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Chili's® Grill & Bar is as bold and flavorful as the food it serves. The energetic, fun atmosphere makes it the perfect spot for a... more »
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Face it, you come here for happy hour, not for the culinary experience. The floor is sticky, people are loud, the food is decent enough to drink beer with, and there are annoying people who just turned 21 downing cheap margaritas all around you, but you don't care...because you're probably too busy drinking those same cheap drinks and having a good time with your friends/co-workers!
I really do dread coming here whenever people want to go to happy hour, but then I just order my first beer and get over it. I'm here to have a good time.
2* - Service
2.5* - environment
1.5* - food
For the price, the quality of the food is way below average.
If they had a one liner it would probably be "we just don't give a sh*t"
Its probably the most I have spent on food that I did not want to eat, in many many years.
Been here a few times, only when there's no other place to go on a weeknight. I don't think you'll find me here on the weekends.
It's a dim lit place, very cramped, bar is always too crowded, and it gets LOUD. I find myself shouting across the table just to get a friend's attention.
HOWEVER! I like the food and drinks here. Every time I come here (usually during the Late Mex Special), I always get the Big Azz Margarita. 22oz of fun for only $7. And they let you mix flavors. The available flavors seem to change a lot. Sometimes they run out of whatever or they'll have a unique flavor for a limited time. I'm not one to experiment, so I stick with strawberry-mango. Great deal.
But it gets better. Once 11PM hits, it becomes half off [most] food. I'm a fan of their fried cheeseballs. It's a lot more delicious than it sounds. Deep fried mac and cheese, seasoned, and rolled into balls. You get 5 of them, along with a mild dipping sauce. And their wings are very good, especially their honey chipotle wings. They drench the wings in whatever flavor you ordered. The burritos, nachos, tacos, etc. are nothing out of the ordinary.
I'll also add that I did have a get together for my 22nd here. If you're able to get a decent sized party, ask for the back room. You'll sit booth style next to a huge, wall mounted HDTV, probably airing sports (if you're into that).
I'll recommend this place if you haven't tried out the margaritas or wings. If you don't mind the environment as mentioned above, I think you'll find this place alright.
Usually crowded with Penn/Drexel kids making it difficult to get adequate service. However, I'll admit that I do like their food and am also fairly impressed with the beer selection. I'm not a big margarita person but if you're looking to get F'ed up the big margarita on special will do the job.
You don't come here for the fantastic food or the romantic atmosphere. You come for some reasonable drinks and food, and a good time. I think it is perfect for University City.
Come during happy hour or Late Mex for cheap appetizers and Big Azz Margaritas which are tasty, fruity, and reasonably strong. They let you choose your own flavors for margaritas from many options, and even mix them. They are iced like slushees and it's the only place that I actually enjoy margaritas.
Happy hour (4:30-6:30) and late mex (10-12) are the best times to go. The big azz margaritas are ridiculously strong and you can leave merrily drunk for less than $15.
I have gotten food here a couple times. I wasn't very impressed with the burrito or nachos, but the pita with the spicy hummus wasn't so bad.
Really, just come for the frozen margaritas.
Going to MadMex for late night food on a Friday made me feel like I was back in college! My girlfriends from school were visiting (we regularly craved frozen big azz margaritas when we lived in Pittsburgh) and I am so very glad we ventured into University City.
We had a party of 6 and were seated a little before 10pm with no wait. Our server was very accomodating and let us wait until 10 to order drinks at the special rate of $7 for a 22oz. frozen margarita. The strawberry is my favorite, lime is also tasty, I avoid the raspberry because it's got tons of seeds & mango because it has an artificial taste that can be on the bitter side (maybe you can tell I've drank a *few* in my time). It was just as frozen & tasty as I remembered, although not very strong.
We were starving, so we ordered our food right away - if we wanted to hold out until 11 everything would have been 50% off. One order of the pickadippa to start fed our entire table. Then we each got burritos - overstuffed just like I remember. I'm a vegetarian and the idea of tofu in a burrito (especially when it's not seasoned very well) is pretty unappealing. Plus I don't think tofu & cheese mesh well. I opted for the angry hippie burrito - the spicy spinach is one of my favorites and the portabello mushrooms hit the spot.
