Upstairs Downstairs Catering for Your Wedding
Greater Madison Area
Service area
AWARD WINNER (4X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Upstairs Downstairs Catering is a wedding and event caterer based in Madison, WI.
For over 40 years, Upstairs Downstairs Catering has prepared every meal with a passion for perfection. Whether sit-down, family-style, or buffet, our attentive and quick-responding staff handles every detail.
Speaks English
Details
Cuisine
American
Eastern European
French
Fusion
Greek
Indian
Italian
Latin American
Middle Eastern
Seafood
Dietary Options
Dairy Free
Gluten Free
Nut Free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Food & Catering
Buffet
Catering Clean Up
Catering Delivery & Setup
Chef Stations
Family Style
Menu Tastings
Passed Appetizers
Seated Meal
Servers
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Reviews
4.8
out of 5.0137 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Upstairs Downstairs delivered consistently excellent, crowd-pleasing food with professional, attentive service. They were flexible, responsive during planning, and handled dietary restrictions smoothly. One small caveat: steak doneness varied for some guests.Alisha d
Highlighted review.
5.0
10/14/2024
Upstairs Downstairs was a pleasure to work with for our wedding. The food was excellent (we had the Tenderloin and Pesto Shrimp Cavatappi as entrées). Communication was easy, with ...
quick responses and flexibility in accommodating our special requests. They made everything feel effortless on our end, handling every detail with minimal direction and total professionalism. The dinner service was fantastic, and they went above and beyond to ensure everything went exactly as we hoped, following our timeline perfectly. A big thank you to the Upstairs Downstairs team for helping to make our day extra special. We look forward to recommending them to future couples getting married in the Madison area.
Justin J
5.0
5/08/2026
10/10 recommend upstairs downstairs if you’re in the Madison area!! They were soo easy to work with! Everyone said how great the food was. And I felt so confident they knew what th...
ey were doing day of! I didn’t have a single question for them. Super professional and super delicious!
Any questions?
Sarah P
5.0
11/10/2025
Our food through Upstairs Downstairs was incredible for our wedding! We had a plated meal, and the service throughout the night was amazing as well. We got lots of compliments all ...
throughout the night on how much people enjoyed the food. They also did such a great job accommodating our guests with allergies in a way where we never felt like they were receiving less. Delicious choice for your wedding!
Carlie A
5.0
8/26/2025
We had a fantastic experience with Upstairs Downstairs!
Saima was great to work with during booking, tastings, and communication regarding questions and general planning! Very qui...
ck to respond and very informative and helpful!
We had a plated dinner, with the filet of tenderloin, italian stuffed chicken, and portobello mushroom ravioli.
Salads were served during our cocktail hour, which worked out beautifully as we opted against appetizers since we completed all photos before the ceremony and were only having 1 hour for the cocktail hour. Some guests had their salads during that time, others ate them after the grand march and once dinner had formally started. There was bread and butter at all the tables and plenty to go around!
We had numerous guests tell us it was some of the best wedding food they’d ever had, which is always a compliment, especially when it comes to mass produced meals that don’t always lend themselves to perfection!
The only thing I will note is that we were told the filet would be prepared to medium, and some were definitely medium rare. I love a MR myself but not everyone was a fan. I don’t think that little detail is enough to dock a star overall! Just something to note and be aware of. If you’re going to choose that option for one of your plated meals, maybe include in the description for guests that it’s a mass produced piece of beef and they aim for medium but it can’t be guaranteed or special ordered. Otherwise, it was seriously a FANTASTIC steak!
We picked up all of our linens the day before, as we had access to our venue the day before so we were able to set all of our tables with linens, napkins and centerpieces the day prior, and Up/Down arrived well before our ceremony to set up china and dishware. This was huge in our flow of the day!
They include 6 free vendor meals, I don’t know whether or not that’s common amongst caterers but it was definitely an appreciated touch!
The servers themselves were very polite and professional, the lead server was very personable and made a point to find my husband and I and congratulate us and tell us how beautiful everything was.
Overall, our day went so so smoothly, and Upstairs Downstairs played a big role in that! We definitely recommend!
