Of the 4 sandwich and lunch restaurants recommended in this 40-year-old book, 3 are still in business.
The Plaza (then). The Plaza is primarily a bar, but people who work and play downtown like to go there for the good hamburgers. Kids like the pinball machines and pool tables.
The Plaza (now).
The Parthenon (then). The Parthenon offers the unusual combination of American fast food service and spicy, pungent Greek Food. Among the dishes on the menu, none of which exceeds $2.00, are mousaka, shish-ka-bob, salad, and excellent baklava at just 35 cents a piece. The item that seems to draw most people is in the Gyros sandwich, which consists of generous portions of beef, lamb, and vegetables stuffed into apiece of pita break, the whole thing dripping with flavor and fat, served with an incongruous side order of French fries.
The Parthenon (now).
The Brathaus (then). Charcoal grilled hamburgers, brats and steak sandwiches in a beer-hall atmosphere. Plenty of beer too. A Madison institution, the Brathaus is a watering place for students, returning alumni, and sundry people.
The Brathaus (now). (Actually, the photo below was cribbed from my "State Street Stalwarts" post of January 4, 2009.)
Related reading:
The restaurants that fed Madison 35 years ago. (Isthmus, 4/7/2011)
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