The place is dark & loud, it was a little hard to carry a conversation amongst 6, but it was still a fun time. We split the bill & ended up paying $20 (tax + tip included). It was well worth it for a couple of hours & a trip down memory lane.
*They card @ the door after 3pm on Fri/ Sat and after 4pm all other days.
The good...The Big Azz margaritas are cheap and tasty. Now, the bad...MadMex has your typical Philadelphia service, which, if you didn't know, is absolute shiet. The people are consistently in bad moods. I swear, they hire from the bottom scrapings of the gene pool.
Oh...and they refuse to play rap/hip-hop despite the fact that a fair number of their customers are black.
Retarded management, retarded staff, shiet bar.
While I was walking over to Mad Mex for a late afternoon lunch, I saw a bike messenger on a fixie--on second thought, maybe it was just a hipster--get plowed by a car on 34th Street... Though he walked it off, I nearly had a panic attack, so the first order of business after arriving was to get a margarita to my table, stat. It came quickly enough, and though I thought it was a bit on the bitter side, it got me nice and buzzed without tasting too strongly of tequila.
While sucking that down, I also enjoyed a carnitas burrito, which was nice and tasty and spicy... Quite the treat, but a bit expensive at $9, considering it didn't even come with rice and beans.
Overall, Mad Mex is a surprisingly good Mexican joint for Philadelphia, and a place I definitely plan to hit up again... Though, for my wallet's sake, I should probably limit future visits to Happy Hour.
Oh you are a sneaky one Mad 4 Mex, just so seductive with those big 22oz Margaritas for $7 during Happy Hour. Kiwi, Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb and other flavors of the rainbow for your margaritas...
After concluding a happy hour here, you somehow had convinced me to drink 3 of your 22oz margaritas, which seemed to quickly take effect between the hours of 7-9pm and had me in bed by 9pm. Little did I realize that your seemingly innocuous 22oz drinks with their fruity flavor masked the alcohol content.
But I will be wary of your tricks next time Mad4Mex. I should have known better after the first time that I came to you with a mysterious blonde yelper and will be more prudent in the future after celebrating the passing of our prelim exams during your happy hour.
I took out one star for the inconsistent service and another one for the taste of the margaritas. Otherwise, enjoy. There are really far worse ways to spend a Friday afternoon than sitting outside Mad 4 enjoying a giant margarita (they are never good, but always adequate), with friends, in a quiet alley in University City.
Service is hit-or-miss... Food is average... But if they do one thing very well (see above). Avoid at all costs during PENN alumni functions as the place will be packed.
I went for lunch and got the lunch special, which was a good deal. I got a cup of soup (spicy black bean that was WAY too spicy and not that flavorful, and I like hot foods) and a portabella quesadilla, which was delicious, for $7.50. Got a small margarita, which was kind of weird tasting. Good thing is that it's easy to be a vegetarian here: items are well labeled, and there's plenty of options. Bad thing is that the service is pretty awful. It was fine, I'll probably go back since it's conveniently located by Penn, but it's not awesome. Maybe coming during drink special time would improve the experience- but then you'd be surrounded by drunk college students. Hmmm.
I used to haunt this place a lot more, but being that I have left this neck of the woods, I don't go here that often anymore.
And beware, because there are a lot of Penn kids....Usually there is a wait....
It seems that the first time I went was the best time and has diminished since then. My first trip, I got the veggie fajitas which were so yummy...flavorful portabellos, onions and corn mixed with grilled tofu.....
Every time after, they have been mushy and flavorless though...I have sampled some other tex mex options, but nothing sticks out that is worth mentioning...
The menu is cute and quirky....lots and lots of options...
Lets be honest....the only reason to go here is the big ass margaritas....which I believe are $7 during happy hour....usually one will do it for me...they have a good amount of tequila in them....
They get two stars for their mixed drinks.....
This place is super dark inside and loud....not necessarily a good choice for a first date, but their booths certainly are good for a group outing.
