Maria Bonita Mexican Grill

Reviews 4

TO

Torey Ellis

It pains me to write this review because I have been going to this restaurant for years and have always loved it. Unfortunately Maria Bonitas has simply become greedy in my opinion. I grew up in Southern California where Mexican restaurants were a dime a dozen, and Maria bonitas ranks up there with the best of them, even for being in Utah. With that being said, never once have I EVER been to a Mexican restaurant where I was charged for more chips with my chips and salsa (I dont know if the salsa wouldve been extra also if I had needed more). It really was the straw that broke the camels back for me. Its the thing I look forward to the most when going to a Mexican restaurant. And its not as though the extra $2.25 for more chips is breaking the bank, but its the principle of it being a Mexican restaurant that serves free chips and salsa. I know that may seem petty of me but that wasnt the only thing I noticed had changed over the 5 years I frequented the restaurant. A couple of other complaints I had: We werent brought any rice soup before our meal, which has always been the norm. When I went to order the lobster quesadilla I was told there was no more lobster but they had crab as a substitute, which I was understanding of. Just taking a shot in the dark, I asked if I could get a discount for the inconvenience. I was then told crab is actually more expensive than lobster which Im almost certain isnt the case. My pregnant wife ordered a simple burrito (as did someone else at the table) and she had to wait almost 10 minutes for her food to come out while we all had our entrees, even the other person with the same burrito. You can imagine the frustration we all felt as we were polite to wait to eat while she still waited for her food. Prices have increased dramatically... mind you I understand that with growth comes greater cost. And I hope that these price increases are a necessity due to increased cost of expansion because I do hope for the best for the restaurant and want them to be successful. But Im not sure an increase from an entree being $17 to now $30 is a necessity. Their lemonades being $3-4 with a refill are now $7 with no refill (orchata and other specialty beverages being similar), also now smaller in size. We were told a 30 minute wait that ended up being a 50+ minute wait for a table. I understand Friday nights are busy, but a more accurate estimation wouldve been nice, especially when you have an infant with you. Again I do love this restaurant and they are very warm and welcoming. Their food is amazing, thats why its hard when I have a bad experience there. Im giving it a 2 star because I dont want to destroy their rating, nor does a higher rating reflect our experience. I do not write this review to deter customers, rather give feedback to management to know how a long time customer feels and how their disappointing experience was at one of their favorite restaurants.

DA

Dane Weibell

Amazing! This was my first time to Maria Bonitas with my family and some friends of ours. To get the only things out of the way that were an issue I will list them as the following: -Size of restaurant (Too small, but will be fixed with time, money from business, and future expansion.) -Not a large enough waiting area (We had to to wait outside in the cold for awhile, but this would only be an issue if one was experiencing this in extreme heat or cold and without proper attire.) -Very slight disorganization (This really did not affect the atmosphere or experience at all, just being as straight forward and picky as possible.) Now thats out of the way, the good: -Great, lively, and hospitable service! (Those waiting tables, out of the majority, were extremely enthusiastic, cordial, and attentive to the needs and expectations of those they were serving. Water did not go unfilled, options for salsa, chips, or extra items were presented with appropriate timing, and there was no feeling of being rushed to finish despite the high demand of a Saturday night evening crowd. -The food was AMAZING! (Hands down the best Mexican food at the best price I have yet been introduced to in Utah! I ordered their "Supreme Burrito" #56 Approx. on the menu for just over $11.00 and it was enormous! This was not cheap imitation of cheap refried beans and rice purchased from a local market place. With no exaggeration it was delicious! Normally with Mexican food I tire of it quickly, because it all tastes the same particularly at an average cost restaurant, but this was not the case at Maria Bonitas. I left wanting more! -The exit was a quick and easy payment with a waiter offering a bag to carry our still existing plenty of mexican gourmet delights! All in all, Maria Bonitas will be my favorite restaurant of choice when I heard the words "Mexican food." Thank you to those at Maria Bonitas for reviving my daily desire of Mexican food! I will return! :) -Dane

TI

tiorob

Unfortunately, I have to play the "Race Card" in this review. Not particularly for me, but for my dining companions. I am 1/2 Mexican 1/2 white and took my (then) girl friend to Maria Bonita about 3 years ago. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. We both ordered chicken chimichangas. She got hers in less than 5 minutes, brought out by a latin woman who stared her in the eyes the whole time while she delivered her food. My food came out about 10 minutes later and then we both started eating. My girl friends chimichanga was full of chicken fat, trimmings, and a few bones. My meal was fine but she didnt want to seem rude and complain so we shared my plate. A couple years later, I had gotten married and moved close to Maria Bonita. My wife ( white,red hair, brown eyes) went there on her own and enjoyed the food. We then went there and got take out. The host was very friendly but some latin women came by and saw me with my wife while getting menus and so forth. Our food took over 30 mins and they left out items we pointed out to them. We ordered to bowls of soup which were served EXTREMELY hot! So much that the plastic on top of one of the bowls melted in the car and I got scalding liquid on my legs. My wifes chile relleno was nothing more than a deep friend chile, thats all. I feel they dont like to see a Spanish man in company with a white woman. My mom faced similar racism from Mexican girls when she was dating my dad and was even physically attacked on occasions. To personally face similar discrimination from this business has been reprehensible and unacceptable. I cannot believe I have to avoid an establishment for my wifes sake from ignorant persons. This is our terrible reality.

ZA

Zak Taylor

Terrible service and the owner is not willing to do anything about it. The service at this restaurant has been bad every time Ive been here, but this last visit finally sealed it for me - no more going back. First off, they sat us at a table right in the middle of a walkway to the back area of the restaurant with no room for anyone to walk around. Despite this, all of the waiters kept walking by and bumping my chair. Next, the owner comes over, while our waiter is taking our order, and asks if we would like some guacamole in a very broken accent. I thought that she had obviously seen the poor seating situation and was offering guacamole for free. After all, our waiter was already taking our order. I said sure. You can see where this is going. They also didnt bring out the soup at the beginning of the meal as they usually do. The chips tasted stale - Ive had better from the grocery store and even though the menu said the limeade includes 1 refill they would not refill it and said it was a mistake on the menu. My chimichanga was terrible and our waiter didnt check on us. He kept wandering around seemingly confused. After a terrible evening of service we get up to pay (because the waiters no longer handle the bill here) and they charged us for the guacamole. My wife told her about the confusion with the owner standing there with the cashier and all she could say was, "Oh, so sorry. So sorry princess." She didnt offer to do ANYTHING. She tries to be nice by going around giving everyone high fives, but if theres a problem - good luck! Im going back to Mi Ranchito - its better all around.