Tempest Oyster Bar

Mareike Christianson

5.0a month ago

I’ve visited Tempest many times and it’s become one of my favorite places to take friends and family in town. Lindsay made my solo night out amazing! She was super friendly, attentive, and relatable. This time around I got the happy hour oysters, shrimp cocktail, and swordfish. The Awniker cocktail is my favorite!

Ryan Boelter

5.02 months ago

Tempest was an interesting experience. When you first come into the restaurant, you are greeted by a lot of nautical themes, which was delightful. We had reservations, but it seemed like we likely didn't need them at the time we went and we got seated right away. The dining area was cozy with some nice decor, but even though there weren't many others in the dining space, it was unusually loud. This was the main reason for the reduction in atmosphere. The food, however, was remarkable. I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures of it! I had the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and a chicken stock gravy, green beans and a homestyle biscuit with honey. Everything was delightful. That biscuit is one of the best biscuits I've had, even, especially with that honey and a little butter. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and fried, juicy and very enjoyable. You get a breast, thigh, wing and drumstick, so come hungry! My wife got the walnut encrusted rainbow trout. She was really happy with it! It also was a generous portion so we had more leftovers to bring back to our hotel room. After dinner, we finished things off by sharing a flourless chocolate cake as seen in the picture here. It was a little more crumbly than we were anticipating, but it was quite delicious! The cream on top was superb and the berries were a nice touch of freshness. I wouldn't mind having another slice sometime! All in all, it was a great experience with great food, just a little too loud where we were seated. A little too expensive for us to make a regular occurrence of eating here, but if you're looking to go a little extravagant, I would recommend it!

Richard Chamberlain

5.02 months ago

What a great find. Our last Sunday night in Madison was made special by a couple of great bartenders(can't remember names) and some awesome food and wine. Started with super fresh oysters and superb local sourdough bread. Followed with smoked fish stack and Frito Misto. Great wine selections and awesome service. Fantastic!!!

Forever young

3.03 months ago

The variety of oysters and fish dishes was definitely the highlight of the meal, and the seafood itself was fresh and enjoyable. The staff were also friendly and provided good service throughout the visit. However, the restaurant was quite noisy, making it difficult to have a comfortable conversation, and the indoor atmosphere didn’t feel very pleasant or relaxing.

Zu Ekpunobi (Dr. Zu)

5.05 months ago

Trendy, Central location and unique sailboat aesthetic, this seafood and oyster bar is well worth the visit. Great, attentive service. Food was a bit of a letdown as it had somewhat bland flavor although they tried to excel in presentation. Pre-service bread is definitely a plus and rare to see these days. I'd give this place an overall four and a half but I'm rounding up. The interior may benefit from mild sprucing up but it was clean, flavoring the food can be improved but not terrible. Will give it another try and recommend a visit for a date night or small hangout.