Dear Mad Mex,
I love you. that is all
Really though, this place is the best, I'm concinvced this is what Jimmy Buffet is talking about when he sings Margaritaville. Hands down the best margaritas ever. If you dont like fruity lady beverages then the beer menu is also pretty killer, they have a rather nice selection of craft beers. I thought that was kind of unusal seeing as most college kids drink bud light or other nastiness, but I was pleasently surpirsed when I ordered a triple IPA from wyerbacher. That alone made me give this place a thumbs up.
Now lets talk about the food, if you like burritos then you should definitly check this place out, really some of the better mexican food from a completely non mexican establishment that i've had in quite a while. I orderd the vegan burrito and basically did not have to eat for two days because thats how big it is. Not that the size is compensating for taste though, it was awesome. nuff said.
go! go go !
So I go here often. Ok, every time I go to the Philly area, I HAVE to stop here. Mainly because I went to college in Pittsburgh and I get nostalgic for the original Mad Mex there. The one in Pitts has better food and drink specials, but hey, PHL Mad Mex will do until I get to the other side of the state.
Overall, I wouldn't go for the burritos. I tend to lean towards the quesadillas (give the black bean pineapple one a try) or the enchiladas (try the spinach one with tofu - yummy!). Oh! and the taquitos... theee taquittooooss... I ALWAYS get the Mango Big Azz Marg with sugar, which fills me up and gets me buzzed. And that's it, Patricia is officially in her happy place....
There is a section of the Mad Mex menu called, "Los Wingos" and another called, "Su Mama's Martini's"...Spanglish at it's absolute best. So, you should pretty much have an idea of how "authentic" the Mexican food is.
There are vegan and veggie options, the "Big Azz Margaritas" are indeed big azz, and the guacamole is good. I'm happy.
Minus one star because even though the waiter was friendly and hot, he all but ignored us.
Aww, I dig Mad4! And yes, "Mad4" -- in the four years that I spent at Penn, that's what everyone called it and that's what I still call it. In fact I have no idea why their website is http://madmex.com, nor why everyone calls it "Mad Mex" elsewhere; there's most definitely a "4" in the name, and I have a picture (of the sign) to prove it. Half a star was deducted for making me all confuzzled, Mad4!
Moving on. Yes, the place is gonna be loud, the music crappy, the service not so great, and the food just so-so, but given its location it makes perfect sense. Maybe the service is SO so-so it's poor, but give them a break; with their 'cheap azz' margaritas, consider how many underaged college kids try to get in every weekend. During Penn Relays my senior year, there were SO many high school kids (athletes!) with fakes trying to get in; I'd be grumpy too if people were trying to play me for a fool every week!
Aside from the fratty atmosphere (complete with fratty server at times), I love the food. Their burritos are BIG and DELICIOUS. Yes, DELICIOUS. I don't care if it tastes like authentic Mexican food or not, as long as my tastebuds are happy, I'm happy. Do you have a favorite Chinese food joint? I'm sorry to break it to you, but unless you're getting white rice and some meat and veggie stir-fry, or chow mein or chow fun, chances are it's not authentic. Or congee. You can't really westernize congee. But I digress. Mad4, I like your wings, too. Preferrably spicy. Face-melting kind of spicy.
Finally, the margaritas: umm, hello, $6 for a big azz margarita during happy hora? Uh, YES. Actually, that is where I'm headed for my next happy hour.
Another half a star deducted for how fast I down your margaritas. Can you make a bigger Big Azz Margarita? Would you call it... Badonkadonk Margarita? I love you.
English Andy's last night in town, we went to Mad Mex and partied on their late night happy hour. It was a lot of fun. The staff was all very friendly they comped us some stuff because it was his last night in town, and everything was pretty affordable.
I may or may not have outgrown this place. There's tons of students in here who probably do not remember soul asylum or lemonheads or nkotb. That makes me feel old.
It seems unlikely that I could consume 60 oz. of margarita in under two hours and live to tell the tale unless the drinks were, shall we say, less than full strength.
I didn't even have a hangover!
