MAD – Modern American Diner

I was at MAD yesterday and it was not a good experience. We waited for a very long time for service when it wasn’t that busy and another 30+ minutes for 2 burgers. The server was rude and I watched a couple ask for coffee 3 times and they were told that they would have to «wait their turn and they will get it when they can» by a guy that wasn’t really doing anything.
My friend ordered her burger medium-​rare and it came out almost well done but at that point we were too hungry to wait for another burger. I order mine medium and it was more done than medium but otherwise ok. I also ordered béarnaise sauce (for an additional 30 DDK), and it tasted awful. Not only that, the sauce was separated and the butter or oil or whatever they use was just swimming on top of the sauce. I didn’t eat it. Our server never came back to asked us how it was (not surprising cause this is Denmark) but when she came to take our plate I pointed out the sauce.
Now, I am a chef and I’m American, so I have some knowledge about sauces. I have also worked in restaurants the better part of my adult life, so I know how to take a critique or complaint. When I pointed out the sauce was virtually untouched and it was not good and should look like that, the waitress began to argue with me, telling me that «that was MY personal preference» about how the «sauce should be like that» cause it «always comes out like that» and she had been to another restaurant before and had béarnaise and «it didn’t look like theirs at MAD and she didn’t like it», so that was HER preference. Every time I tried to talk to her, she told me it was my personal preference and walked away.
Ok, so I wasn’t going to pay for a sauce I didn’t touch and I know wasn’t only my personal preference and when the bill came I noted that the sauce wasn’t on it. I was pleased that I didn’t need to say anything. Well, after I paid and I was looking at the bill, I couldn’t see how mine was more expensive than my friends bill, because, minus the horrible sauce, we got the same priced things. I looked at my onion ring price and it was 64 kroner. I grabbed a menu and saw that onion rings were only 34 kroner and sauce is 30 kroner. The waitress had added the 2 together on the bill!
Now, maybe this was how it always is, but that seems shady to me. If I have to order them separately, shouldn’t they be listed separately on the bill? When we went to leave, she was standing next to the door and didn’t even say good bye or anything until we said it. I will not be back and as an American living abroad, I am sad that I will cross this off my list of places to dine.
The good: cause there was some good. The onion rings were excellent and they served Rootbeer, but those 2 things were not enough to redeem the place, in my opinion.

Tasty burgers with decent fries, however the service was not satisfactory.
Nothing to complain about in regards to the service. I ordered a burger well done but got medium well — luckily I like it medium too so it wasn’t an issue. Then we tried to order ketchup but wouldn’t get the attention from the personnel chatting with each other.
When we were done eating we wanted coffee but they forgot about that order — which is probably why I slept so good tonight — but that wasn’t on top of our minds at the restaurant.
I would give the burgers a 3,5 but the service is of course affecting the overall grade — don’t expect any major service experience from this place.
No hooks for hanging the coats but there wasn’t so crowded and we could use a chair.
Will probably never visit again — there are way better places to visit in Copenhagen for burgers — I have made a few other reviews earlier you can choose from.

Very good breakfast! The portions are big and the food very tasty! The staff is friendly and the food came fast!

We were the only customers for an early dinner at 4.30pm and it took 15 minutes before they took our order and 30 minutes to get our food. My friend got a burger that was raw (not even rare) inside and they made no reaction.

I was here for breakfast and I have to say — it’s the best diner I’ve ever been to for breakfast. The food is delicious, the staff are lovely, helpful and always smiling. I personally recommend going for the juices instead of the bottled drinks, as you can tell the juices were freshly squeezed, adding that nice touch to your food. Just FYI — although you’ll get your bill in DKK and euros, you can only pay in Danish Kroner. I definitely recommend this.

Good hamburger and fries. Food was made as we ordered, hot and fresh. Service is good as well. Dining out is pricey in Copenhagen so we were looking for a place to grab dinner and not break the bank. The 2 of us managed to keep the bill around $ 50 (US). This is a ridiculous price but in Denmark this is not bad.

Weird nordic take on classic American dishes that doesn’t need any changing. No Americans in sight to authenticate the concept. Poor tourist-​trap like service, nowhere near the down-​to-​earth friendly service you know and love from real US diners. They weren’t even able to put ketchup in the kids menu burger — a pretty simple request, instead we got a big ketchup bottle on the table.

