outside
Interior photo
Dining room
Order at the cashier stand
Almond Chicken Salad
This was one of our Hors d'oeuvres tables.
"Grilled" chicken sandwich right from the warming tank on a nice soaked and soggy bun. Um! Or not.
Cranberry pancakes and rustic reds.
food, steak
Another hors d'oeuvres table at our wedding.
Southern Biscuit + Rustic Reds
Cranberry Creek's truly uninspired "grilled" chicken sandwich.
Bacon & sauteed mushroom burger with Truffle Fries
So cozy!
Bistro French onion soup
Biscuits and gravy... Yummy
Jim dandy
salads, food, salad
burgers, food
Heidi S.
Nov 3, 2017
My plate is almost cleaned off!!The food and atmosphere are always so good!! This is a weekend eatery for family or a great place to have lunch and talk business during the week!! We have never had a bad meal here in 4 years!! Great service and great food!!
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Rick R.
Jan 15, 2013
I was in Madison with a co-worker and he knew I loved to dine out, so he suggested this restaurant for lunch. The menu was large and there were a lot of great looking items, but I decided I wanted to try the truffle fries. Therefore, my entree had to be a burger. That's just how I roll.I built my own burger with mushrooms and bacon. The burger patty was cooked perfectly, juicy and delicious. The burger to bun ratio was a perfect balance.The true star was the truffle fries. I've had truffle fries before, but none as good as these. The potatoes were fresh cut and topped generously with the truffle oil. Then they were served in an individual sized deep-fryer basket for a cool presentation. It looked like a franchise chain, but I don't think it is, so I like it even more!I hope to make it back to Cranberry Creek soon when I get back to Madison and try more of the menu.Todd S. may have been looking at the Cranberry Creek in Stevens Point, which is closed. The Madison location is still open. I called them just now to make sure.
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Ari W.
Nov 20, 2017
:::This review is for the catering:::We order Cran Creek often at work. The quality of their food is great. The presentation, set up, customer service - it's all been fantastic. The office loves it. We have ordered simple sandwich buffets, as well as full on turkey dinners. Everything we have ever received from them has been top notch. We placed an order last week for today, and there was a communication error which resulted in them having never received the order. I spoke to the catering department at approx. 9:30am and they were still able to get our order put together and delivered to us by 1pm. It was a large order as well, for 53 people, including turkey, ham, baked potatoes, glazed carrots, and an assortment of desserts. Their ability to get us taken care of in such short notice is really incredible and I am very impressed. Had the communication error not happened in the first place, that would have been better, however, I understand that mistakes happen and it's not the end of the world. The way they were able to bounce back and still take care of us makes up for it. Big kudos to them for being able to pull through and make our event still a possibility.
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Sarah K.
Oct 24, 2017
I frequently come here for lunch. It's a very homey and cozy atmosphere. I always get a half sandwich or salad with soup. I'm crazy about their spicy chicken panini. The French onion soup is also very tasty. The service is always very nice. It's nothing fancy, but it's a solid lunch choice.Update: I've just recently tried their burger and truffle fries. Absolutely delicious. Truffle fries are to die for.
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Stacey L.
