother with the pancakes when all you ever need is a scrambler, though I hear they're fantastic and huge. And the prices are super low too. This place gets busy on weekend mornings, and rightfully so. I miss this place, a lot. I guess I'll just have to suffer here at my new home in Hawaii... suckas!
YUM! This busy little place has an actual bar.
I grabbed a stool at the bar on a Saturday morning and ordered the Scrambler with sausage. YUM! It's the perfect combination of creamy egg, melting cheese, perfectly cooked potatoes, and yummy sausage. The place is huge and comes with four half slices of wheat toast. Best $7 spent.
The Blueberry Coffee Cake was also good at only $2. The coffee is mediocre at $1.50.
Restaurants should be judged against what they're trying to do, not against Tavern on the Green in NYC no matter what restaurant it is.
This is a breakfast place in a college town. It's a ton of food for very little money, and the perfect cure for a hangover. If you're looking for haute cuisine, this ain't it.
The pancakes are overwhelming in size and portion, the scramblers are famous, and any meal there can feed two over-30 adults. Great malts, great 50s diner atmosphere, and long lines on weekend mornings. Enjoy.
Love it- its like a trip back to the 50's (I think?)
If you are a diner fan, you should make a stop here. Even if not, who doesn't like the occasional greasy spoon?
The breakfast here is great and classic. Scramblers are a good choice.
FYI - It gets really busy on weekend mornings.
For a breakfast place, Mickies is fantastic. This place has great scrambles and omelettes. The potatoes here were well cooked and well seasoned. A bit greasy, but for breakfast, cooking eggs in bacon fat is fantastic. Unfortunately it's rather packed in here during the morning and can be a bit cramped and uncomfortable.
The service was quick and friendly.
All in all, pretty solid food, for a great price. Would highly recommend.
This place made me happy just from walking into it. The atmosphere alone sets it apart from other breakfast joints.
The white wood-paneled walls with red trim and the menu placed in big letters right up there for all to read makes poking your nose through a dirty, photocopied one pointless. The central counter is the heart of the place with several stools and booths adjacent for quick and easy service and an old-fashioned coke machine for eye candy.
The service is obviously all provided by college kids, but they take their time in helping you and stop back often to see if you need anything.
The only painful disappointment...the food. The coffee was okay, but the bacon was severely undercooked. I had one of the famously huge pancakes, but they're done lumberjack style, no taste at all. Which essentially made them butter and syrup delivery vehicles, and that would've been fine if they hadn't moved through me so darn quick.
But I like the look and feel of the place so much, I'm bound to be back to try something else.
I've been reading the past reviews and there's always the occasional comment that the food is mediocre at best. The fact is, Mickey's (in my personal opinion) is not really for everyone. If you're looking for a refined breakfast that offers healthy options, look somewhere else. This is a place for the hungry, the sloppy eaters and people (college students=myelf) who will not find a better deal for a hearty american breakfast at 7 bucks. At the end of the day, it is what it is, a classic all american diner, and i'm hoping it stays that way even when i come back to visit in the future!
If you are UW student or just live downtown this place is a most visit! Mickies has been around for a very very long time, My grandfather told me stories about when it was open until midnight while he attend UW back in the forties! Just image Mickies as drunk food! The food is delicious. The service is fantastic. My personal favorite is the tuna melt with yanks. There are also great lunch specials that come with yanks, soup and soft drink for around $5!!!!! Remember that Mickies is cash only and gets very busy on Sunday.
The pancakes tasted like raw flour. I couldn't really eat them because they were awful. So I ordered some coffee cake, which was good, but nothing special. We also had the scrambler. I can't figure out why it was bad. I mean it was okay. Just very disappointing. An bacon and cheese omelet on home fries. I mean, eggs are eggs, right? Cheese is cheese? Home fries are home fries. So I'm going to guess we just weren't in the mood for that type of food.
I kind of feel like a moron for actually criticizing greasy spoon quality food. It's all basically the same unhealthy crap, right?
I had the opportunity to visit Mickie's when I was in Madison visiting my girlfriend. I like the old school 1950's lunch-counter vibe. The portions are huge and the food taste like its prepared from scratch. That being said, it's just "ok." I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate for that statement, but its true. If you can't get into Mickie's (its a small restaurant, so the wait time can be pretty long), try Ella's Deli. That place has good breakfast too and a ton of character.
Went there with high expectations because it was featured on ESPN during college football season last year. They do give huge portions. However, my taste bud could not tell what they served any different from Denny's or IHOP. I think it just has the advantage of being located right across from the football stadium.
In town for homecoming weekend - Go Badgers! - our group had to try Mickie's. We went on a Friday morning and the 6 of us waited maybe 5 minutes and were able to grab a big table, a big deal since it's seat yourself.
The service was a little slow, but it's an old fashioned breakfast place, so it was expected. As a vegetarian and health nut, I was so very happy to see whole grain pancakes on the menu board. They were.....different. Kind of like bread, thick, and huge. I liked them though. The boys of course tackled the Scrambler.....and didn't eat until 8pm that night because they were so stuffed.
