Mad Mex – Columbus

Being a vegetarian, it is very hard to find restaurants which give you great food. Having said that, Mad Mex is just one of those places which I can visit over and over and not get bored. Their Tofu Wrapture with Waffle fries is easily one of the best vegetarian options in town! And they have half price after 10 PM on most days which is an added incentive to go for late dinners. Overall, great food and pretty decent ambiance.

I am doing a review update! Before, I was unhappy with a few things at Mad Mex, but after dining and drinking here more often, my mind is changed. Their wing sauce is the best! I always order something with it on the side or right on it! They offer a California-​mex meld of food and it is delicious. A little in the pricey side for on campus, but they take my $$ anyway!
HIGHLY suggest ordering the wing-​o-​tacos with San Francisco sauce (to your liking as mild/​wild/​or insane!!) You also cannot go wrong with the guacamole!

Hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant in Columbus. I always stop in here after I go to the movies and pick up carryout. Their burrito’s are to die for (and my dad hates Mexican food but he loves their chicken burrito) — and the bean dip is oh so good. I have eaten in and the service is always good — and the bar where you pick up carryout is so friendly and helpful.

I love this chain, I have been obsessed with their culture and food style since college (2007). But this location is rough. Maybe because its on Campus? Maybe its management?
The last two times I have dined here, it was horrible experience from the wait staff. I have waited 45+ for food, with no apology. I wont go back, even though I LOVE your wings. Id rather drive the 3 hours to Pittsburgh PA, and have a better dining experience with amazing food, than drive 10 minutes down the street for nothing.
Shame on you MedMex, shame!

This is a great place to grab a quick lunch, near campus. The Red Velvet Quesadilla is my favorite. The name is a little interesting, however, it’s just a little twist on the traditional Quesadilla. It is loaded with veggies and flavor. The meat at Mad Mex is very flavorful from the chicken to the carnitas. I’m looking forward to enjoying a pitcher of margarita, one day very soon.

I really like this place! The food is good, the environment is good, and it’s a great place to watch the game. Food is priced in the 10 – 20 range and the happy hour has some really great deals! The food took a bit of time to come but it wasn’t too bad as the game was on and the server was really nice. The fajitas, waffles fries and sangria margaritas were all great. Everything was really good and hot. I’d def. recommend this place and come again. Big portions too!!! Great place to take family and to go with friends.
EDIT: I got the fajitas last time and it was probably my fav. I came with a group of friends 11/​14/​2015 and got enchiladas and they were only okay.

I am writing this review as I continue to wait for my food. 2 stars? Do they deserve it? Yes and no. Their food is really good I’d give it 4 stars. Ambiance is also pretty chill. It’s a good place to go on game days and get something decent to eat while drinking and watching a game. I think it actually deserves 3 stars but I am giving 2 because I hope they acknowledge it and change something.
Our bartender/​manager/​whatever the hell she is (still trying to read her name badge) is the rudest person I’ve met. Since we have been here twice with her as the bartender I feel the need to say something. Last week they weren’t busy this week they are. She is still a b!$&@. I’m sitting here waiting on chips and dip and mention to my boyfriend how I don’t understand why it’s taking this long. She perks up and says «what? Is there a problem?!!» I thought she was going to fight me. I told her ya actually we have been waiting a ridiculously long Time for something you scoop and serve. She told us the cheese was what the hold up was but the couple next to us only ordered quac and it took them twice as long. Who knows. She ended up bringing out chips and said here’s this for the time being.
We ordered food way before she brought chips out still haven’t gotten it. Like probably 35 – 40 min ago. Last week she was busy flirting with one of the other bartenders and seemed annoyed if we wanted a drink.
Here’s my thing mad mex… Ur food is slammin! I’d eat it anytime! But when your bartender is being confrontational and acting like a huge asshole, that’s when you lose quite a few stars. I understand if kitchens get busy and things are crazy. That’s fine! But have someone out front that is good with customers and apologizes for the wait and tries to make sure your experience is ok. Our other friends left and didn’t even have a chance to order food. They got their chips and quac left $ 5 on the table and walked out. I get that it’s a campus bar and sometimes busy. But I expect better customer service. I shouldn’t feel like I’m going to get punched when I ask about a 40 min wait on my food. Get it together mad mex.

