Mad Mex – Fresh Mexican Grill

The beans were overcooked, the vegetables were undercooked, and the rice was over cooked as well. Not sure how not a single thing had any flavor… very bland. My tortilla was wet and soggy before I was even half finished.

I am MAD for madmex.
great guac. great times.

Being an American that lived in Texas, I can say I know a thing or two about Mexican food. At least the way Mexicans make it… Mad Mex was a welcome bite for someone tired of eating aussie pies, and for the most part satisfied my need for Mexican food. The burrito was adequate, although not wildly flavorful. The portion of chips in the «paid» chips and salsa was ridiculously small. Although, maybe that’s the American talking. The service was very pleasant though. Probably the closest thing to american «Mexican» food I found in AU.

There is an old South American legend, born in the foothills of the Andes, that tells of the holy union of rice, beans, cheese and a large serving of guac.
Champions compete in the nacho bowl arena, for the title of spiciest enchilada.
The victor wins the hand of the señorita of salsa; the loser submits to ridicule and only a mild chilli sauce.
It is the story… of Mad Mex Darlinghurst.
An adventure for the taste buds, Mad Mex is the ultimate quick fix for when a sandwich just won’t cut it. The range is vegetarian friendly and the fillings are generously portioned.
My only regret is not having ordered a side of nachos.

The best way to describe this place is to say it’s a Chipotle knock off with a little more rock and roll vibe. The food comes quick, the music is loud, and the people are friendly, so it covers all the bases for a quick city lunch. Not a ton of seats, but if you snag one of the bar seats looking out over Crown Street, the people watching is great. Not expensive either, so if you’re on a budget, this’ll do nicely.

This was my go-​to Mexican fix when I was living and working in Sydney and would go here a lot on my lunch breaks and anytime I was craving the mexican-​Chipotle like flavors.
I would always get the chicken burrito with the hottest, picante salsa. SOOOOO good!

Equivalent to Chipotle in the states. Gets the job done when there’s a burrito craving to be stifled.

On this corner there is not a shortage of fast mexican food. This is probably the most tasty in my opinion. They have good ingredients and you can have a big heavy meal but the option of a naked burrito is great. Always popular when I walk past, also licensed so you can have a beer with your spice. I havent found the food that hot (spicy) but they have some great hot sauce which does the trick.

This Mad MEx location holds a special place in my blackened little heart. I lived in the apartments directly above it for a month when I moved to Sydney. Being a California native I’m pretty picky on endorsing a burrito. This is especially true when it’s a chain.
I will say Mad Mex is one of the better places to get fast and easy Mexican food. It’s basically the Aussie equivalent of Chipotle. The food is always fresh, warm, and quick. They give pretty good sized portions and have enough variety to switch it up every now and then.
A burrito will set you back around $ 11.00 and weighs in at about ½ pound (or 600 grams).
They have nice communal open air seating, bottled imported beers and the kicker…
TAPATIO on every table. They import it special from the USA. Or Mexico… I dunno.
4 stars from me.

the 4 stars is for the GRANDE MELT (which is the only thing I get on the menu now)
This place is my sad Australian version of Chipotle (yes, i said Chipotle, I know it’s nothing compared to some tasty cheap mexican hole in the walls, but I used to work above a Chipotle in Chicago and it’s where I go for lunch when it’s snowy and I don’t want to leave the building — which is about 50% of the year). Either way, this is where I come when I’m missing Chipotle. I’ve tried Guzman y Guzman, Zambrero, and El Loco, but I always come back to Mad Mex’s Grande Melt. It’s like a quesadilla burrito with melty goodness inside and crunchy on the outside! Sit back with a Corona and I can pretend like I’m at Chipotle. It’s on my way home and perfect for when I don’t feel like cooking.

All these Mexican places popping up left and right — I have yet to find the holy grail of tacos and burritos in the land down under!
It’s never a good thing when you’re eating shredded pork and you think to yourself «if someone told me this was tuna, I wouldn’t question it»… hhhrrrmmmm.
Mediocre at best and the pork is questionable!