That said, the margaritas (stick with the plain) taste yummy and during happy hour they surely are the right price: $6 for the 22 oz Big Azz. I forget how much the mere 16 oz cost. XX Cheese Dip ($5.75) is spicy and gooey and great to soak up the booze -- just remember it's queso, not actual cheese.
Do your best to arrive early, especially on nice days when the patio is the best place in the world to relax with your drinks and chips. Staff from Penn fill the place at 5 if the students haven't already.
Big ass margaritas for lunch on a Friday?! Yes please! Semi-kosher nosh during Passover?! Yes, if you like salad... LOL! I do need to go back and sample a lot more from their menu. The guacamole here is just the way I like it, chunky with hints of cilantro and lime! If you get any of the margaritas, watch out for the salt. I swear they use pretzel salt and not sea salt or kosher salt! The sugared rim is pretty kick ass, though! This is a great place to go for lunch at a fairly reasonable price.
Mad Mex is a place to go get crushed when you don't have a better party to go to as a student. Huge margaritas, crappy nachos, rude doormen, loads of tanks college kids. Pretty standard.
It's right on Penn's campus and within a short walk to Drexel so it tends to be a student favorite...but it also tends to be a favorite for the late 20-something and early 30-something Penn employees. As a student I found that to be annoying as they didn't quite like the rowdiness of the students. As a Penn employee I found myself thinking I was too old for this place and questioning why my coworkers still wanted to go here.
mad mex. good for: pretending you a)can or b)have the desire to drink and eat like you did when you were in college.
i was well out of my college years when i found out there was a mad mex in university city. having spent many a drunken evening either at or as a result of mad mex and they're big azz margaritas, i decided when i was twentycoughcoughcough to revisit philly's version of the chain i came to know and love as a penn state undergrad.
it was pretty much what i expected! a revisit to college life and a reuniting with my beloved tequila slurpee! yum! but having grown much more refined (laugh) in my old age, i've even ventured into the other alcoholic beverages like their microbrews, tasty and their sangria, double tasty.
their wings are just as i remembered them: almost sinfully delicious. especially now that i actually think about the crap that goes into making them so irresistible.
there's a downside though to this particular mad mex. unlike its state college cousin, u city's mad mex doesn't let anyone in who is under 21 ever. i found that out the hard way when i had plans with some of my more youthful friends to chow down on the aforementioned wings only to get turned away at 1:00 in the afternoon. I could understand if it was happy hour or 10pm, but come on! (and i'm even more bitter b/c we ended up eating at chilis. blech)
downer if you're older: the location/crowd may depress you for no longer living in your glory days at anywhere university, usa. 1. am i really that old? 2. did i really used to act like that when i was drunk? 3. were all undergrads this attractive when i was in school? 4. how many hours in the gym am i going to have to spend burning off this fun time? 5. i can actually afford to buy the margaritas off happy hour price now that i have a job, but can my body handle the hangover i'm going to get after i've tossed 2 back and enjoyed a large cross section of the rest of the drink menu as well?
bonus: 1. you're older and much wiser 2. who cares! if you can't remember and your friends aren't still teasing you about it, it's almost like your early 20s drinking binges didn't even happen! 3. waifishly thin may not have been the look du jour in your day, but you're old enough to feel comfortable and confident in your own skin. 4. refer to bonus #1--you probably know better than to get too crazy. and even if you DO overindulge, who cares! i bet your gym has got a great spin class that'll kick 500-600 calories in an hour! 5. you may have a hangover if you go overboard, but you also have a real job. and that means the freedom to use real sick time. which means your place of employment is essentially paying you to stay home in your pajamas with your unwashed hair and day-old makeup drinking coffee like there's no tomorrow!
bottom line: you're not going there because the food is five star. you're going to eat and drink poorly and have a good time. for this, mad mex reigns supreme.
It pains me to write this, it really does. I want everyone to know that while my party and I had what can only be described as an abysmal dining experience last night, the manager did what he could to make it suck less for us. I'm giving one star as a warning to those who might consider dining here in a similar situation.