Aug 20, 2015
I've seen the sign for this place on the Beltline for years, but have never actually ventured along that part of Monona Drive until recently. My boyfriend had noticed it on a drive one day and wanted to try it one morning of his vacation, so I met him and we rolled on over. When we walked in, I was surprised to see that it was counter service. I am the absolute worst decider at a new place, so that kind of threw me for a loop because I hate to be that person that makes the counterperson stand there awkwardly while I make a choice. Usually I research things ahead of time, but for this I had failed.Gratefully there was no one behind me, and after several excruciating minutes (and a wonderfully sweet and patient cashier/our eventual server) I landed on panic pancakes. Panic because too many things sounded good and I just pulled the trigger. I specifically got the cranberry pancakes - I love cranberries, the restaurant is named after them, it would presumably be a good choice. Pancakes usually fall to the bottom of my list, though, so when I sat down at our booth to wait I started having buyer's remorse. Happy to report there was no need for that - they were amazing. Some of the best pancakes I've ever had, actually - my guess is that they were made from scratch instead of with a mix. The cranberry flavor was subtle, but present, and made even better by the cranberry butter it was served with. Cranberry butter! I am a weirdo who skips over maple syrup, so this was a perfect accompaniment. For my side, I chose the rustic red potatoes - well seasoned, and cooked all the way through. The restaurant only had a couple other patrons on a weekday morning, but that was fine by me - nice and quiet. The interior was really cozy with a huge fireplace that serves as the focal point of the dining area. The cashier/server was fantastic, checking in enough that we had everything we needed, but not interrupting our meal. With my flexible work schedule, I'm excited to hit them up on another weekday morning.
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Steve B.
Dec 7, 2017
My wife and I first went here with a Bucky Book coupon. Every time we've been here the food has never disappointed. Don't know how they do it, but it's pretty amazing. I've tried many burgers, including the black bean burger. My wife likes breakfast and their dinners. You'll leave stuffed and happy.We also happened to be getting married. Conveniently, they had catering menus. We made an appointment with Jim who sat down with us and told us exactly what we could expect with all of the different options. We should have purchased the cake cutting service they offer - on the day of the wedding we forgot to grab cake cutting utensils. Luckily we had a clutch last minute savior bring us what we needed. Cutting the cake is a mess and not something to be trifled with when you're all dressed up.The catering was great! They arrived right on time to the public shelter we rented for the day. Our family and friends all had kind things to say about the food we ordered. The baked cod was more popular than the chicken, most likely because our wedding guests didn't want to pick through bones while they were dressed up. It was still tasty and nobody left hungry!For a solo meal or a catered one, don't miss your chance at this place!
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Cody S.
Aug 10, 2015
I've pasted this place everyday to work for over 2 months and finally being on my vacation I made it a note to stop. The simple menu gave me some comfort I found what I wanted with in seconds. I paid up front sat done and in about 15 minutes I had my food. The service was just what i wanted, close but knew when they were need. For the price I've never felt so full. Hidden back on Broadway is a treasure of a cafe.
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Steven S.
Jul 9, 2018
My boyfriend and I stopped here for lunch a very days ago. We both had burgers with fries. Everything was very greasy and bland. And seemed overpriced for what we got. The staff was extremely friendly, but we will probably never go back.
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Warren D.
Aug 26, 2013
Great little gem!Remember MacDowell's from "Coming to America?" This is the Panera Bread version of that. It looks like a Panera, has great food like a Panera, but isn't a corporate conglomerate. Win-win!The Cranberry Chicken was excellent, though the twice-baked potatoes were far too chivey for my tastes. Staff was friendly and efficient, and the bakery is great, too!I don't get to Madison very often, but I would definitely stop here again.
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Jon S.
Mar 7, 2018
I know Cranberry Creek well. I've been getting lunch there often multiple times a week for years, and I can tell you nothing they've ever sold me rated five stars. This place is more like a hospital cafeteria than a five-star restaurant. Most of the food is bland and reheated before being served. So when I see five-star reviews here, they have to be fake. That one review of the Thursday burger being five stars... ...I've had that burger and no. Cater a wedding? Not mine thank you. Unless maybe I want it to be completely forgettable. Seriously these have to be fake.So why do I keep going back you must want to ask? Well, it is only a short walk from my office, the people are friendly, prices are mostly reasonable, and the food is pretty consistently three stars. Again think institutional cafeteria. Today though was more like one star, and I felt the need to post pictures. This supposedly grilled chicken sandwich has to be about the most pathetic one history. Kind of my own fault when I saw them pull the "grilled" chicken out of warm water and through it on a bun. I'm also guessing it was "fresh" frozen. Oh well.
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