The fine folks at Madera Tex-Mex allowed adult families and staff from our school to hold our own trivia night here during spring 2021. The space worked out really well for our group to spread out enough to stay safe, but still feel like we were together. Our server for our table of six was very attentive and kind. She was patient with us when we stayed a bit past closing time. (Sorry about that!) I wasn't even sure I was going to eat anything on this particular evening because a Tex-Mex BBQ place isn't the place to find a vegetarian entree. However, I asked our server if I could order their pulled pork nachos with the pulled pork on the side and she said yes. I was able to enjoy my spicy nachos totally meat-free, and still bring home some pulled pork for my husband to enjoy the next day with his lunch. The nachos were really quite tasty and full of fixins, even without the pulled pork. The jalapenos were incredibly spicy and I really enjoyed the BBQ sauce and cream sauce that was squirted across the top of the entree. Kitchen staff did a thorough job of evenly distributing toppings across the entire tray of nachos so every bite I took was full of flavor.
Cary W.
Really want to like this better, but nothing wowed me. Good bbq, decent atmosphere, and slot of potential, but nothing that stood out on first visit.
Nikolai S.
Wish I wouldn't have waited so long to check this place out! Really cool interior, and excellent food. I had the Frito Loco (which was great), and daughter had the brisket sandwich (also really good). I definitely recommend giving this place a try! I prefer their BBQ over the previous place (GT South's).
Elizabeth S.
Ordered take out when my favorite bbq place was closed. We got the pulled pork, pulled chicken, Mac n cheese and fries. Meats were very smoky and tasty. Fries were only average. I didn't particularly care for the Mac n cheese but other family members liked, it was gone by end of meal. BBQ sauces were tasty but kind of on the runny side.
Richard P.
Madera Tex Mex BBQ & Tap has the mild misfortune (and challenge) to exist in a fairly nondescript and kind of hidden small strip center just west of 71st & Binford. There's nothing particularly wrong with the location - it's just sort of off the road and I can't help but think that in Broad Ripple a place like Madera would be packed. Madera opened in November 2019. This happened to be right at the time I entered the hospital and ended up with limb loss. It also happened to be about 3-4 months before everything shut down for the pandemic. Fortunately, it has survived. Madera, which means wood in Spanish, was born out of the need for an all wood-smoked, Texas-style BBQ joint in town. The minute you enter you realize they mean business. There's pretty decent parking here in this small strip center that also houses GiGi Bar and Grill and Long Thanh, a Vietnamese Restaurant. While it's fairly close to both residential and business, it's still an awkward location. It's also right across from Ramen Ray. I had learned that one of my Facebook friends worked here and figured I'd make time to visit a new restaurant and also meet a Facebook friend I'd actually never met. I accomplished both tonight. There's a small ramp for accessibility to the left of the entrance. It's right by an outdoor patio area. There are two single doors to enter. I will say that the first door is both a bit heavy and there's a serious lip to it. The second door is also heavy - no serious lip. You arrive at a hosting area where you can also place orders to go, pick up orders to go, or get seated. There are two large rooms - a bar area on the left and a nice dining area on the right. I noticed the bar area seemed to be dominated by high-top tables, but there's a ton of seating that is accessible. The decor is intimate and very woodsy. That fits. There are wide-screen televisions around the walls, but I noticed both music and televisions were fairly light and it was super easy to have a conversation. The menu focuses on meats. They do have a salad option. They have starters, a salad, sandwiches, combos, meat by the pound, and some sides. They also serve up churros with chocolate sauce. They also offer kids' meals, a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, and a full range of bar options. Prices are quite solid on their craft and imports. I had a $5 draft of Bier Brewery's PDG tonight. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Sides are extra here - $4 for fries or you can get a basket of fries for $6. The pulled pork comes on a Martin Potato Roll and there are a variety of sauces on the table. My server, Rebel, was super friendly throughout. She was attentive but not intrusive. I always like it when I hear the sound of co-workers enjoying each other's company (as long as they're not ignoring customers - they weren't). Business was a bit light on this Memorial Day weekend Friday night - it was rainy and kind of gross outside, but here's hoping things pick up here because this is a really delightful spot. I enjoyed the sandwich quite a bit. The service was great. The atmosphere is comfy and warm. The fries were good and nicely seasoned, though the order was a tad small for $4. My entire bill came in somewhere around $18-19 without a tip - obviously, having a beer escalated the price. I was also provided a glass of water. I would, and will, return. I enjoyed the dining experience and food. I'm not sure I'll order fries the next time - but who knows? I was in the mood for a bit of a splurge and it was nice to have a good meal and support local. As a matter of note, I learned that the folks behind Madera also do own the building and they've done a great job of fixing up the interior.