What happened, you ask? We stopped in after the Popped festival, around 9:30 or so on a Saturday night. Placed our orders, etc. And after that we'd see our waiter at 20-30 minute intervals. Every time he'd tell us it would just be a bit longer until the food came out. After an hour he finally explained that the kitchen was short-staffed. Hoo boy. I ordered a big azz margarita to ease the pain - this too, took at least 20 minutes to get to me.
Did I mention the restaurant was not crowded when we came in, or even when we placed our order?
ONE AND A HALF HOURS after we'd placed our order, we got our food. Several of the orders were wrong. My friend ordered plain wings and received spicy, seasoned wings. Another ordered a buffalo style burrito and received a regular burrito with no seasoning. We ate because we were famished from working the festival all day w/o food, and because we were afraid that sending it back would mean we wouldn't get any food until they were ready to close the joint.
So, when the waiter came back to check on us, I asked to speak to the manager. I was told he was in the kitchen. (Was he cooking the food himself, since they were short-staffed? Who knows.) But he came by, was exceedingly apologetic, and said our bill would be half price. When I told him about the orders that were wrong, he offered to take those off the bill completely. Before he left, we had to inform him that the toilet in the ladies' room was overflowing.
All in all, it was a huge disappointment, but I'm sure it was worse for the manager. And to his credit, he did what he could to make us feel better. I'll come back, probably, but only for the drinks.
I'm rating it as what it is: a cheap joint popular with college kids. The food tastes cheap and… Read more »
We would always going during the drink special times and get the margaritas and burritos. Definitely fairly priced margaritas and decent food. It is also always a good way to end your night if you get in before the kitchen closes.
- masami's favorite : madmex quesadilla with portabella mushroom plus whole wheat wrap,or vegetable britto with extra portabella mushroom and whole wheat wrap.
- Richie's favorite : Thai curry britto with extra tofu with whole wheat wrap. Tofu sour cream.
- VEGAN friendly and reasonable price.
- Staff are super friendly. We had an awesome experience with TONY & KRISTY (bartender & server). We are picky with our food but they always get our vegan option right ;) thanks!
- It is not a quiet restaurant. But people seems to be having a blast every time :)
- Speed of service depends on the day. If they are packed, of cause its slower but otherwise, we get our food promptly. Nothing bad to speak of. Its pretty normal. Its retarded to go to a college villa restaurant / bar and expect 5star restaurant service in the first place.
- Taste of food depends on the chef. We have so far the best luck on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Go there after 11p and there's always a parking spot. With phillycarshare insomnia rate of $1.50 and madmex half price food, and plenty of vegan option you really can't go wrong.
Came here for my first drink when I turned 21. And what else better than with a big azz margarita 0:-)
Alas, I forgot that places like this in the midst of a college campus means that the place is going to be packed on a Friday happy hour. And that there would be an obnoxious group of UPenn dental students sitting next to my friend and me as we try to enjoy a nice day outside. I mean, I totally understand that your year just ended but so did mine at that point, b*tches! Really weird.
I liked my margarita. Strawberry and mango are really good flavors and the sugar on the rim is great. I wasn't too hungry so I order the new flatbread pizza appetizer. I have no idea why I never thought of the idea before and it tasted pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Just my only thing was that since it's so damn busy, service is attentive but slow. And the fact that dental student was leaning so far back that his head may have come close to my food really REALLY irked me. Oh yea, that and some couple trying to be cute where the girl's huge-a** tote bag was almost in my freaking face. If you're going to go out girls, seriously, stop carrying a bag bigger than you are, k thanks.
I know this was a total rant but hey, you ought to know what crowd hangs out there. So recap: too busy, may run into unsavory characters, service may be slow, BUT the food and margarita buzz is worth it :)
Apparently, I cannot hold my liquor. I met a good friend here for my first ever happy hour (sad, but true!) and we ordered the Big Azz Margarita. She had a kiwi-strawberry blend, while I opted for a cranberry-raspberry blend. We sat, we talked, it was a great time. I got the nachos grande. When you order a "grande" at Starbucks, you get a medium sized coffee. There was nothing medium about these nachos! They came out on a platter, piled like a mountain. And they were spicy! Jalapenos everywhere. Since I'm trying to spice up my diet, I didn't pick the jalapenos off, like I'd normally do. But I wasn't even nearly brave enough to eat one!
