Madre + Mason

I’m just home from a wonderful meal – super delicious turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes, scrumptious gravy, and nicely roasted brussel sprouts. Everything was delectable in all respects. The chef graciously greeted us on our arrival and later even brought me extra gravy later! This is some of the best food I’ve eaten in my 30+ years of business travel both in and beyond the continental U.S. It’s deeply satisfying, and generous portions are a plus.
Not an easy place to find – it’s at the far end of Dutch Valley Road, on the right, but well worth the effort.
Yum. Looking forward to returning as soon as possible.

This is the best meal I’ve had in quite a while! Everything was spiced perfectly and the textures were amazing. I ordered a ton of small plates because there is zero shame in my game. I ordered:
deviled eggs
salmon taco
chicken mole taco
guacamole and chips
chicken wings
something non-​alcoholic from the bar (i asked the bartender to surprise me)
my best friend ordered the lamburger, of which i partook (also because there’s zero shame in my game)
the tacos came out first and were beautifully plated. the salmon taco was AMAZING. the salmon was a great texture and was perfectly seasoned. it had a lovely slaw on it which added some great crunch and was sprinkled with cotija cheese. it came with salsa and lime wedges. perfect. the mole was good, but not the best i’ve ever had. the texture of the chicken was not as tender as i would have preferred, but i ate every bit of that taco so it’s not like it wasn’t delicious.
4 fabulous deviled eggs came out next and were better than my own, and i’m a damn good cook. and isn’t that really what we go out to eat for?
the chicken wings were next and were a nice big portion. they were crunchy on the outside and tender and perfectly marinated on the inside. they were tossed in a really tasty sauce and also had a buttermilk dipping sauce which i liked way better than i thought i would.
the guac never actually made an appearance, which was fine cuz i was STUFFED! i took most of the wings home with me. the waiter was apologetic and of course took the guac off the bill. he doubled as the bartender and made me a really delicious fruity, gingery, grenadine-​y concoction that was the perfect accompaniment to my food. oh! and the table water has cucumbers in it, which is always a personal fave.
the chef was around quite a bit to discuss the food with us, which added a really nice touch. she even made a special dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries that came with the lamburger. oh yeah! both the lamburger and the fries were flavorful and delicious.
the space is also really beautiful. it has floor-​to-​ceiling windows, which was lovely at dusk. the light fixtures were lots of fun to watch as the lighting changed as well. i’ll definitely be back!

I don’t write many one star reviews (actually this is the only one star review I’ve ever written in Atlanta).
My grievances:
–Reservation was made one week in advance AND we called ahead before we got there. Needless to say, the table wasn’t ready when we got there, despite the fact that there were literally only 2 or 3 other filled tables in the restaurant. The place was SO empty!
–Our cocktails took forever to arrive and they were NOT good. If you’re going to go to this restaurant, play it safe and stick with wine or beer.
–Our waitress straight up left the restaurant and went home after our cocktails came. We waited for ONE hour before someone else (the owner) decided to check up on us. apparently there was some «miscommunication». There were only 3 filled tables in the restaurant. why didn’t any one else care to check in earlier? This is ridiculous.
–After we finally ordered, it took quite a while for our food to come and they messed up the orders. My friend didn’t get the soup she ordered, I didn’t get the tomatillo taco I ordered (instead they brought me a tomatillo appetizer). and the list goes on. How is this possible when the restaurant is so empty?
–Food was subpar — I won’t even get into that…
–When our checks came, they were ALL WRONG. Not only did they incorrectly charge people for things they did not order, but they charged the wrong price for items they DID order. The chef claimed that they lowered the prices on the menu but did not fix them in the computer system. NOT MY PROBLEM! What kind of restaurant does that? It literally took 30+ minutes for the waiters to get our checks right. How is this possible? At this point we were the only table in the restaurant! They were turning off lights and employees were leaving and we were STILL THERE trying to pay our bills!
This is the WORST service I have ever experience at a restaurant. I would never go back or recommend this place to a friend.
However, I will say that the one nice thing about this restaurant is that the owner/​chef is genuinely nice. She felt terrible about our experience and kept apologizing every 10 minutes. Her staff really need to be better trained. She kept saying she was the only one in the kitchen too.
But instead of discounting our bills, she offered us free margarita shots and a couple of desserts. The desserts should’ve been on the house anyway because we were celebrating a birthday!
This was an unforgettably terrible experience.

Absolute worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. Ordered drinks and appetizers then waited over an hour to order dinner. Chef apologized and told us that the staff «ignored» us. To top it off, they took almost an hour to settle the bills for our 9 person group because of errors (incorrect pricing, incorrect items on bills). In all we spent 3.5 hours in the restaurant and my food was sub-​par. We left after most of the staff and not because we wanted to. Absolutely ruined our post-​dinner plans. I’m actually amazed that they asked us to pay for the meal in full (other than a couple of free desserts for the table which were also not very good). Empty on a Saturday night and now I understand why.

Fabulous food. The calamari is amazing with fried lemon slices and jalapeño rings. Chipotle chicken wings were dry rubbed and delicious! The mole taco was good!!! At the the end of the street. Park in their lot or on the street.

