Mad Mex is a Pittsburgh institution. Part of the Big Burrito group which means you can generally expect a truly pro staff with real training. Food made with thought. In Mad Mex's case that means dope wings, baller burritos, seasonal goodness and don't over think this. It's great. Enjoy. read more

Between their Oakland location and here, this one is waaay better. The overall ambience is nicer (not full of college students), and their staff is really friendly. Both have pretty good portions and prices for their food. I usually leave this place full AF, or end up bringing leftovers home. I haven't had anything that screams at me to come back. It's a good place to hangout and grab some drinks, but nothing special. read more

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You're not going to get real Mexican food here, but can you expect that from a place like this? The food lacks the kick and flavors that'd you'd get with real Mexican. But if you're looking for a colonized version of Mexican this is it and it's good for what it is just don't expect true off the grill abuela approved tacos. I will admit I do like the margs. There's several flavors and if you go during happy hour or late night (I think after 10?) you can get a 22 oz for only $8! read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Mad Mex is always a great option for some great snacks and margaritas. Most recently, I visited here with my family before going to the Van Gogh exhibit. We had a great time. My mom ordered the gobblerito and I went with a vegetarian quesadilla. We all ordered margaritas and loved them. Service was quick and very friendly and we were seated at a great table by the window. We had a great time! read more

Big portion Mexican food at great price! My boyfriend and I order from here whenever we crave burritos or quesadillas. I love the restaurant ambiance as well. During the early pandemic it was the only dine-in restaurant around this area that I knew of. read more

Great food, cool ambiance, and awesome drink deals. Has outside seating and is located in a walkable cool part of Shadyside if you want to grab ice cream or hit up another bar afterwards. read more

I love mad Mex! Not our waitress though....carissa was so rude, gave us the wrong food order, and then proceeded to argue when we asked her for the correct order. Will be back, just not if she's working. read more

Mad Mex is a fun atmosphere, with cool artwork on the walls. The Southwestern wing sauce is one of my favorites. Happy hour is weekdays from 4:30-6:30 and it's half of drafts with Margarita specials. The entree portion sizes are generous. Fall seasonal favorites are the Gobblerito & Apple Cider Margarita. Takeout is easy with online ordering. Late night the music gets a little louder and the lights dimmed, good place to stop by on your night out! read more

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Good bar. Decent food. Its tex mex in Pittsburgh, what do you really expect? Mad Mex is a strange restaurant. The whole thing just feels kind of medium. The food is medium. The service is medium. The prices are pretty medium. The food itself is always fine, but never out-of-this-world good. Everything from their fajitas to the burritos to the salads taste good, but never much beyond. For example, on my most recent trip we ordered the 3-dip appetizer. The chips were fine, but not great. The guacamole was good, but not out of the ordinary. The cheese dip and the salsa were less interesting, but fine. After years of hearing about the fabled "Gobblerito" I finally ordered one and I was disappointed. Perhaps the hype was almost impossible to live up to, but I found it to be "good". (For those unfamiliar, its turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, black beans and stuffing in a burrito). The one thing that lifts Mad Mex is its bar. I love their selection and have a particular affinity for their margaritas (frozen or standard). Delicious stuff! read more

Amazing! Been coming here for decades and will continue to do so. Wish they were still in Oakland.

We stopped in for lunch at mad mex and it did not disappoint! They had a broad spectrum of margaritas, including spicy like jalapeño, grapefruit, and mango. All the dips we tried were delicious and the tortilla chips were fresh and crunchy I had nachos for my meal that could easily serve several people! They have speciality seasonal items too, my friend tried their Brussels and cauliflower tacos and she said they were delicious as well! read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Selection of three dips (black bean, guacamole, and mango salsa) - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Please do not give this location any business. Even if they are convenient to you. There are other locations and better options. Especially with overall aesthetic as where we were the lighting was almost impossibly dim. It was so dark. My girlfriend and I went to dinner at this Mad Mex on 8/14, ordering and splitting the Fried Tofu, Jersey Chips and Crispy Shrimp Tacos. The following day, we both fell violently ill with food poisoning and had to call off work. We contracted rhodavirus (or however its spelled) from the shrimp tacos specifically. The Jersey chips are a nice staple, but the fried tofu, while tasty, was too overpowered by the soy sauce concoction. The poisonous shrimp tacos left us both sick for multiple days, through today for my girlfriend. We each filed a complaint online and she called the Allegheny Health department, who investigated on 8/16. I spoke with one of this Mad Mex's managers, Beth, over the phone on Friday after she emailed me responding to my complaint the afternoon of 8/16. In less than 24 hours (one phone call was at 4:30pm and the other was the following morning at 9:30am, a mere 17 hours later), two phone messages were left on my phone and when i called back (I was not inclined to call Thursday, 8/16, still feeling ill, and was intending on calling 8/17 anyway) i was simply asked a couple very generic questions and given a very apathetic and bureaucratic apology by the aforementioned manager. Short Story Long, we will not be back. This review likely has no bearing on your decision to go to Shadyside Mad Mex; frankly if you've gotten this far, you probably think i'm a ranting lunatic gunning for Mark Madden's spot on the radio. Regardless of the accuracy of that, I suggest you not go to this location of Mad Mex. read more

