I enjoyed Madre. The service was impeccable. I enjoyed all of the food. My favs were the pork belly, Croquetas and the stuffed peppers. These items were perfected and I appreciated how delicious these were. My waitress was Bri and she was a great server. My only recommendation here is better cutting knives for the bread. I caught myself having to tear the bread apart with my hands, not especially the cutest look. The butter knives weren't the best for cutting the bread. Besides this, I enjoyed a positive experience. Madre just might be my new favorite place I look forward to returning to someday soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Mariss
Madre captivated me with their chic, romantic, and enchanting restaurant design by Costello and I just knew this was where I wanted to gather for a delicious 40th birthday dinner. I find Madre ideal for a chic Girl Dinner or a memorable date night. The Mediterranean and Latin inspired Tapas menu offers a variety of options. My friend and I decided on the Albondigas (lamb meatballs), PIQUILLO PEPPERS, Pork Belly, and CROQUETAS. We also had the la farm bakery loaf of bread with tapenade butter. Everything paired well together. I'm proud of my friend and I with our collaboration. The la farm bread was so soft, warm and delicious with the tapenade butter ! I just wished they promised an appropriate bread knife. We were sharing this loaf and we had to really tear into the pre sliced bread. The Albondigas were dry. I would pass on that for tapas. The highlights for me, are the La farm bakery bread and tapenade, the croquetas and pork belly. Delicious. I'm still dreaming about the croquetas. The warm codfish, crispy breadcrumbs and oozy cheddar filling was orgasmic. I paired my meal with a glass of Tempranillo, Rioja Alta. Real smooth. Complimented my meal well. Great recommendation from our waitress Bri. Dessert was disappointing. I made the mistake of ordering the fudge. Not very tasty.
The staff was very welcoming and engaging. This restaurant is classy. They gave me a birthday card and a young lady with a Polaroid camera took our photo and printed the photo to attach to my card as a keepsake gift. Classy and memorable. I enjoyed the beautiful artwork in the restaurant and my favorite being the focal point of the room, the overflowing candles with melted wax dripping and poured onto the floor. So creatively genius! The bathrooms were sick ! The doors appear see through and once you enter and lock the door, the glass fogs the door for privacy. I can't say I enjoyed the unisex aspect. For this reason the bathrooms could have been cleaner.
I adored Madre and appreciated my friend for celebrating me with dinner. I plan to return for brunch and cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Fela Walker
The service was fantastic. I joked with my husband that anytime I took a sip of water it was refilled within a minute. The shrimp tapas was delicious, the croquetas were good, I would've liked a bit more cod fish in it though and the cauliflower was good. We went to celebrate my birthday and they had a card waiting for me and y hey took a Polaroid Pic of us. We will go back again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Shrimp
Sean Fuller
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 no follow-up.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Anthony Capone
Good selection of Tapas menu items that are beautifully prepared and taste delicious. Modern vogue atmosphere inside or casual outdoor seating that even allows your pooch! Server was knowledgeable and friendly.
Great selection of tapas with authentic Spanish taste
Ashley Martens
I’m sorry but this food was just not good. We came to madre for an anticipated dinner after reading the reviews and seeing amazing TikTok’s. Although it is a beautiful restaurant all the food was meh. Won’t be returning the value was not there for the price
Sarah C
Great food and vibes!! Our server Bri was awesome!
Sandeep K
Strolled into Madre on a Wednesday evening expecting a midweek mood boost—and Madre delivered like a therapist with appetizers.
The vibes? Immaculate. The decor? So chic I felt like I needed to apologize to it for showing up in jeans. The staff? If caring and attentiveness were Olympic sports, our server would’ve brought home the gold—and probably offered us a sample of it with a green sauce.
Drinks were on point: two beers, a martini, and a wine walked into a bar… and none of them disappointed. Martini? Smooth. Wine? Elegant. Beers? Happier than me after finding parking in downtown Raleigh.
Food highlights:
Salchipapas: A potato dish so good it made me question my relationship with French fries.
Cauliflower Tapas: Came with a green sauce that deserves its own Netflix show.
Eggplant Tapas: A bit too oily—but our server replaced it with Zucchini Tapas, which was crunchy and kind of like cucumber if cucumber had a glow-up.
Polenta Main Dish: Creamy, nutty, and slightly confusing—like rice that went to culinary school.
Overall, Madre is that classy-but-cool friend who hosts dinner parties and actually pulls them off. Go for the food, stay for the service, and definitely try the green sauce. 10/10 would befriend a tapa again.
Casey Loughan
I understand this restaurant is going for a 'tappas' theme. They missed the mark. I have been to tappas restaurants all across the country. Tappas plates should be creative and immersive. Madre instead just creates regular plates, then provides the smallest portions possible and calls it tappas. (3) small pork belly cuts in gravy is not tappas. (2) small pieces of shrimp is not tappas. It's a way for the restaurant to get away with serving extremely small portions for a high profitability margin. Our party of 4 was pretty disappointed. We paid over $300 for a party of 4 and were starving after leaving this place. We unfortunately won't give this a second try.
Madre is a great bustling atmosphere with wonderful service.
Christina Huynh
We really enjoyed brunch here! Favorite dishes were the pan con tomate, turkish eggs, and sliders. Bread with butter/olive tamponade was very good. Our waiter Johnny was fantastic.
Caroline Schachte
We always have such a great time at Mayor! Super cute and fun atmosphere, great food to share with friends and have drinks!
Rob Morris
Service was excellent. The food all tasted connected but uniquely separate. The Calamari was so light. The feature was the Salchipapas. Roasted potatoes with chorizo and so savory. We didn’t feel rushed at all and the servers were always not far away. Definite 10/10
Taylor Schlentz
One of the best meals we’ve had in Raleigh! Great wine, food & service!
