La Madre — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I would’ve given this place five out of five stars because the food was excellent and once we sat down, the service was good. But there was a couple service related weird things that happened that made us uncomfortable.

The food was excellent, the roasted cauliflower dish was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. They had a nice selection of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and we didn’t have anything that wasn’t delicious.

There was a couple odd service related issues that made us uncomfortable. It was a Wednesday evening, so it wasn’t very busy. The host was very rude and short with us for some reason. There were two tables right by each other that were open outside, but she would not let us sit at them with our bigger group because she said they were in two different servers zones. Keep in mind that most of restaurant was empty, so I don’t know why they would not let us use two tables that were right next to each other outside (outside seating was half empty as well). Instead, she had a sit at two tables that were separated by a concrete beam between us, and said that we could only sit there with the tables with their points next to each other, but not side-by-side. It was the weirdest thing ever.

I also overheard the host and one of the waitresses talking about how we were rude to the bartender. They stopped talking when they realized I had walked right next to them. I truly have no idea why she would say that because I went up to the bar and it wasn’t very busy. There were only three people sitting at the bar. I ordered two drinks, and then the rest of our group arrived and I got really excited to see my girlfriends so I paid for the drinks & tipped him and then went to say hi to the others. I’m not sure what I was missing there. All I can think of is, I didn’t make small talk with the bartender, I ordered the two drinks and then I told him the rest of the group was there so I would just pay for them and say hi to my friends, and we get more drinks when we sat down.

They also seemed upset that we were hanging out near the bar with our group while a couple of us had drinks while we were waiting for our table.

Anyways, we were a group of nearly 50-year-old female doctors, so it’s not like we were the rowdy bunch, they were probably just having a bad night for whatever reason. Wouldn’t recommend going with any group larger than 4 as that seemed to be part...

Edit to add: since going to La Madre the first time, if have been back several times. I've tried the quesadilla, nachos, several tacos, french toast, and the chilequiles. The nachos were the only thing that was worth it. Every other time I ordered something other than the nachos, the food ended up being cold. The service from the servers is still generally pretty good.

Normally I don't go to a restaurant when it first opens, but La Madre is changing my mind on that! While there may be a kink or two in the system, that doesn't diminish the great service and food that La Madre provides. You can tell the minute you walk in that the creators of La Madre have poured their heart and soul onto this restaurant. There is so much detail that I think I need to go back a few more times to really get it all. Ian was our bartender and was so attentive and personable! I was nervous to sit at the bar because normally bar chairs are uncomfortable, but La Madre wants you to be comfy and cozy, so of course their seating is great! I could sit at the bar all day and not get uncomfortable. We ordered chips and salsa right away, along with a couple of drinks. We got the second spiciest salsa on the menu, and it was so good. When it first comes out, the serving seems a little small, but once you start eating, you realize that a little bit of that salsa goes a long way! For drinks, we got the n/ a marg and the horchata painkiller. Both were delicious and my mom said that their n/a marg could convince her to switch to n/a spirits and drinks all together. For our meals, we got the Huevos con Chorizo y Papas and the Mill City Breakfast. The flavors in both were spot on, and I honestly would go back for the bread that comes with the Huevos alone. Seriously, don't sleep on that side of bread. Our subtotal came to just over $60, which didn't seem too bad for an app, two brunch entrees, and two cocktails. $30 each feels appropriate when you compare it to any other restaurant in Downtown/ Mill City/ North Loop Minneapolis. Plus, we ended up taking leftovers home.

If you end up going to La Madre, please give the staff a little patience! This is a brand new restaurant in it's first week. If you come into the space with a patient, positive attitude, La Madre is going to make sure you have a...

Ah, where to begin? Let’s kick things off with the drinks. I ordered a Diet Coke, but what I got tasted like a science experiment gone horribly wrong—bitter, unrecognizable, and probably angry at life. Meanwhile, my wife’s Margarita seemed to be a tragic love story: tequila fell in love with water and lost its entire personality in the process.

Next up, appetizers! Chips, salsa, and queso—sounds promising, right? WRONG. The chips were so salty I started checking my pulse for high blood pressure. The queso? It had a consistency so thick, I wasn’t sure if I should eat it or start sculpting it into a statue. And the salsa verde? Oh boy. It was so aggressively garlicky that I became an unofficial mosquito repellent for the entire restaurant. Plus, they served it in a thimble-sized cup that would barely hydrate a Barbie doll. And the kicker? This micro salsa extravaganza cost $9! Yes, nine dollars. I hope that cup came with free real estate in Mexico.

As for the main course, well, I had to make a detour to the kids’ menu because apparently, vegetarian options here are classified as urban legends. So there I was, eating my cheesy quesadilla like a grown adult with shattered dreams.

But wait, there’s more! The service was the cherry on this disappointing sundae. The waiter never brought us any water, which is honestly impressive considering how salty everything was. And when it came time to pay, they forgot to bring a pen for us to add the tip to the bill. Maybe it was their way of suggesting we shouldn’t bother tipping? Mission accomplished!

In summary, this place didn’t just serve bad food—it served life lessons about hope, disappointment, and overpriced salsa. If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food in Minneapolis, keep looking… far,...