Kyle A
5.0
7/14/2025
Upstairs Downstairs catered our rehearsal dinner & welcome drinks a couple weeks ago. We can not speak more highly of their services - the food was tasty and service was excellent....
Working with Upstairs leading up to the event could not have been easier - they are very accommodating and made for an epic night!
Rachel K
5.0
9/28/2024
Upstairs Downstairs Catering was amazing to work with! Their prices were affordable and the food was outstanding. I worked closely with Ingrid, who stayed in constant contact throu...
ghout the planning stages, all the way up until the day of the event. Their team was professional and accommodating. Ingrid also helped me navigate several dietary needs so that all of our guests could enjoy dinner. :)
Madeline R
5.0
9/08/2024
The food was delicious, and we received several compliments on it! We loved that they did hors d'oeuvres, the entree, dessert, and late night food. The wait staff was attentive ab...
out filling water glasses throughout dinner.
Additionally, half way through our wedding planning, I found out that I could no longer eat gluten. Upstairs Downstairs worked with us to make adjustments to the menu, and help us figure out what I could and couldn't eat. Their dietary restrictions are clearly labeled on their menu, which was very helpful.
Sawyer B
5.0
2/23/2024
The food was amazing! We received SO MANY comments about how tasty everything was. The mushroom ravioli was the star of the show (other than us of course). The catering staff were ...
very nice, and even left a cute note on our guest book-bench! Compared to other catering options in the area, this was a great deal!
Kayli A
5.0
12/04/2023
We used upstairs downstairs for our wedding caterer on 10/7/2023 (~160 guests). We had so many guests compliment our food and many stated it was the best wedding food they had ever...
had. The pass around appetizers were a big hit but nothing compared to the main course. Everyone loved their main dishes and sides. We also received a lot of high praise about their assorted dessert bar (some say it was the best pie or best 7 layer bar they ever had!). To my extreme sadness, the dessert disappeared before my husband and I could try any. In addition, Upstairs Downstairs was accommodating and very flexible with our requests. They were even able to provide gluten free buns to those that needed it. We had many guests also compliment how wonderful and kind the staff was. They provided excellent service. We wish we could do it all again!
Mary G
1.0
9/19/2023
We chose a sit-down dinner service for my son's wedding with Upstairs Downstairs Catering. All entrees were served barely warm or were cold. The Tenderloin Roquefort entrée was tas...
ty, however barely warm or served cold for many. The Italian Stuffed Chicken looked boiled and most unappealing and unappetizing. It lacked taste, stuffing and was cold. The Butternut Squash Ravioli entrée portion was embarrassingly sparse with only 4 to 5 ravioli on plate. That entrée easily should have been double the portion size for what we paid per plate. No bread and butter plates on table setting as pictured in the place setting agreement. Cold dinner rolls that were wrapped in a napkin as if warm in basket on tables.
The servers were lacking in professionalism and training. Servers should have completed serving all entrees on one table before moving on to the next...as to not have one person without entrée for 3 to 5 minutes, while the rest of table sits and stares at their already cold food. Servers expressing to our guests how they're tired and exhausted and want to get the heck out of there.
Server staff pulling dessert dishes before guests were finished, placing uneaten desserts on tablecloth, taking water glasses before guest were finished with them, pouring coffee into paper cups and letting guests know they needed to get these dishes into kitchen washed and packed because they wanted to get home!
We thought that a served dinner would be a bit more elevated and special than a buffet, it was nothing close to that for our guests that night. It was disappointing and embarrassing.
melissa w
5.0
5/22/2023
AMAZING!!! The staff served a fantastic plated meal at my son's wedding venue. The venue was 45 minutes from where they prepare the food so we were nervous about that. Well... the...
food was HOT - no joke. The portion size of the beef and chicken were very large and SO flavorful! The asparagus and twice baked potato were perfection, as well! Best wedding food we've had. The guests raved about the flavor and portions - even the dinner rolls and salad were great! Staff was professional, efficient, and VERY hard working! We are very particular and were not disappointed at all! Worked with Ingrid a year out, and she was on the ball!!! She got back to me within minutes each and every time I reached out. We would highly recommend them if you want hot, tasty, well-presented, food served from a no-fuss, no-muss, hard-working staff. 10/10!
