Madisons Restaurant & Bar

The food is pretty good but the service is terrible. The waitress we had on two separate occasions was very slow to take our drink orders and the place wasn’t too crowded. She was hanging around the bar talking to the bartender as we waiting trying to make eye contact with her. The food wasn’t good enough to trump the mediocre service. Wouldn’t come back unless it was a last option.

This is by far, the most cherished restaurant in my neighborhood, Riverdale. The owners are top notch. The staff is just as good. And the food, blows me away every time. My appetizer, salad and entrée… the plate is always left empty. Trust me when I tell you, if you’re hungry and want a nice atmosphere with great service, head to Madison’s restaurant. If your disappointed, I will personally pay for you the next time you go out to eat. Enjoy!

I came in hoping for a table for two. The lady who seemed like the hostess, or maybe the manager was named (I think I heard) Elaine, who frantically looked around and told me it would be impossible to grab a table (didn’t even ask if I wanted to be on a wait-​list). I smelled a ton of liquor on her breath, by the way.
Now I’ve managed a few upscale restaurants, and when there aren’t any available tables, you offer to contact the person from a wait-​list, typically.
But anyway, I sat at the bar to order some wine and one of the specials. I’ve never heard so much blatantly obvious gossip from the staff and the manager. Shouldn’t you wait until customers CAN’T hear you talking about the rest of staff you don’t like? I guess in waiting 36 minutes for the entrée, I discovered that no one in this place, especially Elaine (or whatever her name was), has any respect for the staff that might be struggling.
Anyway, the food was average (salmon was dry when I ordered medium). The drinks were alright and the ambiance was tired. I feel bad for the people that eat there for the mediocrity as well as the people that work there for the disrespect. Madison’s is trying especially hard to emulate an upscale restaurant in New York City or Los Angeles, and would be more successful if they were just a little bit nicer and unrehearsed.
Go to Riverdale Steakhouse instead!

I came in here for Thanksgiving day with two of my friends to grab a few drinks and something to eat. I am in NYC for work so I have no family here. My experience in this place was a little appalling at how staff interacted with each other. But first let’s go back to the beginning. As soon as We walked in, We weren’t greeted. Two employees stare right at us; an older lady with blondish hair and a younger dark haired heavy set girl; Standoffish women. The bartender was the one that acknowledged us after a good 2 minutes and he was busy. We sat down and things changed when we got our wonderful server, Alissa. She was attentive, sweet and efficient. She even recommended dessert that she liked at the end and it was amazing; tartufo, I think it was called. She explained everything that came in our food because we had no idea what most things were lol and asked if we had any allergies and made us feel that she cared. The food was good but the atmosphere was not. The rest of the staff seemed like chickens with their heads cut off and you can tell they never worked In fast paced restaurants. I like observing the complete restaurant and I was not impressed. The bartender and my server are the ones that need to run this place, they are amazing! Later through my dinner I heard Alissa’s co workers; not even management reprimanding her for something that ALL upscale restaurants do. Even yelling at her at how she performed. I was disgusted and was about to walk out but Alissa’s service was so great, I couldn’t do that to her. Who cares in what bowl gravy comes in? I wanted to go back there and ream the girl and it turned out it was the same heavy set girl from the beginning. Madison’s needs to re-​staff and get more Alyssia’s and bartender whoms name I didn’t catch but made amazing drinks. Come to Madison’s and ask for Alissa and get drinks from the bartender. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.

My daughter attends Manhattan college and this has been our «go to «when we want to take her out. We always had a wonderful meal with wonderful service. We always looked forward to our meal but tonight was so disappointing. Overall, from the start the greeting from the hostess was very unwelcoming
(not sure why), and our waitress, although lovely, was not trained. I won’t go into specifics. Our dinners were ok, not special. We were disappointed that our «go to» has been eliminated.

Great food and the staff are very friendly. Nice place for parties or quiet dinners. You won’t be disappointed.

The chop chop salad is really good!

First you should know that we (my wife and daughter) didn’t have a reservation and they were packed! We were starving and my friends rave about this restaurant. They still a table for us and we only waited 10 min. Our waitress was friendly, prompt and always checking on us, but never disturbing our conversations. The food came in a timely manner (even though the restaurant was full). The food was excellent! Great atmosphere as well. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I have been going to Madisons since it opened. I’ve always like the food. It did feel a little pricey in the beginning but the service is good, the food is good and you feel and are treated like you are in a quality establishment. I am willing to pay a little more for that. Eating out is a treat these days and when I want to treat myself, I go to Madisons.
I had the opportunity to take an out-​of-​town friend there recently. We had the Paella and it was very good, the service was great, the house wine was good and we had a wonderful attentive waitress. My friend was delighted and we went back a couple of times during her visit.
Madisons is an excellent place. A real gem in northern Riverdale.

Had dinner there last evening.
We were visiting my wife’s mother who lives in Riverdale.
The staff was eager to please and the servers were attentive and generally pleasant.
My dinner, however, was not cooked to order. I didn’t want to make a fuss, as I know that my mother in law frequents the place. Will certainly give them another try.

I have come to Madisons quite a few times in the past few years and overall I quite enjoyed it. Their food is very tasty, and their portions are big which good for the price you get them for. Their bread that they serve when you sit down is absolutely delicious. The only downside that prevents me from giving Madisons five stars is that after you order your entrée. Every time I have been there it has taken quite a long time for it to be cooked and served to us. But overall, I do recommend this restaurant to others and hopefully they can fix that small issue!

