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Voting is now open for the Round of 64 in the Capitol Square Region of the Great Madison Bar Bracket 2015. You have until Wednesday at 2 pm CT to cast your vote for all eight matchups in the region. There are some contentiuous matchups on the Capitol Square region, so let's get right down to some analysis.
Matchup 1
(1) The Old Fashioned
- Located at 23 N. Pinckney Street
- Where Wisconsin is king, almost everything on the menu is produced in-state
- Only imported beer is usually Grainbelt...from Minnesota. Every other beer is brewed in Wisconsin
- Excellent fish fry, top notch cheese curds, really good breakfast
(16) Ivory Room
- Located at 116 W. Mifflin Street
- Piano bar with live music nightly that plays the hits
- Nice cocktail list, solid, but small, beer menu
- Cozy without feeling cramped
Matchup 2
(8) The Cooper's Tavern
- Located at 20 W. Mifflin Street
- Nice outdoor patio on the square for people watching, plays soccer and rugby on TVs for you Anglophiles
- Beer list is killer. Nice mix of midwest and European beers
- Mussels du jour is out of this world and the harvest soup with chunks of bleu cheese is to die for
(9) Madison's
- Located at 119 King Street
- Great spot to dance on the weekends and watch football on Sunday afternoons
- Solid drink menu: good selection of beer, wide array of cocktails, multiple wine options. Should please everyone
- I've never eaten here, but they have something called Beer Cheese Brat Tots and I love every single word in that title
Matchup 3
(5) Come Back In
- Located at 508 E. Wilson Street
- Polka. Boots of beer. German beer. Wisconsin beer. Does it get any better?
- Free popcorn
- Excellent breakfast menu and connected to the Essen Haus for easy access between the two
(12) Maduro
- Located at 117 E. Main Street
- Cigar bar with rotating cigar selections from their humidor
- 19 beers on tap and an expanding cocktail menu
- Multiple nights of DJ performances (late night) and comfy seating for enjoying a smoke during the day
Matchup 4
(4) Essen Haus
- Located at 514 E. Wilson Street
- From their website: "The Essen Haus, Madison's authentic German Restaurant and banquet hall proudly features 16 German biers on tap, 200 import bottles, live oompah music, and incredible events throughout the entire year."
- Connected to the Come Back In and claims to be "the largest seller of German tap beers in the US"
- Has a cool outdoor area for boot consumption during the summer
(13) Natt Spil
- Located at 211 King Street
- Doesn't have a sign, so you know it's cool
- Small but complete beer list
- Cash only, dim, comfortable lighting and atmosphere, solid food menu, ever changing DJ list
Matchup 5
(6) Genna's
- Located at 105 W. Main Street
- Sweet outdoor patio area that is perfect to relax on during the Farmer's Market
- Make your own Bloody Mary bar on the weekends
- Great Happy Hour specials
(11) Paradise Lounge
- Located at 119 W. Main Street
- Ultimate dive bar for people that are older than 22
- Badass jukebox
- Pool, darts, cheap beer. You will have fun here
Matchup 6
(3) Merchant
- Located at 121 S. Pinckney Street
- Cocktails, son. Cocktails
- Superior food menu as well
- Seriously, go check out their cocktail list. I'll wait
(14) Shamrock
- Located at 117 W. Main Street
- Cheap beer, good music
- Darts and pool in the back, multiple TVs that are sometimes on, sometimes off depending on the vibe
- Nice cocktail selection, kind of an upscale dive bar
Matchup 7
(7) Silver Dollar
- Located at 117 W. Mifflin Street
- Another great dive bar around the square
- Has shuffleboard, which usually is being used so be prepared to challenge someone for the table
- This is my favorite Yelp review of all time. (Probably a little NSFW what with the sexual references)
(10) Tipsy Cow
- Located at 102 King Street
- Great beer list that is midwest focused
- Bar area can get very crowded, but there are more tables up the steps looking towards Capitol Square
- Wide variety of fries on the menu and the pork carnitas tacos are off the charts
Matchup 8
(2) The Great Dane
- Located at 123 E. Doty Street
- Beautiful, secluded outdoor seating area that is a great spot in the spring/summer to have a meal
- House brewed beer, wide-ranging food menu that appeals to everyone, multiple bar areas
- Main bar area has darts, pool, shuffleboard, Big Buck Hunter and myriad TVs
(15) Argus
- Located at 123 E. Main Street
- Great little patio for people watching
- I don't know if this was a one-time thing, but I had some of the best chicken wings I've ever had in my life here
- Downstairs area for live music and DJs, good craft beer selection, reasonable prices
So there is a brief Capitol Square region breakdown for you. The voting is below and will end Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT. Good luck to all the competitors and let's hope to get to "One Shining Moment" intact as a community.