Johanna P
4.0
5/19/2023
Upstairs Downstairs was honestly a delight to work with. Their Sales and Events contact was wonderful, willing to work with us at every turn and help accommodate us with friendline...
ss and and professionalism. The food we had at their tasting was great, and we even had some custom food items that their chefs were happy to create for us. They even made custom samples for us, but which were absolutely delicious.
The one bummer was when those same custom foods arrived for our wedding day. Some ingredients we had requested were missed and one item was prepared wildly differently from how the recipe and sample was, which resulted in a rather soggy outcome. The other entree was the opposite, missing the soy glaze from the recipe we sent (and sample) we originally received, resulting in it being dry as a bone. Both entrees were to have rice included, but even though folks took only a bit, they ran out rather quickly. Ultimately, it was a bit of a risk to ask them to prepare custom entrees, but we had hoped they would be closer to the samples of the same items we had originally received.
Happily, they were very gracious in compensating us, and we weren’t very put out in the end. I think as long as you stick to options from their menu you will have a great time, just be careful if you go with custom options! We will be definitely trying their food again!!
Brittany R
5.0
4/26/2023
Amazing caterers. They came all the way from Madison to the lake Geneva area to cater our wedding. They had never been to our venue before but they executed flawlessly. The food wa...
s amazing and they were so polite throughout the evening. They handled set up and take down without any hitches. Thank you for helping our day execute so smoothly!
Morgan D
5.0
3/25/2023
Upstairs Downstairs was so great to work without throughout the entire wedding planning process! From our initial tasting to wedding day and everything in between, Ingrid was so he...
lpful! We did a buffet as well as late night snack woodfired pizzas and we had so many compliments from our guests on all of the food! We would definitely recommended UpDown for any and all of your catering needs!
Daniel F
5.0
2/04/2023
We are so thankful we went with Upstairs Downstairs for our caterers for our wedding. They truly went above and beyond for us. I’ll admit we weren’t the easiest couple to plan with...
, but they were so patient and understanding with us the entire step of the way.
We worked with Dan a lot and he truly made us feel so comfortable and welcome throughout the whole process. After our first tasting we were still unsure of what to serve and they graciously invited us for a second tasting. We were still unsatisfied with one of the options and they invited us back to taste it yet again to see if they had made it to our liking (which they did)!
They also were able to make family recipes with us and collaborate on creating new recipes which turned out delicious. Having a winter wedding, we thought a soup instead of a salad would be a nice change to warm everyone up. I asked that they try out my mother’s Portuguese green bean soup which they absolutely nailed!
We also had quite a few food sensitivities amongst our guests and they were extremely accommodating allowing guests to select individual options that suited their needs.
Overall, we can’t thank them enough for how fantastic they were. The food was delicious, the service was impeccable, and the night went seamlessly.
Kathleen L
5.0
1/30/2023
Thank you for providing us with wonderful food! We are not from the area and they were very accommodating to meeting us for our tasting. They were also very good with working with ...
my husband's vegan dietary restrictions. We were able to ask them to make a version of a meal we really liked and they did it! The portions were great and our family and friends just loved the appetizers. The waiters were also extremely nice!
Brianna A
5.0
11/09/2022
Up Down Catering is phenomenal and I’m so grateful our venue recommended their service. I have never attended a wedding where I have enjoyed the food, so choosing a caterer for my ...
own wedding was a big deal. My husband and I went into our taste test excited and open minded. We instantly fell in love with the food and trusted them immediately. Dan ensured that we had everything we needed before our wedding and was honest about serving suggestions. Even when there were hiccups along the way, they always helped us work through them and were professional. If you are looking for GOOD food, hire this company for your big day. There was not a single person who did not enjoy the buffet at our wedding.