I do enjoy a Mad Mex burrito. They are one of the better fast food burrito chains around. I rate them second next to Guzman & Gomez in that category.
I find the food pretty consistent the various locations (that I’ve been to) but do especially like the Crown Street store. It’s close to me and close to other options if I suddenly change my mind. Not that I usually EVER change my mind once I decide I want a burrito. Just saying.
My best advice is to skip the «guacamole» and pay extra. Not real guac and not worth the mushy avocado upgrade.

What — how can we go from LOVE to OK? Is it because i had expectations? Is it because someone new was serving me? Oh the sadness — had the same dish as before the Grande Melt — it was soggy and sad which left me feeling sad and maybe slightly soggy…

I get Homer Simpson ugggghhhhhhhuuhhhhh over Mad Mex. Absolutely incredible, everything. The burritos are great, obviously, but the quesadillas and soft tacos are also fantastiche. The naked burrito might sound tempting if you’re avoiding bread, but don’t do it.
Make sure you try the Jarritos, delicious artificially flavoured Mexican soft drinks, if you’re not having a beer.
Quick service, good vegetarian options, everything is fresh and tasty and healthy. Beats a sandwich when you’re at work and a kebab when you’re drunk.

Mexican Australian restaurant, one of the best Mexican cantinas around. I would recommend this venue for a special occasion, it is casual yet festive and can be a great night out. It’s not far from Oxford Street where you can let your hair down too amigo. Plenty going on in the way of food and drink, mostly tried and true stuff. The nachos are absolutely on top of the world. They are a must if you go here. Mexican’s also know how to do fish and prawns so I would definitely nudge you in that direction. However, I was not disappointed with the food and the service from this restaurant whether you are having a group, couple or table for one, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings at Mad Mex.

Mad Mex on Crown Street in Darlinghurst is a great little place to grab a bite of Mexican like a taco, burrito, quesadilla, nachos. accompanied by a magarita!
I like heading in for lunch (where I don’t take the margarita option. Most of the time) when I’m a bit short of time as the service is pretty quick and it’s all still very fresh and fast. Actually I find the longest part of my lunch break is deciding what to get. Burrito, taco, melt or nachos, all sound good and are!
If you’re in the area and after a bite (or drink) of Mexican I find it hard to go past Mad Mex.

the first thing you will see when you walk into this place is the Corona bottle chandelier, it’s a work of art. Although the mix-​n-​match of reclaimed timbre beams, iron & rusty seats, and plastic food bowls is no where near Mexican — somehow it is the oddities that you enjoy.
As for the food, I’m not too convinced. I prefer Guzman y Gomez, as I find the portions are larger, and the produce fresher. The only bad thing I can see here is that the meat isn’t cooked in the spice you prefer, rather the spiced sauce which you request is added to the dish. If it were slow-​cooked pork for instance, cooking it in the spice would be an trifold improvement in taste.
As for the striation (an important part of a burrito) it lacked a basic stable structure, mostly due to the thin wrapped bread, it wasn’t think enough, and the juices made it soft and weak for the amount of ingredients. Unfortunately, this is very important, and should not be overlooked.
On a whole, the service was mediocre, and I wouldn’t rush back there for a craving type of meal — only If I was in the area, and everyone else was going would I feel obliged.

OK, so this is a chain, but I love them. Sydney’s been going through a burrito (translation: little donkey) boom of late, and this is the perfect place to satisfy that craving. As long as you think about this as a good place to eat, as opposed to it being authentic Mexican food and coming away disappointed, you should enjoy this.
They tend to offer a number of competitions in order to keep the clientele interested and a few months ago, they even challenged people to eat a 1kg burrito (basically 2 normal ones). By some it was considered glutinous, by others (Americans mostly) it was considered normal, by me, it was considered 1kg of deliciousness. I’m not that big of an eater, but there was no way I wasn’t finishing every last meaty, ricey, beany morsel of that pseudo-​Mexican beast. And I got a Tshirt (along with mild stomach pain) to prove it!
They also offer a range of tacos (soft and hard), quesadillas, nachos and for the health-​conscious, naked burritos (basically a normal burrito without the wrap). My only annoyance with Mad Mex — and this goes for all the Mexican chains — is there insistance on charging $ 2 for a teaspoon of guacamole!
Due to the success of the store, new ones seem to be popping up around the place, with the most recent addition opening next to Central station on Broadway. And for those wanting a recommendation, my personal preference is the carnitas (pork) burrito!