Introducing: Mad Mexican, the Toronto salsa company’s new restaurant and retail store in Baby Point
Name: Mad Mexican
Neighbourhood: Baby Point
Contact Info: 383 Jane St., 647-352-2555, madmexican.ca, @MadMexicanFood
Owner: Jose Hadad, creator of the Mad Mexican line of dips and sauces
Chefs: Jose Hadad
The Place: Ten years ago, Jose Hadad was mashing avocados in his kitchen. Today, he runs two Toronto restaurants (the other is Frida on Eglinton Avenue West), and his Mad Mexican products can be found on store shelves across the GTA. The brand’s new Baby Point headquarters is a restaurant, retail store and commercial kitchen in one. A handful of tables and stools cater to eat-in customers, while refrigerated cases display salsas, dips and guacs. Glass doors give shoppers a peek at the bustling production area, where a team of cooks chops tomatoes and onions to sexy Latin beats.
The Food: The chalkboard menu above the counter lists a handful of tacos, tortas and other traditional Mexican dishes, like sopa de tortilla (tortilla soup) and choriqueso , a sizzling skillet of pan-fried chorizo and bubbling Oaxaca cheese. For dessert, there’s rice pudding spiked with Mexican cinnamon and golden raisins.
The Drinks: Dos Equis and Sol beer are available by the bottle. Non-alcoholic options include fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemonade.
The Numbers:
• 800 avocados per day
• 100-plus stores across the GTA sell Mad Mexican guacs and salsas
• 24 seats
• 8 tacos on the menu
• 1 hand-carved leopard head from Yucatan
258163 Mad Mexican’s new Baby Point headquarters is a restaurant, retail store and commercial kitchen in one (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-14.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-14/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-14 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258152 The brand’s guacs, dips and salsas are sold for $7 each (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-03.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-03/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-03 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258150 Customers can watch what’s going on in the busy production kitchen through glass doors at the back of the space (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-01.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-01/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-01 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258151 (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-02.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-02/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-02 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258153 <em>Choriqueso,</em> pan-fried chorizo topped with Oaxaca cheese ($11) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-04.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-04/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-04 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258154 Chunky guac with tortilla chips ($8) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-05.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-05/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-05 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258155 The <em>sopa de tortilla</em> is flavoured with tomatoes and pasilla chilis, and topped with fried tortillas, avocados and cotija cheese ($7) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-06.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-06/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-06 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258156 The most popular torta, “La Revolucion,” comes stuffed with steak, chorizo, black beans, avocado, onions and Oaxaca cheese ($12) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-07.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-07/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-07 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258157 Tacos are served with a choice of house salsas and a wedge of lime ($3.50 each) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-08.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-08/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-08 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258159 The three house salsas: salsa verde, salsa morita (made with smoked jalapeños) and pico de gallo (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-10.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-10/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-10 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258160 Rice pudding with Mexican cinnamon and golden raisins ($4) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-11.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-11/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-11 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258161 (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-12.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-12/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-12 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
258162 Fresh-squeezed lemonade is prepared to order ($6 per jug) (Image: Jackie Pal) Introducing: Mad Mexican Introducing: Mad Mexican https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-13.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/mad-mexcian-toronto-restaurants/slide/mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-13/ mad-mexican-toronto-restaurant-13 0 0
(Image: Jackie Pal)
I love hearing success story like Jose Hadad, if you work hard and persevere the ups and downs of life you will eventually succeed not only in Canada but anywhere in this world. Rather than hearing from complainers of the high costs of real estate due to certain ethnic origin and new immigrants, they try to blame others because of their own demise. Wake up for those losers, we are part of the global community now.