Maggie S
4.0
7/27/2022
We hired Upstairs Downstairs Catering for our wedding and worked with Dan throughout the process. Dan was friendly, knowledgeable, accommodating and responsive. He was passionate a...
bout making sure we had a great experience and that all of our requests were met. We had multiple tastings before deciding on braised beef short ribs, spinach & feta stuffed chicken breast and butternut squash ravioli as our plated entrees. A few of our guests are vegan and Dan was open and willing to accommodate these diet restrictions without hesitation. On our wedding day, the quality of food met our expectations and was in line with what we had tried during our tastings. The servers were professional and efficient throughout the event. In addition, all of the food (entrees, hors d’oeuvres and late-night pizzas) was reasonably priced. We would recommend Upstairs Downstairs Catering to anyone.
Morgan P
4.0
7/26/2022
Upstairs Downstairs had really amazing response times and were so helpful throughout the entire wedding process! We had the option of a herb roasted chicken breast, apple pork loin...
, or a veggie lasagna for our guests to choose from. The guests that ordered the pork and lasagna a ranted and raved about how amazing it was. The chicken, however, was pretty dry. I still highly recommend them for any catering needs though!
Jenny C
5.0
7/19/2022
Food was great and plentiful! We did a buffet, and there was a lot of food leftover. Catering staff and bartender were excellent. They were watchful of the entire flow of the recep...
tion, not just the food.
Ashley W
5.0
7/04/2022
Our food was great and so were the people we worked with!
Sarah H
5.0
5/29/2022
We loved working with Upstairs Downstairs. They had a wide variety of food options to pick from. We even did a second tasting at a very small cost as we decided to change a meal op...
tion. We did a plated meal and the staff were amazing getting the food out quickly. They were very responsive and we would highly recommend working with them!
Donna L
5.0
12/12/2021
We loved working with Upstairs Downstairs Catering for our event. We worked with Dan throughout our planning and it was a really great experience. Going into wedding planning we di...
dn't really know what kind of food we wanted at our wedding and Dan used his experience to help us figure out the best meal for our guest. They offered multiple tastings so we could perfect out menu and make sure we knew exactly what we were feeding our guests. They also took ample amounts of notes on our guests diet needs and restrictions and were extremely accommodating in that area. If you're on the fence between these guys and another caterer, you should definitely choose them!
Abigail K
3.0
11/06/2021
Upstairs Downstairs was pretty great to work with. Overall, they were super sweet throughout the process and during our tasting. They were very accommodating to all of our requests...
, especially around gluten free food. The late night pizzas were woodfired and they were AMAZING. So many guest complimented these. Additionally, the chicken breasts were huge - so guests who ordered this were not left hungry!!
A few things to consider that weren't as ideal:
1 - Some of the steaks came very medium rare. We were under the impression all steaks would come medium, but there were definitely some that looked too pink to eat.
2 - We had an issue with our desserts, and the caterer forgot some of them at their kitchen, so we ran out very quickly at the venue. The issue couldn't be fixed on the night of. Upstairs Downstairs did feel awful and they did everything they could to make this right by giving us money back after the fact. That being said, I was still disappointed with this a bit on the wedding day.
3 - We did not rent linens from them, as they did not have a floor length option.
Alisha S
5.0
9/13/2021
So glad we went with Upstairs Downstairs to cater our wedding: the food was outstanding! Everything was delicious, flavorful and perfectly hot/cooked to perfection. I've been to to...
o many weddings with dry chicken or overcooked steak: not Upstairs Downstairs. The chicken was moist (I highly recommend the chicken cordon blue) and the steaks were tender and perfectly cooked! The butternut squash ravioli is also outstanding: our guests loved it, and surprisingly, this was the only entree (vegetarian option) we didn't have any leftovers of on the day of! Working with this company was so lovely: they were highly responsive to messages and super helpful with any requests (for example, they were more than happy to provide the groom with special salad dressing and make a special plate for a vegan guest). I would definitely recommend them for any and all catering!
Darlene K
5.0
8/17/2021
I worked with Kayla Who is patient, always answered my questions by either email or a phone call. She offered many suggestions and I adopted all of them. I could not have done thi...
s small wedding without her
I am planning on using upstairs/downstairs for another party and I hope to work with Kayla,
Danielle A
5.0
8/11/2021
Dan at Upstairs Downstairs was absolutely amazing to work with. He asked all of the questions that we never would have considered. He knows exactly what he is doing and has the mos...
t professional, helpful staff. I wouldn’t go with any other caterers for an event going forward.