Stephen Henderson
I had the Grand Texan, sm FF & a soft drink. My check was 18.00. I left hungry. This place should be ashamed of themselves for over charging their patrons. The Grand Texan was about the size of a McDonald's cheeseburger but slightly thicker. French Fries about equivalent to McDonald's sm fries but for $4.00. Next time I'll just go to McDonald's and order from the dollar menu and pocket the other $13.00. Will never return!!
Marie Jett
Took a 30 minute drive specifically to dine at Madaras. Had been there before, food was good. The service so/so. Today, Saturday at 630 the restaurant was occupied by only a few patrons. Our party of 6 was told to select a table, which we did. We waited. Waited, waited and waited with no server eye contact. MULTIPLE servers walked by us. There were three tables with patrons who all were looking around as if waiting for their food. We decided to depart after 15 minutes. The hostess sarcastically said have a good night. It was odd. We were very polite. I told the hostess we are leaving because no one waited on us. She shrugged and said with a laugh, huh. I would not recommend visiting this restaurant.
Connor Jett
Been here a few times, and generally the food is excellent but the service is mediocre but overall worth the trip.Today (5/15/2021), the service was dreadful. More waitstaff than tables, yet egregious wait times. Sat perhaps 15 minutes without anyone coming to help so we departed. Staff appeared to be idly chatting behind the welcome desk or wandering around the store conversing. As we left, they offered sarcastic remarks. Will not be returning.
Marie J.
Strange, odd timed sarcasm Friday night we took a 30 minute drive particularly to dine at Madaras. We were allowed to choose our seat. So our party of 6 selected a booth. We waited and waited and waited. Servers walked by. Multiple servers walked by and none looked our way. As I looked around to a very empty restaurant the three tables filled with guests also were looking around. We decided to leave without ordering a thing. I took the lead and started to walk out the door to be called out in a very sarcastic tone....have a nice day. I turned and stated politely no one wanted to help us. The hostess made a very nonconcered huh sound and said nothing more. The lack of care is troubling for a restaurant which is suppose to serve folks food. Would not recommend. I don't write many negative reviews. But this place was a HUGE disappointment
Paula J.
Excellent Food! I wish I found this place earlier. I ordered pull pork tacos and their prime Margarita and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this place to anyone.
While I enjoyed the food, I don't feel like this was the best barbaque place in town. The hostess seemed semi rude and it felt like we weren't necessarily welcome. Our waitress was very friendly so that made our overall experience a bit better. I got the pulled pork sandwich, and my boyfriend got the brisket tacos. Again, the meat was good and smokey, just not something to write home about.
Chris Coleman
Pretty good. Was very slow. Really hope their business picks up because it's a good bar
PJ C.
Wow! I've driven by this place several times before stopping in this week. Was expecting a Mexican chain-style restaurant and was I ever wrong on that! Their food is so fresh and flavorful. Had the smoked meatloaf sandwich and potato salad first time we stopped, then chips/queso, pulled pork with ranchero beans a few days later. The place is spacious and very clean, plenty of room to social distance! Seemed a little quiet for a Friday night- no background music and TVs were muted. My only suggestion would be to add some sound to liven up the atmosphere (which they did right before we left). Nice bar area and separate family dining. Great margaritas, reasonable prices, and pleasant service. Please help to support this place! It's a great find in this neighborhood!!!
steve sutherland
The place was empty, and the brisket was terrible. Smokey to a fault, no flavor, and more dry than I would like. Go elsewhere if you want good bbq
Loved the overall experience from the start to the end. Waitress very helpful and on it throughout service. Loved the brisket and jalapeño cheddar sausage links that came with charro beans that had pull pork in them so delicious. A must stop by when wanting good authentic TexMex BBQ.
