Madden's Casual Gourmet

I've been coming here for years; it's a real gem in BCS.

Parking is limited; basically only street parking around the restaurant. Since it's located in downtown bryan (DTB for short) there might be a bit of trouble on particularly busy weekend nights (or God forbid first Fridays) but otherwise I personally haven't had too much issue.

The building is half restaurant, half casual shop filled with knick knacks like cooking accessories, bedding supplies, candles, cards, and strange home decoration pieces. If there's a wait at the restaurant, this side shop is a great way to spend your time. I recommend calling ahead and letting them know you're coming though - it just seems like the thing to do with more well established 'fancy' places.

The restaurant itself isn't too terribly large so you can see how it would get packed pretty quickly during peak hours. On entry there is a counter directly to your right behind which the kitchen resides. A little further ahead to the right are the bathrooms. Directly to the left is one small dining area, and directly ahead is another larger dining area.

Don't be duped by the word 'casual' - this place is definitely gourmet and the prices reflect. You won't get away from here without spending at least $40 for a decent meal, but it'll be well worth it.

They don't always serve it but the crowning jewel of this place is the Roasted Poblano soup. Their sister property Mad Taco has this as well but it's a bit changed and not as good.

I had the seared duck on my most recent visit.
The duck itself was so soft and delectable. Absolutely no issues there.
It was laid over ... a block of potato gratin which was delicious in its own right but in my opinion much too thick and in general just too much potato for how much duck there was.

Service here is always excellent. No complaints all around.

We will be back. I got the Spicy Salmon, my wife got the Deviled Egg Cobb Salad. We both really enjoyed the food for lunch. The salad was huge, while my fish was more a portion size. Our server was pretty good and fixed my coffee (it was cold the first time he brought it out) with brewing a new pot. The atmosphere is quaint and relaxing. The have a gift shop in the same building to which you can casually peruse or bide your time. This place is great for a date night, I would say.

Great food and ambiance as well as wonderful staff. I'll be back for sure!!

Seems you have to write a book for a review so the following is just gibberish so I could post this review.

How have we not heard of this place before?!?!?
Amazing!!!
We ordered brunch time omelets (spinach mushroom +bacon and braised pork), my husband has the poblano soup and gf bread, and we shared a latte. Everything was amazing! We both are celiac and I have allergies. They were so kind, helpful, and accommodating. They even keep allergy cards for their frequent customers. That is ! The staff is amazing, the building is beautiful, and we will definitely be back soon!!!
My only complaint is they acted like the table bread was complimentary but was not. We found out on our bill.

I came here for graduation dinner, and everything was superb! Our server was patient and accommodating, the atmosphere was quiet and personal, the food was amazing, and the dessert was literally perfect, not overly sweet.

I got the grilled filet of beef tenderloin and others got the dry aged pork chop, seared snapper with shrimp enchiladas, and I believe the seabass. Everything was well seasoned and delicious.

As for the dessert, we got the cheesecake and the blackberry bread pudding. The cheesecake was creamy and rich but not overpowered by sweetness, and the warm bread pudding with the cold ice cream paired really well.

I couldn't pick a better place to celebrate my graduation! :)

My dinner was just ok. My steak was not as I ordered it (medium) but I ate it because it tasted ok and it took a really long time to prepare. I thought the waiter was a little condescending and disingenuous by insisting my obviously rare steak was medium.

We enjoyed an incredible lunch at Madden's. Love that everything is freshly made onsite and how attentive and friendly the staff is, we had a really fantastic server!

We started with the crab avocado salad, it was a nice amount of crab, really delicious avocado and the homemade chips served with it are a perfect addition.

For lunch, I had the sirloin burger (left off the bun, trying to eat more healthy but was told they make their own breads as well), they also make their own pickles!! The burger was a great quality meat and the mushroom sauce is wonderful.

My husband had the pork enchilada and a chocolate raspberry tart (you can get a half dessert which is perfect for a small something sweet).

Madden's shares a building with a home decor shop that has beautiful furniture and home accessories.

Great menu, cozy, vintage atmosphere, pleasant, efficient staff and reasonable prices. I was only in town for a few days or I would have returned a second time.

My wife and I wanted a light lunch so after some discussion we ordered a grilled cheese and a cup of soup. I wanted one soup and my wife wanted a different soup. Our server split the sandwich and gave us each a cup of our own soup. Further, their standard grilled cheese came with bacon and avocado. A bit over the top for us-- it might be real tasty but we were not that hungry. So, they held the avocado and bacon and gave us a nice half toasted cheese. Now I know that sounds like a small thing but you would be surprised how many servers would either refuse or freak out. To me, the mark of a good restaurant is empowered servers.
I can confidently recommend this place.
We asKed for a dinner menu and it was just as creative as the lunch menu. We looked it over and thought we might return for dinner. Good times for old folks.

Instant mashed potatoes. What more needs to be said?

To be fair, the fried chicken is spectacular. But any restaurant that bothers listing an executive chef in the menu then serves instant mashed potatoes is... well it's gross.

I was super exited to eat here and have been wanting to go for a year, but because it's a much fancier place I never got to it until my friends birthday. A group of people went for brunch on a Saturday and the food was delicious! I got the crab cakes with fried polenta. The crab cakes were super fresh and sweet, probably the best I've ever had and the polenta was a good combination, since it was crispy which paired excellently with the softness of the crab mean. The crab cakes were topped off with greens tossed in a light vinaigrette. The foods everyone else got also looked very good and everyone was happy!

I'll definitely be coming back for dinner!