Bri I
5.0
7/27/2021
Kayla was wonderful to work with during this process. We got to try several food options before deciding anything, and they were all so good that we knew our wedding buffet was goi...
ng to be a hit. They were very accommodating about having sauces on the side and changing the ravioli from porta bella to cheese within the last month before the wedding. Everyone raved about the food and how good it was. We got cupcakes through UpDown as well. There seemed to have been some confusion on the day of the wedding of who was providing them (they thought we were and they were just putting them out for us) but they made a call and got us the cupcakes we ordered. We also had a late night snack - a nacho bar - that was a crowd pleaser. They wrapped up all the leftover food for us to take home. Would definitely recommend them!
Hilary B
5.0
7/06/2021
Kayla and the whole Upstairs Downstairs team were SO wonderful to work with!! Our entire wedding dinner was fantastic, everything ran super smooth and we received compliment after ...
compliment on how tasty the food was. Kayla was extremely accommodating when we had to reschedule our wedding date from 2020 to 2021, and I can't thank her enough for it. Would absolutely recommend them for any Madison wedding!!
Capriana H
5.0
6/01/2021
This was our first experience with Upstairs Downstairs, and it was INCREDIBLE. We hired them for our small backyard wedding reception of 50-60 people and from our first interaction...
s coordinating food selections and the timeline with Kayla to the drop-off food and pick-up of the dishes, we were met with nothing but kindness, flexibility, and the utmost of professionalism. Additionally, we and our guests were SO impressed by the quality and taste of the food. Even our pickiest guests went for seconds (and thirds). They will definitely be getting our business again, and likely the business of many of our guests in the future.
Jennifer D
5.0
4/17/2021
Food was absolutely delicious! We served plated dinners to our guests along with butler passed hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and even a late night slider bar! Our guests raved about th...
e food all night! We were ecstatic to use Upstairs Downstairs and would definitely use them again!
Emily W
5.0
8/09/2020
We can not say enough positive things about Upstairs Downstairs Catering!! Not only did they provide amazing food and service for our wedding, but they were wonderful to work with...
through every step of the process. Even though plans changed multiple times during COVID, they were willing to work with us through every change to ensure a safe and delicious meal for everyone involved. Kayla and Dan went above and beyond to make our day run extremely smoothly and worry-free - we highly recommend Upstairs Downstairs!
Alyx H
5.0
11/15/2019
Upstairs Downstairs was amazing! Not only was the food delicious but the staff was so friendly and caring. Dan did such a good job following up with me throughout my wedding planni...
ng process. I would recommend them to anyone!
Sarah B
5.0
10/21/2019
Dan was amazing to work with in the months before the wedding. He answered all of my questions about everything from the big things to the little details and provided excellent adv...
ice to help make the night go smoothly. The bartenders and waitstaff were so attentive the night of the wedding, and we received so many compliments on the food!
Heidi S
5.0
10/15/2019
Dan and Kayla were wonderful to work with! All of our guests loved the food!
Brian F
5.0
9/27/2019
People remember three things from your wedding: Music, Drinks, and Food. Upstairs Downstairs did an absolutely amazing job on that last one for my wife and I. Their service was ex...
cellent and the food was top notch and consistent (I didn't hear a single complains from any of our 157 guests). The entire process, from first meeting, through tastings, detail meetings, our endless questions and tweaks, all the way through our big day was fantastic. Kayla put us at ease, and had plenty of very useful advice and experience to share. I STRONGLY recommend working with these folks. We do not regret it one bit.
Alexandra C
5.0
9/16/2019
We hired Upstairs Downstairs for our wedding on May 31st 2019. Kayla was so great to work with. She answered all our questions throughout out the process. We were able to adjust th...
ings up until the week before, which was very helpful. Kayla listened to exactly what we wanted and she delivered.