The fine folks at Madera Tex-Mex allowed adult families and staff from our school to hold our own trivia night here during spring 2021. The space worked out really well for our group to spread out enough to stay safe, but still feel like we were together. Our server for our table of six was very attentive and kind. She was patient with us when we stayed a bit past closing time. (Sorry about that!) I wasn't even sure I was going to eat anything on this particular evening because a Tex-Mex BBQ place isn't the place to find a vegetarian entree. However, I asked our server if I could order their pulled pork nachos with the pulled pork on the side and she said yes. I was able to enjoy my spicy nachos totally meat-free, and still bring home some pulled pork for my husband to enjoy the next day with his lunch. The nachos were really quite tasty and full of fixins, even without the pulled pork. The jalapenos were incredibly spicy and I really enjoyed the BBQ sauce and cream sauce that was squirted across the top of the entree. Kitchen staff did a thorough job of evenly distributing toppings across the entire tray of nachos so every bite I took was full of flavor.
Really want to like this better, but nothing wowed me. Good bbq, decent atmosphere, and slot of potential, but nothing that stood out on first visit.
Wish I wouldn't have waited so long to check this place out! Really cool interior, and excellent food. I had the Frito Loco (which was great), and daughter had the brisket sandwich (also really good). I definitely recommend giving this place a try! I prefer their BBQ over the previous place (GT South's).
Ordered take out when my favorite bbq place was closed. We got the pulled pork, pulled chicken, Mac n cheese and fries. Meats were very smoky and tasty. Fries were only average. I didn't particularly care for the Mac n cheese but other family members liked, it was gone by end of meal. BBQ sauces were tasty but kind of on the runny side.
Madera Tex Mex BBQ & Tap has the mild misfortune (and challenge) to exist in a fairly nondescript and kind of hidden small strip center just west of 71st & Binford. There's nothing particularly wrong with the location - it's just sort of off the road and I can't help but think that in Broad Ripple a place like Madera would be packed. Madera opened in November 2019. This happened to be right at the time I entered the hospital and ended up with limb loss. It also happened to be about 3-4 months before everything shut down for the pandemic. Fortunately, it has survived. Madera, which means wood in Spanish, was born out of the need for an all wood-smoked, Texas-style BBQ joint in town. The minute you enter you realize they mean business. There's pretty decent parking here in this small strip center that also houses GiGi Bar and Grill and Long Thanh, a Vietnamese Restaurant. While it's fairly close to both residential and business, it's still an awkward location. It's also right across from Ramen Ray. I had learned that one of my Facebook friends worked here and figured I'd make time to visit a new restaurant and also meet a Facebook friend I'd actually never met. I accomplished both tonight. There's a small ramp for accessibility to the left of the entrance. It's right by an outdoor patio area. There are two single doors to enter. I will say that the first door is both a bit heavy and there's a serious lip to it. The second door is also heavy - no serious lip. You arrive at a hosting area where you can also place orders to go, pick up orders to go, or get seated. There are two large rooms - a bar area on the left and a nice dining area on the right. I noticed the bar area seemed to be dominated by high-top tables, but there's a ton of seating that is accessible. The decor is intimate and very woodsy. That fits. There are wide-screen televisions around the walls, but I noticed both music and televisions were fairly light and it was super easy to have a conversation. The menu focuses on meats. They do have a salad option. They have starters, a salad, sandwiches, combos, meat by the pound, and some sides. They also serve up churros with chocolate sauce. They also offer kids' meals, a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, and a full range of bar options. Prices are quite solid on their craft and imports. I had a $5 draft of Bier Brewery's PDG tonight. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Sides are extra here - $4 for fries or you can get a basket of fries for $6. The pulled pork comes on a Martin Potato Roll and there are a variety of sauces on the table. My server, Rebel, was super friendly throughout. She was attentive but not intrusive. I always like it when I hear the sound of co-workers enjoying each other's company (as long as they're not ignoring customers - they weren't). Business was a bit light on this Memorial Day weekend Friday night - it was rainy and kind of gross outside, but here's hoping things pick up here because this is a really delightful spot. I enjoyed the sandwich quite a bit. The service was great. The atmosphere is comfy and warm. The fries were good and nicely seasoned, though the order was a tad small for $4. My entire bill came in somewhere around $18-19 without a tip - obviously, having a beer escalated the price. I was also provided a glass of water. I would, and will, return. I enjoyed the dining experience and food. I'm not sure I'll order fries the next time - but who knows? I was in the mood for a bit of a splurge and it was nice to have a good meal and support local. As a matter of note, I learned that the folks behind Madera also do own the building and they've done a great job of fixing up the interior.
