A food writer's top edible souvenirs: Madison, WI

The things I leave room for in my suitcase for friends

Every time I travel to a city, I bring home gifts for my friends. I send out a text asking if my closest friends are around. I bring back goodies based on how many people can stop by the night I arrive home. As a woman who travels a lot, it’s a way for me to see people dear to me. But it’s also a way to share the things I love with them.

One friend joked that it feels a little bit like how in old romance movies, set in castles, there are scenes where the heartthrob comes back from war. People run from the fields to go greet him. But instead of realizing I came back from war all chiseled and hot, I just have pastry from Madison, WI.

This list is an organic collection of all the things I bring home for my friends after my travels to Madison, WI.

When I tell you something is my favorite in the country, I do mean it. I have long lists that collect my favorite things and so you won’t hear me telling you everything is my favorite. The thing is? Madison has a lot of my favorite things. It’s an underrated food city, deserving of far more love than it gets on the national radar.

Madison holds my favorite restaurant, my favorite donut, my favorite bread, my favorite sub $10 burger, and my favorite food truck (it’s a burrito sized spring roll). So I am not lying when I tell you this list goes hard.

Here’s my top five picks that always make it in my bag in alphabetical order.

Clary's Old Fashioned Gourmet Popcorn

There are lots of places to get popcorn in Madison, but Clary’s is the one and only popcorn spot you’ll find me in. Located on State Street, this little shop’s green awning always calls to me on my way home. They have 20 or so flavors, but I get the jalapeno cheddar (I promise, it’s not spicy). The only problem? I can’t seem to ever have any leftover for my friends. I eat it all on the drive home.

Donuts, Greenbush Bakery

Real sour cream old fashioned donuts are hard to find, with most donuts looking like sour cream donuts turning out to be catfish. The ones at Greenbush are real, stellar, and kosher. They easily clear as my favorite donuts in the country. This old school Jewish bakery will get you out with a dozen of these for less than the price of 4 donuts at your bougie local shop (it’s $17.50 for a dozen)

If you get there early enough, get the giant fritter. It’s big as your head and $7.50. They have apple, blueberry, and cherry. All are flavor bombs but in my experience, the blueberry delights people the most. I cut it up like a pie and hand it out to friends. You should, too.

Bread, Madison Sourdough

There’s a specific group chat in my phone called Bread Chat. It’s for all the people who love Madison Sourdough’s bread and want me to bring it home to them. The MSCo Signature loaf is the way to go.

I’ve eaten bread in New York City, San Francisco, and all the other “bread” cities you can think of, but Madison Sourdough is my favorite. Part of the reason is that around 40% of their flour is milled in house, meaning it is as fresh as you can get, with wheat direct from local farmers.

The line is long in the summer and they often sell out on weekends (I order in the morning and go pick it up whenever I can in the afternoon), but if you bring these home with you, everyone will ask you when you’re going back.

Biscuits, Mint Mark’s Superette

The biscuits at Mint Mark are something else. Extremely tall and very fluffy, they come with a honey garlic butter that tastes like heaven. I bring these home for friends with clear instructions: cut it in half, slather the cut sides in (normal) butter, toast them up in a cast iron, put them in the oven for 3-5 minutes, then melt half the honey garlic butter they come with and drip it all over the biscuit. Save the other half for dipping.

Just trust me. I’ve been taking these biscuits to go long before Superette came on the scene offering them to go officially. While you’re there, pick up a soup or pasta sauce for yourself so you don’t have to worry about cooking your first night home. If they have the sungold sugo, it’s a cult classic and you must get it.

Umamier, The Deliciouser

The Deliciouser makes their own spice blends and salts. I always try to grab a new jar when I come to Madison but the first jar I’ve emptied is Umamier. Whenever I ask what a soup needs and can’t figure it out, I add this mushroom powder. Perfect for miso soup, ramen, but also for vegetarian soups that need a little oomph. I even put it in my stuffing this year.

I’m a huge fan of the Sparkler, their ghost pepper sea salt. In summer, I put it on heirlooms and eat them like that over the sink. And I love their Hart-Beet which is a mix of kelp, beet, ginger, and salt. I marinate my citrus in it before I throw them into beet salads, but you could easily add it to fish dishes or salad dressing itself.

This is part of a larger series called Souvenirs. You can find other Souvenir pieces in the travel writing section.