Overall, a cheap breakfast place near campus which us visitors enjoyed for it's individuality.
I haven't ever understood what people love so much about Mickies. Sure it's super cheap, and sure they give big portions. But, I tend to like my food to TASTE GOOD. I tend to like my bacon NOT to taste like metal, and my pancakes to be less flour-y and dry and have some actual flavor.
I'd rather go almost anywhere else for breakfast.
Madison isn't a diner town, so it's a good thing the one real diner we have is such a good one. Most of the reviews here are about the breakfast, which is just fine, but (as the Yelp consensus has it) more distinguished by size than by taste. But the secret of Mickie's is that it's a great place to have lunch -- no lines, especially on weekdays, and you can still order breakfast food if you want. I like the $3.50 short-order hamburger here better than the $7.95 one at Dottie Dumpling's Dowry. And their corned beef hash is terrific -- powerfully and interestingly spiced, quite a bit different from the standard formula for this dish.
Very friendly to children -- the kids special, a big pancake, a one-egg omelet, bacon, and a drink, is a full meal for $3.95.
Three little words (On my God!)came out of our mouths when we saw the size of the pancakes on our plates. One plate was enough to feed an army. Of course, we didn't know it when we ordered so we ordered three for our family. The pancakes were better than IHOP or other pancake places but I still think mine are better. :=). I like it that it is not a chain restaurant and you are supporting locals. But it wasn't a spectacular.
We heard good things about their pancakes so that's what we ordered but next time we go, we might order different thing just to try it out.
I went here for breakfast/brunch in autumn of 08. It was very good! I loved my blueberry shake, it was super delicious. The breakfast food was satisfying, but wasn't knock your socks off insanely awesome or special. I'd definitely go here again, it's a very homey, comfort food kind of place. Try the shakes!
Best greasy spoon in downtown Madison. As many people have noticed, portions are huge and they only take cash and they can be quite busy. COnsidering how busy they are, I think service is decently fast. I like the chili cheese omelettes and the pancakes. The malts are good but I never order them because I can't imagine how bad my stomach would feel after a scrambler AND a malt!
I like the scramblers here. They give huge portions so it's worth the money. The only things I don't like is how small the place is so it's impossible to find a place to sit, and that they don't take credit cards. Worth going though...after all, they did feature this place on ESPN.
I read the mixed reviews on here about Mickies - and returned myself a few weeks back. I hadn't been to Mickies in years, but it was as great as I remembered it.
Now, comparing it to a foo-foo fancy breakfast place isn't fair. This is an old dated joint - with a menu on the wall and napkin dispensers from long before my dad was born. Plus, I don't know what most people order - but the breakfast I ordered was not anything I would consider healthy. It was good old fashion, great tasting, greasy fattening breakfast. That's what makes this place great!!
We got great service - the waitress was super nice and very funny - great food and it was very very affordable. This place is fantastic and I can't wait to go again.
http://The.best.breakfast.in.town.
Thanks bye.
Okay to elaborate a bit - no matter what you order here for breakfast, it's going to be awesome. And don't look for menu's - the eats are up on the wall, silly. And it doesn't matter what time of day it is, order a milkshake. I guarantee you ten dollars it'll be the best one you've ever had (the kind that they serve to you still in the freezing cold tin cup with a big long spoon).
*Tip: if you are smart you will PLAN to go to Mickie's and you will be there early, and not on a football weekend. Otherwise you will be standing in line, most likely outside in the cold, for a long, long time. Take it from me. -30 degrees on a rumbling, empty stomach in January isn't really that much fun.
The most unhealthy place I have ever eaten. The scrambler is insane! Eggs + meat + cheese. Oh my lord it's huge. If you can handle the cholesterol spike, go.
Pull up a chair, son and let me tell you about The Scrambler. It begins, like so many breakfasts do, with a plate of hashbrowns and about four scrambled eggs. But that's just the start. Sprinkle those eggs with your choice of meat (bacon, ham, or sausage) and cover the whole thing with cheese. Wait, you think we're done? Not yet, boyo. There's still some sausage gravy to top the whole thing off.
All this with a milkshake. Consistently voted best breakfast in the Big Ten, it's the perfect hang-over food.
The Scramblerrrrr...........Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
The buttermilk pancake........Ooohhhhhhhhhh
The prices......ummm, did I even pay?
I don''t understand (and never have) what the fuss is all about. This place has always been talked up as the zenith of cheap, delicious breakfast.
Cheap? Yes.
Delicious? No.
There are so many diners in Madison where you can get a cheap breakfast that actually TASTES GOOD. Everything there is too greasy and under-seasoned. How do you manage to screw up eggs scrambled with cheese?? Their pancakes are bigger than dinner plates, but they're thick and dry and almost inedible. I've given this place more than 3 tries and I come out disappointed every time.
BEST
BREAKFAST
EVER
!
Ah, the coffee cake!! I miss the blueberry coffee cake so bad .. I haven't had it in a while. You can taste the "home-made" and "they know what they're doing" in the coffee cake.
