Madre — Restaurant in Raleigh

WOW- if you’re looking for good tapas, a vibey atmosphere and attentive service, madre is the place to go.

Food- I loved every single dish we tried. My only regret is that we didn’t have a larger party to merit ordering more plates! We started with the salchipapas and crudo- both were excellent, the pistachio emulsion on the crudo was SO good and gave the dish a really nice texture that you don’t normally have with crudo. Next we ordered the Calabrian chicken and roasted cauliflower. This was probably our favorite course- the cauliflower was extra crispy and was plated over a bright, herby green goddess sauce that complimented the nuttiness of the cauli. The Calabrian chicken - I’m not sure how they cook it to be so tender but it fell right off the bone, and the hot honey and aioli were the perfect compliment to the crispy skin. We finished with the broccolini and scallops - the broccolini was served over a romesco sauce and had a great zing to it, and was topped with pickled onions and crispy fried shallots. Great textures and flavors! The scallops were pan seared and served over roasted curried chickpeas- I may have actually enjoyed the chickpeas more than the scallops and both were great.

Beverages- the cocktail menu looked great, my friend got the madre margarita and said it was delicious. I am alcohol-free and was very impressed with their NA selection. The Pluma is a mocktail made with NA mezcal- so delicious that I couldn’t tell it wasn’t the real deal at first. They also have a few NA wines on their menu which was such a nice treat. I got a glass of the Proxies “blanc slate” and it was one of the better NA whites I’ve tried and not sweet at all.

Service- our server was excellent. I indicated my dairy allergy at the beginning of the meal and he marked up my menu for what was compliant with my diet and what items could have the dairy easily removed or held to the side. He was attentive but not overwhelming and made great recommendations.

Timing- I’m going to bring this up because I know how impatient our society can be- food was delivered at a slower cadence than what most may be used to. It truly felt like a European meal and courses were brought out slowly and no more than 2 at a time to allow us to fully enjoy the food and not rush. I loved it - I would say this isn’t a place where you can (or should) rush through a meal, so go in with the proper expectations.

Atmosphere- inside looked really cool, but we elected to sit outside because it was a beautiful and not humid June evening. Outdoor seating is great- loved the string lights and seeing all the Smoky Hollow residents walk their dogs throughout the evening was so enjoyable. Also- their outdoor is definitely dog friendly- I’ll be bringing my pup next time for sure!

Madre was a 10/10 would recommend for me and I can’t wait to return and try more...

Dear Tyler, Brad, and Celina, I recently sent you a letter explaining our dismay with the quality of food on our last two recent experiences. I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to share my recent experience at your restaurant on 8/19/2025, which unfortunately did not meet our expectations the last couple of times we were there.

While I was looking forward to enjoying a meal at your establishment, I was disappointed by the quality of the food served. Specifically, on this visit the duck fell short of expectations from past experiences. The duck wasn’t cooked properly leaving the skin chewy not crispy. The underlying fat between the skin and meat itself had not been rendered properly, it felt like we were eating duck chewing gum. Although the eye appeal of the breast was nice, we found very little duck meat to eat after discarding the fat and inedible duck skin. On a previous night out with friends we found that one of our favorite dishes, Calabrian Chicken, had a different flavor and left us kind of taken back. We thought it was just a one-off.

We do try to eat at Madre at least once a month with or without friends and never have any issues with service, drinks, or dinner items. But having a less than stellar meal the last two times at Madre in a six-week time frame has left us wondering about trying some of the newer eatery around as our go to places for us or when we are entertaining. I understand that occasional issues can arise, but the overall experience left me feeling dissatisfied.

I will say Madre does have some wonderful dishes that we enjoy, like the Negroni Olives, Gildas, Shishitos, Spanish Hummus, Roasted Cauliflower, Salchipapas, Piquillo Peppers, Hamachi Crudo* (I could eat this as a meal), Pulpo, Grilled Shrimp, Albondigas, Pork Belly, and (the original) Calabrian Chicken up until about 6 – 8 weeks ago.

I wanted to bring this to your attention not out of frustration, but in the hope that it helps improve future adjustments to the items I mentioned. Your restaurant has a good reputation, and I believe that feedback—both positive and constructive—is important.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’d appreciate any follow-up you may wish to offer, and I hope to have a better experience should I return in the future. To this day there has been...

So this is gonna make me unpopular, but my experience was just okay. Everyone should try it tho and form their own opinion. Here's mine:

I'll start by saying, I'm a vegetarian, so food wise I can only speak for those plates. The meat eaters appeared to really enjoy their dishes. However, the veggie dishes left a lot to be desired. Absolutely the worst risotto I've ever eaten. Tasted like straight bleach. I was not the only one that thought this either, 0/10. Mushroom tacos had a decent sauce, but that's it 4/10. The cauliflower itself was extremely bland. It was mainly a vehicle for the sauce on the plate which was good 5/10. The olives were probably the highlight for me 6/10. I had wine, but people were happy w the cocktails.

Next up, the service. It started out pretty solid but declined as we sat for the next 2.5 hours. One of the dishes never showed even after asking several times. When the food did come out, they never sat it w the person who ordered it. We rarely had water or saw our waitress. As a large party spending plenty of money, it should have been better. Having worked at a top restaurant myself, I was not impressed.

Annnnd, the ambience. Asthetically, you feel like your in another city. Kinda a NY feel. This is the best part about the place. However, it's extremely loud and hard to hear. The music was fine when we got there, but turned into an nightclub around 9 when a DJ showed up. It didn't feel like it was matching the nice dinner we were all trying to have. And got more and more crowded, and so loud. Did not expect it to turn into that type of environment so I was a little turned off. If I were looking for a hot spot to hear music and grab a drink, it woulda be fine.

Then there's the bathrooms. Why? Just get regular doors. I saw multiple people peeing. Drunk girls in pairs forgetting to lock their doors. If you don't lock, you can see right thru them. I've seen this executed before and it works. But in a bar where people are getting wasted, just put in normal doors for pete's sake.

Maybe I just went on a bad night, but I don't think I'll go back for the dinner experience. I can make better food at home. I'd give it another go as a bar potentially. But that's probably...