I had the Grand Texan, sm FF & a soft drink. My check was 18.00. I left hungry. This place should be ashamed of themselves for over charging their patrons. The Grand Texan was about the size of a McDonald's cheeseburger but slightly thicker. French Fries about equivalent to McDonald's sm fries but for $4.00. Next time I'll just go to McDonald's and order from the dollar menu and pocket the other $13.00. Will never return!!
Took a 30 minute drive specifically to dine at Madaras. Had been there before, food was good. The service so/so. Today, Saturday at 630 the restaurant was occupied by only a few patrons. Our party of 6 was told to select a table, which we did. We waited. Waited, waited and waited with no server eye contact. MULTIPLE servers walked by us. There were three tables with patrons who all were looking around as if waiting for their food. We decided to depart after 15 minutes. The hostess sarcastically said have a good night. It was odd. We were very polite. I told the hostess we are leaving because no one waited on us. She shrugged and said with a laugh, huh. I would not recommend visiting this restaurant.
Been here a few times, and generally the food is excellent but the service is mediocre but overall worth the trip.Today (5/15/2021), the service was dreadful. More waitstaff than tables, yet egregious wait times. Sat perhaps 15 minutes without anyone coming to help so we departed. Staff appeared to be idly chatting behind the welcome desk or wandering around the store conversing. As we left, they offered sarcastic remarks. Will not be returning.
Strange, odd timed sarcasm Friday night we took a 30 minute drive particularly to dine at Madaras. We were allowed to choose our seat. So our party of 6 selected a booth. We waited and waited and waited. Servers walked by. Multiple servers walked by and none looked our way. As I looked around to a very empty restaurant the three tables filled with guests also were looking around. We decided to leave without ordering a thing. I took the lead and started to walk out the door to be called out in a very sarcastic tone....have a nice day. I turned and stated politely no one wanted to help us. The hostess made a very nonconcered huh sound and said nothing more. The lack of care is troubling for a restaurant which is suppose to serve folks food. Would not recommend. I don't write many negative reviews. But this place was a HUGE disappointment
Excellent Food! I wish I found this place earlier. I ordered pull pork tacos and their prime Margarita and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this place to anyone.
Restaurantji Recommends
While I enjoyed the food, I don't feel like this was the best barbaque place in town. The hostess seemed semi rude and it felt like we weren't necessarily welcome. Our waitress was very friendly so that made our overall experience a bit better. I got the pulled pork sandwich, and my boyfriend got the brisket tacos. Again, the meat was good and smokey, just not something to write home about.
Pretty good. Was very slow. Really hope their business picks up because it's a good bar
Wow! I've driven by this place several times before stopping in this week. Was expecting a Mexican chain-style restaurant and was I ever wrong on that! Their food is so fresh and flavorful. Had the smoked meatloaf sandwich and potato salad first time we stopped, then chips/queso, pulled pork with ranchero beans a few days later. The place is spacious and very clean, plenty of room to social distance! Seemed a little quiet for a Friday night- no background music and TVs were muted. My only suggestion would be to add some sound to liven up the atmosphere (which they did right before we left). Nice bar area and separate family dining. Great margaritas, reasonable prices, and pleasant service. Please help to support this place! It's a great find in this neighborhood!!!
The place was empty, and the brisket was terrible. Smokey to a fault, no flavor, and more dry than I would like. Go elsewhere if you want good bbq
Loved the overall experience from the start to the end. Waitress very helpful and on it throughout service. Loved the brisket and jalapeño cheddar sausage links that came with charro beans that had pull pork in them so delicious. A must stop by when wanting good authentic TexMex BBQ.