Had to run out for gas on a frigid day with a ton of snow. Saw Mad Mex and ran in to get sustenance (and the feeling back on my fingers). The margarita and tasty braised beef and cheese quesadilla (with a broth dip) really hit the spot! There were only 2 other guests that were as brave as me to go out in the tundra so it was very quiet and peaceful. Service was great. read more

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Another solid dinner at Mad Mex in Fox Chapel! My husband and I came in on a quiet Monday night and grabbed seats at the bar. Plenty of open tables and lots of space--nice, relaxed vibe. We started with the chips and fire roasted salsa (subbed for the original), which we really enjoyed. It's smokier and has a bit more heat--definitely recommend if you like a little kick. I had the chicken chimichanga, one of my go-to picks. Still tasty as ever, though it seemed smaller than I remember. My husband had The Big Burrito, and it was huge and full of flavor. Service-wise, it seemed like there was a new bartender. She was friendly, but not very attentive--slow with drink refills and didn't check on us until we were asking for a to-go box. Since it wasn't busy, it stood out more than it might have on a packed night. Still a dependable spot for flavorful food and casual dining. We'll definitely be back--just hoping for a bit more attentiveness next time. read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Chicken Chimi - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Enjoyed an early lunch and was pleased to see that this Mad Mex lived up to the high standards of the other locations. The decor here was especially good. Had a burrito as usual and never can eat everything because of portion size. Service was friendly and attentive as always. read more

Meh. That pretty much sums it up. Ordered chips and the original salsa. Tasty salsa but zero spice. Mostly broken, small bits of chips like from the bottom of a bag - which is what they actually tasted like, from a bag. Steak fajitas. Ugh. Bland. Server asked how I wanted it cooked, I dared say medium just out of curiousity. It wasn't medium. Meat was good but nothing to return for. Again, zero spice. Rice was cold and flavorless. Ate one and done. Took meat home for my dog, didn't take anything else. read more

I've visited this Mad Mex location a couple of times since my recent move, and the food and drinks have been fantastic! Their seasonal margaritas are soooo tasty. What I love about their food menu is there are a bunch of vegan/vegetarian options, which can be really challenging to find. Even better - they have vegan sour cream and cheese at NO ADDITIONAL COST!!! I plan for many visits to come. read more

We went to Mad Mex on Friday, 17, 2026. On the menu was a special for fish tacos. I usually like them so I ordered. When my order came to the table, I noticed that the breaded fish looked greasy. I decided not to eat breading taking it off. As I continued eating, my stomach started hurting from the meal. I have worked in restaurants and usually when the fish is that greasy and dark, it means that the oil in the fryer is old. So that was only my meal, my partner's meal was a brisket quesadilla and he told me that the brisket seemed very fatty and greasy, and he decided not to eat most of his. So it seems to me that when it comes to certain dishes, they might be OK but I'm not sure I will come back again. I would say this is money not well spent on that eating out experience. read more

I love Mad Mex! I always know what to expect and have my menu favorites. 1) the black bean dip- you cannot go wrong with it 2) my go to entree is the herb o vore tofu tacos. They are so good. I typically order the side salad with it instead of the rice and beans. The cilantro dressing is EVERYTHING. The service was kinda slow for there not being many people in the restaurant. I wont complain though bc everything came out perfect. I also really like that this mad mex has a parking lot. I'm sure we will be back! read more

After a morning of sweating our butts off my friend treated me to a lunch. Both of us wanted to treat ourselves to a margarita and she wanted to show me their apple cider margarita. Upon arriving we were seated immediately and provided waters. We ordered our margaritas then later found that they were doing a deal for being in business for 30 years. The deal was: Two 16oz House Margs, Drafts or soft drinks, Pickadippa & Chips, Choice of 2 Mad Mex Namesake Burritos or Quesadillas: Choose Birria, Carnitas, Chicken Tinga or Portobello, Brownie to share and Two souvenir Mad Mex pint glasses for $40. We were like can't pass that up. When the waiter came back we asked if we could actually do that deal and she reported that we could. For dips we got the guac, pineapple salsa and cheese. I am such a fan of their guac and it did not disappoint. My friend suggested I try the pineapple so we got it. Lets just say I am know a fan...love the sweet and the spicy. I then ordered the portabella quesadilla, it was packed and so filling. The brownie outta this world and couldn't finish. I am SUCH a fan of their decor and always love going into all of their locations. Could stare around the restaurant for hours. Our waitress was great, so helpful and attentive. read more