Mary Kay R
5.0
9/15/2019
Upstairs Downstairs catered my daughter’s wedding and the food and service was beyond expectations. Family, friends and vegan guests thought the food was delicious. Kayla and Phi...
l (our lead server) are the best!
Gail M
5.0
8/28/2019
Upstairs Downstairs Catering was fantastic. We hired them to cater our daughter’s wedding in late July, 2019. Kayla was always available for my many questions & extremely patient....
We got so many compliments on the food both day of and after the wedding. Staff was professional, but warm at the same time. Kim was on top of everything. After packing up, this very fun staff even hit the dance floor for a song to help us celebrate. How great is that???
Because we were from out of town, they worked with us on keeping the left over food fresh & refrigerated. If not for that, it would have all had to be thrown out. That’s above & beyond in my book.
I highly recommend Upstairs Downstairs for any occasion.
Theresa B
5.0
8/19/2019
Couldn't be happier with Kayla and the catering team. Nothing but compliments all night long about our food!! They even catered to my vegan husband and our main vegan entree (Cashe...
w truffle pasta) was wiped out!
Working with Kayla and the team day of was completely seamless. I was never worried about anything which is exactly what you want from your wedding caterers. Highly, HIGHLY recommend!
Katie B
4.0
7/24/2019
Kayla was very easy to get ahold of from the time we booked up until the day before our wedding day. Her suggestions were so helpful and made our day go more smoothly. We chose the...
filet of tenderloin, the Wisconsin chicken, and the vegetarian lasagna for our guests and they all were great. There were a few minor details I would have liked changed that I did not learn about until after my wedding day, however, overall things went smoothly and the food was good.
Allison S
5.0
7/02/2019
The food and service this weekend at our wedding was absolutely wonderful!!
I could not be any more happy with the taste of the food, how efficient the team was, and how timely it...
was. I was beyond impressed!
Use Upstairs Downstairs!!! You will love them!!
Ely G
5.0
6/23/2019
Kayla was wonderful to work with! Food was great!
Jennifer C
5.0
6/08/2019
They catered our wedding 6/1/19. Everything was outstanding, the food, the staff, the bar tenders. Be sure to try the squash ravioli!
Madeline R
5.0
6/07/2019
Excellent! Kayla was very responsive to any questions I had and made sure we were informed throughout the process. Food was great the day of- many compliments. Day of staff was cou...
rteous and prompt. Highly Recommended!
Mikka S
5.0
2/21/2019
Upstairs Downstairs Catering was absolutely amazing at our wedding! The food and service was incredible - our guests weren't disappointed. Kayla was amazing and worked with us ever...
y step of the way. The guests meals were fantastic as well as our late night snacks - all of our guests enjoyed everything! We knew we wouldn't be able to enjoy the amazing cupcakes they made, so they created a to go box for us before we left.
We highly recommend Upstairs Downstairs for your special day!
Carl K
5.0
2/03/2019
Genuinely nice, flexible and easy to work with people. Food was fantastic and they provided all bartending needs. Reasonably priced. Highly recommended for a venue in the Madison...
area.
Railene S
5.0
1/15/2019
kayla and the staff at upstairs downstairs catering were so incredible. from the tasting to the wedding day they were on top of everything and very professional. and quickly solved...
problems when it was brought to their attention. the food was DELICIOUS and there was plenty of it! thank you so much for adding to our special day.
Tara S
5.0
11/18/2018
Upstairs Downstairs was amazing to work with. Dan was so helpful throughout the entire process helping was with every detail or question we had. Even providing suggestions beyond w...
hat they were doing for us specifically. The food was great, and service very attentive. Our wedding was at our family farm so not totally set up for easy food service. They made it work and did such a fabulous job. Definitely recommend using Upstairs Downstairs
Ayun B
5.0
11/13/2018
Upstairs Downstairs were so understandable and accommodating!
I honestly can’t thank them enough for how patient they were with us and how they were able to get every detail right ...
for our big day! The food is absolutely delicious and they were able to accommodate our dietary restrictions. Such a great company and can’t recommend them enough!!
Service area & Contact info
Greater Madison Area
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Upstairs Downstairs Catering
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