Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

Mexican restaurant · Woodcrest ·

Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

Mexican restaurant · Woodcrest ·

Heirloom corn masa, Latin American flavors, and agave spirits

Information

2431 Crabtree Blvd Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27604 Get directions

$30–50

@michelinguide

47,966 Postcards · 8,013 Cities

The Best Value Restaurants in the American South

"In Raleigh, Mala Pata is identified as a Mexican restaurant that appears on the MICHELIN Guide's inaugural American South Bib Gourmand list." - The MICHELIN Guide

https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/michelin-guide-ceremony/the-best-value-restaurants-in-the-american-south

Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

@infatuation

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Mala Pata - Review - Gateway Plaza - Raleigh - The Infatuation

"After years of planning and delays, the newly opened Mala Pata was one of Raleigh’s most anticipated restaurants—and it quickly delivered. This pan-Latin American spot with heavy influences from southern Mexico is the brainchild of a supergroup of local restaurant owners and vets from Centro, Ex Voto, and Locals Seafood. Bring a small group of friends and hit the adjoining Peyote minibar beforehand. Mala Pata’s cheesy Colombian buñuelos are a must-order, as are the lechoncito de oro and the butterflied, grilled striped seabass served with salsa verde and salsa roja, each covering a half. photo credit: Forrest Mason photo credit: Forrest Mason photo credit: Forrest Mason photo credit: Forrest Mason photo credit: Forrest Mason Pause Unmute" - Eric Ginsburg

https://www.theinfatuation.com/raleigh/reviews/mala-pata

Forrest Mason

Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

@eater

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Mala Pata Opens in Raleigh on May 14 | Eater Carolinas

"Opening on Wednesday, May 14, this Latin American restaurant is led by culinary and community ambassador Angela Salamanca, design-and-drinks lead Marshall Davis, culinary advisor Eric Montagne, and executive chef/general manager Zack Gragg. The kitchen centers on heirloom corn imported from Oaxaca that is nixtamalized into masa for fresh tortillas, and the menu intentionally blends traditions from across Latin America rather than sticking to strict regional boundaries: expect a pure Oaxacan mole alongside dishes that use El Salvadoran curtido on fish tacos, reflecting the team’s Colombian, Cuban and North Carolinian influences. Offerings include aguachile verde, macha wings, carnitas, fish tacos, flautas de papas, rajas enchiladas and whole grilled fish. Framed as a community-focused project that honors tradition, it will serve dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays from 5–10 p.m." - Erin Perkins

https://carolinas.eater.com/2025/5/5/24424059/mala-pata-raleigh-opening

Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

@postcardnews

20,018 Postcards · 1,278 Cities

New in Gateway Plaza, Mala Pata centers everything on house‑made masa—think heirloom corn, nixtamal, and a small menu that changes with the seasons. Anticipated and confirmed open by Axios, it’s from the team behind Centro and Locals Seafood.

https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/05/05/mala-pata-opening-date-raleigh-gateway-plaza-cinco-de-mayo

Mexican Food in Raleigh

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Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

@postcardnews

20,018 Postcards · 1,278 Cities

A 2025 arrival centered on fresh‑milled masa and Latin American flavors from a super‑group behind Centro, Ex‑Voto, and Locals Seafood. Editors flagged its opening as a defining addition to Gateway Plaza’s dining scene.

https://malapatanc.com/

Best Restaurants in Raleigh (2025)

Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

Shanah Bell

Google

My husband and I finally made it out to check out this newer restaurant in the area. He had been wanting to try it, but I was concerned that they would have nothing for me since I had Celiac and am Vegan and they seem to definitely have a meat and cheese heavy menu. I asked the server as soon as we sat down if they had anything that could accommodate me because there was nothing glaringly obvious on the menu that would suffice. She was very helpful and said that they do typically keep a grilled pineapple taco as an option for people who are vegan and that the guacamole appetizer could be made with the cheese on the side or without the cheese. So those were the only two options that I had, which was better than nothing. As a side note, they make all of their tortillas in house and are probably the best tortillas I've eaten to date. So those alone may be worth the trip! I have to say the food was pretty good and the the margarita on the rocks with salt was spot on! Not only delicious, but the glassware was fantastic! The service and atmosphere was great, but the pricing is a bit on the higher side for me for the vegan food that I got. Ultimately, if you eat meat, this is probably a great place to check out. As a vegan though, definitely not top of my list unless they can start diversifying more to reduce the amount of cheese in all the dishes and/or offer some meat alternatives (mushrooms and nopales are great options).

