This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Madison area, much better than the tiny one in Madison that has a lot of awards. I love their nachos--have to get it every time we come here. Their signature enchiladas are great too. I love that they put seafood in there. This time I got gorditas, great flavors and love the crispy corn shells. Their salsa that comes with the free corn chips is honestly not that good...must have been frozen. Every time I could taste an off freezer burn taste. Probably that's why it's so runny. Bathrooms is very clean, but one soap dispenser wasn't working and also the paper towel dispenser was not very sensitive. Service was great. The waitress was very friendly. The biggest thing to improve would be to stop freezing the salsa. read more

We're still searching for a new go-to Mexican restaurant for our family. I had hoped that Compadres would be up to the task. It was okay. Bad? no. I'd eat it again. But we're likely to keep trying new places. My food tasted a bit heavy on the cilantro. Ironically, I think my food tasted better the next day reheated. Not that it was bad fresh! The staff were friendly, and the restaurant was clean. read more

In a time that consumers are deciding where to spend their money, Compadres service doesn't make the case. Slow and rude. If a group of 6 walked into an empty restaurant, one would think 2 things. They would appreciate the business and service would have been slightly attentive. read more

Place is overall good but the portion could have been bigger on the protein. This has been my overview with the place. Last two times I have ordered steak milanesa and chilaquiles steak and I have got so thin slice of steak. Other than that food and the place is good. read more

Compadres Mexican Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Middleton, Wisconsin

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We came around for a later lunch and it was great! All meals were enjoyed and the strawberry margaritas were a hit. We also ordered the house guac and it's a must! The staff were friendly and attentive as well and gave us as much time as we needed. Great portions as well and the restaurant itself is incredibly clean and well cared for. We'll be back! read more

I'm usually one to give a fair review but unfortunately I did not have a good experience from the start. I walked in and was waiting to be seated by a waitress (who was on the phone) but was skipped over an the group behind me which were seated first. When I informed the person that we were first, he stated that the lady on the phone would seat us. Then they sat us in the very back of the restaurant, when I asked for a different seat I was given a very dry excuse. Then the waitress spilt my guests beer on the table and barely made an effort to make it right. The food took forever and I immediately cancelled my food order. I felt discriminated against and there was no effort to make the situation right. read more

Compadres Mexican Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Middleton, Wisconsin

Ambiance was nice, service ok, food was very good but there were no accoutrements- no hot sauce, no ketchup for fries.... they barely gave a half a teaspoon of sour cream for the fajitas. Like none. The beer was flat and warm from the tap. Would stick to margaritas. Overall just ok. read more

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We came here on a Taco Tuesday as we heard these were some of the best tacos in town. We were greeted politely by staff, not super busy to plenty of tables to choose from. Although we were here for tacos, I couldn't help but get a tostada -- those are really more my jam to get that crunchiness. Al pastor tacos - seasoning on the meat was great, nice salsas and fresh cilantro and white onions - fresh, memorable, and delicious. Tostada ceviche - more muted in flavor, but nothing some hot sauce couldn't fix. Ceviche in itself it really wet with the fish and lemon juice, but it broke apart pretty quickly. I will try another tostada in the future - perhaps the chorizo! read more

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I visited this place for the first time and I was impressed. I ordered the molcajete which is grilled steak, grilled chicken, shrimp, cactus, chives, topped with slices of queso fresco served with a side of rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and tortillas. To drink I ordered the strawberry margarita made with Casamigos. The margarita and the molcajete were really good. The chips and red salsa were good as well. One of the best salsas I've had. read more

Compadres Mexican Restaurant - Molcajete - Bars Near Me - Middleton, Wisconsin

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Not the best flavor. Guac was lacking--no garlic, no lime, no salt; service felt rushed.

