Eats

Inside Manchester’s new Mexican taco and ceviche restaurant Madre

Madre officially opens its doors at Kampus on Saturday 17 June.

Georgina Pellant - 16th June 2023

A new Mexican restaurant is opening in Manchester this weekend serving up authentic tacos and ceviche alongside zesty tequila and mezcal tacos.

Brought to the city by the teams behind London’s famous Breddos Tacos and esteemed Liverpudlian eatery Belzan, it sits on the edge of the city centre’s new waterside neighbourhood, Kampus, with a gorgeous sun trap terrace just perfect for al fresco dining.

Officially due to open tomorrow, Saturday 17 June, we headed down for a sneak preview at what’s to come – and left feeling very impressed.

Although a large proportion of the menu here is dedicated to tacos, the menu at Madre is split into four sections – wood-fired, oysters and raw, tacos and snacks – with the likes of freshly-prepared ceviche, fire-roasted Simaloan style prawns and oysters Rockefeller all vying for attention.

At the oyster and raw bar, you’ll find sashimi-grade tuna tostadas, cured seabass, and not two but three different styles of oysters to choose from, with toppings including a housemade jalapeno mignonette and roasted bonemarrow, panko and coriander.

As for the wood-fired section, the show-stopping aged wing of beef with beef jus potatoes is a must but further options like charcoal-grilled sea bass with salsa roja and refried beans, or the almejas with clams and beer also sound very tempting.

Snacks, meanwhile, span the likes of chiccaron de puerco y cola – perfectly crispy pork belly bites in a Mexican cola BBQ sauce – and ‘elote’ corn ribs with chipotle mayo, lime and queso fresco.

Of course, we also have to talk about the tacos too. Given that Madre’s taco truck has become something of a fixture around Manchester these past few years, it’s true that as we headed down this afternoon they were very much front and centre in our minds.

With six different styles to choose from, veggies and vegans are looked after with options like whipped potato and tempura avocado, alongside mainstay favourites like baja fish, birria beef shin, pork carnitas and fried chicken.

As for drinks, think punchy tequila and mezcal-based cocktails loaded with zesty citrus and artfully decorated with hibiscus salt alongside traditional Mexican soft drink Jarritos, a full wine and beer list and more besides.

Officially open from Saturday 17 June at Kampus, Manchester city centre has – until now at least – been sorely missing a good Mexican restaurant. Thankfully, it appears that Madre is here to answer our prayers.

Featured image – The Manc Eats