First time I even liked it, second time was definitely my last. The burger was too salty, the waiter was charging more than what was supposed to… Very bad service and below average burgers. They are lucky because they are very well located, otherwise I believe the business would not survive!

verrückte stadt — es gibt hier so viele läden die irgendwas mit mad im namen haben. in diesem fall bedeutet es modern american diner. die burgerkarte machte uns — neben dem namen — neugierig. schon beim reinkommen wurden wir gut gelaunt begrüßt und bekamen einen sonnenplatz an einer der großen fensterfronten. die burger wahl war schnell getroffen, beim bier war ich mir nicht sicher uns ließ mir von unserer zauberhaften kellnerin (man war die lieb und süß, ich bin immer noch ein bisschen in-​love :)) das hausgebraute mad ipa empfehlen. damit lag sie bei meinem geschmack gold richtig!
der burger sah nicht nur gut aus, nein er war war von oben bis unten hausgemacht. handwerk und qualität waren bei jedem bissen rauszuschmecken. für vegetarier gibt es zum beispiel eine variante mit haloumi und portobello. die pommes waren schön kross, mit schale, die frei wählbaren dips allesamt selbstgemacht. als ergänzung konnte zusätzlich auf heinz ketchup, einen amerikanischen senf und eine art tabasco zurückgegriffen werden.
ein toller laden, sicher nicht nur für burger. top lage neben dem tivoli in hauptbahnhofsnähe.

Great Selection of Beers! And my crab cakes were Delish, I just wish there were more! My husband ordered the Shrimp po’boy and although the flavors were great there were only 4 small shrimp on it. I ordered the Philly cheesesteak and I really wish the restaurant would rename it a roast beef sandwich. Had I expected roast beef I wouldn’t have had complaints but expecting steak I was very let down. A single order of fries was perfect size to share! All in all I’ll go again but won’t be ordering either of those sandwiches again, will probably try a burger.

MAD — Modern American Diner
It’s not Modern, nor is it American.
The food is overpriced. And mediocre, at best.
Putting paprika powder on fries does NOT make them chili fries.
The idea is good, but the presentation and heart just aren’t there.
It seems like they want to be the next Noma, without actually putting in the effort.

The burger I had here was great.
However: tables are incredibly dirty –so much so that if you put your hand on one it will stick! Service is slooooow. French fries I got were uncooked.

I tried MAD after having walking past it several times, and I must say I wasn’t impressed. The menu is fairly limited, though they have a nice beer selection. The food is decent but overpriced, especially the starters.
I started with some crab cakes, and had a chili cheese burger with fries as the main course. The crab cakes were acceptable, but considering the price, should have been better. The chili cheese burger was quite nice, though light on chili, but the fries were bland and not worth finishing.

The crabcakes are too die for.
The rest? Well, they are not bad. In a place where bad food are abundant, you get to apreciate little things and having MAD right in the middle of the quarter, neighbour to Tivoli and City Hall makes lunch appointment with friends a little bit easier, also not so heavy on the wallet since their pricelevel is extremely decent for Copenhagen wise.

Quite good!
Okay, I’ll admit it… I only had the coffee. But it was wonderful for what it was.
MAD was quite close to my hotel so I found myself wandering over every morning for a sweet cup of coffee. The staff was wonderful and the take away service was very quick. They even made my latte with soy milk and a sprinkle of vanilla, which tasted amazing.
If you’re looking for a quick spot of coffee in the morning, this is the perfect place!

I don’t know much about American dish, how it supposed to taste like. But what I do know is this one is better than Greasy Spoon by price and taste. I have came here twice for lunch. Me and my husband thought it worth the price at least. My friend was surprised that the chili fries was just a normal french fries sprinkle with ground chilli.

