Madero Cantina — Restaurant in North Huntingdon Township

I don’t really understand all of the amazing reviews for this place. My experience was…fine.

Went on a whim when I was nearby for lunch. They must be relatively new as it looks like they are still in the processing of decorating (stencils on the walls, but not painted yet) which makes it look rather stark inside.

Really the biggest turn off is that chips and salsa are not complimentary. A basket for chips and salsa only is $5. $10 if you want queso, $11 for guac or $13 for all three. The reason I was given for this by the waiter is that the chips are made in-house. Well, they were okay but honestly not even that warm/hot and to me, since I went by myself for lunch just simply wasn’t worth the price.

I got a chicken quesadilla for my entree. Much like the chips it was…fine. The chicken was good, juicy and relatively well seasoned. The portion size was adequate. It came with sour cream, a nice and fresh Pico de Gallo with chopped jalapeños in it, on a bed of slightly wilted chopped iceberg lettuce. The quesadilla cost $15. I would have been more okay with the price if it had come with a small guacamole salad, which I’ve come to greatly appreciate at Mexican restaurants, but it didn’t and the fresh Pico just really did not make up for the price.

Overall, a quick lunch for one person ended up costing $25 with tip for a mediocre experience. Unfortunately, I would not recommend and probably...

My wife and I really love this place. It is, by far, the cleanest restaurant of it's kind in the area, in my opinion. The service has always been great and the servers are very kind and helpful. They help each other out and one will grab you a refill of water while the other is busy, etc. The food is top notch as well. Many places of this kind have very greasy food that I have trouble digesting but not here. It has been very fresh and delicious each time we've gone and is one of our favorites in Irwin.

I took my wife here for her birthday today. She loves their steak tacos. I didn't arrange or ask anything. I only mentioned to the server that the birthday girl would order first. After we had finished, I saw the servers colluding in the background and suspected something was up. They came out and put a sombrero on her and then brought us fried ice cream desert at no charge! I couldn't believe it. It was very nice and we really appreciated it and it wasn't overdone like some places do and you can tell the servers hate doing it.

Also, the waiter that was pinch-hitting a refill of our water waited behind me until we finished praying for our meal so as not to interrupt (I didn't even know at the moment or I wouldn't have made him wait). That's...

Two words. Fantastic and authentic. This place stands far and above all other Mexican restaurants in the area. I have spent a lot of time in Central Mexico over the last ten years and I can say this food is what you would find in Mexico. Our food was at the table less than 10 minutes after we ordered. We had enchiladas suizas with salsa verde with rice and beans as well as fish tacos with esquites (street corn). The enchiladas were made with love and had plenty of salsa and tender chicken (features that are often missing in enchiladas at other restaurants). The beans didn't have the stereotypical Texmex flavor and were very good. The rice was moist and fresh and didn't taste like they were sitting under a heat lamp all day. The fish was breaded and seasoned perfectly and the slaw was crisp and fresh. We asked for an horchata drink to take home and they gave us a big container for two and it was perfect. We were super satisfied. The service was friendly too. Also, the ambience is clean, bright and modern and the music wasn't endless cheap salsa, bachata and reggaeton music but rather softer Spanish pop music you often hear in cosmopolitan Mexico....