David M

Google

We stopped here for brunch a couple weeks ago and it was delicious and we immediately made plans to return for a dinner. We were not dissappointed. The atmosphere is fun and slightly upscale. The service was excellent and above expectations at both visits. We started dinner with a couple drinks from the bar. They offer a good selection of speciality drinks. We selected The Mezcal Mule and Leather Jacket, both were terrific. The bar staff were helpful, quick and nice to chat with while we sat at the bar before our table was ready. For dinner we started with Pina y queso for a small plate, while good it was not a standout and not something we would order at future visit. Our entrees were the Rajas Enchiladas and Pescado a la Talla. Both were fantastic! The fish was cooked perfectly and because it was somehat pre-cut it was easier to eat than I was expecting. I would recommend the side of homemade tortillas as they were amazing. The enchiladas were also exceptional. Everything was beautifully prepared, well-plated and fresh. This was the best Mexican food experience we have had in the area by far. We have added Mala Pata to our list of favorites in the area and plan to return soon.

Terri Spence

Google

Absolutely blown away by Mala Pata and the staff! The ambience at Mala Pata felt warm and inviting. The staff were incredibly knowledgeable about the menu, and could offer great recommendations to our party of three. We ordered so many dishes and not one was disappointing. Here are a few of our favorites: (All were fabulous dishes) Butterflied grilled striped seabass with both salsa verde and roja Flautas de papas – Tuna tartacos Aguachile verde Pina Y Queso Guacamole Pork carnitas Great portion sizes mean there was plenty for sharing within our group! If you favor a great cocktail look no futher than the beautiful Peyote bar. The cocktail menu will satisfy everyone. Mala Pata delivers bold flavors, creativity, and a vibe that’s rare. Whether you’re a Latin‐food aficionado or just looking for an evening of great food this place will earn every 5 star review they receive! We are looking forward too our next trip. Reservations are recommended.

Lou Bank

Google

If you come for nothing but the agave spirits you won’t be disappointed. But the tortillas? The grilled fish? The guacamole? Absolutely stunning! My wife is a vegan, and while the menu highlights for vegetarian and gluten-free, it doesn’t note vegan options. But the outstanding staff does and the equally outstanding kitchen works to accommodate with special dishes. A must-eat and must-drink stop in Raleigh!

Brittany Fonke

Google

It's only been a couple weeks since they opened, and the food and experience was amazing! The customer service is amazing, you can tell each employee cares. We saw one of the owners working as well. The food was all delicious, authentic flavors but with fun little twists. Drinks were tasty as well. We sat with the view of the kitchen which is fun and high energy. If you want more quiet and personal, I'd choose the Yellow Room. But we loved the view of kitchen seating. 10/10 experience!

Mayank Boob

Google

Overall rating 9/10 Was lucky enough to go on opening night of this gem of a place. The flavors they are exploring seem to redefine Mexican food and in an extremely good way. We tried 5 dishes and were overall impressed with the dishes. I feel there some minor nick-nacks that will be ironed out over time. The thing that I love was the amazing atmosphere of the place and it was infectious! I left inspired by the exploration of flavors and thus plan to come again. Dishes reviewed below: Pina y Queso -9/10 You must get this dish especially in the current heat! Very refreshing with an addictive queso cream sauce (I am guessing some mixture of queso fresco and table cream), layered with zing from shallots and vinaigrette rounded off with the tang from the grilled pineapple. My only comment on this dish - more pineapple - so that you can get one with every bite. Guacamole - 10/10 Best Guacamole I have had at a recent. Love the chipotle salsa on the side. The marinated tomatoes were the best burst of flavor and highly recommend. Aguachile verde - 7/10 Very standard appetizer but had a nice kick pairing shrimp with the serrano. Honestly it was good, but everything else was much better and had a lot more rounded flavors. Flautas de papas - 8/10 Nice inversion of the fried/grilled potato flautas available at other places with a fluffy potato filling. Would have loved to see a layer of sauce inside the flautas or some other flavoring in the potatoes for a better flavor. Colombian Buenolos - 9/10 I loved this! Reminded me of Pao de quejo but my partner found it to be a bit oily in the mouth feel. Replacing the chili oil with chili crisp might help? Latte Tres Leches - 8/10 Great cake that was more caramel focused than coffee. Would have liked it more with a slightly higher coffee kick. All of this came to just over hundred bucks and felt very reasonable for the number of things we got to try. Can’t wait to come back again!

