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| - Mad Mex will always have a special place in my heart, and my stomach. And probably my liver too. I remember coming here with friends on my 21st birthday, and we all got big azz margaritas. And then some more margaritas. And then some more. And then it got hazy. Same with my senior year in college, when we would come for happy hour. Hazy as well. Given the size and tastiness of the margaritas and the great beer selection, you can see why there's a bit of haziness.
Anyways, I definitely think that out of all the Big Burrito restaurants, Mad Mex is my favorite. The half-price menu at this location makes the deal even sweeter. My buddies and I would usually go to Fuel & Fuddle for half-price, but if we ever wanted to mix it up, we would make the trek to Mad Mex, for some wings or burritos. My favorite items are the Large San Francisco wings with bleu cheese, nachos grande, and the black bean dip. Seriously, that black bean dip is pretty epic, and I've found that nary another restaurant in the country has a black bean dip that good. Also, if you haven't tried the blue cornbread, you should. Incredibly moist, and did I mention it's blue? Overall, the prices are great too, and if all else fails, you can't go wrong with a simple bottomless chips and salsa order either. They're also pretty good at making vegan and vegetarian versions of most of the dishes on the menu, which helps when you've got an herbivore in your group.
I do wish that it wasn't so crowded on the weekends, and to be fair, Mad Mex doesn't really serve authentic Mexican food, or even Tex-Mex for that matter. As long as you can get over these two facts, Mad Mex is an awesome place to have a big azz margarita, and grab some Tex-Mex-ish American bar food. Also, note that the Shadyside location does NOT have late night food specials like the Oakland location.
Nonetheless, I came back not too long ago, and I was glad to see that not much had changed. I'll still never get used to day drinking at Mad Mex. Since it's so dark inside, once you leave the restaurant, the sunlight will almost blind you, and people will think you're more intoxicated than you actually are, even though it's just the burst of light that's disorienting you. And the booze.
As I'll leave you to your Yelp Review reading, Mad Mex is an awesome bar to booze and grab some good food with friends, with a few small flaws here and there. I suggest you look past those flaws and just love it for what it is.
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