The Ocean Grill located at 117 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in Madison, Wisconsin is a restaurant that serves some amazing food in an inviting and fun environment.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of the Ocean Grill is very innovative, exotic yet casual. Large painted murals of water and mermaids brighten up the walls of the dining room.
The light oak tables are surrounded with sheik chairs that are comfortable and surrounded by warm lighting. Large floor to ceiling windows are located in the front of the restaurant and let in lots of sunlight and also give you a view of the downtown Madison area.
The kitchen area is open with no walls hiding it from customers. So you are able to watch the chefs in action as they prepare your meal.
Out front there is also a quaint little seating area with tables that have large umbrellas on them for shade. The only bad part is a lot of pedestrians walk passed here, so it is not super private and quiet sitting out here. But you do get a great view of the capital building dining here.
Menu
The menu is full of items that have a combination of French and Asian influence. The chefs put the time and effort into making each plate look like a piece of well placed art. The portions sizes are average so you will have room for an appetizer or dessert.
Prosciutto Wrapped Tuna with a sweet corn polenta cake
They also offer about 4-6 specials each night also. The seafood here was so good. Our waiter told us that it comes in fresh daily 6 times a week.
Drinks
For an after dinner drink I had a Banana Foster Martini that was out of this world. It was made of spiced rum, banana liquor, cream, and rimmed with cinnamon. My friend ordered the Shark Bite which was Courvoisier, kahlua and orange liquor and topped with whipped cream. Hers’ was so tasty also. We liked them so much we both had 1 of each. It was the perfect way to end our meal.
Other drinks that they offer are a variety of specialty martinis and cocktails, a selection of 8 beers on tap from all over the world like Spotted Cow, Stella Artois and Magic Hat No 9, a great list of wines from places like France, Germany and Australia, and a fully stocked bar with all of your favorite liquor.
Happy Hour is from 4:30pm to 6:30pm Monday through Friday and offers guests some excellent deals on drinks and appetizers in the lounge or at the bar.
Prices
Lunch ranged from $5-$15
Dinner ranged from $7-$40 with the 20 ounce serving of crab legs coming in the highest at $62. A little pricey for the amount of food that you received, but you were definitely paying for the quality of the meals here and not the quantity.
This is a great place to stop for a special lunch or dinner treat or for a meal with business partners. The location is right in the square of the capital building so there are lots of restaurants, bars and hotels within walking distance. The food at Ocean Grill is excellent, service is top notch and the atmosphere is urban chic.