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I'm going to let y'all in on a secret, I am extremely behind on my reviews. I visited this Mad Mex location before Christmas and I am just getting to writing this review. So just bear with me moving forward. I came here for a work get together. It was basically our holiday celebration and we wanted to enjoy ourselves in a relaxed atmosphere. I am a big fan of Mad Mex and always enjoy Mexican food, even when it has a twist. Mad Mex was very accommodating at this location and made sure we were well taken care of. Our party trickled in until we were all there and our server was sure to check on us as people joined us. He did not miss a beat and was totally on time for everything. When it did come time to order I had looked over the menu for a long time. I went back and forth with old dependables for me and I always end up with what they have as a seasonal item. I mean, who doesn't like the Gobblerito when they have it. Closer to the holidays they have the Feastivus Burrito. The Feastivus Burrito is barbacoa, roasted carrots, peas, and black bean mashed potatoes in a tortilla. Then it is drenched in some beef gravy. You can basically look at this as a pot roast burrito. It comes with a side of sauteed Brussels sprouts which are delicious on their own. If you are looking for a meal that will fill you up and make you feel warm inside when it is cold out, this is the meal to go with. It's like being at a family dinner and leaving with a full belly and sleepy feeling. I really need to start looking at this place whenever there is a holiday to see if there are any other burritos like this. They are absolutely amazing. read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Feastivus Burrito sorry y'all, I started to dig into this before the photo... - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Can't recommend this place. Not even sure why they're still in business. It's a Tex-Mex style place, but the food was sub-par. Chips and salsa are not free like most Mexican restaurants. Maybe they make good money off the bar, which seemed well stocked. They have a couple of large TVs showing sports over the bar. They're at the end of a long strip mall with a Walmart and many other stores and restaurants. Plenty of parking. They have roll-up garage doors to the outside for use when the weather is nice. Their signature burrito was basically filled with rice, plus a few black beans. I opted for chicken, and actually did find a few very small chunks, but not much. Came with some tomato chucks (salsa-ish) on the side. Overall, not that good. All that for $11.50. The four taco plate was even worse. Their ground beef must come from a can or was meant for chili. It was ground very fine and had the appearance of canned dog food. Definitely didn't taste fresh and had an odd flavor. That dish came with rice (bland) and black beans (decent). That dish costs $15, absolutely insane for the quality. Overall I'm being generous with three stars; probably 2.5 but I rounded up. If I was a local this would be a one-and-done for me; too many other good places around. read more

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I'm a long long time fan of Mad Mex, the original in Oakland had some fantastic memories of mine attached. Unfortunately, the Mad Mex restaurants are a shell of what once was - the ugly child in the Big Burrito group. Have they franchised this? The food sure seems as if it's now prepackaged, franchise style. We had a free burrito card from the Waterworks location as they shorted us a dinner last time we did take-out. We tried take -out once again. We used the card for a Super Mad Mex burrito that was 97% rice inside. No exaggeration here at all. It was thrown out, not worth eating. Another dish was the fajitas - we got the fajita filling but nothing to put it in. Way too salty also. No side sauces for either dish (salsa, pic de gallo, etc) that were supposed to come with the dishes. Order of guacamole - 1/2 the supposed amount, tasteless. Chips - greasy as could be. We will not go back - so sad, but it is what it is now. read more

the drinks were great, the service was great. The Salsa was terrible and the Mad Mex Fajita Burrita was just Rice and beans pretty much with just a couple of peppers and and 1 piece of onion with a bit of chicken. @ $13.50 I could have ordered what it really was for $6.00 read more