I was full of marga-ma-rita (as I started calling them once the alcohol set in!), but wanted to bring something home for the boyfriend. Asked our waiter (I won't divulge his name, in case he gets in trouble!) if I could get an order of wings to go, he said they are not allowed to give us them at half off if I order them to go, so he said, I'll put them in, bring them out to you and then bring out a box. Such service!
So back to the not being able to hold my liquor. Before we left, my friend and I visited the ladies room, which was covered in the most awesome "graffiti" style art, and had "MAD Facts" in each stall, which I proceeded to read aloud. I called my boyfriend and had him pick me up, as I wasn't sure I should walk home from the subway by myself, and at one point said to him "my liquor had a lot of drink in it."
So two thumbs up to Mad Mex, for providing me with an amazing Big Azz Marga-ma-rita, great memories with my friend, and some yummy spicy nachos.
This review has to be broken up into two segments, equally affecting my opinion of the establishment.
First. The chicken quesadillas.
This is hugely important to me. You know that guy who goes to places with Mexican food and always gets the quesadillas? Yeah, that's me. If people make stuff at their house, I usually like it, but when I go out... I dunno. I get the quesadillas. I like them. They're warm and cheesy and chickeny. Finger food that you can share with your friends. I like to dip them in sour cream. Then I eat those chopped up tomatoes that always come with them. I don't touch the beans or guacamole.
At M4M, there is a half price food thing that happens after 11PM. Not all the food is on there, so I was worried - the ultimate late night snack food, the quesadilla, will of course not be included... but it was! Yay!
There's a reason. They suck. Big, dry pieces of chicken are in the quesadillas, and there is almost no cheese. The cheese is what holds the quesadilla together! Without it... well, frankly, it falls apart. Literally and figuratively. Large pieces, little cheese... it's hard to keep the inside of the quesadilla on the inside. Hard to dip them into the sour cream I had to specifically ask for.
So, when I eventually make a list of best to worst quesadillas, this will be at the bottom. And yet I keep going back. Why?
The Big Azz Margarita.
Is it a good margarita? I have no idea. I don't drink enough. In fact, I rarely get a straight up margarita, and it never comes in a margarita glass. What I know is that after 10PM you can get a big glass full of margarita, either frozen or regular, in a variety of flavors, for $6 instead of $9. Waitresses have said they contain 4-7 shots of tequila, depending on the bartender. And for me, someone who doesn't drink or weigh very much... that's enough to make me pretty happy.
I always get the frozen margaritas, and I've had the normal lime, which is fine, and tastes reasonably alcoholic, the raspberry, which tastes like jam and you can't taste the tequila at all, and the strawberry, which is my favorite - sweet, mellow, and you can mildly taste the tequila. You can also get sugar on the rim (or salt on the regular margaritas), but they seem to often forget (like they do with the sour cream), so make sure you ask if you want it. One gets me pretty buzzed, but even heavy drinkers should find themselves more than satisfied with 2-3 of these suckers.
So M4M is my favorite place to get drunk. I don't like the bar scene, standing crowded in paying a small fortune for each tiny drink as you scream over the music to your friends. Here, you can sit down in a booth with your posse, have a waitress bring you large tasty alcoholic drinks, and have a giddy x-rated conversation. And then forget how bad the quesadillas are and order some. Or maybe that's just me.
If it wasn't for the terrible quesadillas, this place would have gotten 5 stars. Of course, without the big tasty frozen drink specials, it would have gotten 1 star. So, take it as you will. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but if you want a place to sit, drink, talk, and get drunk on something fruity that won't cost you much money, this is the place.
Ok definitely a college hang out. Yes you can get a BIG AZZ margaritas but does those BIG AZZ margaritas even contain alcohol or just a pound of sugar. Burritos was awful and I have tasted better. I had the vegetarian burritos and I wanted to gag on the tofu burritos. There was no seasoning. I can't believe people think this spot was cheap and they would pay for this crap just for BIG AZZ margaritas. There are so many better Tex Mex places that is affordable and taste so so much better than this place.