I enjoyed Madre. The service was impeccable. I enjoyed all of the food. My favs were the pork belly, Croquetas and the stuffed peppers. These items were perfected and I appreciated how delicious these were. My waitress was Bri and she was a great server. My only recommendation here is better cutting knives for the bread. I caught myself having to tear the bread apart with my hands, not especially the cutest look. The butter knives weren't the best for cutting the bread. Besides this, I enjoyed a positive experience. Madre just might be my new favorite place I look forward to returning to someday soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Madre captivated me with their chic, romantic, and enchanting restaurant design by Costello and I just knew this was where I wanted to gather for a delicious 40th birthday dinner. I find Madre ideal for a chic Girl Dinner or a memorable date night. The Mediterranean and Latin inspired Tapas menu offers a variety of options. My friend and I decided on the Albondigas (lamb meatballs), PIQUILLO PEPPERS, Pork Belly, and CROQUETAS. We also had the la farm bakery loaf of bread with tapenade butter. Everything paired well together. I'm proud of my friend and I with our collaboration. The la farm bread was so soft, warm and delicious with the tapenade butter ! I just wished they promised an appropriate bread knife. We were sharing this loaf and we had to really tear into the pre sliced bread. The Albondigas were dry. I would pass on that for tapas. The highlights for me, are the La farm bakery bread and tapenade, the croquetas and pork belly. Delicious. I'm still dreaming about the croquetas. The warm codfish, crispy breadcrumbs and oozy cheddar filling was orgasmic. I paired my meal with a glass of Tempranillo, Rioja Alta. Real smooth. Complimented my meal well. Great recommendation from our waitress Bri. Dessert was disappointing. I made the mistake of ordering the fudge. Not very tasty.
The staff was very welcoming and engaging. This restaurant is classy. They gave me a birthday card and a young lady with a Polaroid camera took our photo and printed the photo to attach to my card as a keepsake gift. Classy and memorable. I enjoyed the beautiful artwork in the restaurant and my favorite being the focal point of the room, the overflowing candles with melted wax dripping and poured onto the floor. So creatively genius! The bathrooms were sick ! The doors appear see through and once you enter and lock the door, the glass fogs the door for privacy. I can't say I enjoyed the unisex aspect. For this reason the bathrooms could have been cleaner.
I adored Madre and appreciated my friend for celebrating me with dinner. I plan to return for brunch and cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The service was fantastic. I joked with my husband that anytime I took a sip of water it was refilled within a minute. The shrimp tapas was delicious, the croquetas were good, I would've liked a bit more cod fish in it though and the cauliflower was good. We went to celebrate my birthday and they had a card waiting for me and y hey took a Polaroid Pic of us. We will go back again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Shrimp
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 no follow-up.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Good selection of Tapas menu items that are beautifully prepared and taste delicious. Modern vogue atmosphere inside or casual outdoor seating that even allows your pooch! Server was knowledgeable and friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salchipapas, Pulpo Octopus, Shishitos
Great selection of tapas with authentic Spanish taste
I’m sorry but this food was just not good. We came to madre for an anticipated dinner after reading the reviews and seeing amazing TikTok’s. Although it is a beautiful restaurant all the food was meh. Won’t be returning the value was not there for the price
Great food and vibes!! Our server Bri was awesome!
Strolled into Madre on a Wednesday evening expecting a midweek mood boost—and Madre delivered like a therapist with appetizers.
The vibes? Immaculate. The decor? So chic I felt like I needed to apologize to it for showing up in jeans. The staff? If caring and attentiveness were Olympic sports, our server would’ve brought home the gold—and probably offered us a sample of it with a green sauce.
Drinks were on point: two beers, a martini, and a wine walked into a bar… and none of them disappointed. Martini? Smooth. Wine? Elegant. Beers? Happier than me after finding parking in downtown Raleigh.
Food highlights:
Salchipapas: A potato dish so good it made me question my relationship with French fries.
Cauliflower Tapas: Came with a green sauce that deserves its own Netflix show.
Eggplant Tapas: A bit too oily—but our server replaced it with Zucchini Tapas, which was crunchy and kind of like cucumber if cucumber had a glow-up.
Polenta Main Dish: Creamy, nutty, and slightly confusing—like rice that went to culinary school.
Overall, Madre is that classy-but-cool friend who hosts dinner parties and actually pulls them off. Go for the food, stay for the service, and definitely try the green sauce. 10/10 would befriend a tapa again.
I understand this restaurant is going for a 'tappas' theme. They missed the mark. I have been to tappas restaurants all across the country. Tappas plates should be creative and immersive. Madre instead just creates regular plates, then provides the smallest portions possible and calls it tappas. (3) small pork belly cuts in gravy is not tappas. (2) small pieces of shrimp is not tappas. It's a way for the restaurant to get away with serving extremely small portions for a high profitability margin. Our party of 4 was pretty disappointed. We paid over $300 for a party of 4 and were starving after leaving this place. We unfortunately won't give this a second try.
Restaurantji Recommends
Madre is a great bustling atmosphere with wonderful service.
We really enjoyed brunch here! Favorite dishes were the pan con tomate, turkish eggs, and sliders. Bread with butter/olive tamponade was very good. Our waiter Johnny was fantastic.
We always have such a great time at Mayor! Super cute and fun atmosphere, great food to share with friends and have drinks!
Service was excellent. The food all tasted connected but uniquely separate. The Calamari was so light. The feature was the Salchipapas. Roasted potatoes with chorizo and so savory. We didn’t feel rushed at all and the servers were always not far away. Definite 10/10
One of the best meals we’ve had in Raleigh! Great wine, food & service!
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