Since we have dined at Casbah & Alta Via restaurants as part of the Burrito Group, we tried Mad Mex in Fox Chapel. Unfortunately, we did not have a good experience. We were very disappointed in the food quality and could not believe the Burrito Group would allow it given their great reputation otherwise. My wife had a shrimp dish and the shrimp were oily, tough and tasted like they had been recooked. I had a brisket dish and the beef was tough. I asked for the mild salsa and it was so hot, we couldn't eat it. Our eating experience was not happy at all. We should be issued a gift card so we can go to another Burrito Group Restaurant. We do not recommend this particular restaurant and urge the Burrito Group to not let this Mad Mex taint their fine reputation. Thank you. Dr Bob read more

My first time to Mad Mex started with a warm welcome from the hostess and we were sat quickly. Service was just as quick and every thing was perfectly cooked. Started with the Jersey Chips my only complaint is I wish there was more of the delicious cheese dip! Crispy waffle fries, cheddar cheese dip with the slightest kick and also served with ranch (which passed my ranch test 8/10 comparable to chilis ranch). Then for my entree I went with the Birria Tacos. Sadly I got the soap gene when it came to cilantro and I don't like raw onions so I ask for it with out but still came out crispy and flavorful. 10/10 would recommend to a friend ! read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Jersey Chip -$12 - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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This local now regional chain is such a great place to eat with friends and family. Like the other locations, the food at Waterworks is great, especially my seasonal favorite, the Gobblerito. Service is friendly and efficient. read more

I typically like it here but I tried the mad mex bowl today and was really disappointed. The service was great.

I went here on a late date and my date and I were greeted by a nice host and had a friendly and attentive waitress. We both have taco salads. My date asked for a couple of minor modifications to the salad that were easily handled by the waitress. The portions were generous. The taco meat was well seasoned but not overwhelming. I was full by the end. Definitely would go back and recommend it to others. read more

Dependably good. You know what to expect from this Mad Mex if you have been to any of their other restaurants. The artsy decor keeps it from feeling like a chain. But we had uneven service, something I'm hoping they will eventually iron out. The first worked in our favor, they accidentally brought us 2 sets of drinks. But I ordered a salad that took way too long to arrive. In general, good California-Mexican food. A good draft list. This is Mad Mex number 12, so you know that Big Burrito Brothers brings some experience. read more

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Arrived at Max Mex just to order a to-go salad. I was greeted warmly and shown where to place an order. The manager on duty was bartending and was very kind and efficient. She made small talk while placing my order. Made a really good strawberry margarita for me while I waited. Quick service and very pleasant. read more

The food is okay but it's expensive and the portions are on the smaller side. They don't give you free chips like at other Mexican joints and you are going to have a hard time finding much under $15. They have good wings (which can be found for half-off during happy hour) and fries. My taco was good and the beef was very tasty and juicy. They serve their mexican rice kind of cool and it's a little more wet than other types of rice. The pick-a-dippa is overpriced at $12. They don't give you many chips. The cheese sauce has some of the salsa tomatoes in it and it tends to kind of overtake the cheese. The salsa is mostly all tomato pieces and not very saucy like other places. I sadly left hungry. I don't put a lot on my tacos and with the limited amount of chips and rice, it just wasn't enough for me. Emiliano's on the other hand is quite filling. We've been here before and I'm sure we will go back at some point, but I'd put it below Emiliano's and above El Campesino. read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - a table with bowls of salsa, tortillas and chips - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Food - 5 Stars typically but inconsistent at times. Wait staff - 5 lovely. Mean lady who darts around with bitchy face dropping off food and ignoring everyone - 0. I question the management at the location... Love this place but tonight was not good. The kitchen got every part of our meal wrong, which we shrugged off. When dessert never came and we had to leave (we were there almost 2 hours), I was simply trying to get either a status or have it removed from the bill. The waitress was tied up so I tried to say excuse me to the mean dark haired lady who was running around as if she couldn't handle a busy restaurant. I said excuse me nicely. When she gave me a nasty look and continued to run away from me, I said it again and she ran into the kitchen. A hang on let me get your waitress would've been cool. Then the kicker was she proceeded to tell my lovely waitress how I was yelling excuse me at her. The nerve that someone asks another employee for help!! I tipped the server half the bill to make up for having to work in that kind of culture. Management / please tell your employees that they 1. Need to work on their attitudes under pressure and stress. Pretty valuable life skill. And 2. Any employee should at least acknowledge a customer instead of running away. I think I'll go somewhere else if this place looks busy from now on yeesh. read more

