The food here is great and my significant other and I have had several dishes over several visits and loved them all. However, we had a very disappointing and deceptive recent visit and will not be back.
On this visit, we arrived well after the lunch rush on Saturday and found the restaurant less than half full. The service was very slow, especially processing our payment (two people, one card) which took over 30 minutes and was only completed after we literally put on our coats and stood by the door.
Needless to say, we were very disappointed by the service. However, the biggest surprise came when we examined our check. We were charged a mandatory 18% tip, which is only supposed to be used for tables of 4 or more people. We were also charged $14 for a brunch item which was listed as $12 on the menu. Last but definitely not least, the amount shown on our credit card statement was $2.50 more than the final amount signed for on our receipt. We will be pursuing reimbursement with Crandall's. Since other reviews have mentioned this practice, it's unlikely that this was a mistake or isolated instance.
It's a shame because the food is really good and unique in the Madison food scene but the slow service and borderline fraudulent billing practice make Crandall's a place that we won't return.