Her Turkey meatloaf with a spicy glaze was the best meatloaf I’ve ever had, no exaggeration. We also had mussels in chimichurri sauce and tacos on the side. It was amazing.

I can’t say enough great things about Madre + Mason. Great food, great atmosphere, great drinks! I will be going back there on a regular basis for sure.

Was on a busines trip and found this great place. Everything was just out of this world. Great décor, great atmoshere and GREAT food…

Had the fried eggplant on portabella, dirty rice and grilled brussels sprouts and it was outstanding! Very clean restaurant with great food, relaxed atmosphere, and excellent mixed drinks. I will be back to try the lamburger and buttermilk brined fried chicken. I had eaten at Urban Cannibals and the food there is excellent and this is the same.

I typically don’t write reviews unless the experience is one extreme or another. In this case, This may be the best food in Atlanta. Great atmosphere but what I care most about is quality and uniqueness of entrées. There is no way you can come here and not say it’s possibly one of the top restaurants in atlanta. I dare you. Simply Awesome.

I’ve been here three times. Once, they forgot one of the three tacos I ordered. Not a big deal except I was one of two tables in the restaurant. Tonight, they brought me ice in my neat bourbon. They then brought me back the same bourbon after the ice had been strained out. Chilled bourbon is not the same as the room temp, neat, bourbon I ordered. After bringing it to their attention, they then brought me another bourbon, room temp, but watered down. I’m a bourbon connoisseur, which is why I ordered neat! But just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, three other bourbon men tasted it and (unprompted) also said it was watered down… Ughhh its now been almost 20 minutes and I still don’t have a drink. Anyway, they finally get me a one finger, bourbon, neat. And I drink it and ask for the bill. And all of this whining could be probably be dismissed as whiny middle aged bourbon snob and a busy bartender… But, the bartender was chatting with the hostess… And this last part is the nail in the fucking coffin. Apparently, a neat drink that took 3 tries to get right is supposed to have an additional $ 1 «neat surcharge.» (Let’s also add another 10 minutes of hostage time waiting for my card to come back.) Sorry guys. I’m not coming back.

I will start on a positive note and the reason I gave it two stars and not one — the food. Everything we tried was fantastic! Gouda dip is a must as well as the mole chicken taco. But the food just couldn’t make up for the service and overall complete lack of organization of simply running a restaurant. I had planned to meet a few friends for drinks and apps. I went to the bar — no drink menu to be found. When they were finally able to locate one (from the back? why aren’t they stored at the bar?) it was only beer and wine. No cocktail menu and the staff did not appear to be able to do more than just the very basics. Part of the problem was that it appeared the bartender was also the host and a waiter — felt very badly for him trying to cover the bar and the entire front of the restaurant single-​handedly. Hugely understaffed. When we finally ordered, it took forever for our food to arrive and was cold. Like I said, though, I had to give the second star for the flavor of the food which was great. Really disappointing — we won’t be going back.

I’ve now been here three times and each time I even more pleased with the whole experience. First, the place has great bones. I love how casual and elegant the atmosphere is. The food is consistently delicious. The turkey meatloaf is so tender and simple with excellent flavor. The deviled eggs — I don’t even know how to describe them. They are creamy and surprisingly spicy. Love it! Tonight I had the wings for the first time. The sauce had just the right amount of heat without being too hot and the meat was tender and moist. I feel like you can’t lose with Chef Calavino’s menu.

Wow, this could have been the worst meal that was touted to be a chef special I have ever had in 40 or more years of dining out. This is a very poorly managed, served, and prepared restaurant. Stay away! Go to anywhere else.

A neighborhood gem. Tucked away, at the very end of Dutch Valley Road, off Monroe Drive. Beautiful space with a great outdoor patio.
I’ve always loved Calavino Donati’s cooking — all the way back to her days at Roman Lily. Now she’s focused on Latin American cuisine with a Southern twist. Stars of our evening: Lobster Taco, Chicken Thighs in Mole, and Lamb Burger.
Great evening, great food.

Great foods and drinks are excellent. In the perfect location right next to Piedmont park. I would definitely recommend this to others for dinner or just a drink.

I have been a long-​time fan of Calavino Donati’s cooking, since the days of The Roman Lily. I’ve been eagerly anticipating her return to a full-​size restaurant for years. Madre + Mason shows it was worth the wait.
I think Calavino describes the menu as Latin-​inspired Southern food; my wife called it «Spanish comfort food». I think both descriptions work very well. We started with an incredible special appetizer: lamb meatballs over Spanish risotto with chimichurri and a green sauce (I can’t remember what that was). Every bite was incredible; deep, rich, complex and savory.
We followed that up with the ancho espresso deviled eggs. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better, creamier deviled egg.
For an entrée we split the turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes and jalapeño gravy. I tracked Calavino down after the Roman Lily closed specifically for that gravy. I have purchased it from her many times when serving brunch to guests. It’s as good as ever, and this classic Roman Lily dish is still one of my favorites.
Right off the Beltline, I am confident Madre + Mason is going to be an Atlanta institution soon.