Madam Mam's - Austin, TX Review

Come to Madam Mam's for one reason alone: the food.

Every dish I've ever eaten at Madam Mam's has been nothing short of brilliant. The curries are intensely rich, flavorful, and spicy. The pad thai is outstanding, and nicely spiced even at its most basic level (though I'd suggest ordering it with one pepper --- at least that's the way I like it). The Tom Kha is a sensory overload, with the thickest coconut broth I've ever tasted. Every dish is flavored with herbs that taste fresh picked that day and they don't dumb down the spicing, the way that FAR too many Thai restaurants do, disappointing true afficianados of the cuisine and creating inauthentic, bland, dull-witted food. You don't find dull or bland food at Madam Mam's --- you find bold, intense, flavorful dishes that cater to the cognoscienti, not to the cloth tongue crowd.

Despite the brilliance of the kitchen, Madam Mam's has its downside. The service is often painfully slow and utterly sporadic when its at its very best, and it often slips downwards from there. The location is right across the street from the University of Texas campus, so its often packed with students who appreciate outstanding food at dirt cheap prices (as if there's any other kind of student), and parking is just plain non-existent. The atmosphere is garishly unattractive and outdated and is completely uninviting. They don't serve beer or wine either, but they don't seem to mind if you bring your own bottle.

In a restaurant with any lesser quality food, the cons would overwhelm the place. But at Madam Mam's, it's simply part of the price you pay to eat some of the best Thai food in Austin.