monty's blue plate diner

the cat's meow!!!. i had attempted to go to monty's blue plate diner the last time i was in town, but it was so crowded that i was deterred and ended up at ella's deli for possibly the worst omelet of my life. this time, i was determined to wait it out at monty's for as long as it took - which ended up being only ten minutes at around 11:30 a.m. on a sunday. the wait was well worth every second. my breakfast companion and i had the meatless meatloaf - a melange of carrots and other vegetables, covered in a cashew and sage gravy - and a caponata omelet, filled with a stew of perfectly-cooked, still-easily-recognizable vegetables and a pesto sauce made from basil grown out back. each bite of each dish was a delight - and the mashed potatos that accompanied the meatloaf, and the sliced potatos that accompanied the omelet, were the perfect complement to each dish. i took home a slice of reese's peanut butter cheesecake which i am hoping my son will find to be too rich for him because, uh huh! that means i get to polish it off. can't wait to get back to madison for another go-round at monty's!

a good send off. this was 1 of my final 2 breakfasts in the great state of wi as i am leaving for seattle on wednesday this week. my mother and i came here on her request to go someplace new before i left town. i had not been here myself so i took her up on the offer. our food was great! good service, great coffee, fast food prep from order to plates on the table as well. had a decent flow of people coming in the whole morning as well which must say something about the place. i highly suggest the sweet potato hash for breakfast and do try a biscuit or 2 as well, great with some honey and coffee! great prices as well.

promising. they have a great selection of breakfast items. the pesto omelet could have been better- too much pesto, and the asiago (?) cheese wasn't melted enough.

thumbs up. great food, great atmosphere. they definitely have the best milkshakes in madison and the menu is always interesting and includes fresh, seasonal ingredients. classic diner items with an upscale twist. highly recommend.

burger with goat cheese is unbelievable and it won't break your bank! long waits on fridays and saturdays

great breakfast food! slightly overpriced for what you get but still delicious food.

great happenstance. we found this place listed on our gps, and decided to give them a shot. in calling to see what genre of restaurant they deemed themselves, we inquired about the evening's special. the person who answered the phone didn't know, and it took a couple minutes to find someone who did know. it sounded fanstastic, so we headed over. got there just in time - a few people standing around, waiting on tables. we perused the menu while we waited to be seated - what an array of interesting menu items! by the time we were seated, there seemed to be as many people waiting for a table as were already seated at tables. we asked about the special when the waiter came to take our order, and he said they didn't have a special that evening. when we told him we had be told of a pork chop special, he remembered, and pulled a little slip of paper out of his order pad and read it off to us. besides that discrepancy, he was a great waiter - he had quite a few busy tables to tend to, so attentiveness wasn't perfect.

when the food came out, wow! what a treat! the boneless pork chops fell apart when you so much as touched them with your fork. marinaded in a red wine concoction, they had excellant flavor. the white bean and kale 'stew' that the chops were served on was nothing super exceptional, but had decent flavor. the chops were topped with arugula tossed with an exquisite dressing and sprinkled with large flakes of shaved parmesian cheese. the side order of waffle fries we ordered did not disappoint either.

we took a piece of turtle cheesecake to go, seeing we were pressed for time heading to a concert. it was a superb delicacy - it's only flaw was that it could have been a little bigger.

if we find ourselves in that corner of madison again, i'm sure we'll consider another fine meal at monty's!

surprisingly awesome breakfast. so after reading all the less than satisfactory reviews, a friend and i decided to try this place out anyway. wow...it was amazing! i think their menu had an excellent selection, and the service was absolutely wonderful. to top that off, the items we chose (one a special, and the other a breakfast plate) were delicious. the friend i was with said this was the best breakfast she had ever had. i had to agree, it was unique, tasty, and left me wondering what other fun things i could try next time. i highly recommend monty's, and will go back again and again.

food was adequate - nothing great or horrid. salmon hash had an odd dirt taste to it. too lazy to send it back.

it can be a wait to get a table, but that's just because so many people love this place. they've got a great sense of humor, old diner atmosphere, and they heap a load of food on your plate. they really have something for everyone. they only negative is trying to figure out which dish you'll have to try next time.

great diner.. i've had breakfast here twice and lunch before i left town. i couldn't stay away. i really like this eclectic diner. the food is good diner fare and the people who eat here are a lot of fun to talk to while you wait.

definitely on my top 10 places you have to try if visiting madison for more than a day. the birthplace of all the monty schiro adventures. go just for coconut creme pie if nothing else.

diner heaven. monty's is home to the best reuben in madison. they prepare their corned beef in house and it shows.

delicious vegan option and tons of charm. monty's has tons of charm, decked out in 50s/60s era decor and you really feel as if you've stepped back into the era! there was a wait for booths(why you'd wait for one when the normal tables were just as adorable is beyond me). as a vegan i was stoked to try a breakfast option beyond hash browns. i was delighted to have the opportunity to try sweet potato hash and vegan tofu scramble. the hash was tasty but not blowing, however the tofu scramble was full of flavor! a medley of spinchach and veg sauteed with tofu, tinged with tumeric or curry for color. so good, i had to order a side of it, too! there was a mound of fruit and toast on the plate, too. i passed on the fruit as i was keen on a hot meal. there were tons of other vegan options as well, though i was entirely too stuffed to try them. my dining partner had a burger and fries(fries were delicious, burger huge) and we both had to go ride 15 miles to work off the meal.
only criticisms:
the service was very non traditional, quick and casual. there were dirty tables around us for most the meal, even though the place was half empty. also, it took ages to get a cup of coffee, which tasted burnt. luckily, the rarity of such a plethora of vegan options make this a definite stop when in madison!!

damn good breakfasts! the biscuits and gravy are amazing.