This is the place around the Penn/Drexel campus to go get your beer / chips / wings cravings satisfied. The margaritas are large, and usually decently strong - try the semi-frozen strawberry - and the place is definitely crowded with alumni whenever the chance comes that they're back on-campus.
The regular food here, nothing to write home about, I can't recommend the cuisine. The seating can be a bit tight in the back, but this place does get crowded quickly at times.
Wings - they vary in spiciness, and usually can helpfully split the sizes into something smaller. They do give an acceptable amount of bleu cheese but overall not super-crispy, more saucy.
A friend and I hit up Mad Mex for dinner and drinks this evening. I was wearing yoga crops and she hadn't showered, and we fit in just fine. The atmosphere boasts your typical loco Mexican cantina/exploded box of Crayolas. I found the menu amusing to read ("Angry Hippie Burrito - Have your Birken stocks dropped? Your hacky been sacked? Ties died? Smell? Cheer up with some spicy spinach, pico de gallo, grilled portabellos and Monteray Jack cheese."), but after awhile the all of the selections paired with all of the descriptors started to leave me overwhelmed and I ended up just ordering their plain ol' Mad Mex Burrito. Our bean dip appetizer was good, though a little spicy for me (I combated this by adding some sour cream, which the waiter had no problem getting to me quickly). I really liked the guac. I thoroughly enjoyed my raspberry Big Azz Margarita. The burrito was really good, too, but not good enough to turn around for when I realized a couple blocks away that I had forgotten the leftovers in my friend's fridge.
No wonder I blacked this place out even though I've gone so many moons ago with some Penn acquaintances. Those Big Azz Margaritas really can freeze up a memory. But unfortunately they weren't capable of blacking out the horrid experiences that were already documented in Emily's update, and that my review is about to reveal.
After Popped I went down with Emily and the Girls About Town and our hunger level was cranked to 11. Unfortunately we were nowhere near prepared for the clusterfuck that we were about to enter! to vouch for Emily's update we definitely waited close to 2 hours for our food, and some of the orders were properly mixed up. things that were supposed to be plain were seasoned, and things that were supposed to be seasoned and saucy were pretty regular. My quesildilas were pretty good, but cooking shrimp, mushrooms, and spinach isn't rocket science. I definitely recommend keeping your orders kind of simple when going here.
To their credit our server was pretty sympathetic when he had to be the purveyor of bad news (although he could have let us know the short staffed kitchen situation beforehand). And the manager was more than accommodating by giving us half off our entire order and not charging us for the food that was wrong. and they had a cumbersome night that involved short staffed kitchens, overflowing bathrooms, and people coming in from Popped Fest. I'll probably be back because those Margarita's sure are addicting, and as far as I know it's the only spot to get decent ones in West Philly. But It's definitely going to take awhile for me to try dining there again.
The food here is decent, if you like SUPER americanized messican food. But the thing that stands out the most about Mad Mex is the bar scene. I spent many drunken nights here back in the day. It's right behind New Deck and The Bubble House and it gives you a nice change from just beer.
The best thing about Mad Mex is the margaritas!! One large margarita and it's almost check out time. :P
Is it me or do some of the creepiest people linger here?
When I am in the neighborhood, there are many other places I would go for first, but sometimes you are vegan and don't have as many options when you run on a LATE schedule, so it is nice that they serve food later than other places AND are vegan-friendly (despite from personal experience an interaction of someone working there being extremely hasty towards me being vegan and I had to bite my tongue just in case he wanted to do anything to spite me - to my food). I do think that their vegetarian options are great, vegan ones too, and I think the Mad Mex burrito with portabello mushrooms is tasty. Too bad I cringe thinking of going back because of the environment!
Also, don't eat at the bar (even when stuck for a table with a buzzer on a weeknight) unless you want people shoving into you with no apology as they lean into your face to grab their margaritas and then some hitting on you very awkwardly and very, very drunkenly.
Keep in mind it's on/around/whatever UPenn's campus. So it's like walking into a frat party that you were never invited to (or wanted to attend in the first place) and most of the people finished college a long time ago.
