Mad Cow Grill - Brandywine

Don't let the fast food look fool you. This place could definitely run rings around many of the so-called top-notched places.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR BLVCK COW IN BOWIE, NOT MAD COW GRILL IN BRANDYWINE. OWNER CHANGED THE LOCATION ON GOOGLE, MOST LIKELY BECAUSE OF ALL THE UNFAVORABLE REVIEWS FOR BLVCK COW shady character THERE'S A FEE TO MAKE A RESERVATION. Online reservations are $10 per person with a $4 service charge... WHAT!?? There's no info on the website mentioning whether or not the charge is a hold (to make sure reservations are honored) and/or if it will be applied to the bill. Bump that. We decided to take a chance and drop by, we got lucky. We were seated right away.While standing inside the restaurant, I was a little underwhelmed. Yes, the place is nice, but I expected different/more. And I think the red carpet and rope outside, considering the location, is a little over the top.Service was great; our waiter was awesome and our drinks and food were prepared promptly. Food was great; empanadas, flatbread, salmon, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach... all good.The cons: Mashed potatoes and creamed spinach is served with every entrée, no substitutions. Luckily we liked them, but not having the option to select our own sides didn't bode well. Also, we received one of each for the table, not one of each per entrée. Entrée portion sizes are a bit small and were served in a bowl (salmon). It was awkward scooping the sides onto your dish. There's an upcharge to add a sauce to your meat. Luckily there are two/three sauces to select from; however if you don't select a sauce for your entrée it will be prepared plain. All things considered, the price point is nuts. Two people, two appetizers, two entrees, two drinks... $179 (bill also included a 20% gratuity charge). And speaking of drinks, the mixed drink menu left little to be desired; a bunch of strangely pared concoctions that were of no interest to us, so we requested something simple from the bar. Restaurant opened at 5, we arrived a little after 6 and they were already out of two of the three desserts they offered.To finalize my review, I was anxious to support this BOB and I have no regrets; however, you're charged for a table, you're charged to have sauce added to your entrée, there's a 20% gratuity charge (unfortunate if you receive less than great service), you're price gouged for everything else on the menu, and considering all this, you're unable to select your own sides or receive your own portion. Unfortunately the experience didn't come close to WOWING me. Wouldn't return or recommend.

The food was great but their hospitality left a lot to be desired. We had the Walking Dead burger and the Game of Thrones burger. We ordered them medium and they came out virtually raw. After sending them back, they came our great. Flavor was spot on and the portion size was big. The house made chips that came with them were delicious as well. In addition to the burgers, we just had to try the Mac and cheese. It was cheesy and gooey. Definitely a good choice!As for hospitality, we came in to try this place for the first time. We were greeted with a smile and a nod when we came in but then ignored. Finally, we had to ask if we could seat ourselves. After sitting down, they brought our menus and took our orders. We had to get up and go to the counter to ask for the cups to get ourselves our drinks. And when our food came out undercooked we had to again walk to the counter to tell someone since no one ever came to the table to check on us. After eating our meal, we again returned to the counter to ask for our check and pay. Overall, the food is great, but I think this staff is better poised for take out service versus eat-in hospitality.

I stumbled on Mad Cow and immediately we already know we'll be a frequent patrons. We tried jerk chicken salad curried shrimp. The spices were perfect flavor was fantastic. Oh, don't forget to try the cakes, devine flavors!Parking: Restaurant location requires patrons to park towards the rear of restaurant. If you're able to find parking in the limited spaces on the main street, great, but if not, walking from the rear parking is only a few steps. Less than 2 minutes to walk.

Everything was so tasty! Service was quick and the staff was friendly. I ordered the curry chicken/“boneless curried thighs”, jerk chicken tacos, and tostones. I saved room for dessert because I wanted to try the peanut butter explosion cake and should have gotten two slices! Glad to have them and I will be returning.