Food was not good at all! Service was ok but food just wasn't good enough for me or anyone! read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - The food was OK. Just OK. Absolutely positively nothing to write home about. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We stopped at Mad Mex on a whim on our way out of Pittsburgh. I didn't read the reviews before we chose it...big mistake. My husband and I both ordered burritos. They were actually pretty good with nice size portions. However there was hardly any of the protein in them. The margaritas were the absolute worst I've ever had. Too sour, salty, and watered down. I only gave them two stars because our server was very nice and helpful. read more

I've only been to this location once! We came here on a week night and had made reservations- which was good because they were busy! And with covid restrictions, seating was limited! The hostess was nice and got us seated pretty quickly. From there, our waitress greeted us and she was really nice. Suggested a few items off of the menu. But we all game for the famous Gobbleritto (apologize if I spelled that wrong!). It's their famous thanksgiving burrito- think turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy! YUMMMM. My family really talked this burrito up and I usually go with more traditional meals...but I gave into "peer pressure" and I'm glad I did! That burrito was so tasty and got me so pumped for Thanksgiving! The food came out pretty quickly too! Only complaint, there was new free chips and salsa. What's up with that?? Never heard of a Mexican place that doesn't give out free chips and dip :( Overall, really enjoyed my visit. I was satisfied with their covid measures! Felt safe eating there. Would recommend and consider returning in the future. read more

Been watching this place since the transformation from LaCappela's. It is always busy. We have been anxious to try it figuring it must be really good. We had the Burrito (chicken?) and the Portobello fajita. The Portobello fajita was very good, nice vegetarian option. The Burrito was about 95% rice (see photo) and when we asked about it they said everything is proportioned. Well, I guess I'm happy that no one else will get more chicken than me :p We traded the "Rice Burrito" in for the chicken fajitas. The chicken fajitas were definitely a better option. The atmosphere is a little loud. If you're looking for a nice quiet dinner this is not the spot. All in all I guess for Pittsburgh it's pretty good read more

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Not your traditional mexican restaurant. If that's what they were going for, they nailed it. Reminds me more of Tex Mex. They serve wings in addition to tradition mexican meals. Although they meals are cooked as traditionally. The fajita chicken is just a chicken breast, cooked as one, then cut up into slices. The "regular" salsa is too spicy for those that prefer mild sauce. Probably more hot than a medium sauce. The chicken burrito was filled with rice and beans. Hardly any chicken. Not sure if they are just trying to save a buck by cutting back on chicken- but it sure was noticed. Only good thing to say is they give you plenty of sour cream. read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I ordered a shrimp burrito with spicy spinach and mushrooms. Where was the shrimp???? The rice was dry, the beans were ok but the entire burrito was dry and I had 2 pieces of shrimp. The shrimp taste burnt. I was so upset because I got it to go. I will not order food from this restaurant again. There also was no cheese. How did y'all forget the shrimp and the cheese? read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Shrimp Mushroom Spinach Burrito - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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I never write reviews but my lunch was pretty disappointing. Got a simple taco salad and it said it comes with salsa and sour cream. Open my bag, no salsa, no sour cream. Went to put everything in the shell, my shell was almost burnt and almost half was broken. There was at least 1/3 of watery liquid at the bottom of the container with the salad. Can't say this was worth the $12+. I want to stop by again and dine in to see if I can have a better experience! One plus, the bartender was really nice while checking me out! read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - This isn't even half of the water that was in there. Maybe they were rushing. Though they weren't busy. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

