Food was AMAZING! service was so fast , so kind, and very attentive. we had appetizers within 5-7 minutes of ordering them, and our entrees within 10! will definitely be back. very beautiful restaurant as well. read more

Madre - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Tasty oxacan food, excellent service! This place was happening, and they were still able to seat us right away. They had live music at the time, and the singer was incredible. We ordered the carne asada plate. All the food was excellent. The steak had great flavor. The beans were yummy. This was my first time trying nopales, or cactus, and it was surprisingly good. The corn tortillas were hand made and taste oh so good. The cocktails were too sweet. The chicharrones were way too hard. I could not even bite them, and I like crispy. The tres leches cake was bomb! It was so tasty! It was not too sweet. It was just right. I docked a star for the overly sweet drinks and the too hard chicharrones. I would definitely return to try more oxacan food, and I would give their cocktails another try. read more

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If the carnitas taco from the madre on national in palms was the best carnitas taco I ever had the carnitas taco I had at the madre in Torrance was the second best carnitas taco I ever had . The flavor was identical as the one I had from the location in palms however it was not served at the same temperature nor was it as juicy . Still an amazing taco . Just explaining why specifically the national location's taco gets the number one spot . I also ordered the chapo y kate cocktail which is basically a cucumber maragirita ($15) . Super refreshing and tasty . I also loved the presentation . Cassie my server was super friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant offerings . The host who was working today was also lovely . This location although may not 100 percent match the quality factor by only again a slight amount ( if I give the location on national 100 / 100 I would give this place a 94 /100) ... this location is hands down the better location in terms of ambience . This place of huge and the courtyard and outdoor seating is very cute . Apparently there is also live music on the weekends including a mariachi band on Sunday during brunch if that's your thing . Oh and there's free convenient parking underneath the commercial complex that this restaurant is located . Highly recommend. read more

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This is a pretty good "fancy" Mexican place. A lot of large groups. Reservations are definitely recommended. I've tried a number of things here. The guacamole is a must get. Mole here is pretty good. I ordered the Taste of Oaxaca and it was pretty good, though could have probably fed 4-5 people easily. read more

Came here for drinks with a group of 5 to celebrate a birthday. We sat in the bar section and Sam served us. He took the time to answer any questions we had about the menu and also went above and beyond in explaining the different mezcals. Felt truly taken care of and also learned so much! The plus were the cocktails, which were so balanced and delicious. Highly recommend visiting and maybe you'll get lucky to have Sam as your server. read more

We were there for Día De Las Madres. Nice crowd that day. Food was outstanding as were the drinks. Service was excellent read more

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I came here with a few friends and we really didn't have the best experience. We came here on a night they were playing live music and we were seated a bit too close to the stage -- it was SO LOUD we could not even have a conversation. At first I thought they would bring chips and salsa but it wasn't free, which is honestly kind of cheap. The server made a snide comment about how we can't expect things for free, which was rude. I wasn't expecting anything for free, but most Mexican restaurants give you free chips. We waited for like half an hour before we got our food. I ordered the tlayuda and it was literally moldy in a few spots. My friends got the taste of oaxaca, which was overall good, but we noticed some of the meat was really undercooked. The drinks were good and the alcohol was probably the only thing that made this experience bearable. We wanted dessert but they were out of the only ones we wanted. Then the manager came over and told us there was a 90 minute timeline for our table and we couldn't hang out there anymore. There were literally empty tables in other parts of the restaurant. Also, the table next to us was a big group who had been there since before we sat down, and they were extremely drunk, loud, and rowdy! It really felt like they just didn't like us and want us there. After everything we went through, the worst part was when I got home I had the most explosive, nuclear diarrhea. Definitely something bad in that food. Will not return!!!!!! read more

