Every time I put out a burger review, somebody inevitably tells me, “You gotta try Badger Tavern.” People don’t necessarily rave that it’s the best burger they’ve ever had in their life, but what they do say is also impressive.

The burger is always very good - without fail. And honestly, after finally getting over to the Badger Tavern myself, I can see why people rave that it never misses.

Badger Tavern is the quintessential Wisconsin neighborhood bar. You walk in, grab a beer, snag a pull tab (or ten), and see the people behind the bar cooking their asses off while the rest of the place carries on around them. It has a lived-in, slightly scruffy tavern feeling that you can't really manufacture. The fact it looks like another house on the street versus some giant restaurant only adds to it.

There are also plenty of TVs to catch the game with your friends (or the many regulars) plus great outdoor seating when the weather cooperates.

I went with the bacon cheeseburger, because if we're going to judge a bar burger, I'm not screwing around. I also added pepper jack cheese and pickled jalapeños. The bacon had these beautifully crispy, charred ends and right away this order felt like a very good decision.

The bacon was perfectly salty and there was a really nice amount of seasoning throughout the burger. The jalapeños also gave it that little hit of acidity and heat.

To put it in perspective: I accidentally flung jalapeño juice directly into my own eye while eating this. Even through the pain while my eyeball was fighting for its life, I was still thinking: “damn, this is good.”

Seasoning is one of those painfully simple things that a lot of burger places somehow screw up - but not Badger Tavern. The bacon brought a ton of salt and crunch, the pepper jack added some creaminess and heat, and those pickled jalapeños tied the whole thing together without turning it into some ridiculous novelty burger.

I've reviewed a lot of burgers around Madison, and I would absolutely put this towards the top of my list. That's not me saying it's the most mind-blowing burger I've ever eaten. It's actually the opposite: Badger Tavern nails the fundamentals, and sometimes that's all you need.

If you’re not a burger person, the menu offers plenty of other tavern staples like sandwiches, fish fries, cheese curds, wings, wraps and more.

Badger Tavern is the kind of place you can count on walking into any day of the week and getting a beer and burger you’re guaranteed to love. And honestly, gems like this are getting harder to find these days.