It's a bit more expensive than it's worth for the vegan options but they do have vegan options so I have to love it. It seems to have good gluten free options and good options for picky eaters. Oh the alcoholic drinks are reasonably priced though. read more

We've been to this MadMex location at least 6 times since my last 5 star review 2 years ago. Unfortunately the quality has gone down hill significantly. It's obvious the restaurant has a high turnover rate on chefs/cooks and is cutting corners. The fajitas: not the same that we've been eating the last 15+ years, between the portion sizes, the prep, and ingredients. When and WHY are they using the TINY tortillas rather than the normal sized ones of the past?? On one occasion the wings were microscopic and embarrassing. On another occasion the grilled chicken tacos just weren't right. I will say the beer and wine selection remains good. This place was once our #1 Mexican restaurant and is now middle of the road. Our go to place is Rey Azteca in New Kensington when we are in town. read more

I really like this Mad Mex location because of their parking lot! It is always frustrating going to the Shadyside location because it's so hard to find parking. This location is conveniently located in Waterworks shopping center. The restaurant is pretty large, and I've never had a long wait here before. We decided to eat at Mad Mex recently before going to a movie in Waterworks. We got there in time for happy hour, and ordered discounted margaritas. The margarita was just ok. We started with the pick-a-dippa (queso, salsa, and guac). The queso and guac were great, but the salsa was not as good as usual. I am thinking this is probably because tomatoes are not in season right now. It was a good snack while we waited for our food. The burritos are always pretty consistent. I like the veggie burrito in a bowl. This time I added tofu to the bowl. It was enough food for 2 meals! We all enjoyed our food and the prices were reasonable. We will go back here again for more casual dinners/happy hours. read more

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We ordered takeout and I wasn't overly enthused by my food. I ordered a burrito without the tortilla (bare-ito) and there wasn't much chicken, a ton of rice (some of which was undercooked) and it was just lukewarm. Maybe it was just an off day, because normally we do enjoy everything we get here. My husband and son did enjoy their food though. The menu is more limited considering the pandemic which was also a bit of a bummer considering some of the gluten friendly items on the kids menu were now gone. We'll likely return at give it another shot, maybe when we're able to dine in, as I think the food ends up being a little better in person. read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I had the worst experience in a life time our orders got messed up they took an hour just to bring our food after we ordered and the waitress would not listen she was on her phone constantly she wouldn't attend us and she put the whole check on one person's tab we were supposed to split it the total amount was so much more than what we got she gave us three extra orders we didn't ask for and charged us for I do not recommend this restaurant we are never dining there again read more

Went to this particular Mad Mex for the first time. Was with a group of co workers. Ordered a Bloody Mary and it was so spicy I couldn't drink it til the ice melted a bit and I was gulping my water. Bartender said it's a mix so they can't make it milder- other party members agreed. Got the southwest wings and they werE pretty good. The rest of the party got various wings and were happy with them. The bean dip was outstanding!! I'll go again. read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Bloody Mary and chips and salsa - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The service was good, but the food was horrible. The burrito and the chimichanga were identical, except one was smaller than the other the chimichanga had cubes of chicken rather than shredded and had no type of sauce on top, which would normally have been a lovely creamy cheese sauce. The burrito was just filled with rice and beans, and I had to search for the meat. All in all, after a few bites of each the entire order went into the garbage. save your money and go someplace else. The ambience was nothing special, but I will say the staff was friendly. read more