Honestly, Mad Mex is one of my favorite places to drink, eat, and catch a game in Columbus. Does it have the best food in Columbus? No. Is it authentic Mexican? Not really at all. The food here, however, is very solid, and it always has a great selection of draft beers. My friends are pretty big fans of the margaritas as well. They almost always have 7 – 8 of the Great Lakes beers on tap and then a bunch of other rotating taps in addition to those.
This place is definitely Tex-​Mex, but some of the dishes are even pushing the line on that distinction, like the Wing-​O-​Rito. Take your favorite wing sauce that they have, and they grill up some chicken toss it in that and roll it up in a burrito. Sound awful? It’s really not, and I had my buddy try it the other day for the first time, and he really loved it. It also helps when you’ve had some drinks in you. They also have Wing-​O tacos, which is essentially the same idea, but they throw in a large boneless wing in your tortilla. I’m a huge fan of the San Francisco sauce. The Southwestern sauce is good too.
Don’t get me wrong, you can get plenty of real Tex-​Mex here if that’s what you’re looking for. I tend to get a little bit of everything. The Pick-​a-​Dippa is a nice little sampler for chips and salsa/​cheese dip/​guacamole. Pick 3, and I’m not sure if it’s unlimited or not, but I really like the salsas.
Mad Mex is usually my little secret for watching noon or 3:30 OSU games, since they have really big TVs, and I can almost always get a bar spot, and it’s never crazy crowded. It seems like an odd place to watch a game, but if you bring a bunch of people, you can almost have a private party to yourself. I probably shouldn’t be giving that away. All-​in-​all, Mad Mex will always be a prime spot for me no matter how old I get, and I hope it continues to do well down in the ever-​rotating restaurants at the South Campus Gateway.

So… the food here isn’t my favorite, but it’s not bad, and considering the great happy hour prices, I can’t really complain much. The nachos are a crazy good deal and so are the margaritas. It’s the perfect place to frequent before a movie at gateway to fill your tummy up so that you’re not tempted to buy inferior popcorn (which probably cost more than your share of nachos if you split with a friend), and a margarita will make the movie seem that much funnier.

Still a staple of South Campus dining!
It’s been quite some time since I was here last, but Mad Mex still has all the charm that brought me here quite often during undergrad. While most restaurants and bars of the Gateway have come and gone (some more frequently than others), Mad Mex has maintained a solid, consistent experience that has clearly worked in its favor.
They still have lots of different food and drink deals for students, and their long list of ever-​rotating taps is still remarkable, even in today’s craft beer heyday. We only had chips and salsa this time, which were free at the bar! (Who knew?!) I imagine their great food and friendly, witty servers are still bringing people in, and I’ll have to make it a point to stop by more often!

I like Mad Mex a lot. The location is convenient if you are in the campus area. Prices are cheap. Drinks are decent. Serving sizes are large. Service can be inconsistent and sometimes a bit slow. The food definitely isn’t gourmet but it’s still good. There are tons of vegetarian options, which I love. The Spicy Mad Mex burrito is delicious. Two tips… The tortilla chips aren’t all the great. Very thick and not particularly fresh or salty. Also, the specialty drinks will run you $ 12 for a 12 ounces margarita. A better value is the house Big Azz margarita, $ 9 for a 22 ounce drink.

I would consider myself a regular here, and I’m proud of it. I’ve since graduated and don’t live in Columbus anymore, but anytime I’m near, this place is a must.
Almost every meal here has been excellent. Their chicken breast is all white meat, and the rest of their ingredients are fresh. I cant say their food is authentic Mexican, but it’s all delicious.
Try their regular wings or boneless: just the right amount of fried, right amount of sauce, and comes with a delicious chunky bleu cheese on the side.
Any of their salads are incredible, and you must order the lime-​cilantro vinaigrette. It will change your life.
Their sides are delicious as well — I’m a fan of their bleu cheese cornbread, and their waffle fries.
Burritos are large and filling, and they have a fully stocked bar for all your beverage needs.
Service is usually great, but here’s a tip: you have to ask for a straw (an attempt to waste less).
Their deals are incredible: half off 2−4pm for students, and of course, Late Mex is the holy grail: 10pm-​12am, most menu item prices are cut in half, portions stay the same (above average) and their large margaritas are $ 7.
I have brought countless people here, and intend to continue my patronage as long as Mad Max stands. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed!

The tomatillo avocado guacamole was fantastic as was the chicken salad with jicama. Good size portions that we split and still had plenty of food.

I practically lived here for the last two years of undergrad. You cannot beat their specials. Once you find what you like here, it’s easy to fall in love.
Their boneless wings are the best I’ll ever have. The same crispy texture of bone in wings. I don’t care how they do it, just keep it coming.
I’ll eat anything that has their carnitas or barbacoa.
Those waffle fries man.
Split the nachos with a friend.
That chicken tortilla soup warms the soul.
Their chicken is bland and I’m not a fan.
Margs on Margs on Margs.
The blue corn bread is phenomenal.
Can’t go wrong with any of their salsa or guac.
My pal adores their tofu wrapture with the honey BBQ chipotle wing sauce (also my fave on wings).
When I leave Columbus, I will mourn leaving Mad Mex behind and their half off happy hour glory.
ALSO: stop complaining that it isn’t authentic Mexican food. They openly say they are not authentic.

Mad Mex is cool. Its like a very Americanized Mexican joint. Meximerican? Ya well go with that. They have a solid draft list that Im a fan of, but its not the cheapest bar in town either. So unless its happy hour you can expect to spend some dough.
Food wise, im a big fan of the wings. The southwestern and san francisco sauces are both winners. The wing-​o-​tacos are another favorite of mine, which are the boneless wings in tortillas basically. But no matter what you get to eat, you gotta get the waffle fries! Bomb.
The guacamole is solid as well, but 7.50 $ for chips and salsa/​guac isnt worth it anywhere in my book.