I tried this place, but was a bit skeptical. It’s difficult to do American food if it’s not right… It’s a great location right next ti Tivoli, so very central. When you first come in, they have this very col interactive floor projection where it looks like there are coffee beans on the floor, and when you kick them, they move around. That was fun.
We sat upstairs and started with the shortribs and chicken wings, crab cakes and carpaccio. The short ribs and chicken wings were pretty good, but avoid the crabcakes. You can tell were frozen, and there is more batter than crab. With the carpaccio, I thought it was nicely presented, but out of place.
For the main I had a ribeye with the sundried tomato rocket, and parmesan topping. I asked for the steak to be medium rare, but it was more medium to medium well. The topping was yummy, and the steak had good flavor. All the steaks come with 2 onion rings, so no need to order that side dish. The sweet potato fries were spot on, and the green pepper corn dipping sauce is super yummy. So is the chili mayo. The onion rings were ok, but I’ve had better at other burger places in town.
The service was ok, but not great. Our waitress was nice enough, but we had to ask for things twice. It’s fun to see the décor with all the differnt American sports teams because you can find your hometeam in hockey, baseball, basketball, and football. I also LOVE the fact that they serve Frank’s Red Hot. It doesn’t have the most hyggelig atmosphere, but it’s ok. It’s kinda fun, but I feel like it’s a weak copy of what I know from my own country. It gives you a taste, but like I say, if you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all. I am looking forward to gonig back to try other signature ‘American dishes’, and see if they can do better…

I was walking around in Copenhagen recently, and missed some succulent chicken tenders, so what better do do then to walk into a spot that advertises itself as a diner.
Alas, they didn’t have the tenders, meaning that I’m as of this writing is still craving a solid bunch of buffalo and honey-​bbq tenders with bleu cheese and ranch on the side.
None of the sandwiches really did it for me on said day, and after inquiring the kitchen they unfortunately were unable to do steak tips on top of a Cobb salad, meaning that I instead opted for the Caesar salad w/​chicken + a Lagunitas IPA.
The salad was good, but the chicken was somewhat disappointing, it was not even lukewarm, and most definitely not moist. A minus that I personally had to ask for ground pepper.
Service was a bit on the slow side, even for Danish standards.
The experience was meh, I’ve experienced much better food and way more welcoming and fast service at normal diners, meaning that this felt like a somewhat subpar experience when I found myself back on the wet and cold streets of Copenhagen.

I like the big rooms, which gives a low noise level. The high tables, bright lighting, nice treatment are also okay.
The American kitchen offers standard meals, but with no inspiration.
Mad is a concept restaurant, tourist trap, no higher ambitions.
And the wine was very thin also…

Not impressed. Adding barbecue sauce to a Philly Cheesesteak (on toast bread!) isn’t a modern American twist on a classic. It’s sacrilege! The sandwich itself was just plain nasty. The cheesefries were okay. Side salad ended up being my main course because my sandwich was so gross. Excellent onion rings. My friend liked his pulled pork sandwich. The Mac and Cheese had to be covered in hot sauce because it was so boring. I’ve had better Mac and Cheese from a box.
But yay for root beer!

Craving burgers, we discovered that MAD (Modern American Diner) had opening night and was just around the corner from us. So we rapped up in warm clothes and went to see what’s up.
Upon arrival, we were told that they we’re absolutely taken back by the sheer number of orders and that their reservation system was having a tough time handling it. If we would mind waiting up to 30 min to order? No problem! We weren’t that hungry anyway.
The restaurant itself is on the 1^st floor, a quite large room with benches and long tables as well as smaller tables and high tables. We found a seat at the bar to watch some of the kitchen and service action, highly recommendable.
The service was chaotic with waiters running around confused, but the atmosphere was really nice. They had opening specials with prices half of the regular prices, so we went for several options: A smoked pork burger, a double beef and cheese burger, a vegetarian burger and mac n cheese. For dessert, we had carrot cake and key lime pie.
Ulrik quickly finished up the smoked pork and gave it two thumbs up! Juicy, good flavour, could have been more ‘pulled’ but what the heck. I had the vegetarian burger and had the pleasure to discover that the ‘meat’ was just grilled portobello mushroom. In my opinion, this is the best way to make vegetarian burgers and most lentil-​veggie versions tend to get really dry. We agreed that the double beef/​cheese was just ok, very standard and nothing out of the ordinary, while I looooved the mac n cheese (creamy and stringy!) and Ulrik was so-​so about it.
The best of it all were the desserts! Amazing! It was probably one of the best key lime pies I’ve had and the carrot cake was phenomenal as well.
The burger experience is good, but the main attract here is dessert!