Echo Tap & Grill
In a word: Great soup--tacos not so much. Great soup--tacos not so much.
The specs: #0149
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Badger Herald, Wisconsin Fish Fry Reviews, Madison Fish Fry;
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JM ate the 5-taco special with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the Echo burger with a Berghoff.
The bill was $12, or $6/person, somehow.
JM gave Echo Tap a C+; Nichole gave Echo Tap a B+ (see our grading rubric).
Echo Tap, just across the street from the Greyhound/Badger Bus station, was a friendly little place.
The house special Echo Burger is a true exercise in gluttony featuring 1/4 pound each of beef and brat patty.
- Bun: not toasted, commercial soft yellow dusted with cornmeal.
- Meat: greasy but that's the point, e'na?
- Cheese: generous slices of Cheddar and Swiss.
- Extras: onions fried and diced - a nice touch. The brat patty overwhelms the beef, which (in a separate taste test) was pretty bland.
The black bean soup, however, was damn tasty. It had a deliciously slow heat that built up with every bite to a spicy tingle, yet didn't scorch.
JM had three words for the tacos: oniony, oniony, oniony. The salsa really lacked panache; in fact, he felt that the onions from the tacos would have been better going into the salsa. Overall he saw the tacos as OK but neither as reliably average as Taco Bell, nor as tasty as homemade. His lemonade was also over-iced.
We ate in the upstairs game area, where there was ample evidence that some folks love Echo Tap:
Despite the soda machines outside, we forgot to ask what kind of soda Echo Tap serves. Maybe the Ultimate Madison Bar Tour folks (or you, gentle reader?) can let us know.
update 4/19/06: sad news from Echo Tap.
You nailed the soups at the Echo...best in Dane Cty. Don't miss Fat Tuesday if you like creole.
Posted by: Robin Marohn | February 22, 2006 at 07:32 AM
You've got to love the Echo Tap--it's one of the great things about living downwtown. Make sure you don't miss out on the game day brats when the Badgers play during football season--they're done so right and oh-so-affordable.
Posted by: Jude | February 23, 2006 at 04:31 PM
Hey, i love the echo!!! it totally rocks!! they ahve a sotball team and a fantasy footbal league. their cheif before made pretty damn good tacos but he pretty recently passed away. but u got it right the soup is flippin amazing!! oh they serve pepsi products. pepsi,diet pepsi,mt dew,sprite, ect.
Posted by: Aly | December 17, 2006 at 04:18 PM
I am looking for a new home to watch Packers on Sundays and thought I'd try the Echo. Big mistake!
I walked in, looked around, there were three people at the bar, so I found a seat there in front of a nice screen and waited for service.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Meanwhile, the regulars were served their second (or third drinks?), a couple of other regulars came in and were served and the bartender bantered and joked with the regulars. In 15 minutes, he never ONCE looked at me, even though I was sitting in the middle of all this action.
After a while, it was almost funny. I know I could have waved my arms, whistled, or maybe undressed in order to get some attention, but I was curious how long this would go on.
I never got any attention. Finally, I got, walked behind the bar and asked him if he could see me or if I was invisible. He looked surprised. I guess I was invisible until then.
I left and went back to the old reliable Blue Moon.
There are plenty of taverns in Madison and they all sell almost the same kind and quality of of food, so you have to distinguish your self with service.
The Echo did not do so and I will not return.
Posted by: Sam | September 19, 2010 at 02:55 PM