PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh restaurant Mad Mex will officially open its reimagined Shadyside flagship location, dubbed Mad Mex Sol, on Friday following a months-long transformation.
Located at 221 South Highland Avenue, the venue underwent physical and culinary updates while maintaining daytime operations during construction.
Mad Mex opened in 1993 as the original establishment of what grew into the big Burrito Restaurant Group. The Shadyside location serves as the flagship site for the company’s brand initiatives, featuring a redesigned physical space, updated menu options and a customer-driven test kitchen.
Founder Tom Baron remains involved in managing the brand after 33 years in operation. The rebranded concept balances traditional dishes with lighter menu offerings and modern design elements.
The culinary changes include a reconfigured physical menu that returns to the book format used in earlier years. The menu highlights shareable dishes, house specialties and fresh bowl selections alongside traditional Mad Mex offerings.
Baron described the shift in the menu as an evolution based on changing dining habits over the past three decades.
“If I was going to open Mad Mex today, what would I do? It’s been thirty-three years,” Baron said. “I eat a little differently than I did in 1993. Maybe a bulging burrito and a Big Azz Marg aren’t daily options for me. I’ve really been enjoying the new selection of vibrant and fresh bowls. We’ve tweaked everything to be more in line with how we approach things today after more than 30 years in the restaurant industry. Mad Mex has never been particularly interested in behaving like a traditional Mexican restaurant. Our “Funky Fresh Cal-Mex” approach has always borrowed freely from different flavors and influences. Sol simply gives that side of Mad Mex more room to show up.”
The Shadyside location is currently the only Mad Mex facility with its own dedicated executive chef. Executive Chef Marty Sons, who previously worked at sister restaurant Kaya, joined the team to lead kitchen innovation.
Under Sons, the restaurant introduced a “Made in the Shade” test menu, allowing guests to try experimental dishes and vote on them through an online poll. Successful items may earn a permanent place on the Shadyside menu as exclusive items or expand to other Mad Mex locations, while less popular options will be phased out.
Matt Glick, food and beverage director for Mad Mex and creator of the restaurant’s Gobblerito dish, said the test kitchen relies directly on customer feedback to decide which creations stay.
“We’ve learned a lot in 33 years,” Glick said. “One of those things is that sometimes you need a focus group bigger than one. Marty and the team are always experimenting with new dishes and creating unexpected combinations. If you try something you really enjoy, make your case. We’ve been known to listen.”
Baron emphasized that the updated Shadyside concept aims to accommodate both long-standing patrons and new visitors.
“We have people who’ve been coming to Mad Mex for decades and that’s something we’re incredibly proud of,” Baron said. “We also have people discovering us for the first time. Sol isn’t about choosing between them. It’s about creating a Shadyside restaurant where both groups feel welcome.”
Physical renovations at the facility feature a nearly 15-foot locally crafted sun fixture positioned at the center of the bar area. Additional interior modifications include a custom steel railing opening the mezzanine view to the main dining room, graphic wallpaper, terracotta and cement tiles and fresh interior and exterior paint.
Multiple design teams contributed to the project. Design studio Wall-to-Wall, located in Pittsburgh and Honolulu, created the refreshed visual identity. Studio Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director Bernard Uy previously collaborated with Baron on the original Mad Mex brand identity 33 years ago.
Los Angeles-based Studio UNLTD managed the interior design under Principal Greg Bleier, who worked as a dishwasher at Mad Mex Oakland in the mid-1990s while studying at the University of Pittsburgh. Local architect Dan Rothschild of Rothschild Doyno Collaborative executed the construction plans on the ground.
Restaurant management announced that customers can follow the venue’s social media accounts on Instagram and TikTok for opening details and the premiere of the new test menu.
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