Madisons is a Riverdale standard for lunch/​dinner and a somewhat lively bar scene. Known for friendly service, salads that are considered a staple, the food is consistently good but never great. I stopped by for brunch, which was a bit of a disappointment. The value is there but the quality and attention to detail is sorely lacking. The brunch is a decent value that includes a free drink of your choice (coffee, Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Wine, Beer, OJ, etc). The menu list was pretty diverse, omelettes and egg choices, waffles/​pancakes/​french toast, salads, a burger, but then there were a couple of Mexican ideas that should never make a Brunch menu (i.e., Quesadillas), and a paella that seemed very out of place. For $ 14 (the average brunch price) you get two scrambled eggs + bacon/​sausage/​ham. Smarter would be the omelet, because for an extra $ 1, you get 3 eggs (instead of two) and whatever ingredients you on the inside. Arriving a little before 12, I caught Madison’s a bit off guard (still recovering from the previous day 3″ snowstorm) meaning that half the staff had yet to arrive and the hollandaise sauce hadn’t yet been made. This eliminated the eggs Benedict as an option unless one was willing to wait (for how long wasn’t disclosed). The next choice started off as a good idea but the devil is in the details. Challah french toast — described as dipped in had a cinnamon vanilla batter — was promising. The menu listed «organic maple syrup» — but on further inspection, which it turns out the syrup was commercial grade Log Cabin. Not only is there nothing organic or vaguely redeeming in Log Cabin — but serving what is essentially unhealthy and tasteless corny syrup is an insult to the any self-​respecting brunch patron over the age of 6. The next minor snafu had to do with non-​responsive wifi, and while a password was provided, it didn’t work (on either cellphone or laptop) and even though the restaurant was not busy (I was the only patron at the time), no one at Madison’s offered to even attempt to find a solution. On the positive, the wait staff filled the coffee cup regularly, and offered two small blueberry muffins, which while an unexpected freebie, was nothing memorable to the palate. All in all, a middling brunch with opportunity for more improvement by treating it like something special instead of an afterthought.

I really like this place they have the best crab cake !!! The food is always good!!!

Eileen made my Mom’s birthday meal exceptionally memorable. Not only did she move us to a special table in the back when it was available but she also comped a round of drinks! This on top of fantastic food, great ambiance, and exceptional service. We will absolutely be back — thanks for making this meal even better than we expected. Be confident in going here for a great meal.

A few years ago I ate at Madison’s and wasn’t impressed with the quality of the food.
I have recently been back for lunch and dinner on a few occasions and the quality of the food was great!
I told the waiter to compliment the chef & cooks on their meals and to keep up the great work. It is nice to have this restaurant in the neighborhood.

I’ve been a Madison’s fan for many years. Best burgers in the neighborhood. Great food & great staff. Service is always prompt and courteous!

6 years after my original review, I have just about a 180 on my impression of this place.
After Cornyn’s Coach & Four closed, my family had to find a new place for special occasions. We seem to be relying on Madison’s and Connaughton’s these days.
Some things seem to have changed. Not sure what happened with the house salad (pre-​dressed), which I really enjoyed (perhaps that’s the chop-​chop salad, I havent tried that).
However, I take back everything else I’ve said. The portions have adjusted to American waist-​bands.
I’ve been there a number of times in the past year (special days like Thanksgiving and Mother’s day, and ordinary weekends as well). I’ve never left hungry. Every meal has been spot-​on. No complaints from the inlaws, parents, or my kid (a rare feat). Everything has been perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, and we always look forward to the next experience at Madison’s.
In my case, I’ve had the short-​ribs (always great), and I broke my long-​standing rule of avoiding rack of lamb (I’m usually disappointed by overcooked lamb, or super-​tiny portions of lamb). The rack of lamb at Madison’s was fantastic, served with a great demi-​glacé, and a serving that left me satisfied.
Aside from the food, the service has always been attentive; this is something the management has gotten right across all their restaurants (Madison’s, Burgerhouse, and from what I’m told Beccofino).
I’m glad that Madison’s stepped up their game and that I can give them a better review.

Like some of the other posters here, my mother and I were fans of the Riverdale Greentree, which is now closed. But Madison’s has become our go-​to place for holiday dinners (Mother’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving). There’s usually a special holiday menu with a limited number of entrees (say, between six and eight), plus appetizers (including soup — the cream of mushroom purée was excellent), and a separate dessert menu. As other posters noted, an unadvertised salad comes with your entrée; the food has been uniformly excellent.
My only reservation concerns the noise level when the place is full, as it sometimes is on the holidays. It’s not that the decibel level as such gets overly high, but that the background ambience can impede conversation, or relaxation, when the restaurant is crowded.

My family and I have only gone to this restaurant once a couple of summers ago. The salads and fried calamaris were so delicious! So was my main dish: chicken parm.
The service and staff were friendly and consistent. We have been wanting to go back for some time now. We are overdue! And when I do, I will update my review and add photos.

With Greentree (formerly across the street) closed, this is my new go to spot in Riverdale for lunch. The setting is very comfortable and the service is always timely. And for the best part, the food is always just right. The specials, in particular, are generally the way to go. The ingredients are fresh and the prices are reasonable — expect to pay about $ 11-​$ 14 for entrees. On my recent visit I had the fried flounder sandwich which was sublime. I usually get the chicken parm, and it has always been good.
The only bad part is the parking. The meters on RIverdale Ave are only for one hour. This is a bit of pain in the neck, but it should not discourage you from making a visit.