Madrina

Fantastic happy hour. Half off food and drinks. Corn chowder was delicious with a spicy swirl of chili oil. Steak Tartare beautifully presented with pickled micro vegetables. Rack of lamb was cooked perfectly. HH is M-​F 4 – 630. Food is available from 5 – 630.

Wow… the variety of unusually flavored Mexican cuisine never ceases to amaze me., very light too… very interesting drinks as well. The décor and atmosphere is fabulous too!

Such a great and innovative food! Never had a Mexican and French combo before and it was delicious! Blood clams! The halibut, the corn chowder, the Pork chops! All were excellent… we were so full but when they said churros! I was going over the top!

Unilocalers of Dallas, do NOT sleep on Madrina!
The name initially caught my eye, mainly because my family’s own dear madrina Maria passed last year, and when I saw the name I knew I wanted to bring my mom here for Mother’s Day. When we drove up she got really excited, I was skeptical like I always am! Looking over the menu I don’t know if I would exactly characterize this place as Mexican, my husband is Mexican and he has no idea what yuca is. However, what this place is is Latin fusion from the Caribbean to Central America, all the way to Europe and back with sprinkles of fine dining in between. YES! The lechon (roasted pork) caught mom’s eye because from the pictures it looked like she had grown up with in Cuba and what I was used to eating as a child straight out of the caja china. It was everything we thought it was at more. The first bite took me back to growing up in south Florida, and transported my mother back to her island home. Thank you for that Madrina.
Let me start back at the beginning, the drinks here are worth every red cent. They are well crafted, they are strong, and really innovative. You will find drinks here that you won’t see anywhere else. The Jack Rose, Born Sinner, and See you Again were delicious and a MUST. If you love yuca you will not be disappointed by the Yuca Frites w/​aioli. I was shocked at how authentic the yuca was prepared. Growing up it was always served either steamed or fried w/​a garlic sauce and the aioli had the perfect hint of garlic and chile it was a huge hit. My husband had the pork chop and it was so moist it melted away in my mouth. My dad had the halibut and he ate every last bit and commented on how much he liked the purée. We finished it off with both desserts that were the perfect ending to our meal.
Service-​5 stars
Food-​5 stars
Ambience– 5 stars
Chef Julio came out to thank us for complimenting his food. BONUS!
A couple of things that are important… HAPPY HOUR! Who doesn’t love a good H H. HALF OFF both food and drink M-​F I think it starts at 4 or 5. These specials are only in the bar or lounge area so be advised.
The Familia portion of the menu is meant to share between 2 – 4 people. Our lechon was HUGE and we ended up going home with a serving so I would say 3 is the perfect number.
Can’t wait to come back :)

This adorable and cozy little restaurant was amazing! It’s a small setting but very charming with the table setup and very nice bar in the middle. The server was super knowledgable and gave us some great suggestions on wine and our meals.
We started with oysters as an appetizer and also shared a beet salad. For entrees, the three of us ordered the exact same thing… the halibut. It was AMAZING! So flavorful, so delicious… and beautiful presentation.
While the dessert options sounded incredibly appealing, we opted out during this visit. Next time will be a different story!
If you’re looking for something a little nicer, and outside the norm, definitely check this place out.

Modern, elegant yet casual atmosphere and great for light bites and drinks! I came here with friends on a Sunday evening for a glass of vino and conversation. We sat in their cozy lounge area and friends ordered some delicious looking libations off the menu. The service was superb… our waiter was so friendly explaining everything on the menu to us and answering all of our questions. I look forward to going back to try some of their grub! Good spot for a fun night out, take a business client or even a low key kind of date night.

