If you haven’t paid a visit to the “East side” in a few weeks, you might not know that a new hip and trendy restaurant/lounge has opened up in the old Radio Café location. Located directly across the street from Lipstick Lounge, Mad Donna’s has exploded onto the scene as the place to be and be seen.

After a nearly year-long extensive renovation of the old Radio Café building, Mad Donna’s has transformed the building that originally served as a pharmacy, into a visually stunning full-service restaurant/bar downstairs, and a sleek lounge upstairs.

The establishment boasts more than 4,000 square feet and can seat 200 guests. They also have an outdoor patio to enjoy the warm weather. With menu items ranging from their Sweet Potato Enchilada’s to a variety of burgers, there is something on the menu for everyone. 

And they didn’t forget the kids! There’s a full children’s menu from chicken fingers to macaroni and cheese. But don’t let that fool you, just a short flight of stairs to the second floor you will find entertainment for the adults, featuring a full bar, dance floor, DJ booth, flat screen TVs, and some of the coolest and hottest bartenders in town.

While Mad Donna’s is not a “gay” bar, they certainly have not forgotten to include the GLBT community.

Any night of the week you will find a mixed crowd both in the restaurant and the lounge, and beginning in May they are starting a Sunday evening Tea Dance aimed just for the GLBT community. The dance floor will feature DJ Shane, who will be spinning all the latest dance mixes from 4 p.m. until around 9 p.m.  So put on your favorite designer jeans and take advantage of the last few hours of your weekend with the Mad Donna crew.

Another “GLBT-ish" event is the recently added Wednesday night “Dueling Drag Queens." This hilarious “throw down” features your favorite Drag Queens performing duets or battling it out to your favorite hits (but with a sometimes twisted twist).  

Mad Donna’s has been open for a couple of months, but in “soft opening” mode. The weekend of May 8 -10 is going to be their Grand Opening weekend. They plan to really blow it out with give-aways, raffles, beefed up DJ events and more. It’s promised to be a “can’t miss” event.

And just in time for the grand opening, they’ve begun a Sunday Brunch. The brunch is perfect for all those church goers or even the party crowd just waking up from their Saturday night out. The brunch features two-for-one mimosas and a make your own bloody-mary bar.

So the next time you’re paying a visit to the East Side, be sure to stop by and say hi to owners Neil Clark and Rachel Fontenot. Oh, and be sure to tell ‘em Out & About sent ya.

Mad Donna’s is located at 1313 Woodland St. and can be checked out on the Web at www.myspace.com/maddonnas.