We rarely venture to the far west side to dine but our friends from Middleton asked us to join them at Compadres. It was a Monday night so it was not too busy and the weather was great so we sat outside. We got a table in the shade of the overhang which was comfortably cool. We started with some Mexican beers and chips and salsa (the hot salsa was indeed hot). I had a combo of cheese, chorizo and pastor enchiladas with a green sauce and my wife got cheese and chicken enchiladas - all were very good. Our friend got different fajitas and enjoyed them a lot. The service was OK as were the prices. If you live on the west side you might want to check out this place. read more

Came on very busy Cinco de Mayo. There was live music and dancing - very fun. We stood by the bar and had a few drinks. Good service and good food. My only complaint is a few of our orders were incorrect but would return. read more

Compadres Mexican Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Middleton, Wisconsin

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By far one of the best Mexican restaurants I've been too in a LONG time. This gem is in the downtown area and is a MUST if you're craving some authentic Mexican style food. We sat down right away outside and were given fresh chips with mild and hot salsa. Chips were freshly fried and guacamole was made at your table. I got the steak fajita salad which was out of this world. From the guac to pico de gallo, all are fresh ingredients making the dish so much better. Also got some tacos and the cheese quesadilla and both were amazing. For dessert we got the fried ice cream, it looked so good I forgot to take a picture! This was my first time going to Compadres and certainly won't be the last. They have a 6 page menu so the options are literally endless. Every item we ordered was perfect and delicious, I'm glad we stumbled upon this place and highly recommend it!! read more

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How on earth does this place get four stars? It is not in my nature to be a whiner or complainer. We started off with some chips and salsa that were brought to the table. I have never seen such thin salsa in my life. One dip of a chip and all salsa would immediately run off. not a bit of the chunks of tomato and onion you would find in another Mexican restaurant. Horrible. Next, the margaritas that we had ordered arrived at the table. I'm not sure what these drinks were, but they did not taste like any margaritas I've ever had in all my years. It was more similar to salt water than anything else. When my shrimp fajitas arrived at the table, they were accompanied by a small wisp of lettuce, some guacamole, and quite literally 2 teaspoons of sour cream. Watered down, runny, sour cream. I would soon understand why such a small thimble of sour cream. I asked the server for a bit more sour cream. Later, I saw that I was charged two dollars for the extra ounce of running sour cream. I ran out of the extra small shells that were brought to the table long before the rest of the food was finished. But, I dared not ask for an additional shell to avoid any five or six dollar charge. My wife had a similar experience. We will not be back and, for the life of me, I do not understand why anyone would. read more

Some friends and I went to Compadres. The menu was extensive, and my friends and I agreed that it was good mexican food. It wasn't particularly crowded when we got there and it thinned out during our stay. I would give the food 4 stars because I would've liked more guacamole and more sour cream than the small dollops put onto a bed of shredded lettuce (which I've never liked when Mexican restaurants do that). I did not ask the server for any additional guac or sour cream, for reasons that will be explained in the next paragraph. I would give the service 2 stars but *not* because of the waitstaff at all -- they were quite pleasant and I'm sure they were trying their best, but it took an awfully long time to get the food (at least 45 minutes after ordering) and some of us had to wait 10 minutes more after other people at our table got their food before we got ours. This created some discomfort because the served people at the table didn't really want to eat anything until everyone had their food. So I'm leaving it at 3 stars which is an average of the good food and the less than optimal service. I would certainly go back there and order food for curbside takeout, but I'm not sure I would dine in again unless I had plenty of time to wait. read more

Compadres is a great option for Mexican food in Middleton! The first thing I notice about a restaurant is it's staff, and the staff at Compadres is very professional, helpful, and friendly. I had not visited Compadres before the COVID-19 pandemic, but since visiting their restaurant during the pandemic, I can tell you that they are being very professional and taking the public health matters seriously. Now for the food. The menu is full of authentic Mexican options as well as more Americanized "Mexican" options, so there is something for everyone. The portions are generous and the price is reasonable. Every plate (at least all those I have ordered) comes with small sides of guacamole, sour cream, pico de Gallo salsa, tomatoes, and lettuce. I love this about Compadres because a lot of other Mexican restaurants will charge you extra for those sides. My go-to order is the enchiladas suizas. They are enchiladas filled with your choice of protein (I always get steak) and topped with green (verde) sauce and queso. These enchiladas are so delicious. One thing to note about the steak, though, is that the pieces are very small (almost liked diced steak pieces, but I don't mind this!) The go-to order for my boyfriend is the pollo Santa Fe. This dish is delicious too! It is thinly sliced chicken sautéed with onions and peppers in a queso sauce. This dish comes with tortillas on the side as well. All dishes come with rice and beans (very tasty rice and beans I may add). The last thing to note is the tamales. We have tried the verde and the rajas. Both were delicious but I think the rajas tamale is slightly superior. The only negative I have to say about Compadres is the horchata; it tasted like a red-hot candy. It did not taste like fresh/natural cinnamon. All in all, great restaurant, and one of my go-to's in Middleton! read more

