Culver's

In a word: Midwestern comfort food, Speedy Service style.

The specs: #0105
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; official web site; reviews at Isthmus, Yelp, Madison Fish Fry;

Latest Culver's news and reviews

Allen ate the bacon double cheeseburger with onion rings and cheese curds.
David ate the double cheeseburger with cheese curds.
JM ate the State Fair basket (Johnsonville brat w/sauerkraut and cheese curds) and a hot fudge sundae.
Liz  ate the turkey BLT with fries.
Nichole accidentally ate the turkey BLT with fries, too, but also had a single scoop dish of chocolate custard.
The bill was about $35, or $7/person.
Allen gave Culver's an A; JM, Liz, and Nichole gave Culver's an A-; David gave Culver's a B+ (see our grading rubric).

So far, Culver's has never let us down when we're willing to indulge in some seriously American food. Allen summed it up for most of us: "I'll be back for more butter-fried goodness sooner rather than later." Liz described her sandwich as "tasty, as usual," and JM's brat was excellent though it fell apart.

You knew about the Butterburgers®, but did you know Culver's supports biodiesel research? They also throw a mean staff party - in the interest of full disclosure, we used to room with a Culver's manager and dearly miss the pintsperks that entailed. Hence, we're a bit partial.

Nichole is disappointed that Culver's has started making their lemon cooler desserts with Splenda instead of sugar, but the move is understandable from a marketing perspective. It has, however, forced her onto the harder stuff. Their chocolate custard has no equal.

Comments

[kelly]

hmmm...if you are ever in Milwaukee, you MUST go to Kopp's Frozen Custard. Their chocolate custard is 10 times better than Culver's. There are 3 locations - one right off 94 on Bluemound Road. Do yourselves a favor!

[nichole]

Thanks, Kelly! Kopp's is my gold standard (I'm actually from MKE, as is Allen). I always get a cheeseburger with hot celery relish and fries and oh yes, the custard. Sorry, Culvers, it's the truth.

[Crystal]

I love Culver's fish fry! The batter is light and crispy and the fish flakes apart beautifully. I love the fact that you can get it any freakin' day of the week, not just fridays. Sometimes I get fish fry cravings, and for me, Culver's is the place to go.

[J. Ellenberg]

It is a great injustice that In-N-Out, not Culver's, is the nationally famous regional hamburger chain.

[Kyle]

Infamous garbage always wins notoriety over consistent and low-key quality.

See the relative fame and success of Britney Spears over Norah Jones, for example.

[J. Ellenberg]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I like In-N-Out too! It just seems strange that it's so much more well-known outside its region than Culver's is.

[Kyle]

My shelteredness reveals itself.

I was confusing In-N-Out with Jack in the Box. There is a blessing and a curse that accompanies never having set foot in California.

Seems like In-N-Out is pretty good. But Culver's...mmm...down-home-y goodness....