I've also eaten breakfast there. I had a giant oriental omelet with "yankee" (hash brown type of thing) on the side. As it was suggested, I had the omelet with soy-sauce ... it makes sense with the "oriental omelet," right? So right. I loved it. My friend's gynormous pancake was moist and fluffy and delicious, too. Both of us couldn't finish our meal, so we the took the rest of it home.
If you plan to be there on a weekend morning, go early, otherwise bunch of hung overs like yourselves are going to be there and the wait can be pretty long.
Worth the lines. Try the scrambler--remember to share it with another person, it's nearly impossible to finish yourself. Can't go wrong with anything off their menu here. Cash only, tip well!
At the risk of getting killed by everybody else who gave Mickies 4 or 5 stars I just don't think the breakfast here is
a) worth the wait
b) all that good or special
c) I haven't had many meals here that didn't go right through me
Go to Original House of Pancakes instead.
To be fair, I haven't been there for breakfast, so maybe I missed out on "the best experience of a lifetime," yada yada...
I went for lunch. My sandwich was good, the fries were good, the milkshake I shared with my boyfriend was EXCELLENT, and huge - it filled both of our glasses & then some. Even better- when he asked for the milkshake, she brought out TWO glasses along with the metal shaker, w/o either of us saying anything... hah - I got automatic access to the milkshake w/o having to get permission from him ;)
The food was pretty much just like any other family style diner in Wisconsin (and many other places.) But you do get a LOT to eat, and the employees were very helpful & nice. If the place is so packed every weekend morning like they say it is, I don't understand why they can't afford to upgrade the building a little bit - it's practically falling apart! Maybe because the prices are so cheap... I was looking at the menu ((on the wall!)) and thinking, "wow, I wonder if they turn a profit!!))
If greasy-spoon diners creep you out, don't go. If you're thinking of going for a leisurely late morning breakfast on a weekend, don't go. If you want a good, cheap meal and you're not on a diet, eat your heart out!
And no matter what else you order, ALWAYS get a milkshake or a malt.
Heaven!
They have the most colossal flapjacks at this famous old-fashioned Near Westside breakfast dive catering to the diehard Badger fans. Students flock here from miles around on weekend mornings to nurse their achy hangover heads back to health over a massive plate of grub and a cup of strong coffee.
My experience with this place was it was a helluva good deal, tasty and greasy, but a TAD (just a tad) overrated. But they called their hash browns "yanks", or at least they used to, which gives them bonus points.
Somewhat decent breakfast food in a crowded, dirty restaurant. I guess I don't quite get the charm of this place. There was a diner that used to be on the east side that I thought was much better. Madison really doesn't have very good options for breakfast.
If Mickies was not on campus I am not sure if it would make it like it does but it fits perfectly into student world. Huge mounds of food for cheap and seat yourself atmosphere that makes this place feel perfect for any poor college student or alum who wants to pretend they are still in school. The fact that they do not take credit cards is a pain but only adds to the feel of the place. Somehow it all feels right at Mickies.
Hmm, wasn't quite a fan. Perhaps it was the fact that my Reuben omelette was not altogether tasty and neither was my boyfriend's corned beef. Still, I appreciate the ginormous portions and the cute setting.
This is everything a great greasy spoon diner should be.
Good, cheap, and extremely filling food in a well worn atmosphere.
I am always surprised by those who have spent considerable time in Madison and have never eaten at Mickies at least once. It breaks my heart. Even if the food isn't totally up your alley it is an experience you must take in. Mickies is living history. There aren't many places like this around anymore. At least none that are this authentic. It comforts me to think that this place is about the same as it has been for 50+ years and that it will likely continue to be exactly the same for another 50.
Now specifically about the food. Everyone lauds the pancakes. All you'll need is one and they come in an array of varieties. The coffee cake is also stellar. And I agree with others who lament that the omlettes and yanks are sometimes lacking in flavor, but hey, that's what salt and pepper is for. But for my money, the best thing on the menu is the scrambler. Especially if you just finished a night of hard drinking and/or you have a day of hard drinking ahead. And go ahead...get it with the gravy. That's the most illogical and thus delicious part.
I didn't hate it.
Great deal. Great service. NEVER go on a homegame day. EVER. No one ever listens to me but I swear that the cornmeal pancakes are some of the best I've ever had. As my boyfriend says, this place serves food that "sticks to your ribs."
Oh man, where else can you get a blueberry milkshake with a heaping midwest breakfast? Nowhere. Always worth the wait for this heart attack inducing cafe.
Everything there tastes like bacon. This can be good or bad based on your preferences.
I can't give it five stars because it's too small, and too long to wait a LOT of the time. Forget homegames, don't show up on Saturday or Sunday mornings unless you want to wait. I'm tellin you though, it's so much food for such a reasonable price that you feel it 24 hours later. Not for the faint of heart, or soft of stomach. Be prepared, be very prepared because you will spend the rest of your day curled up on the couch cursing your misfortune of having eaten all of the scrambler. Also, they might have the best shakes in Madison (ice cream, not post stuffing yourself seizures).
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