This place is located close to a couple of other restaurants that I frequent so I figured I would try it out. I stopped in about 1pm on April 28 (Thursday) and was greeted by a hostess. I asked if I could sit at the bar and she said yes and followed me with a couple of menus. There was may 3 – 4 occupied tables and just myself at the bar. The bartender immediately walked over with a water and noticed I was looking at the wine list which I picked one out fast. The wine was great. I noticed they were going to close at 2 and then reopen for dinner so I decided to just order an appetizer. (The menu didn’t have many items that i was in the mood for at that time).
Online, I saw they had a soup but I didn’t see it on the menu there and perhaps I over looked it. I ordered the ceviche. It came out in a short amount of time and it was flavorful, it was delicious. The presentation was nice also. I would def go back and try it again. I feel like I need to go back and try something else in order to be able to give this restaurant a 5 star rating.
The restaurant itself is very nice. I would have stayed longer but I think they were about to close and re open. I got that impression anyway. I know some restaurants do this but most of the ones I frequent I like to go when it’s not busy which is between 2 – 5 so I can take my time and try out a couple of different menu items.

A wine list to die for. All old world. Phenomenal ambience. Service is tops. Absolutely gorgeous inside and out. Perfect for dates and or hanging out with the best of friends. Easy parking. Cannot wait to come back. completely talked into the shopping center however walk in and feel like you are on vacation! I can’t even express in words how my heart feels being around such phenomenal people and having the best time.

This place is great on so many levels. Went last night for the 3^rd time. Had happy hour in the lounge and grabbed a few drinks and plates. The service was on point, thanks Austyn. The food was also delicious. Tried the sea bass ceviche and the duck enfrijolada. Both very good.

Wife and I stopped by on a Monday afternoon at around 1 p.m., arguably the best time to come here since the place is literally empty and you get the best parking spot, full attention of the wait staff, and bar manager!
So you know, this restaurant features mainly Mexican dishes crafted via French techniques and we wanted to have a taste! Not sure about the parking situation when the place is packed, but I could tell there were not enough parking spaces around the area and you may have to make a reservation and come at a time when you will not have to fight for parking.
We were seated right away and our server Chris C. was a gentleman. He welcomed us and made us feel comfortable and went through the menu with us, mentioning the popular meals and drinks.
For the drinks, we went with the following Mexican inspired drinks:
$ 13 Love Stuff — mlc brandy, ginger beer, spice apple juice, blanc vermouth, lime oleo — This was recommended by our server, but it turned out a little bitter for my wife and Jared the bar manager was gracious to fix it up with more apple juice to make it sweeter and it was perfect after that fix!
$ 13 Papita Mai Tai — This was an o.k. drink, a little on the bitter side than my liking, but the bar manager did everything to make the drinks right. It really had a kick to it though!
For the appetizer & food, we had the following:
$ 10 — Corn Chowder — Setas, Potato Croquette, Queso Fresco, Guajillo Oil — This was great, you gotta try it out for your appetizer.
$ 17 — Cazuela — Recommended by the server — Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Mushrooms, Fines Herbes Radishes — I thought it was overcooked since it had an after taste.
$ 68 — Lobster Thermidor — Gruyère Cheese, Fines Herbs Roasted Poblano, Cognac Cream, Corn — Looked great, and tasted awesome, but you pay mostly for the display. The portions inside the lobster was not that much considering what you pay!
For Dessert:
Try the $ 11 Churros — Vanilla Cream, Spiced cocoa — This turned out really good.
Overall, good experience other than the issues I’ve noted in my review above. We’ll try to come by next time we are in the area!

Had the corn for an app and the lamb chops for dinner. It was great! We will definitely go back to try the lobster!
Many tequilla choices too!

I really didn’t want to rate this place so low, as we came here for dinner during Vday weekend, and I was looking forward to it and especially since I had an amazing time at dinner.
My main issue was organization and food options.
Seating: We had called in to ensure reservations since we knew it would be busy this weekend, and were able to get our reservation with ease. We came to dinner and were seated and greeted immediately, our table was front and center, and we had told the staff upon reservation that we’d love a more intimate place (granted, we called two weeks prior I thought we’d be fine).
Menu & Food Options: Another issue I had was that we were not told that there was going to be a pre-​fixe menu. Had that been the case, I would have requested to know what was available for dinner as my husband has a food allergy and I would want to ensure that the food options would work for him. We were not told about this upon calling and making a reservation.
Additionally, I had asked for substitutions due to an allergy, but we were told there were none available. Luckily, we were able to find items that did work for him, but overall that did not make me pleased with this restaurants organization.
The two stars that I am giving are for our waiter who provided outstanding service, and truthfully my husband and I really did enjoy ourselves at dinner. However, I didn’t expect the lack of consideration from a restaurant that’s supposed to be high end.

