Mad Mex
$ - inexpensive
Mexican
Mexican-style Food in South Campus Gateway
Mad Mex has a rather extensive menu of tacos, enchiladas, salads, quesadillas, burritos and other Mexican-influenced foods. In addition to clearly labeling items on the menu as "vegetarian" and "vegan," Mad Mex also provides a list of substitutions (including casein-free soy cheese and tofu sour cream) that can be made to veg*n-ize other menu options.
In the South Campus Gateway
- Large Group-Friendly
- Outdoor Seating
Added by Lola on Aug 14 07 (updated Aug 14 07)
Reviews
My husband and I are both vegetarians and Mad Mex was one of the first veg friendly restaurants that we found when we moved to the Columbus area. It has a great atmosphere and so many veg choices that I always have a hard time deciding what to get. One of my favorites is the happy hippie quesadilla with vegan soy cheese and tofu sour cream and the veggie burrito with the soy cheese and tofu sour cream. I definitely recommend Mad Mex for the veg selections, the quality of food and the friendly staff.
Mad Mex fills the much-needed niche of "popular hangout spot that also has vegan food available." It's a great place to take your non-vegetarian friends since it has something for everyone.
That said, I was somewhat disappointed with the texture of the soy cheese (like little sticks of cardboard that were flavored like cheese) and the tofu sour cream (think pureed tofu with lemon). I would stick to the menu items that don't rely on cheese, like the burritos or soups. One major bonus: there are sopapillas for dessert (which the waiter assured me were vegan, but you might want to check before ordering).
All in all, Mad Mex has made a laudable effort to extend their menu to vegetarians and vegans, so it's worth going just to show appreciation for their efforts (and perhaps to subtly slip the contact information of Follow Your Heart Soy Cheese and Tofutti Sour Cream).
I had the veggie burrito with soy cheese and tofu sour cream. While I wasn't overly impressed with the taste/quality (although it's up to Chipotle or Qdoba standards), I was very happy they provided vegan cheese options. I really liked that they had tofu sour cream, which appeared to be homemade, and they don't charge you extra for it.
I got a side of chips and guacamole, and could not believe that I was handed an entire (huge!) bag of chips, a big container of guacamole AND a big container of salsa. It was SO much food for only $5. The pineapple-habanero salsa was really spicy and had a good flavor, but the guacamole looked like it was lacking lime juice, as it was already turning brown and you could taste it. Yuck.