Ho Hum. Food looks nice but tasteless and boring. You get free chips and green and red salsa which is nice. No little plates so you end up dripping all over the table between bowl and mouth. Sauces were better than the food but not by much. Big chunks of red onion in the pico which to me made it un-eatable, maybe others like them but I don't. Very forgettable meal but lots of people prefer food like this. It was busy here for lunch. The outside deck is nice and the inside very upscale. Bathroom had that Darth Vader look, all in black but clean and nice. Our waiter was efficient and there was no long delays between drinks and food. Not a place we would go back to. read more

Came in for lunch on a weekday and the place was almost empty. I will say our server was very attentive and did a great job. I would rate the service at 4 stars. But the food - I would actually give two stars for the food. It was just sort of "meh" Mexican food. I really wanted to love this place more. They have a nice location in a beautiful building. They could make a lot of money if they invested in a head chef with better quality ingredients and more nuance to the recipes. Probably no return visit in my future unless things change...as always YMMV! read more

At first this place didn't even look like a restaurant. Don't let the outsides and location intimidate you. The restaurant was behind the bar section and the place actually turned out to be pretty large. For dinner, we tried something different for a change. We started with hot pork tomalleys and cheese queso which was really awesome. My lady friend got the beef enchiladas and I ordered the beef chimichanga. The entrees were perfect and they came out super fast. Some of the seasonings within the meats could have had more bolder cumin flavors. However, I can't complain! Both of these entrees were served with side salad, pico de Gallo, guacamole, and referendum beans with rice. Really good sized portions for the price. To finish, we had Rum Chat-a and Flan. Their Fla to die for. The perfect consistency. They got it just right! read more

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Small portions, beans that come with fajitas were cold on everyone's plates. Even though we were a group of 7, they only brought 1 basket of chips despite asking for more (later found out they cost extra). Had empty glasses most of meal. Would not choose to eat here again. read more

Delicious Mexican food and reasonably priced! Highly recommend the sopes, tamales, and flan (buy multiple flan because you won't want to share!). This is our favorite Mexican restaurant. read more

Super disappointed by the food here, both mine and my friends dishes were lacking in flavoring and seasoning. Service was pretty slow with us needing to flag them down. Overall very disappointing experience. read more

Utterly the worst Mexican food I've ever had from any establishment masquerading as a restaurant. Completely banal and flavorless food, from owners or management who long ago lost any desire to impress even the most simplistic palate. There wasn't an atom of seasoning on the entree or sides. All of the above clearly purchased and opened directly from cafeteria quality bulk cans, chopped, warmed, and served in an uninspired slop. It's criminal that anyone can take money and offer this dreck in return. Please close, the people of Madison deserve far better. read more

Really good BUT one thing...the blue walls make the place too dark. Yellow! Orange! It needs to be that classic colorful, wonderful fiesta like environment. Better lighting! Come on you can do it!!! read more

Update: My friend and I went a few weeks back and found ROCKS in the beans and rice? I was eating an bit down super hard on a rock, and not even a minute later I hear her tooth hit something hard as well. We both were shocked to see rocks. Apparently they have their beans mixed with rocks?? They told us they are usually pretty careful with separating them before serving. But both of us left with a sore tooth and lack of appetite. read more

Friendly staff. Social distancing. Masks worn by staff. Good portions for food. Okay Horchata. Large food selection menu. Decent alcohol choices. Ground beef was a bit salty. read more

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We just had a really great meal. All the food was delicious.Service was prompt and friendly. We will be back

I ordered the combo fajita plate. The meat and vegetables were very great. I'm from San Antonio TX and have high standards there considering there is one on every corner. I told myself I wasn't going to eat Mexican while in Wisconsin. When you go to a Mexican restraunt you can tell it's a good one if it has Hispanics eating there as well. There were only Hispanics eaters there so game was on for me. The rice was fluffy and flavorful! The only thing they need to work on is their beans. They were tasteless and cold. We won't hold the standard of having homemade tortillas to you northerners. With covid being way overblown in Madison I can understand why everyone is short staffed. Lastly, my server was polite, responsive and prompt. You know why these people are in business and they are a great restraunt. read more

Compadres Mexican Restaurant - Combination fajitas plate. - Bars Near Me - Middleton, Wisconsin

