Things have changed, and not for the better.\n\nOnce a Madison nightlife gem, Opus seems to have lost its soul and has degenerated into one part unwelcoming private bar, one part overflow of the louder, more obnoxious bars in the area. How could a place that seemed almost too refined for a college town lose so much of its shine, you ask?\n\nTwo words: New Ownership. Or, more aptly: Poor Management.\n\nFrom the minds that brought you Madison's Chili's restaurant experience (East *and* West), the new owners/bar-tenders have managed to retain the Opus namesake but little else. \n\nOnce one of the few mainstream nightspots that had an exotic, out-of-the-norm, queer-friendly atmosphere, the Opus experience was as much about the friendly, quirky, but always classy wait staff as it was about the drink and food menu. Attentive but never bothersome, the waiters/bartenders would not hesitate to offer samples of new martinis, offer shots with the staff if one happened to sit at the bar, and genuinely entertaining conversation and banter. They took pride in the presentation of the (sometimes off-the-menu and custom-made) drinks they served and took aims to make sure their customers enjoyed themselves.\n\nWhen an establishment asks its customers to pay between $7 and $12 per drink, customers are paying for more than alcohol. In its better days, Opus offered a relaxed, upscale, romantic and intimate spot ideal for both dates and smaller gatherings of friends. The music was a swanky eclectic mix and played at just the right volume for conversation. Even when it was full (as it often was on the weekends), the place retained its lounge atmosphere, and patrons respected this image by dressing-up/dressing well (though the unwashed hipster look was also welcomed).\n\nThat is what Opus was before the new ownership. After taking over, one half of the ownership duo installed herself as bartender and let go of the other bartenders and wait staff in rapid succession, paring down the staff to just two servers, one of whom works with a perpetual scowl on her face and seems bothered to take one's order.\n\nThe quality of the martinis has declined noticeably in terms of taste and even more so in terms of presentation and variety. The owner has reduced the number of specialty martinis, exotic liqueurs, and off-the-menu options. The music has changed to something more befitting of a dance floor, often too loud to hear your date or friends speak. Monday nights are now \"game nights\"-- patrons can now play Monopoly and checkers in a dimly-lit martini bar. The owner's new target audience is essentially the overflow from the loud, frat-boy friendly Madison's across the street. The new Opus business strategy is quantity over quality, in line with their previous fast-food restaurateur work experience.\n\nWhen it's not packed with loud crowds complaining about the martini prices, the owner invites her friends to the bar and devotes all her attention to serving them for free. While this in itself is not necessarily a bother to the average patron, it just so happens that some of her friends happen to be obnoxiously rude and act as if they are at their friend's basement bar, and you're intruding. I have witnessed them on several occasions leering at and bothering other patrons, causing trouble with patrons minding their own, and threatening them with physical violence. At one point there was a physical altercation between the owner's friends and two seemingly self-contained patrons; in the end, the owner sided with her friends and the bar quickly emptied, though it was apparent that even the wait staff thought poorly of the owner and her friends. One's only option is to pay the tab, leave, and spend money elsewhere.\n\nWhen a bar changes hands, it's expected that the new owners will bring their own ideas and methods to the establishment. However, it was clear to anyone who had frequented the bar in the past that Opus had its unique place on King St, an unpretentious but sophisticated upscale lounge, where one could easily spend a hundred dollars and feel like they got their money's worth. I was a patron of the bar for a few years before and about six months after the ownership change, and though I wasn't particularly close to the previous owners and staff, I did feel that a lot had changed, and for the worse. I posted my thoughts on Craig's List and found that many others had a similar impression.\n\nTo recap, there is a marked loss of the intimate, refined feel of the place, the owner's friends are present and obnoxious enough to be considered a noteworthy nuisance, the warmth of the staff is noticeably lacking, and the atmosphere has changed considerably. If you're in Madison looking for a classy bar away from the riff-raff, I would instead recommend Restaurant Magnus on Wilson St (a few blocks away) or Maduro, a cigar bar on Main St, one street in from Opus.
places reviews