Service outstanding Food quality is very very good Establishment is clean Quantity is great see pictures of nachos read more

Satisfied a craving by getting the Nacho Grande at Mad Mex, I went during happy hour so I also scored the 22oz house Margarita and it satisfies every taste bud! The nachos were huge (couldn't finish them on my own) piled high with guacamole, sour cream, pico, black beans and steak - amazinggggg! If your looking for a nice hearty plate of nachos please head to mad mex, trust me you will not regret it. read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Nacho Grande and house Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I went there for the happy hours and regular dinner in the past. Everything here is just okay. There is nothing special about this chain restaurant. The food, service and drink are just okay. Chicken chimi is the only dish I would get from Mad Mex. I tried their southwestern wings for happy hours since it is half off. It is just okay. read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Chicken Chimi - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Ok, so we order Mad Mex about once a week. Great tofu burritos...we ordered through DoorDash tonight and when we opened the bag, there were no chips. Not a big deal, right? We ran out to catch him, but he had taken off already. We should call the restaurant - certainly, they'll take care of us! After the person who answered got their manager, we kindly explained how we order all the time but we didn't get our chips for the three dips tonight. She said she couldn't help us - if we want to get comped for the chips we have to contact DoorDash. But wait, can't we get chips delivered quick? Yes, it's a lot to ask but customer service...she said it's not her fault and no, no one would bring them. They couldn't. Not a 'sorry about that' or 'wow, that's unfortunate'. No apology. I've been in customer service (corporate level and otherwise) and I'm BLOWN AWAY by how little we were heard and taken care of. Feeling like we need a new place to get our tofu burritos. read more

Come for the margs, stay for the apps!Chain restaurants don't usually speak to me, but there's a special place in my heart for Mad Mex. My favorite time to visit Mad Mex is for Happy Hour and their deliciously flavored margaritas. These usually change monthly and during the summer they had a Peach flavor which was amazing. I've had some hit and miss experiences with dinners here so I usually stick with a variety of apps to share amongst the table. For example the last time I ordered a meal, a quesadilla, there was literally no cheese on it. It's a quesadilla! However, their apps make up for this large oversight, especially their guac which has just the right amount of kick to it. read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Chicken tortilla soup - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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For the price of the food, I'd prefer more substance. My burrito shouldn't be 90% rice and beans. My taco salad shouldn't have me digging for beef. The ambiance was gorgeous and our server was very nice, but the wait was long. Mid overall. read more

Mad Mex Shadyside is one of my favorite spots for happy hour (4:30p-6:30p) in Pittsburgh. I haven't been here since the pandemic started, it was nice to see the atmosphere hasn't changed since. Coming here for happy hour is the best time to come, you beat the nightly crowd, where wait times can be a lot longer. We were seated quickly. The special on the margaritas during happy hour is a steal! 22oz for $8 can't be beat! The food was great, it came out fast and hot, we had enough to take home for leftovers. The only thing that is a hassle here is parking, it's all street parking and no matter of the day the street is packed with cars, so prepare yourself for that. Until next time, Mad Mex! read more

