Roast Public House

Stopped in for lunch on a day visit to Madison, hadn't been here before. Service was good, and my cubano sandwich was very tasty. One complaint though, which prevented a 5 star review, I ordered the tomato soup and it was just awful. It felt like I was eating marinara sauce. It would've been great on some pasta in fact, but as a soup it fell very flat. Otherwise, good beer selection, yummy food, slightly pricey but not too bad... would come back, just wouldn't get the soup.

This is the one time I've ever been disappointed with what I consider to be very average standards: a decent burger and a cold beer in a building that's at least at room temperature. The inside of this restaurant had the most mediocre heating, and felt like it was probably around 50°. Our server had a very off-putting demeanor, which made things even more uncomfortable. At one point, my friend got her salad with large chicken pieces on it that needed to be cut, and he told her he didn't think they had any knives. He asked if just the fork would be enough, and we were stunned. She said no, and he said "you know I think we have a plastic knife in the back." He came back with a metal one thankfully, but we were nonetheless stunned. When I finally bit into my burger, it was the most mediocre I've had in any restaurant. I honestly didn't think it was a recipe you could screw up, but when you don't ask your customer how they want it cooked, I guess it shouldn't be surprising when it comes back flavorless. I think the most stunning thing was that you are charged extra for fries as a penalty for not wanting their unappetizing chips. If you are hoping for a great meal, this is not the place to go. If you are hoping for a run of the mill meal, even State Street Brats which is practically across the street is a better and cheaper option, and that's saying something.

I've been here several times -- once when they were new and on the other side of the street, once over a year ago, and once a few weeks ago. The food has been generally good, though the sandwich I got this time was unfortunately bland compared to how delicious it sounded (Pastor). The sweet potato fries are tasty, the cheese curds were some of the best I've had in Madison, and the house-made dipping sauces I've tried have been good. The beer list is fine but a little boring and safe. The service, however, is why it only gets 3 stars instead of 4. Last year's visit resulted in "okay" service but it wasn't terrible. This recent visit was disastrous. They were very busy, busier than the three servers working could handle. I can deal with slow service, as long as I'm getting good service with regular checkins and updates. We didn't get good service. We got panicked, "I don't know what I'm doing" service. I watched our server walk back and forth between the kitchen, the bar area, and tables with empty hands. I watched two orders brought out then returned immediately to the kitchen. I don't know if this server was brand new, or if they were down unexpectedly, or if there's just a serious training issue at play. I'll give them another chance one day, and hopefully the service will be better. There's just too many good places to eat in Madison to deal with poor service.

Came here yesterday to dine in after having a lot of good take-out experiences. Short version. Slow, careless service (but I wouldn't say rude). Amazing food. Awkward service recovery Long version. We were a party of two and the service was extremely slow. Our server had one other table, a party of 5 that sat down after us. She brought us waters, didn't ask if we were ready to order (we already knew what we wanted coming in but she didn't give us a chance to say as much). Spent 10 minutes with the other table and at the bar presumably getting their drinks and putting in their order before coming back to us. She didn't apologize for the wait, and took our order. Food arrived in a reasonable amount of time, but the sandwich I ordered came on the wrong kind of bread, and the person who dropped off the food (different from our server) didn't ask if everything looked okay. I had to go up to ask yet a different server for the side of mayo that was missing from my sandwich. When our server finally did come to our table when we were more than halfway done with our meal I asked about what happened with the bread on my sandwich. She initially told me that I was wrong about the bread, and when I politely responded that I order the same thing nearly every time she apologized and said they must have run out. She avoided our table until she came back with the check and said the manager was giving us a free sandwich and a free beer coupon (neither of us drink alcohol) I guess that's better than nothing. Will continue to order take out from here (the fries and sandwiches are all amazing), but can't imagine dining here again.

For a restaurant to survive it needs 3 things 1. Atmosphere 2. Good Food 3. Great Service. Roast only has #1, its a amazing location surrounded by many attractions, and with a laid back setting and an intriguing face it looks like a go to. 2nd Food, to some most important, whoever is running the kitchen needs an overhaul in the culinary workshop, food was not hot, and looked crappy. For a great looking menu, this was a disappointment. 3rd, service, you want people to come back, have great service. Service/waiter was mediocre, and that's being generous. Would come here for a beer and that's about it. If this place wants to stay afloat, it better reconsider it's food and service quality.