Steve Sommerville

Google

The food here is fantastic— so nice to have a place that serves elevated Mexican cuisine along with some Colombian fusion! Well thought out wine list and delightful service too! Great date night restaurant

Holland Mills

Google

We had been eagerly awaiting the opening of Mala Pata, and I am pleased to say it was worth the wait! We were seated at our scheduled reservation time, and we're promptly addressed by our waiter. We ordered one mixed drink, one house cola, two appetizers, and two mains. We were given an amuse-bouche of sorts on the form of Duros, which were small crunchy rings that had a unique and nostalgic flavor. We liked the presentation and unique texture of the Colombian Buñuelos, and the Piña y Queso was very beautifully plated. We enjoyed the flavors of both, but wished for a little more piña in the latter. My wife ordered the fish tacos, which she said were very good. I ordered the Rajas Enchiladas. The cheerwine mole was a pleasant surprise! It took the sweetness from the soda, but the flavor was very strongly mole. It was excellent. We finished with a tres leches cake that had good flavor and was a little lighter than we were expecting. Overall it was an excellent dinner. My personal highlight was the value of the meal. We've recently been disappointed with the cost of a dinner for two (with no alcohol ordered). In Raleigh we'd run upwards of $80 for something that left us hungry or disappointed. Fortunately Mala Pata delivered on both quality and value. It really is a unique place that's worth visiting. We've already started planning our next visit!

Raven C.

Yelp

Seriously amazing bunch. Stumbled upon this place while I was getting my dog groomed and let. me. tell. you. It was 10/10

Tj A.

Yelp

My wife and I went with some friends last weekend. We did have to wait 15 minutes despite having a reservation. Things happen and they are new but not the best first impression. There was no attempt to smooth it over at all. We were asked to go get a drink at their adjoining bar. (I pay you more money because you didn't have my table ready?) The ambiance was very warm and inviting. The wait staff was attentive and knowledgeable. We got the buñuelos, piña y queso, carnitas tacos, flautas de papas, salsa macha wings, tuna tar tacos, and the tres leches. I would describe all of the dishes as fine. Pretty much every dish except the salsa macha wings lacked any real flavor. The pricing model was probably the worst part though. The shareable dishes were priced between $12 and $16. However, none of them were sharing size. (2 flautas, 2 tacos, etc.) Main dishes are $30-$40 but we didn't get any of those. There's some potential here, but overall they really need to rethink their menu. Either the pricing needs to adjust to align with what you're serving or the menu items need to adjust to align with your pricing.

Nicole L.

Yelp

Wow!! We loved everything we had at Mala Pata, the drinks were amazing as well as the food. It was quite busy on a week day night and everyone was talking about how good their dishes tasted! The staff were very knowledgeable and described the dishes as they came out. We will definitely be back!

Emily G.

Yelp

Loved the experience here. Super packed on a Wednesday evening so highly recommend reservations. Their drink menu is extensive. The menu is unique and we ordered a couple of plates to share. Guacamole, fish tacos, wings, and enchiladas. Everything was delicious! The guac and the wings came out first, followed by the tacos and enchiladas. Our only callout was we wish the courses were spaced out a little better. Definitely will return

Christine S.

