Madalena's Bar — Restaurant in South Fremantle

Madalena´s has nearly got the concept right, but needs to focus its game to really compete with the best and its potential.

We had pre-ordered the Chef´s Selection to provide Madalena´s an opportunity to showcase its food concept. The food experience was good, but not what a $80 / pp. would warrant.

However we were mainly let down by the service and the dessert. When it came to the service, we were served both the first and second course before our wine arrived and when I asked the waiter to slow down the food until we had got the bottle of wine we had ordered, she got visible a bit surprised and really did not engage with us after this. The first two courses, the scallops and snapper was well balanced, fresh and full of flavor, but the following confit leak was so stringy that we were not able to cut it with our knife and was rather tasteless. The prawns were well cooked and therefore had the potential to be a perfect dish, but had an overpowering taste from the grill (BBQ) and there did manly taste charcoal with a hint of prawn in the back. The dhufish, as the main dish, should have been a slightly larger serving and would have been elevated with another 30 seconds on the heat. Finishing of the evening with the desserts, we were served a lemon tart that was way too sweet, a panna cotta that looked fantastic but had no taste at all and a chocolate fondant that hit the mark. Surprisingly, Madalena´s do not serve espresso only filter coffee.

So, was Madalena´s worth the visit? Sure, I would go back to Madalena´s, but the Chef´s Selection is definitely not worth the $80 / pp. and rather pick and choose my own courses.

A Chef´s Selection should be the chef´s opportunity to showcase what the chef and restaurant has to offer and that is what and why you pay $80 for the experience. This Chef´s Selection was mediocre and missing the wow factor compared to equivalent chef´s menu restaurants.

And remember, order your bottle of wine before you order your meal, ensuring that you have your wine with your first course.

Our evening for 3 persons with one bottle of wine...

Disappointing First Impression

After hearing great recommendations about Madalena’s, my fiancé and I were excited to try it out on a Saturday afternoon. We were aware that the venue had both a restaurant and a bar section, so we decided to check if there were any walk-in tables available. Worst case, we figured we could sit in the bar area instead.

Upon arrival, we waited outside the restaurant entrance for a couple of minutes before a staff member with short hair approached us. Unfortunately, our interaction was confusing and unwelcoming. She simply stared at us without greeting us, so my fiancé took the initiative to say hello and politely ask if there was any availability for a table for two. Instead of responding verbally, she just shook her head. Unsure of what that meant exactly, my fiancé then asked if the bar area was an option, to which she again silently shook her head. My partner hesitated before mentioning that they thought there was a bar section as well, and only then did she respond, saying, “Yeah, but there’s a wedding on.”

While we completely understand that the venue was fully booked, what left us disappointed was the lack of clear and courteous communication. A simple, “Sorry, we’re fully booked today, but we’d love to have you another time—maybe you could make a booking?” would have made all the difference. Instead, we were left standing there awkwardly, feeling unwelcome and unsure of our options.

This review isn’t a reflection on the venue as a whole, as we never got the chance to dine, but rather on the poor hospitality we experienced at the door. As someone who has worked in hospitality for years, I was genuinely surprised by the lack of professionalism and basic customer service from the staff member. A warm, friendly approach goes a long way, and unfortunately, that was missing from our visit.

Would love to try Madalena’s in the future, but this experience definitely made...

Madalena's is a small bar located at South Fremantle that I introduced to a lot of my friends and family members. It's super charming with its warm and wooden vibe, offer delicious food, and also a great hangout place.

The first time I stepped into Madalena's was on one Friday afternoon in Autumn. I went to South Beach beforehand and had some oysters at Sealanes. My friend and I decided to have a drink before we go to our dinner appointments.

I was surprised that Madalena's had Shishito Peppers on their menu, that was one of my go-to-snacks when I was in Japan. I had a can of Boston Afterglose and tried more than a sip of La Sirene's Citray Sour. Both are great sour beers and perfect for the warm afternoon.

A few days after that great experience, I went back to Madalena's with another friend during my staycation. This time, I got a glass of $10 Aperol Spritz, their delicious prawn and cassava, stracciatella with figs and hazelnut, a bowl of frites, and a plate of breaded herring. It was a bit too much between us girls, so we had the leftover fries for takeaway.

If I can count, I've been back to Madalena's for more than 6 times, that some people asked if I work for them. I don't, but I met a guy that wants to work there because the environment was so fun to be in.

Madalena's is big on seafood and wines, so occasionally they have ticketed events for wine tasting party that include a snack or two. The last one that I attended had Latta, a plate of duck parfait, and my fave cassava and prawn!

Madalena's has live music on the weekend, like a live DJ, French gypsy jazz, or Brazilian corinho jazz. It gets packed during the weekend, so the wise thing to do is to hang around from 5 or 6 PM, get a glass of wine or two, and enjoy...