A hollow imitation of Mexican cuisine, wrapped in the arrogance and price tag of a Michelin-star establishment. Despite the restaurant's nearly vacant state upon our arrival, service was sluggish and inattentive. When the food finally reached our table, the portions were meager, poorly executed, and devoid of quality. Seeking to address these glaring issues, we requested to speak with the manager--an unfortunate misstep. Rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, he swiftly launched into a self-righteous tirade, dismissing our concerns outright. Unmoved by his defensive justifications, I asked for the check, eager to end the ordeal. His response? Seething indignation as I sent him back to whatever corner he emerged from. While waiting at the entrance for my wife, who had taken our child to the restroom, she--having worked in the service industry--offered him a few parting suggestions. His fragile ego, unable to withstand even the slightest critique, propelled him to his feet, fury etched in every movement as he marched toward her. It was at that moment that I had to intervene, ensuring his unchecked rage did not escalate further. Only after his own staff intervened to subdue him were we finally free to leave. By his demeanor, I strongly suspect he was the restaurant's owner--a man entirely devoid of respect for his employees, his establishment, and his own responsibilities. Lesson learned: I should have stayed in Orange County. P.S. Mind your step. The restaurant parking lot is littered with dead rats. read more

Food is actually very good service is horrible ( specially a lady with short hair , she is terrible )ambiance is nice they have life music you can go with families or friends for drinks . read more

It is a very cute restaurant. The food was great. I got the verde chilequelles with carne asada. The tres leches cake was delish. read more

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It has been a long time since I've had a great bartender. I will be coming back to this location specifically because of Sam. He was super informative and personable. Thanks Sam for such a great experience. read more

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I'm an idiot. I was looking for somewhere to meet a friend halfway between our places (we live far apart) and found this little gem in the South Bay. Good reviews, decent prices... sounds great! Well, I know I'm weird, but I don't like molé. And I didn't look at the menu before arriving. So there were like 6 things to choose from that didn't involve molé. And it was good! I actually sometimes like having less things to agonize over at a new place, so ordering was easy. I had the barbarian de res, by the way, which was very nice. There was live music the night we met up, which was not ideal for catching up with a friend, but not their fault. My research sucked. I know whose fault this was. We ate in the bar, which took the volume down a notch, but they had turned up the bar music to compete with the singer. The bartenders did stellar double duty as waiters. Anyway, if you dig molé and mezcal and live music. This is your spot read more

I ordered steak taco and tortilla soup with their nachos witch comes with different dipping sauce overall experience was good and food taste decent and delicious read more

Jorge is an amazing bartender. So friendly and knowledgeable. Great way to spend a Monday, happy hour is awesome. read more

Madre - Happy hour - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Short version: ambience is nice, food is good, mezcal selection is extensive This is one of those restaurants that I've been to a lot but have never gotten around to reviewing them. Years ago the food was super inventive and the mezcal list the biggest anywhere outside Mexico. After having dinner there last night. I have to ask what's going on? They had live music so that was nice, just super loud. The food was so so, very salty and one person in our group the food was partially cold, like it had been sitting there. They also didn't serve all the food at the same time. I get it, they were busy and we had 4 people. It takes the food runner 2 trips to take it all out, but why did the last person have to wait almost 10 minutes longer? Poor overall from the kitchen. I had to track the server down since we were missing 2 sets of utensils. He didn't even check before our food arrived. The server also insisted there wasn't another more extensive mezcal list, even though I know there is because 1. The regular mezcal list says there is 2. I've seen that list before. If you go see the bar you know there is a lot of mezcal on their bigger list. Maybe he couldn't hear me? The music is loud, if that bothers you might want to sit outside or in the bar area. In closing what happened? The food could have been so much better. The service could have been better. This restaurant used to be one of my favorites because their cooking was so unique. The bar is still nice it seems like. They have 4 restaurants now, maybe they are stretched too thin? Anyways, they need to work on a lot of areas. read more

Madre - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Delicious Oaxaca Cuisine! Our favorite dish was the Taste of Oaxaca plate...absolutely delicious mixture of bold, flavorful authentic favorites. We had the elote as an appetizer which was a perfect start to our dinner. Their happy hour menu has a great selection of cocktails, tacos, and nibbles! The interior ambiance is vibrant with a laid back vibe. Massive bar and outdoor patio to enjoy when the weather's nice. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. There is a parking garage located nearby, and plenty of metered street parking. read more

