A seafood-centric bohemian dream of a restaurant that just keeps getting better.
Eating at Madalena’s is like stepping into a warm embrace. The sidewalk tables outside will be crowded with friends, family groups and starry-eyed lovers, while inside the leafy dining room gives off casual vintage boteco vibes – everything feels classic and beautiful and right. The cocktails are clever, the wine list is full of affordable bottles from exciting young producers, and the food is elegant, modern and fresh.
This is ostensibly a seafood joint, but you’d be foolish to go past the dreamy, creamy duck liver parfait, served with maraschino and onion jam. From there, though, raw fish beckons – perhaps a glossy pink snapper crudo with yuzu, criss-crossed strips of daikon, and a tiny quenelle of fennel cream. Always, the freshness of the fish itself is the star of the show, its accompaniments only helping to make it shine. Mains are elemental, like dhufish, crisped and meaty, paired with silky butternut squash and annatto agrodolce. The newer upper floor bar is an absolute charmer, especially in warmer months when the windows are flung open to a view of the street below and the ocean a block away. This is the type of place that makes you feel smart, beautiful and cool: smart to be eating here, cool to know it’s the place to be, beautiful by proxy.
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