My Madison neighborhood bar search continued Friday night with a stop at Crystal Corner on Williamson. The Willy Street area is a great neighborhood.  I might live there if the rent wasn’t so flippin’ high.

Crystal Corner was packed Friday night.  The old school double sided bar in the middle of the room gives off a cool retro vibe.  Great staff.  In fact, Triple M’s Ed “Steady” Johnson has been known to man the door on occasion.  They have a few pool tables, live bands, and a great crowd on any night of the week.

The quest to find my favorite Madison neighborhood bar continued Sunday with a stop at Mickey’s Tavern in the Willy St./Marquette area.  A friend highly recommended Mickey’s for breakfast and a bloody mary.

The $5 bloody mary was good.  Loaded with pickle, olive, brussel sprout, onion, hot pepper, lemon and lime.  When it landed in front of me I thought.. damn, that’s breakfast right there! Loved all the condiments but it wasn’t like wow.. I gotta have another one of those.

The scrambled eggs with sun dried tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella was tasty.  Service was great. Big patio out back, pool table and nice sized bar inside.  Really like the vibe of Mickey’s. Feels like an old home converted into a bar.  They have live music on the weekends too. Mickey’s pretty much has everything you want in a neighborhood bar.

Who doesn’t love a great neighborhood bar?  I call them dive bars, though I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.  To me a dive bar is synonymous with neighborhood bar, not a derogatory description at all. Just a place that has great character, an amazing jukebox (or equivalent), cold beer, diverse clientele, and maybe a signature burger.  Food isn’t necessarily a prerequisite.

I’m sure there are a ton of them in Madison.. all with a unique draw and their own special characteristics. Discovering them is something I really look forward to.  Actually, I need to start a list.  Hit me up with your favorite and I’ll give it a shot.

I’ve been kind of  busy lately.. but one neighborhood/dive bar I have hit is Le Tigre Lounge on Midvale. Loved it!  The jukebox was playing Sinatra when I walked in.  You could hear the pops and crackles on the orginal 45’s.  The bartender was super cool and the diverse, friendly clientele made me feel right at home. Can’t wait to go back.