Just wanted to update that I came back for lunch, got the wing-​o-​ritto, it was alright, spent most of the time wondering if I got the wrong order. Honestly there is nothing chicken wingy about it. I regret not having gotten the wrap. It wasn’t bad it was suitable but not what I had felt I ordered or expected. I didn’t get to anything remotely chicken wing tasting till the last ¹⁄₃^rd of it where it seems the hot sauce had all settled. Most certainly did not seem to be made of boneless chicken wings either.
I also got the chick-​pea soup. It tasted like warm salsa verde with whole chick peas thrown in. Which was kind of funny. But certainly nothing I took a second bite of.

As a student, words such as «happy hour» or «student discount» will immediately catch my eye. MadMex offers both! And they’re open fairly late, so if you ever get the late-​night munchies, you know where to go (they also have a late-​night happy hour in addition to their normal one in the afternoon/​early evening).
My top three favorite things that MadMex offers (in order of preference):
1. Ice Cream Burrito — I wasn’t sure what to expect when I ordered this, since the thought of ice cream on a tortilla wrapper was never something that occurred to me, but boy was my mind blown! Whatever they use for their tortilla, it perfectly complements the giant serving of ice cream within. Moreover, they offer this dessert both Saturday (cinnamon-​sugar and honey) and Sundae (whipped cream and hot fudge) style. In case you’re wondering how you’ll ever decide which style to get — rest assured, you can order this burrito half-​and-​half and get to try both! I personally like Sundae style more because I’m a huge fan of chocolate and hot fudge, but both are absolutely amazing.
2. Wings — I’ve tried both the San Francisco and the Southwestern, and absolutely loved both. The San Francisco has a stronger umami flavor, whilst the Southwestern is a bit more tart (as you’d expect for something with that name). We ordered medium spicy on the wings, but I think I’ll have to go for their strongest next time, since medium was pretty underwhelming in terms of spiciness.
3. Gobblerito — it’s a seasonal dish, which is why it only makes third place. I don’t like the idea of being denied one of my favorite dishes for 9 – 10 months out of the year! That being said, it is literally Thanksgiving in a burrito. I split one with a friend, and we both left completely stuffed. It can easily feed 2 – 3 people (probably even 4 if you order a few apps). This ingenious invention is just an explosion of mashed potato, turkey, cranberry, gravy, and stuffing deliciousness. I can’t wait for next year’s fall season to roll around so I can come back for more!

Back when I was in school, I was here probably once a month. A vegan-​friendly Tex-​Mex joint with pretty good tofu sour cream was all I needed to fill my belly with happiness.
In more recent years, I still like it just fine, but I’m less inclined to crave and covet it and make detours for it. I think there was a burrito happy hour deal for people with OSU ID at the time. Now that it doesn’t apply to me, and I’m not often in the area, I have an out-​of-​sight, out-​of-​mind response.
I do still get takeout every so often, though. Most recently, I grabbed the portobello and tofu fajitas. The mushrooms were incredible, and I probably could have just eaten a whole plateful of them. And perhaps guacamole. All the other various ingredients hovered somewhere in the «adequate» to «pretty good» range.
Takeout is still nice and speedy. Order from the bar; they’ll probably offer you some water while you wait. I still like the funky décor and cheery atmosphere. I just don’t know if I’d go way out of my way for it anymore.

They had this half-​price discount policy for students at OSU on certain days which is really nice. And the food are great. One of my Indian friend say that they have the closet flavor of Indian food near campus, although they sell Mexican food.
My friend recommend me the carnitas enchilada there which is really great. And according to my accompanies the tacos are great too, while the ice cream burrito are too sweat.
Service is really nice and quick.

I visited Mad Mex for happy hour the other day. I ate beforehand, so I can’t comment on the food. My buddy had the San Francisco wings, which he seemed to enjoy.
Happy hour runs from 4:30 to 6:30 PM Tuesday through Friday. They have margarita specials ($ 3 — 12 oz, $ 5 — 16 oz., $ 7 — 22 oz), half-​off draft beers and half-​off bone-​in wings. They also seem to have $ 2 PBR pints daily.
They have a pretty good selection of draft beers. Half-​off Southern Tier’s Pumking is pretty sweet. I’m not a huge fan of margaritas (Tequila incident in college), but I thought the ones at Mad Mex were pretty mediocre. They are cheap though, so I guess it’s quantity over quality.
The atmosphere is nice and upscale casual. Lots of TVs in the bar area. Our bartender was nice and not too uptight about the 6:30 PM happy hour cut-​off. We were able to get a few more drinks at the special rate past 6:30 PM.
They also have great late night specials from 10 pm to midnight Tuesday through Sunday. I don’t believe there are too many exceptions and most of their menu (including their fajitas and tacos) is fair game. I’ll be back to try their food.