Maria's Mexican Restaurant

Visited Dec. 24th..see receipt.Great happy hour place on Christmas Eve! After shopping we stopped in for an appetizer and cocktail. It was happy hour (3 to 5pm) with drink and appetizer discounts.The 3 carnitas tacos was enough for 2 people - the pork was tender and I love the cilantro!This is a fun and friendly place with warm complimentary chips and salsas! Gena and Maria work hard to ensure the quality and customer service is top notch!This is my happy place! Fast sevice and tasty Mexican food!

After an exhausting but beautiful almost 4-hour hike, my friends and I were absolutely starving and needed a place to refuel. We searched on Google Maps and found Maria's Mexican Restaurant with a solid 4-star rating, so we decided to check it out. When we arrived, it was clear this was a popular spot for the locals--both the main parking lot and overflow lot were full! We lucked out and managed to find a spot, and despite the restaurant being busy, we were seated right away.The restaurant has charming, authentic décor that gives off a cozy, welcoming vibe. The hostess greeted us with a warm smile and made us feel right at home. Our servers were quick with the chips and water, and this was definitely the highlight of the service--everyone was friendly and prompt. However, as the meal went on, it felt like our server was a bit distracted and didn't check in on us as often as we would have liked.Our food took a little longer than expected, but we kept busy by snacking on the chips and salsa. I had read on Yelp that there was a complimentary salsa sampler and bean dip for first-time customers, so I requested those when placing our order. The server hesitated, explaining that the bean dip was only for first-timers, but after I confirmed we were new customers, he reluctantly put in the request.I ordered the Enchilada After an exhausting but beautiful almost 4-hour hike, my friends and I were absolutely starving and needed a place to refuel. We searched on Google and found Maria's Mexican Restaurant with a solid 4-star rating, so we decided to check it out. When we arrived, it was clear this was a popular spot for the locals--both the main parking lot and overflow lot were full! We lucked out and managed to find a spot, and despite the restaurant being busy, we were seated right away.The restaurant has charming, authentic décor that gives off a cozy, welcoming vibe. The hostess greeted us with a warm smile and made us feel right at home. Our servers were quick with the chips and water, and this was definitely the highlight of the service--everyone was friendly and prompt. However, as the meal went on, it felt like our server was a bit distracted and didn't check in on us as often as we would have liked.Our food took a little longer than expected, but we kept busy by snacking on the chips and salsa. I had read on Yelp that there was a complimentary salsa sampler and bean dip for first-time customers, so I requested those when placing our order. The server hesitated, explaining that the salsa sampler was only for first-timers, but after I confirmed we were new customers, he reluctantly put in the request.I ordered the Chicken Suissa, and my friend tried the Carne Asada fries and Carne Asada street tacos from the bar menu. My other friend went for a two-combo with a tamale and quesadilla. I also added a cup of chicken tortilla soup to warm up after the chilly hike. The drinks came quickly, and I tried their buttered rum, which was a fantastic, warming treat.The chicken tortilla soup was small but hit the spot--it was flavorful and comforting. As for the salsa sampler, it included roasted pepper, cilantro, habanero, jalapeño, and a traditional red salsa. Unfortunately, the roasted pepper salsa was very off-putting (my friend even said it tasted fishy!), the cilantro salsa had an overwhelming soapy flavor, and the habanero salsa was watery with no heat. The jalapeño salsa was decent, but the regular red salsa was the standout--it was the best of the bunch. The chips were fresh, salty, and thin, which was perfect for snacking while waiting.When the complementary bean dip arrived, it was definitely a highlight! The dip was made of beans, enchilada sauce, melted cheese, and olives, and it was surprisingly tasty--definitely something I'd order again.As for the entrees, my Enchilada Suissa was fine, though it arrived lukewarm, which was disappointing. Thankfully, I had filled up on chips, soup, and dip, so I ended up taking my meal home. My friend was not thrilled with the Carne Asada fries, as the cheese sauce was bland. My other friend thought her quesadilla was smaller than she expected, which was a bit of a letdown.Overall, Maria's Mexican Restaurant was an okay stop, especially after a long hike, but it didn't live up to the excitement we had anticipated. The service could have been more attentive, and while some of the dishes were satisfying, others left something to be desired. It's a solid option for a quick meal, but next time, we might explore other choices in Grass Valley.