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The food was so delicious. Writing about the food I had at Madre is making me think about planning a visit to madre soon. The Service was excellent they were attentive and helpful. The ambiance was great I mean they had a Mariachi playing ! We will be making a trip to Madre soon. read more

Madre - Mother's Day Extravaganza! - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Love the mariachi band when it's here! Adds so much life to the restaurant. I think their food is 8-10 for authentic Mexican food. I think they have an interesting take on style and food. I would like to taste more variety in their Molay sauces. Overall a fun Mexican restaurant experience with my husband. Friendly staff read more

Great drinks, amazing mole. They had a salsa that was amazing that I'd never had before, dark and smoky. The mole and that salsa go with the mezcal vibe. Food was good for my kids too, and there seemed to be about three parties for birthdays. We went when the mariachi band was playing and it was classy mariachi music, really pleasant and ear opening in terms of the more serious and musical style, not like a peppier mariachi band, but pleasant for a quality meal in a high end restaurant. Service top notch, everyone was available anytime we needed them. read more

This place is amazing, my wife and I have been here several times on dates and also with the kids, the food is great, drinks are fantastic and the atmosphere is so fun! We love the vibe it makes you feel like you are in another country, as it's teeming with Mexican culture. Also service it great. read more

Food was clean and good Service was fair but could be better Ambiance is the best thing they have with the live music. Overall 4 stars! My table of 10 all got different plates of food! All our food was good. No complaints on this food here, however the server couldn't hear me while ordering and they are a little short staffed. That's all. But overall good place for after my nephews graduation. read more

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My husband and I went to try Madres and we were greated with a beautiful entrance and low soft lighting, beautiful colors and warm wooden ambiance. I ordered a mocktail and my hubby had a ginger margarita. We suggest the chicken tacos for Taco Tuesday and the mole enchiladas were a perfect meal for us to eat and taste the 4 different mole flavors and meats. Our waitress was very nice and helpful as she helped us roam the menu to find our beat choices. When we finished, we went to the bar where the bar tender let us taste some very fine quality Mezcal. We look forward to returning soon for the Mezcal tasting! We had a great night!' read more

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The food and service and the great bar staff helpful and great! Love the delicious tortilla soup perfect.

Honestly the food was mediocre. Not the authentic Mexican food I was looking for but again I knew it was going to be more white Mexican food so I don't know why I came here for lunch. All the meat were very dry and chewy... They only had 1 server for the whole restaurant during Friday lunch hour, and we were waiting outside to be seated for a bit. Then once we sat down, took forever to get our orders in. Ambiance is pretty, above average dining atmosphere. Good for dates, but I wouldn't recommend here for food. read more

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A great spot for Oaxacan cuisine, my wife and I have been by a couple times now for brunch and dinner. While we haven't delved through too much of the menu just yet, we can certainly vouch for the fresh & balanced ceviche de pescado, Madre's enchiladas, barbacoa de borrego, and brightly flavorful enchiladas oaxaquenas de camaron. Drinks have been consistently well-executed with favorites including an excellent Cadillac margarita, Al Chile!, La Mil Amores, and Chido Wey! Seating is plentiful both indoors and outdoors and service is overall decent with room for improvement. read more

Each dish had its own flavor which I appreciated. The service was good. Didn't wait long for our food. Went on a Friday around 7 the mariachis started to play on a little stage. The didn't come up to your table playing so that was nice being it can get super loud. Nice views out the window of the sun. read more

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Delicious! And great service! I just organized a coworker's baby shower at this location, and Melissa was so helpful, responsive, and friendly. She reserved the patio for our group of 11 and we were able to decorate and use an extra table for gifts and decor. I ordered the enmoladas with mole negro. Very much recommend. I tried some of the other moles and I also really liked the coloradito. I also had a passion fruit agua fresca and a cafe de olla. Both delicious! Easy parking in the underground garage. read more