Mexican meets… French? I was a bit puzzled as well folks when I first heard the fusion cuisine that comprised Dallas newcomer Madrina, but after some rave reviews from coworkers I brought a date and must admit that I was impressed with how it came together.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
Madrina has obviously set some pretty strict service parameters for their staff, who all showed just the right amount of attentiveness without being overbearing. My date and I both split two dishes, and whether it was intentional or otherwise, the kitchen spaced them out nicely.
One thing I will point out is that Madrina was surprisingly loud. I’m not sure if it’s the layout or the fact that it was pretty crowded the Wednesday night that we went, but I certainly had to up both my volume and my hearing to make it through the evening without having to ask my ladyfriend to repeat herself. If you’re looking for a quiet and intimate setting Madrina might not be your answer. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
I’ll admit I was a tad bit nervous when I started scanning over what was a pretty small menu while absorbing the prices I was reading over. Opting to split two dishes with my date I was nervous that we’d fork over $ 80+ after tax for not enough food, but my fear were alleviated when the dishes eventually came out.
First and foremost, our $ 20.00 Mussels and Yucca Fries starter was sizable, with at least 12+ mussels and five massive fried yucca slices. From there the suckling pig was nothing short of overwhelming, and I’m being entirely honest when I say that this could have easily fed four people. In all the $ 80.00 or so in food was enough for four reasonable upscale meals, and at $ 20.00 a pop that’s value.
One thing I’ll point out before moving on is that the menu at Madrina is a bit limited. That’s really no fault of theirs given these cuisine types are pretty different, but you could hypothetically see yourself in a situation where none of the main dishes came across as appealing if you weren’t at least slightly adventurous. Just a heads up. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Mussels, yucca fries, and suckling pig aren’t exactly dishes that I have often, so I’m in a bit of an odd spot in that I have very little with respect to a point of comparison, but all in all this was good stuff.
I’m going to be honest when I say that the yucca fries were a highlight, with excellent flavor, consistency, a great supplementary spicy mayo of some sort as a dipping sauce, and great share-​ability. The mussels were, well, they were mussels.
The suckling pig was a mixed bag in some ways. While I appreciated the different cuts of meat here and what was tremendous flavor, maybe 20% of the dish was just skin and fatty areas that weren’t entirely edible while another 40% or so was much more dry than I was anticipating. Still good, but it didn’t blow me away. Single Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Madrina is good, but a somewhat limited menu and dishes that didn’t entirely put me over the edge kept it from entering that elite tier of dallas restaurants that I’m keen on visiting over and over again (Knife, Abacus, Gemma, etc.). I’ll probably be back, but it’s not on my list of regular spots yet. No Star Granted.

Small but lively restaurant. As soon as you walk in this place you feel the hustle and bustle of it, went on Tuesday night for dinner and would’ve thought it was a Friday or Saturday evening.
Quite fond of the space, it’s seems to work quite well and the overlaying theme of a white clean space reminded me more of Miami than hints of Paris or Mexico.
There was once a quote I believe I read from Anthony Bourdain that gave a sense on how he eats when he goes to restaurants and that is to go outside your comfort zone and order the strangest or unique thing on the menu, chances are that it’s on there for a reason. In accord I opted for the Duck Confit enfrijoladas and I could not have chosen a better option, they were simply amazing and would encourage anyone to follow suit. The Duck was flavorful and was made estilo brisket Mexicano or barbacoa. The tortillas were the unique part of it, The waiter pointed out that they were hand made and were cilantro base, not sure how that works in the culinary world but they work to pull the dish together and pair that with smothering of delicious black beans Madrina hits it out of the ballpark with this dish.
Turning to the drinks menu you have a Mexican side on one side and French on the other, I’m a old fashion guy and they had it prominently displayed compared to the other drinks which I’m guessing they take pride in and 99.99% of the time that enough to «sell» me on opting for it but not that night, scrolling through the descriptions I notice Carajillo drink; «two shot of espresso and liquor 43 and topped with ice» immediately I’m sold, seeing as how my love for a good old fashion is only rivaled by my love of coffee and espresso. Simply great; only grievance I have is that I wouldn’t be able to get it early in the morning if have a craving for one! Under different circumstances I would have tried both but this just presents the opportunity to revisit this restaurant once more.