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Nice place inside. Ordered 4 hard shell chicken tacos. The shells seemed to be directly out of the Ortega box. Hard and not heated. They took a grilled chicken breast that was probably cooked hours ago and sitting in a lukewarm tin, chopped it up into 16 chunks and put 4 of them on each taco, not in. The tacos of course fell apart. Were the most bland and cheap tacos I've ever tasted. Chicken tacos are supposed to have shredded chicken so you can stuff the chicken inside the shell, not plop it on top of the lettuce and cheese. Maybe I ordered the wrong item on the menu. read more

Love it! Margaritas are fabulous food is delicious. Best tortilla chips ever!!!! I lived in CA for 29 years and I've never found tortilla chips like I had in CA. That was until I tried them st Mad Mex! Plus the atmosphere is artistic and colorful and upbeat. Music is great. Not too loud. They even have seating out front. And second floor seating. Go for it!!! Yum yum enjoy!! Now my mouth is watering! I must return soon! read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Tortilla chips margarita salsa - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This location is a great size for mad mex during covid. We felt very isolated from other tables as everyone was relatively spread out and the booths were large enough that we didn't feel next to others. We ordered margaritas, the tofu and burritos for dinner. Everything came out well, my only complaint is it feels like the burritos are on the more expensive side for what you actually get. However, the tofu was good, and the margaritas were good so can't complain too much. Would definitely go again, and would definitely recommend this location compared to others, especially in covid times. read more

A good place to go for Mexican food, especially if you have a large group. I've been here multiple times and have really enjoyed my meal every time. Pickadippa is a great chip/dip option to share. I also really love getting the veggie enchilada. Mad Mex meals are good, nothing exceptional, but they always seem to just hit the spot. read more

Fifteen years ago my husband worked at the Oakland location. We literally survived the recession living off of Mad Mex leftovers. Tonight we visited the Shadyside location after Monster Jam with our three boys. It was surreal to say the least. Sitting there reminiscing over the college years. All the times we were starving; then the rest of the cornbread was going to get tossed at the end of the night... and boom. Full. I've thought about that cornbread for fifteen years. We definitely didn't expect the evening to be so moving. As we got our boxes and asked for our check... our beautiful waitress Melissa informed us that our bill was covered. We truly don't think this staff knows what they did for us tonight. We were pressing it financially to even dine out after our outing, and to have not only had such a pleasant and enjoyable experience.. but to leave with such a gesture was just the cherry on top of the cake. It truly brought us to tears. Thank you to the manager, and the entire staff at this restaurant. You guys made a night we will never forget. Thank you . read more

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I have NEVER been treated more poorly at a restaurant in my entire life. From the hostess to the waiter to the bartender... They were incredibly rude to my whole party. We felt very unwelcome and the staff sure as hell let us know that in their own way. We were a group of teachers grabbing dinner after work and were kind and patient with them, but it became too much and we were so upset we decided to pay for our drinks and get dinner elsewhere. Will be writing to corporate because the way they treated us there was absolutely unacceptable. Also the glassware was very dirty and gross. read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Left glass was after my coworker cleaned it with her sleeve... right glass was how dirty and grimey all of our glasses were. - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Came at 6pm on Friday. Very packed. We waited 20 minutes to be seated. We ordered an appetizer of Guacamole and salsa w/chips. Chips were tasty, but the salsa wasn't even salsa, just some weird mashed tomato spread that hadn't any other flavor other that sour tomatoes. The guac was very creamy and fulfilling though. Chicken Chimi - my partner ordered this after I said it was a fried burrito. It was just okay, but he wanted to just eat my burrito since it was a lot tastier. Carnitas Burrito - the burrito I ordered. Most excellent! Delicious pulled pork, with sour cream, it's a dream! The true star of the show was the blue corn corn bread slice I got by ordering the Carnitas Burrito. It was so good, like cake. Doughy, spongy, moist, the best cornbread I've ever had. read more

I want to like this place so bad but the prices just keep going up and the food keeps going down. Their margaritas are good so that's a plus but the food could be so much more for what you're paying. read more