I don't get it. This place has been jam-packed ever since it opened late last year, so you would think it's gotta be pretty spectacular, right? Well, you would be wrong. I know Mad Mex is a Pittsburgh staple, so I was excited to see what all of the fuss is about. We decided to brave the crowds and try it out on a Wednesday evening (it was a 20 minute wait even during the weekday). My key takeaway: this place seems to be all style and no substance. Sure, they have the funky decor and the sassy menu, but when it comes to the food, it's surprisingly disappointing. We started out with a trio of dips (cheese dip, black bean dip, and the fire-roasted chipotle salsa). Two of the dips were the highlight of our meal. The black bean dip and the fire-roasted salsa were awesome and very flavorful. The cheese dip, however, was an abomination to dips...it was very reminiscent of ballpark nacho cheese with some spices in it. Now, there's nothing wrong with ballpark cheese dip (well, actually, there are lots of things wrong with it, but that's besides the point), but Mad Mex charges close to $8 for their cheese dip, so I expect higher quality than that. And with the cheese dip, we began our disappointing descent into dinner mediocrity. My husband and I each got a burrito, which I thought they were supposedly known for. As far as I can tell, the biggest draw to their burritos seems to be that they're crazy big....but taste-wise? No bueno. The only word I can use to describe my burrito is "bland." Bland rice, bland beans, bland chicken...oh, and add "overcooked" and "dry" for the chicken. The burrito was served with salsa on the side, but it was also pretty bland (the fire-roasted salsa we got in our appetizer dips was MUCH better than their original salsa that comes with their burritos). I gave it a valiant effort, but I made it about a third of the way through the burrito before I gave up and decided it just wasn't worth finishing. Given how packed this place constantly is, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? But all I know is that we spent about $40 on chips and dip and two burritos at Mad Mex, when we could've gone three doors down to Chipotle and gotten more flavorful food for half the price. Back to Chipotle it is! read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Chips and three dips - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Good lunch! Started with the nachos and salsa. Always loved MM salsa, good tasting and not liquid like most. Had the Tottilla soup. Enjoyed it but not real warm, my companion wanted his hotter. My Shrimp burrito was good. Service was good with staff being assisted by others from other MM locations including Chef Bill F dropping off some plates at the bar. read more

Great night out with the family on their first Friday they were open! As expected, the wait was around 45-60 minutes, but no worries, we had things we could do at the Waterworks, and were able to get them done. When it was our turn to be seated, we were taken to the table, and our waiter was great. Drink orders and apps came quickly, which was a bit of a surprise since the place was PACKED. Guac was on point - fresh, tasty, and paired well with their delicious, thin crispy tortilla chips. Of course, we were there to try a bunch of stuff out, so we ordered the steak fajitas (these were FAR better than the other steak fajitas I have had elsewhere, and were the table's favorite), chicken soft tacos (tasty tacos with corn salsa and radishes), carnitas quesadilla (this was MY favorite dish of the night, and I will say - the carnitas were superb), and their "Nacho Momma's" taco platter (these were somewhat bland, but we mistakenly ordered chicken instead of the beef). Beers - they have a nice draft list, and even have a Founder's KBS (!!!) draft option, which is incredible. My only gripe was that the margarita that my wife ordered was 80% ice, and the tequila was barely noticeable. She ended up asking for a Coke after she drank the thimbleful of liquid in that drink - we learned our lesson there, and the next time we go, we will spring for one of the "signature" margaritas and hope for a better pour. We finished with the downright tasty hazelnut chocolate churros. These were stellar, as we expected. Food portions are pretty good. Most people with only one stomach can probably eat the whole entree, but will leave the piles of black beans and rice on the plate. Splitting plates was a winner for our group. Overall, a great night, and we are thrilled to have a MadMex around the corner - I have a feeling that we will be back time and time again. read more

I'm a regular at mad mex north hills. First time here and pretty negative experience relative the the other ones I've been to. Took 8 minutes to get served (granted, 6pm on a Friday and semi busy). Ordered a beer, asked me to keep open or closed, and I said close. Came back with just the beer and waited over 15 minutes to get someone's attention card in hand to say I wanted to close out. Not a very attentive group of bartenders and definitely 6 or 7 people getting served that just got up to the bar before I was served again. They rarely looked up to gauge the crowd. I'll stick to mad mex north hills, especially in Fridays read more

Mad Mex - Waterworks - Tex-Mex Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2 stars out of 5 because they got 2 items correct out of the 5 we ordered for takeout. Drove all the way home, realized our order was missing 3 items, drove back, and was still given 3 wrong items - even after showing them the itemized receipt. Paid $83 with tip for a subpar meal. This isn't the first bad experience with takeout at this location - but it will be the last because we won't be returning. read more