This is just a review for happy hour — drinks and food.
I’m inclined to think that all of Madrina’s high ratings are an instance of the cognitive bias of rationalization and attempts to minimize cognitive dissonance. In other words if you spend $ 65 on Madrina’s sole entrée (an outrageous overpricing as noted by fellow Unilocaler Chris M.), you’re already biased to think that it was a delicious dish because your mind wants to justify spending the money.
The «wild setas» (aka fried mushrooms) were tasty, and with the 50% happy hour discount making them $ 7.50, that’s not outrageous. I can live with that. The corn tortillas that came with them were equally tasty — and I don’t even like corn tortillas, because they’re usually bland and rubbery. These were not as bland and rubbery as most, so I was pleasantly surprised.
The yucca frites (aka yucca fries) were as bland as yucca fries always are. I ordered these because I can’t afford much else on this menu except for a special occasion, which this was not. Unfortunately, it was not even worth the $ 4 happy hour price. The sauce that comes with them was almost as bland.
The glass of red wine I had was fine, but it wasn’t anything that would bring me back here.
What would bring me back here are the entrees (based simply on the Unilocal photos I’m seeing here), but even at 50% happy hour prices, I’d only try them for a special occasion. And I’m not sure I’d want to «waste» a special occasion on Madrina, if you know what I mean. So, odds that I’ll return? Quite low.

Madrina is a new Mexican & French fusion restaurant located in the old Nosh space in the Parks City area. The menu is unique with multiple influences, the service is incredible, and your dining experience will no doubt be unique… And expensive.
My Overall Rating — 4 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — Madrina is a beautiful name for a restaurant, and inside is just as nice. It’s located in a strip and suffers from limited parking, but inside you’ll find a very nice bar and dining area. There is an open kitchen and a few bar seats in case you want to watch the action up close. It has a fine dining feel, and expect your fellow patrons to be very well dressed. 1 Star.
Service — Our server and overall service was outstanding. Our server knew the menu very well and was able to provide us with plenty of recommendations. Also, as each dish was brought out each was described in full detail. We received plenty of attention without being overbearing. Everything was perfect. 1 Star.
Food — I’m a sucker for churros. We ended our meal with some for dessert, but it was so good I feel like I need to write about it first. The churros were light and fluffy — so light that you couldn’t hold this traditional street food by hand. But what a difference it makes. It was crispy on the outside and soft and hot on the inside. It was so good there was very little sharing on my part. The lamb chops were perfectly grilled (no charring on the bones) & tender. But just about every table was ordering the Lobster Thermidor. It’s hard not to order it when you see this amazing stuffed, baked lobster. The lobster is liberally stuffed with a mixture of creamy corn, crab, and lobster. My wife ordered it but I finished it. I’ll end with the appetizers. Many Unilocal reviews will recommend the Snow Crab Salad which is very good. But my favorite dish after the churros was Wild Setas. These were battered and fried mushrooms in a creamy poblano sauce. It’s served with freshly made in house corn tortillas. You can wrap up the setas, or do what I did and dipped it directly in the poblano cream sauce. Easily one of the best dishes I’ve eaten all year. 1 ½ Stars.
Will I Return? — Only for special occasions or happy hour. I loved my visit to Madrina, but it’s a very nice restaurant that’s tough on a limited restaurant budget. Madrina reminds me of Nonna. They’re both very nice, delicious restaurants in the heart of Dallas that cater to established tastes. I’m a fan but will need to save more pennies until my next visit. ½ Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

I wish I could give an additional ½ star as this place was truly better than a 4, but not quite a 5.
My friend and I shared the mushrooms and wrapped them in the amazing, homemade corn tortillas… a perfect starter! I enjoyed the halibut on a bed of beans for my entrée… the perfect portion size and plenty of flavor. We shared the churros for dessert and it was the perfect sweet treat to end our meal.
Great service, beautiful dining room and well executed food — a definite must try in the Dallas dining scene! Don’t miss out on the cocktail either… truly some unique tasty concoctions!