How about a special holiday update on this place. As you can see they have redeemed their self, at least a little bit with my most recent visit. I was craving a Gobblerito, and this being the closest location to where I live, I begrudgingly came here. I am happy to report, I survived and I was left with a better taste in my mouth (now, was that pun intended?). I am not sure if it was where we were seated this time (I requested the booth), the server (so much more attentive, she heard everything we said), or if it were the overall experience that made this time so much better. We started with the obligatory chips and salsa. I also ordered a draft. What I thought was going to start a downhill slip started with this draft. The one I ordered just happened to kick the keg halfway filling up the glass. Our server, Caitlin was her name, assured me that they were checking to see if they had another keg, if they did not, she would be back to ask if I wanted anything else. I was thinking to myself, "great, here we go again," however, she returned with a full glass of my draft, with that, we were over our little hiccup for the evening (another pun). Everything came out perfect after that. My Gobblerito was amazing. Who can argue with Thanksgiving food being stuffed inside a burrito and topped with gravy? Three good slices of turkey, a serving of stuffing, a serving of mashed potatoes with black beans and some corn stuffed oh so lovingly into a huge burrito. Top it with a hot serving of gravy, a side of cranberry sauce stuff, and you have your Thanksgiving early. My friends, I must warn y'all, This is a limited time item on their menu. As I write this, I believe you only are able to get it for the next two days. So RUN, don't walk to your nearest Mad Mex and enjoy this delectable item while you can! read more

Stopped in on a whim right after work. I was just about dying of hunger and thirst (yes, I'm being dramatic). I got a table right away and was waiting on my coworker. Ten minutes later I still didn't get greeted by my waitress. She gave waters and tooks orders for people that came after me. I got so flustered and thirsty, I stood up and just walked over to the bar. The Bartender Sam, who is incredibly sweet, immediately took my order and gave me a water. He was really sorry about what happened and gave us some complimentary chips and guac, AND a coffee. I ordered the angry hippie burrito, which had portobellos, beans, spinach, rice, cheese and tomatoes. I got both sour cream and more guac on the side. I also ordered an appetizer of the Pennsyltucky fried tofu. The mix of the sauce, nuts and sprouts are so good! A must try for vegetarians and non-vegetarians both! The burrito was also very tasty. Not a super intense flavor, but you can easily add your own salsas/hot sauces etc to spice it up. I appreciated the lack of spice to be quite honest. All in all, still a good experience. They had a lot of great beers and of course, margaritas. read more

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Decided to try some Mexican food in Pittsburgh during our visit from cali. Came here! Mostly because we saw this place when we tried Millie's the day before. We had walked by and mad mex was packed and we loved the open-ness of the restaurant itself. My husband ordered 2 large beers which he enjoyed. And I ordered guac -- it was tasty but I would have liked it a bit more spicy. We then ordered some salsa. 1. The pineapple habanero salsa which was deliciously sweet with the right amount of heat and 2. The fire roasted tomato salsa. Both were yummy in our tummies. I ordered their special, the fried chicken tacos with sour cream siriacha. My only complaint was the size of the chicken pieces which were shoved into tortillas. The chicken was large and the tortillas were small. Maybe they could have been chopped up before assembling. My husband ordered a burrito with some of their inferno sauce on the side and he enjoyed it. My dish came with rice and beans but I was too full to eat more. We sat in a booth next to the roll up door which was pretty cool. I would return! read more

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A little disappointed with MMSS today with the Shrimp n' FunGuy Taquitos as it looked as if they had been made with Prince Albert Shrimp in a Can. The ensalada de casa was, as usual, delightful and Brandon loved his MM Burrito. Usually the experience is consistently good, it was just today that it was a relatively large let down. Oh, and the server never found out if pumpkin beer was on tap yet. UPDATE: Bill from MMSS sent some coups for some makeup goodness and I have to say, "Thank you!" We stopped in a couple of nights ago and had a delightful time! The server was pleasant and her suggestions were excellent! The Gobblerito is so much and so good! read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - #gobblerito pumking pairing! #yum - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I came here with some friends for dinner last night and really enjoyed myself. The place was pretty bustling at 6:30 PM but our wait was only 5 minutes. The service was great as was the food. The Spicy Margarita was tasty and not too spicy. The Chips and Salsa were also good but I wasn't a fan of the the Mango Habanero Salsa wasn't that great. I wanted something spicy and it wasn't spicy at all even though it is advertised as such. The Not Yo Mama's Taco Platter was delicious. 4 packed beef tacos was exactly what the doctor ordered. It was a large plate so I was unable to eat the Beans and Rice that came with it. If you like Mexican food this place is definitely worth checking out. read more