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The molotes weren't too bad, it needed something else to it, I mean it was good but too dry, maybe add some sauce into it other than the negro sauce that came with it as well as the guacamole. read more

Came here for early lunch at 11:15am on a Saturday. There was plenty of free parking in the lot underground. I made reservations through Yelp, but didn't need them as it seems the locals weren't awake yet. The inside of the restaurant is pretty and instagrammable. Our waiter was friendly and patiently explained the different Oaxacan mole sauces. We asked for coffee, which wasn't on their menu, but they offered some cafe de olla from the kitchen. It was strong and sweet. - El Chapo y Kate ($14 - tequila, prickly pear, agave, cucumber, lime, spicy bitters). Pretty, tasty, and strong. Maybe a bit of a culturally insensitive name, though. - Guacamole and Chips ($13). Not bad, but I felt like I could have made this myself at home. The decorative chips stuck in the mound of guac were too thick. - Coloradito Mole ($22). The chicken quarter was fall-apart tender, slathered in a sweet, savory, and pleasantly spiced mole sauce. - Barbacoa de Res ($24). Delicious. Fork tender beef braised with chiles, spices, and avocado leaves. Served with rice, black bean paste, and blistered bell peppers and onion. The housemade tortillas were nice and chewy, but a bit lacking in flavor. read more

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4++ if you are into delicious Oaxacan food and mezcals, I would say this is pretty much the perfect place for you. The vibe was fun and there was a lounge singer in the main room at the time. Me and a friend were in the bar area...where there are hundreds of agave spirits lining the back wall. Seriously, if I loved mezcal, this place would be heaven for me. We got there around early dinner time without reservations, but were seated right away in the bar area. The service here is helpful and very kind. I felt like it was a team effort in addition to just our server. Both my friend and I were in the area (Torrance) and we met up for some beers at nearby breweries. We got hungry, and this place was pretty close by and it looked really good. We both got a mezcal margarita and started with molotes. Perfect crisp on the outside with delicious chorizo and potato on the inside. The sauces and bean paste added to the deliciousness. For our entrées, we decided to split the taste of Oaxaca and the barbacoa de borrego, which is only served on the weekend. I thought this was a great way cover a lot of great items on their menu including the mole. I pretty much enjoyed everything with a great barbecue flavor on the lamb and great sauces accompanying the foods. The moles was great and the tortillas were fresh. They let us get half flour and half corn. The parking situation was pretty easy as there's a parking lot devoted to the shopping center. On Sunday night there was also a lot of street parking nearby as well if needed. All in all, I really enjoyed this restaurant. It's a great representation of Oaxacan food, and if you are into mezcals, I can see you even enjoying this place even more. read more

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2nd time here. The entertainment is great. The food is good. The server needs to at least show up to check on us. I had to ask the hostess to look for her so we can order. Then we never saw her again. I had to flag someone to get dessert. I drove from Irvine. I don't think I'll come back. read more

I ordered the camarones dish and my partner ordered the Rez dish. The rez dish was yummy, it tasted like my family's food which was satisfactory. My dish was tasty as well, I really liked the sauce that the shrimps were drenched in. The sauce added a lot of spice and flavor to my tacos. The serving sizes were great, we were so full at the end. We also ordered the flan as a desert and it was creamy. The staff was nice and helpful. Service was great. At the end of our visit, the mariachi band came and played a couple of songs which made the inside more lively and welcoming. The decor was pretty and I loved the smell of it inside; it reminded me of my cousins house. Would come again for some drinks and appetizers. Great spot for if you wanna grab a drink with some friends. read more

Madre is a hip Oaxacan restaurant with a lively vibe. The interior is gorgeous and elevated without feeling stuffy and there's a beautiful full bar with endless options of mezcal as you walk in. On the Sunday night we came in there was live music and it looks like they also have it on Thursdays and Fridays. I think our server was tending to the whole restaurant, or most of it, but he never faltered. Being a Oaxacan restaurant they have plenty of mole options on the menu. I went with the Taste of Oaxaca which was a huge plate for the price and lasted me two full meals. It comes with chorizo, cecina, tasajo, nopalitos, black bean paste, grilled onions, avocado salsa, empanada de quesillo, taquito enchilada and tortillas. Everything was sooooo good and when I ate the leftovers I mixed it all together which was even better. It was packed with flavor and I enjoyed every element. We also loved the cocktails and had a great experience here. read more