Came to Dallas for work and this was the first restaurant I got to check out. I can say it did not disappoint! I got to sit at the chef’s table and it was a great experience watching beautiful food be made and talking to Chef Julio Peraza throughout the meal.
I had the Bone In Pork Chop (Cinnamon Sweet Potato Purée, Pickled Vegetables, Chipotle and Green Peppercorn Demi) for my entrée. First of all, the presentation is gorgeous. They cut off a little bit off the top of the pork chop so that it can stand on the middle of the plate. That combined with the rest of the ingredients just looked lovely. The taste matched the presentation as well. All the flavors melded well together and I was scraping my plate even though I was full.
I interacted with many of the staff last night and the service was just really fabulous. Great job, Madrina… you got a new fan! I will definitely want to come back next time I’m in Dallas!

You know when you wake up and suddenly crave both Mexican + French food? You know? Yeah, I have never craved that combination either.
Because face it.
Mexican and French should not be fused.
What do you even picture?
Escargot enchiladas? Ew.
In all honesty, I did not even know this was fusion-​y until afterwards. My husband took me here after a half day of furniture shopping and I thought, «Ugh. We cannot afford uppity don’t-sit-on-me furniture. Why are we even here?» To my surprise, it was a beautiful restaurant. We wanted to get a drink and maybe an appetizer because no one was actually hungry but HOLLA! it was happy hour. So got happy, we did.
We had the Herb Crusted Lamb + Bone In Pork Chop + Violet Churros when we weren’t hungry. Because half price everything is why.
First off, the pork was cooked perfectly — the kind of perfect that you see in magazines and you know damn well they airbrushed the pink inside and dry outside because that is how ALL your porks come out? I digress. It came with a cinnamon sweet potato purée. It was like if Thanksgiving and Christmas manifested itself into one meal.
Then the lamb came.
Oh that succulent, tender lamb with lentils and apricots (what!). That lamb was almost the end of a good time for my husband and I. We shared everything so this was a battle of who can chew and cut their next piece faster than the other.
We topped it off with a nice dose of violet churros. You think, «Ha, they just colored it purple.» No, sir. One taste and you’ll be like ‘I so get it!’ Just like that. And OF COURSE, the drinks are stellar. Because the magical man behind the bar is also the genius behind the cocktail menu at Proof + Pantry. *drops mic*

I came with some friends on a Tuesday night for a birthday dinner. Being the first one, I headed straight to the bar. The cocktail menu is divided into two categories: French inspired and Mexican inspired. I don’t like fruity drinks and ordered the daisy on the bartender’s suggestion. I also asked the bartender to cut the normal syrup amount in half, and it was perfect. Good drink, helpful bartender, nice drinks menu.
Dinner was a party of four and we started off with the oysters and wild setas. Oyster are oysters and these oysters were good. But what was uniquely good were the setas — perfectly fried, crispy mushrooms and sauce and tiny flour tortillas. I definitely recommend.
The rest of our dinner experience was not so great. We sat for well over an hour, waiting for our entrees. The manager (I’m guessing that was his role) came out and apologized at one point, saying the kitchen was backed up. Several minutes later, he returned and told us our entrees would be comped.
Anyway, my entrée was the enfrijolada, which was kind of like enchiladas with duck confit. I enjoyed it. The birthday girl had the halibut, which was overcooked. Dessert was the churros, which I highly recommend for any dessert lovers.
I’m a little conflicted about how many stars to give Madrina. The food was good, but not awesome. The service was mediocre (I didn’t buy the «the kitchen is backed up» story), but salvaged by our comped entrees. A reserved 4 stars for now…