After driving through the downtown strip and seeing few options open, we stumbled across Maria's and decided to give them a try. One side of the restaurant is more of a bar, and one side is restaurant style with booths and tables. We sat on the restaurant side. Cleanliness and overall vibe inside: the restaurant area was pretty casual. Menus were slightly sticky, and it kinda gave eating at a Mexican Denny's vibe initially. I appreciated that the menu clearly specified what was gluten free since I'm limiting gluten right now. Drinks: We ordered a classic lime, and a blood orange margarita, and upgraded the tequila to something a step higher and anejo. They were well blended, but massive. I'm talking, twice the size of what you would expect. They were also overflowing in the cups and made a sticky mess all over the table when they were delivered to us by the server. With that, they tasted delicious so we didn't mind the mess too much. Perhaps this explains the sticky menus. lol Food: My husband ordered the Carne Asada and I decided to try the Poblano Encheladas. Serving sizes were hearty, and the food was solid. The Carne Asada was very well marinated, and the Poblano enchilada sauce was to die for. It was a fair amount of sauce, but I wished I had a little more if I'm being honest. The presentation was taken down a notch or two since some of the fresh veggies were browning and or slightly wilted. I could have gone without it on my plate with how they looked. Service: our waiter was very casual, but she attended to us well. Our drinks were kept full, she brought us a complimentary bean dip since we were first timers, and she gave good recommendations. Overall, I take one star away for minor cleanliness and presentation/wilty veg but we really enjoyed our food and experience and would definitely come back here again while in GV.

For grass Valley I would say this one of top Mexican restaurants! Though it can be on a higher price side, you get quite the quantity of food. I've always enjoyed their margaritas! Chips and salsa have never disappointed. I go to is always the enchilada suissa, they are pretty darn good, but you definitely need to ask for extra sauce. Every visit I've always had good service! The decor and space of the restaurant is great, the patio is super cute. This is a great go to for large party events, as well as an easy go to lunch!

We were in town for a concert and decided to go to Maria's because it is in a very convenient location. It is walking distance from our hotel, the venue we were going to, and lots of shops. The Google reviews are excellent and it seems popular. The host and server were very nice and attentive. The restaurant is very spacious, has great decor and has lots of indoor and outdoor seating. The margaritas are in very beautiful glasses.What was lacking for me is the food. We appreciated the unlimited chips and salsa, the chips were hot and fresh, and the salsa was delicious. However, my boyfriend ordered the shrimp super burrito, and he had unpeeled shrimp on his first bite. The avocado in his burrito was also unripe and hard. I ordered the chicken taquitos, and the chicken was super dry. I liked that were choices on what kind of beans we could have on the side. The pinto beans and rice were good. Lastly, I ordered a $13 jalapeno and pineapple margarita, and it tasted only like margarita mixer! No spice from jalapeno or sweetness from pineapple. I wonder/am hoping they gave me the wrong drink by mistake because that was really disappointing, especially because the presentation of the drink was very nice. The unlimited chips and salsa and great service were my favorite part, but I wish the food was better and matched the prices that it was.

My partner wanted me to try some local Mexican spots in town so we checked out this spot. Went for something a little more basic (nachos) and they were fine, chicken was a little too dry. Taco salad wasn't bad but my favorite was the simple chips and salsa with a side of rice and beans. I will say though, the margaritas here do make it worth coming back to.

Food! Great! Service, wonderful! Ambiance lovely. This is a fun place with waitresses who really care about you and food that pleases your palate.

I recently visited Maria's and ordered the chicken tostada salad, expecting a fresh, flavorful meal, but unfortunately, I was let down. The chicken was disappointingly bland--there wasn't even a hint of salt or pepper. The refried beans were equally flavorless, adding no depth to the dish. As for the guacamole, it was lackluster and lacked the creamy, zesty kick I was hoping for. They served a side dressing, but it was so watery that it barely clung to anything in the salad. The tortilla shell, which should have been a crispy and light base, was overly greasy and made the entire dish feel heavy. One upside... the service was amazing, hence the two stars.Honestly, I couldn't even finish my meal. The only saving grace was the chips and salsa, but even that was mediocre at best. There wasn't enough freshness in the salsa to balance out the chips. I left Maria's feeling disappointed and unsatisfied, and I don't see myself coming back. I had hoped for a more vibrant meal experience, but sadly, this wasn't it. It's a shame because I wanted to like it, but there were too many misses to overlook.

Say no more. Super yummy! Just the right amount of spice. Very filling and you're going to need a to go box.

Organic is really important to some people, including me. That's probably why Maria's menu offers organic margaritas. They could take it even a step further and promote their margaritas as vegan, gluten free, non-gmo, and organic. I'd imagine some people would feel better getting drunk off that. I heard that in 2018, the first genetically modified humans were born. I wonder if they would care about eating genetically modified food. Anyway, I ended up getting veggie fajitas and tea, it was good!