This is going to sound strange but this is a great place to go if you are in the mood for somewhat crappy service and food. I mean this seriously.
Every so often I feel like eating a large portion of okay Americanized nachos and a (sometimes weak/sometimes strong) margarita and am perfectly fine with the experience. Expect little, eat alot, get attitude from slacker servers, get tipsy and don't care. Its just good enough to go back every few months and put your face in a bowl of nachos.
I guess I appreciate that they are consistently just alright and am content with the whole transaction. It helps that I usually go during the half-priced hours.
The Mad Mex in Pittsburgh is way better than okay, actually really good.
I like the duality that a previous reviewer suggested separating Mad Mex the bar from Mad Mex the restaurant. I've been here several times, most often for drinks. They have a respectable collection of beers, and their margaritas are excellent as well. I would give the bar 4 stars.
The restaurant, however, might get two or three stars. The food I've had here has been EXTREMELY hit or miss. A lot of the chip dips they have are fairly so-so, the avacado tomatillo dip I found to be disgusting when I had it. The mac-and-cheese balls are terrible (though my friends swear by them) but the shimp and mushroom taquitos are delicious. I just recently had dinner there, and I was quite happy with what I got. You definitely won't get authentic mexican food here, but can be mighty tasty for what it is.
This place serves up tasty big portions of Tex-Mex food to the masses in Philly's University District. I have a few peeves though. If you are paying for a burrito and soda, could you maybe hand out a bowl of chips with salsa for free? Who the hell charges for chips and salsa, anyway? Especially chips that are not that good.
Also, I think it is way uncool if you order soup and salad as a lunch combo, they will not bring you one of your items first. They insist on bringing your items at the same damn time. I do not understand it and I never will.
I am entitling this review:
"THE BATTLE FOR MAD MEX"
Thanks.
Anyways, moving along:
I haven't been here in 2 years or so. I lived in Philadelphia while I was an undergrad at Drexel and towards the end of my stay would frequent this place for it's awesome margarita specials and half price late night food special. (Not sure if they still have that.)
BUT, then things took a turn for the worse folks.
On the night of my graduation, me and some friends went there. But, we were served by a waitress, who'll I'll call here: Megabitch.
Y'see Megabitch had some problems. Maybe she had issues back home. Or maybe. Just maybe: She was a Megabitch, plain and simple.
The thing is Megabitch seemed to have forgot about serving us. Giving us the wrong food. Not checking up on us for more drinks. And just having a snotty, "megabitch" attitude.
Not being a pushover. I decided to not leave a tip.. And neither did my friends. Of course, as we walked out of the place we had that giddy, "Oh shit! We left no tip! What's gonna' happen" feeling. Of course moments after we left, bitchface (I just changed her name) came out screaming, "You didn't leave a tip!"
And like the real men we are: We ran.
I've never been back there. But, if megabitch is still around. I got something to say.
Hey what's up?
BONUS FUN GAME: Find MegaBitch (or Bitchface if you like) and take all her money. Then follow her around outside her home and yell, "I GOT ALL YOUR MONEY!" in a similar tone she used when saying, "YOU DIDNT LEAVE A TIP!"
Solid Cal-Mex cuisine with decent margaritas.
This is Philly's best place to satisfy your burrito cravings. They're big and overstuffed, and they taste good. I prefer them to both Chipotle and Qdoba, and I looove Chipotle and Qdoba. The rest of the menu is pretty haphazard, but the margaritas are plenty big and plenty strong.
Oh how I despise this place with a passion. I can't say I've ever eaten here but merely based on the personality of the bouncers and staff, I would never choose to go back.
Sure, the booze can be cheap if you like big fruit flavoured drinks and that isn't a bad thing.
My major gripe is the attitude towards international students and their ID. To be expected to carry around your passport when you have a perfectly valid other form of ID is absurd. They can whine on and on about people faking them but there is a book for bars (the New Deck has one) that lists all valid international IDs, what to look for in terms of holograms etc to make sure they are real. It is just sheer lazyness on the part of the staff and that sums the whole place up.
Neighborhood: University City
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: University City
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Hair Salons
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: University City
Category: Pubs
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