Driving around looking for a new place to try and we decided on Compadres in Middleton. Chips and salsa were brought out quickly. Chips were very greasy and not warm, emptied right out of a bag. Sangria was watered down and tasteless. We shared the Texas fajitas and they were tasteless, the beans were runny and poured out of a can. We sat outside and there was no music. The interior was lifeless and confusing as to wether we were in a sports bar or Mexican restaurant. There was hardly anyone in The restaurant and our service was very slow. The best thing about this restaurant was the water and the queso (which was mediocre at best) Would not recommend. read more

It would be a cool place to swing by after work and grab a margarita or something, they have a lot of tequilas! The food was ok. I don't know if it was just me or if everything seemed salty. Usually when I get enchiladas suiza anywhere in the past, it's always been a red sauce. Here it was a green sauce and some sort of cheese sauce which I don't know that's something I want to do again. And the meat inside the 3 enchiladas also tased salty. I don't really love it and thinking if I could re-do my order is just get cheeses enchiladas and I'd have to ask for enchilada sauce (red) which seems weird to me. My original bartender who was myserver never checked back on me at all but I was able to flag down other staff that were nice for a refill, more salsa, my check. Also didn't love that, who would. read more

Terribly generic Mexican food, burrito was just a burrito slopped on a plate with no sides. Tamales were very small & expensive, again no side dishes, no garnish, nothing but bare bones Mexican food with a BIG price tag. We sat in an empty restaurant surrounded by about 8 employees doing nothing & us looking forward to our departure. read more

This place was amazing. They were super busy and still had amazing service. Everyone we talked to was very nice and wanted to make sure our experience was great. They have a great family story and you can see the pride they take in their food and culture. The margarita was great, I recommend on getting the grande. I also had my usual dish of testing a Mexican restaurant which is a chicken chimichanga and it is one of the best in Madison. I will be coming back often. My only recommendation for the owners is to use a plate warmer, it doesn't need to be super hot, but my beans started to get cold in the middle of the meal due to the cold plates. read more

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I was visiting from Texas and we have Tex-Mex and that is hard to beat. The food was a 4... no chili con carne sauce, the salsa was just ok and my tacos were bland. The service was just ok... to have no crowd, she wasn't very attentive. The location and ambiance was nice; set my hopes high when I walked in. read more

Compadres is amazing!!! The new location has so much space. We called to reserve a table for 12 same-day and they were extremely accommodating. The food is authentic, fresh, and delicious. I highly recommend the pastor tacos and ceviche. read more

Cinco de Mayo the way it should be done! Festive, excellent food, and the service was fast and friendly!! I love this place! The bartender was also friendly and welcoming. read more

Wonderful tacos, as usual! Splurged for fried ice cream as well. That was pretty good too. When I went in there were three women standing there. It took a few minutes to seat me. I asked for a booth and the lady (not 1 of the 3 women) seating me seemed put off by my request. I should mention that they were not busy. No one in the table area whatsoever. My waitress was great! Attentive but not obnoxiously so! If I had never been here before I probably would probably think twice before coming again because of those 3 women when I first walked in. read more

Outstandingly fast service - our waiter was on top of everything! Food came out very quickly and tasted great.

Oh my, how I wish this restaurant was closer to my home! Outstanding is a mild word for the excellent service, the tasty and generous food portions and of course, the very well crafted cocktails. I know it sounds crazy, but I went back twice to bounce all over the menu and I wasn't disappointed in anything! The chicken, pork and steak dishes were all served with high quality meats. Very delicious, can't wait to go back. read more

I had the Carne asada dish today. Properly grilled beef, not pale and just warmed up as some restaurants do. Tasty! Their nachos are thin, crispy and not greasy, served with fresh tasting & flavorful green and red salsa. I like other tacos ( al pastor) and enchiladas (chicken) too. Great margaritas. Although the staff provides fantastic service, I wish owners would warm up their decor ( previous location was more cheerful & inviting.) I know it's in a new place and has contemporary style, but it doesn't have to be "sterile-looking and cold." Maybe they're not quite finished decorating yet? :) I also wish they would expand their menu and add lengua, soups and whole fried fish (drizzled with garlic butter?) I liked this restaurant pre-Covid. Their service and food quality dropped (understandably) during Covid but I'm glad they're back and in a larger space. Can't wait to try dining alfresco in the warmer seasons! read more

Food is mediocre. It was bland. Tasted like Mexican food for Americans who've never tasted the great flavors of authentic Mexican food.