Very appealing atmosphere, nice and festive. The service is as good as expected with the busy hours, and the food is very good and authentic. The appetizers are the best thing there, the tofu is nice and crispy, the guacamole is chunky and delicious. If you're visiting for the first time I would focus on the burrito and quesadilla section as there are some menu items that aren't great; but it's an overall awesome dining experience. Would recommend. read more

Be warned. The menu says their vanilla ice cream comes with hot fudge or strawberry but if you don't remind them to give it to you, you don't get it. My son really wanted ice cream so I thought, why not stop in and see if they have any. Was happy they did, but angry I waited over 15 minutes for this one item, and when I asked a lady to check if it was ready, she opened the freezer (WITH A BUNCH OF ICE CREAM IN TUBS) and handed me the tub just like that in the photo. Rude much?!? No bag, no spoon, no fudge. When I asked "is there a spoon?" Her super sarcastic attitude reply was "Do you need one?" Like, duh, how do you expect my 2 year old to eat it? With his hands? read more

Mad Mex - Shadyside - Vanilla Ice cream dessert - Mexican Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We went there today and have an outdoor seating. The server that were assigned to us is TERRIBLE!!! 1. First of all he was so impatient. He left us before we even completed our order and promised to be back but never did until about 20 minutes later 2. Second of all he kind of "slammed" the glass on the table from he brought our drinks. 3. Third of all he forgot to bring our appetizer that we ordered. The other guy in that seems like probably the manager was ended being apologetics and bring us our order and have us some free guacamole. 4. During the whole 80 minutes we were there the waiter only check on us once, and never even offered to refill our water. 5. When we finally done our meals we have to wait about 10 minutes before we spotted him and bring to his attention that we want our checks. 6. My friends who offered to pick up the tab was extremely nice to still tipped him 15%, where he clearly deserves nothing of it. Terrible terrible service!!! read more

Stopped in at Mad Mex for lunch today and was pleasantly surprised. The decor is adorable and the the open air dining room is so nice, even as the weather cools down. A member of my party is extremely allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy, and our waiter Lindsay was knowledgeable and easily accommodated. Additionally, there were a variety of vegan options and substitutes available. The drink menu has an extensive collection of tequilas and the food has all the tex-mex staples plus seasonal specials. Definitely have to come back for the happy hour! read more

Great food lovely guac lovely ambience but the food took kind of long to get to my table but other than that I recommend it to yinz.

This place sucks. All the staff who were there for years and through Covid are gone. The music is awful. The food is mediocre at best. Condados is nearby if you want Mexican food, and Urban Tap is next door. There are better options within walking distance. Tom, the founder of Mad Mex, stops by some afternoons to pontificate how great Mad Mex and the rest of the Big Burrito Group restaurants are, but I do not see it. Eleven and Soba are at least as good as The Cheesecake Factory. The rest suck badly. read more

Mad Mex never disappoints!! Every time I have family in from out of town I bring them here and they are amazed by how fresh and hot the food is! I go here at least 5-8 times a month to sit at the bar and eat Fish Tacos . Staff and bar staff are amazing everything I've tried has been nothing but amazing. read more

I am in awe. I only recently heard of this place. Many people assumed I already knew of it. Not knowing it was a regional delicacy. I've dined regularly in a great number of cities. (Boston, Chicago, Portland, LA, SF, etc.) But never had I come across the culty reputation of this establishment. I visited on a broody storming evening so probably less crowded than usual. Immediately I was blown away by the vibrant decorum. High ceilings, weird fusion interpretations of mexicana lore, sports television. It was like day of the dead in a stadium bleacher. The menu was several pages long, I love reading material and images and stuff like that so that was great. I got the veggie burrito and my partner got the shrimp tacos. Before I had time to really study the decorum and before I could even think a single thought the food appeared immediately before me on the table. I could barely even remember having ordered it. Maybe because I was going in on a "big ass" 22 oz margherita that comes with blue salt!!! Where the hell do you get blue salt from?? Industry secret for sure. I am baffled!! Anyways, my burrito was a steamy square stuff with all sorts of veggies. I'm currently 1 handed due to a commute injury and I could hardly eat this mammoth of a Latin inspired dish. And the tacos came with like 24 shrimp! My gosh. This place was like applebees and chipotles got together after having binged at a cheesecake factory. God bless and merry christmas tidings to you all. read more