Yelp

Went to Mala Pata with some friends on a Saturday night. Let's start with the good-service was excellent, waitstaff was knowledgeable and recommended items and answered all of our questions. Drink menu was great (had one of my favorite beers, the Prairie sherbet sour) and definitely has some interesting items on the main menu. Everything came out hot and fresh. We had the salsa macha wings, buñuelos, carnitas tacos, flautas de papas, tuna tartacos, and piña y queso as well as the tres leches. Everything was good but I wouldn't say anything was mind blowing. I personally found the tuna tartacos to be the best item with the piña y queso in second. For the negatives, we had to go get a drink at the bar next door for 15 minutes despite having a reservation because they were running behind (it happens and I know they are new--just wanted to note) and to rub salt in the wound--they didn't comp the drinks or offer anything for us having to go wait next door. Honestly our main qualm was the price to portion ratio and price based on ingredients. It just seems a little outrageous to charge 14-17 dollars for 4 chicken wings or 3 potato flautas when those are not high cost items--for something like raw tuna, the pricing makes sense but for corn tortillas with potato? Furthermore the portion choices didn't make sense for sharing despite that seemingly being the intention of the menu (3 tacos for one dish, 4 with another). Finally, the tres leches had goat milk which we found unpleasantly game-y (not sure if this is traditional but just our opinion on the dish). Overall I'd say it has a good vibe inside and could be fun for drinks and apps if you're willing to spend a little more but not sure it's for us.

Melanie's H.

Yelp

A solid experience. We sampled 4 of the cocktails and each had its strengths. The bunuelos were tasty and a unique item for us. Our entrees had some interesting flavors. The flautas de papas and the rajas enchiladas had distinguishable features but were remarkably similar. Both were crispy - which we were not expecting for enchiladas - and both the fillings were lacking. The masa focus was not so apparent to us but that may be our selections or our ignorance. The staff was attentive but the acoustics were a challenge- even with a half full restaurant. We could hear way too much of the adjacent table's conversation. Our disappointment may be a result of the hyped reviews both here and elsewhere. It was good but nothing particularly exciting.

Ellen M.

Yelp

So good! We had the flouts, fish tacos and enchiladas I also had the Mai Thai. Will for sure be back.

Brooks P.

Yelp

Very cool and hip new spot in Raleigh. The entire staff was so friendly and helpful. We went and split multiple appetizers. They were all very good. I will definitely return. The Carnitas tacos were great.

Marshall D.

Yelp

This place didn't serve frozen margaritas or fajitas. The service was fantastic, and the space was well decorated and fun.

Carly H.

Yelp

Amazing food! Nik out server was very nice and informative! Friendly service and great flavor all around! Definitely recommend! :)

Brandon E.

Yelp

Incredible food. Try their mole sauce. It was really really good. Also their cocktails are really good Hope to go back and check out the bar.

Paola B.

Yelp

Very mixed feelings about Mala Pata. The name is so good and gave me high hopes for it being authentic and bold. The decor was quite nice and also seemed promising. The drink menu is extensive but the three cocktails we tried were overly sweet and we ended up leaving one untouched. Only one Mexican wine on the menu which was disappointing considering there is so much good wine coming out of the region right now. We ordered the guacamole, the flautas de papa, fish tacos and tacos de lechoncito. Everything was good (especially the lechon) , just not amazing. It all tasted fresh and very homemade which we loved, but most of the dishes lacked spice, both flavor but mostly heat wise. The pacing was also terrible, we had 3 out of the 4 dishes before the first cocktail even came out. Ultimately I loved the more sophisticated Mexican vibe but it was a bit too subdued. Mexico is bold and bright and spicy and full of personality and this fell just shy of that bar.

Kate B.

Yelp

This place was incredible! The staff were so friendly and kind and the service was great. Hands down best tacos we've had in Raleigh and best meal we've eaten out in years. Everything we had we would order again and wanted more of. Definitely going back!

Richard R.

Yelp

If you are looking for traditional mexican food this is not the place for you. I asked for a frozen margareta and they don't have them. No fajitas either. Basically, no traditional drinks or food. Our meal was okay, but we won't go again.

Kevin L.

Yelp

This place is special. The people, the service and the food are exceptional. This is the best restaurant we have eaten at in a long time. The food is so delicious, perfectly cooked and exotic it makes you feel like you are in another country. The depth of the flavors and the presentation of the food are an experience everyone should try. We are going back soon!

@michelinguide

47,966 Postcards · 8,013 Cities

The Best Value Restaurants in the American South

"In Raleigh, Mala Pata is identified as a Mexican restaurant that appears on the MICHELIN Guide's inaugural American South Bib Gourmand list." - The MICHELIN Guide

https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/michelin-guide-ceremony/the-best-value-restaurants-in-the-american-south

Mala Pata Molino + Cocina

@infatuation

132,566 Postcards · 3,230 Cities