Madre - Taste of Oaxaca - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Appropriate place to spend Mother's Day at a place called Madre. Reservation got lost tho so the wait was about 45mins. The parking garage was a bit confusing with the signage. Finally parked then you walk upstairs to restaurant. There's areas outside to sit while you wait for your table. Oaxacan cuisine is one of my favorite! The molcajete did not disappoint. Then we were treated to live music with an excellent mariachi band. Great place for drinks, good food, large group and live music read more

Madre - Elote - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Okay here we go. I went to happy hour with very good friends who had a good experience here and wanted us to experience it as well, but to be honest the only decent food were the appetizers we shared. We ordered from the dinner menu and got the carne asada and got 1/3 lb of steak and 4 tacos. The service was good I just wish their servers were honest with us when we ordered our food because my friends questioned the portion size of the steak and he brushed it off. The ambiance here was nice. That is all. read more

A nice festive spot here in Old Torrance. Come here for the great food and drinks at pretty good prices. Definitely worth giving their mescals a taste! Even when it gets busy there's always someone available to help you out. The live mariachi music here so definitely worth it to come out and have some fun. read more

lorena our fabulous hostess great service fabulous food exquisite coffee delicious parrilla tray the octopus tacos delicious great family restaurante will be definitely return read more

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I'll start by saying that the food and music were great. I was there yesterday celebrating a birthday and was very dissatisfied with the service. Our server was not attentive and checked on our table maybe twice despite the restaurant not being that busy. When my food came out the gentleman that brought it to our table scooted the hot skillet on the table towards me burning my hand. After mentioning it to the manager I now understand why the service is lacking. His response was very dismissive and cold. I'm very disappointed because the food was delicious but won't be going back. read more

Madre - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

Awesome place for happy hour! Get some of their freshly made tortilla chips and salsa and guacamole! Came with 4 other coworkers and split 3 Nuestra Tierra (from the land) with their homemade corn tortillas, which plenty of food and was amazing hands down table favorite was the barbacoa de res, followed by the carne asada! Definitely recommend these two dishes. The taste of Oaxaca was solid, but didn't hold a light to the barbacoa read more

Madre - Barbacoa de Res - you won't regret it! $22 - Mexican Near Me - Torrance, California

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The Dude and I had the privilege to attend the most divine restaurant and bar called Madre on 11/11/22. We were not sure what to expect but just good ethic traditional food her. Upon arrival we were greeted instantly and seated. It was so warm and cozy inside. They also have a beautiful outdoor patio as well. We attended the dinner seating. It was packed inside and I can totally see why. Very upscale feel and romantic. A lot of ladies and fellas here :) definitely saw a lot of free drinks from males to ladies tables. We enjoy observing our scenery. Our server was very friendly and love that they specialize in Mezcal which is my favorite tequila form. I opted for the Margaritio absolutely delicious. Best Cocktails ever. Plus I got the El Chapo Y Kate so healthy and tasty and why not add Mezcal to it! Not too long into the dinner service upon our arrival a band started playing. I wanted to get up and dance with the dude but he is too shy to do such a thing. But the band was so lovely. We ordered I ended up getting the Mole Enchiladas Mexicanas which was so good but that is all it came with :( no rice or beans or anything to compliment it. So that was the only disappointment especially with the price. I even asked the server if it came with a side he said no. Not the end of the world but with all the extra mole sauce an additional side would be nice. The dude got the combination plate with nopales. It was tasty. Overall, Madre is the place to be! The food is stellar. Expensive but good. High quality ingredients , cocktails and awesome servers. We would love to come back and try more dishes! It was so hard to choose from! Great atmosphere and a lot of celebrations going on too! read more

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