Pat O'Malley's Jet Room

In a word: Golf Romeo echo alfa tango foxtrot India November delta.

The specs: #0476  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp; official web site,

Latest Pat O'Malley's Jet Room news and reviews

Constance ate the scrambled eggs and biscuit with coffee.
JM ate the French toast with lemonade.
Josh ate the DEN omelet.
Kurt ate the veggie casserole with rye toast.
Nichole ate the DEN sandwich with coffee.
Stef ate the strawberry French toast.
Walt ate the French toast sticks and scrambled egg.
The bill was about $50, or $7.14/person, plus tip.
Nichole gave Pat O'Malley's Jet Room an A; JM gave Pat O'Malley's Jet Room an A- ; Kurt gave Pat O'Malley's Jet Room an A-/B+ (see our grading rubric).

Pat O'Malley's Jet Room is the kind of place we'd been looking for when we started this project: a little-known, friendly, locally-run restaurant, and we'll be back after the List is done. While 10AM on a Saturday might spell a long wait at most breakfast places, here it was busy without feeling rushed. Outside, the view of the landing field was beautiful; inside, the decor surprised us with its kitschy yet uncluttered approach. The menu even lived up to our hopes with aviation puns.

Breakfast started with decent diner coffee for most of us. Before long the food arrived. The DEN omelet was Josh's ideal diner Denver: nice chunks of ham and peppers and not overly cheesy. The marble rye toast was really good and buttery.

Nichole's DEN sandwich was a thoughtful variation on that theme. A scrambled egg bound together sauteed peppers and onions with thin slices of juicy ham, set between buttered toast, and a ripe melon slice on the side.

The three iterations of French toast we tried were all delightful, too. Walt's we can only assume was good because it disappeared so fast. JM and Stef agreed the toast was fluffy and not too eggy, thought it may have been a little underqualified on the syrup absorption front. JM's was dusted lightly with powdered sugar, and Stef's fresh strawberries had a perfect texture. The whipped cream was a surprise but wasn't overwhelming.

Constance got the scrambled eggs and biscuit, which were good on both counts. Of the biscuit, she commented:

Biscuits are a good measure of a breakfast menu (hard to do, often from mix or freezer). The biscuits here are homemade and have just the right texture. Very satisfying.

Kurt's vegetable casserole was probably the most balanced meal, and while each dish was pretty, his was the most vibrant with lightly sauteed broccoli and fresh tomatoes. It was good, not too greasy, not heavy but very filling.

The north side may boast few restaurants, but the ones it does seem way above average. Even if you don't have a meal here, you really should stop in to enjoy the cushy couches in the lobby and watch some little private planes come and go.

Comments

[Samantha]

Love the "in a word"

[Irene]

I used to go for breakfast to O'Malley's Cafe in Waunakee when I was a kid... I still miss that place! I've been to the Jet Room a few times. Not the same - but what is!

[stu]

Really?
I had really crappy service there... guess i'll give it another try...

[Ken]

I also love the "in a word", but all the words need their first letter capitalized.

Never been to the restaurant at the Dane County Airport, but sometimes I read airport compilation sites for fun and your post reminds me that this restaurant generally got above average reviews. Glad to know it isn't just private airplane snobs that like the place :-)

[hm]

I've lived on the north side for 7 years and had never heard of this place! And my husband loves to eat breakfast out. We'll be visiting soon - Thanks!

[hm]

We visited this weekend and loved it. Little kids along loved watching the airplanes and the food was very good and reasonably priced. Thanks for reviewing it!

[DoryO]

I always order sauteed spinach on the salmon Benedict. Delish! A great place to take kids or out-of-towners for a view of the runway over breakfast. Saw Air Force One land and Obama's entourage drive right past the restaurant window a few weeks back.

[Larry]

About the best breakfast in town! If you are a fan of biscuits and sausage gravy, be sure to try it there - wicked good.

[Kyle]

I'm fascinated by this place and will definitely give it a shot. My question: does it have that same feeling of being in an airport early in the morning? Because I love that part of taking a flight somewhere.

[catwoman]

This place is great! We've decided it's going to be one of our regular weekend breakfast haunts. Thanks again, madisonatoz!!

[catwoman]

oh - just so you know, there's no sign out front for the restaurant, so it takes some effort to find it the first time. Just look for the building that says "Wisconsin Aviation" on the front. The restaurant is inside that building.

[Monica]

I realize that I'm commenting really late, but wanted to add my family's two cents to this review.

We took our airplane-obsessed toddler to the Jet Room for breakfast last summer. The Husband and I used to be BIG fans of O'Malley's in Waunakee and had been meaning to make the drive to the airport to see if they still made the same "OMG homemade biscuits".

The place was busy but not packed. There were several open tables in front of the windows that hadn't been bussed. We asked the hostess if we could please sit near the view, for the sake of our two year old and she said "No! Those are all reserved!!!" We'd driven 20 miles for breakfast at this point and we were too hungry to leave, so we took the table she offered, in a corner, with our kid facing a *wall*. A few minutes later, the window tables were cleaned and sat there empty for the rest of our stay.

The food was mediocre. They forgot my husband's bacon. My biscuit was dry. Definitely not the O'Malley's experience of old.

Needless to say, we won't be back. We'll go to the Pine Cone and let the kid watch the trucks out the window instead. Either that, or we'll grab a couple of Egg McMuffins at McD's and eat them on the couch at the Wisconsin Aviation lounge. Great views there too!