Mauricio's Grill & Cantina

My wife and I share most of our meals. I don't like taking food home, and portions are such that there is no need to order separately. All this to say, that when I take a photo for Yelp and we have already split the plate, I'm either really hungry or the food looks really, really good. That was the case today at Mauricio's. First, the house chips and salsa were tasty. Some places have a mild salsa, but this really accented the meal. We ordered the fresh table-side prepared guacamole. So good. The chili verde burrito was filled with tender pork, nicely seasoned. The portions were more than filling. Plus, the rice and beans were delicious. Our waiter was great. We practiced a little of our Duolingo Spanish and joked around. Inside Pro Tip: they have a senior discount. If you're in the Rosedale area and looking for good Mexican food, try Mauricio's.

Knowing I wouldn't make it to Pea Soup Andersen's on time, I found this spot on some online I-5 restaurant guide. Less than 3 stars means nothing to me on here and tbh I feel like everyone in Bakersfield is always angry anyway, every time I come. It is the meth capital of America after all. In true Bakersfield fashion the lot was full of 4x4s and the patrol arresting someone apparently.As usual with a new restaurant I tried the first thing on the menu that looked good, so the quesabirria, which the waiter vouched for. Super good. One of my dogs barked at everyone so didn't get much service but the waiters did their best. I think they all took shifts as I saw about four different ones. Well bless them no one's paying them extra to be barked at. I didn't have any type of two star experiences like all these people so whatever. That was some bomb prime rib birria. No ragrets other than now I have to drive the long way up the 99 for coming here.

Oh my goodness everything was so good , we started with the guacamole and that was a big hit ! We ordered an appetizer platter , an enchilada combo dinner , chicken quesadilla and a bowl of menudo. Everything was delicious but the menudo was amazing, just the right seasoning and spice . Our server Nelson was awesome, our drinks were always full and he was so friendly ! We'll definitely be back really soon !

Atmosphere was very nice restaurant was clean, server was amazing Joanna she allowed me to sample the chili verde before ordering, it was off the hook. Margaritas were excellent especially during happy hour $5 and they did not short pour. Husband had the molcajete and it was also the bomb, sauce was great. Both our dinners had very generous portions. Will definitely be coming back..

This outdoor patio is amazing. Hit it just right today, slid in between the rushes. Whether you are having lunch, dinner or just some drinks and appetizers like I did today, this is a great spot. Great food, friendly service and chill.

One of the most horrendous dining experiences I've had in quite a while, and this isn't judging based on the amount of publicity they pay and the alleged rep they have. From the moment we walked in, there was no one in the front desk, after a while we decided to go in and ask and we were told by a waiter passing by to just pick a place and wait for someone to be there. We should've gone with our instincts and walked away but our other guests were hungry. The place wasn't even busy or crowded to sort of justify it. The person setting the table appeared to be angry over something because even the water was being slammed on the table with constant disappointing sighing. The music was at a decent level and of appropriate choice, abruptly interrupted by the noise coming from the service area of servers laughing ridiculously loud and yelling at each other jokes (?).The server was attentive at first but then sort of rushing our decisions, no recommendations, if anything we were told that the pomegranate mojito wasn't available because of lack of ingredients, then he said he was gonna ask the bartender if he could go to "the back" and check... seriously??? That's to be expected! Do you want the businesses or not? Turns out that they did have mint, they just couldn't be bothered to do their job. The mojito turned out decent, the spicy pineapple margarita was a mess!!! Muddled jalapeños w seeds everywhere! The pineapple chunks were so small they constantly clogged the straw midway, you can tell they were from the typical tidbits can. No pride in doing this whatsoever. The food over all was SUBSTANDARD, from the soggy carne asada fries, to when the server forgot to ask how I wanted my "Chimichurri rib-eye", we told him and he managed to get it right on time, but then the alleged chimichurri was just hot oil and what appeared to be dry spices (premade from mass production), a lot of salt with perhaps the browned bits of the steak (that apparently was only seasoned with salt, at this point I was counting my blessings and salvage the outing), no herbs whatsoever, it was a poor attempt at a seasoned oil (?) but definitely not a chimichurri, I wanted to taste something from home and all I got was disappointment not even served with pride. I've gotten things better served in the military chow-halls. The rice resembled a porridge with chunks of onions, and at least it had salt but no other flavor, their beans looked like they still had the water from the can, the guacamole smudge (not even a dollop!) tasted old and off, it was enraging and insulting for $38! The chicken enchiladas were either old and reheated or just overcooked in a microwave (because not going to lie, it was timely), similarly was the case with anything that had carne asada, because they were dry, the seasoning was half burnt (dried up from overcooking or reheating), the shrimp was cooked/heated decently, but the taco presentation was bad even for an 8 year old patron. Half way thru the meal we collectively decided to just ask for to go boxes and just end the meal. To make matters more interesting, when we asked for our check it came with the tip added already!!! No choice on what we wanted to do, it's like they prob knew that it was that bad and wanted to shame/guilt patrons into tipping regardless of service, because they auto added (written by hand though!) the lowest tipping available. TWICE!!! When we asked, we got the typical blame shift of that they apparently don't make minimum wage, specially when orders are over $100; so apparently Mauricio's not only doesn't guarantee minimum wage for their employees (as per the server) but punishes their patrons that spend over $100. Btw our party was just 6 people (including 2 kids and myself). WOULD NOT RECOMMEND, quite the opposite. I hope they take to heart what was pointed out, I've worked the industry (front, back, prep, cook, and kitchen manager, from regular to fine dining) and there's no excuse for what was experienced today. I paid $200 to be mistreated and look bad on what was supposed to be MY Father's Day present.

My family comes here OFTEN. We love it! Parking is mostlyAt the back, but there's plenty. We always sit in the bar area where seating is first come, first served. We are here so often that our favorite waiter knows our drinks and orders! The food is so good. Their chili verde is so flavorful with just enough spice. My fam loves the happy hour specials and will always always come back for the great service and delicious food. 10/10 will return!!

As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the host. The inside looks nice . We came here to get dinner to go. We ordered a kids chicken strip meal and Birria burrito. The kids meal comes with the meal, rice and beans or fries, drink and ice cream. The Barria burrito comes with rice and beans, guacamole and flour tortillas. The barria is very tasty and juicy. The rice and beans are good too. My daughter loves her chicken strips and of course the dessert.

This place use to be the go to spot on Sunday's for brunch until the owner lost his touch with reality and the changes he's made over the years put this place below Taco Bell food. The menu is a mess! The food presentation and taste is mediocre at best. The vibe is one of a ghost town which doesnt make sense since its right on a major artery in NW Bakersfield. The owner cries about costs on social media but wants to over charge on everything on his menu. Really don't understand how this place stays open with terrible food.

I had the chili verde burrito with rice and beans. The burrito tasted like there was no spice and the pork was just boiled. The rice and beans were bad and tasted like cafeteria food. This has to be the worst Mexican food in Bakersfield. The guacamole was made at the table with zero seasoning, smashed avocado with some tomato's. The service was good at they were attentive.