Maria’s Mexican Bistro

On the bright side: The food can be really good. The first time I ordered the chicken-​stuffed poblano, I declared it the best Mexican entrée I’d had in my life. On the whole, though, it’s hit or miss, even with the same dishes. The drinks are great, but expensive, small, and not that strong. The happy hour might be worth it.
The poor side: The service is terrible. It can take forty-​five minutes for your food to come out, even if the place is empty. When it does come out, it might be cold. And it’s very expensive, considering the unreliable quality of the food and the consistently terrible service.

Um, the brunch here? Not so much.
I will say that the chips and salsa were delicious: homemade chips and a spicy blended sauce. So delicious.
I had the eggs florentine, which were really no big deal. The eggs were poached well, but the hollandaise was pretty eh. I dumped that salsa all over it, and that worked out well.
My biggest gripe was the service. It was soooo slow, and the restaurant was practically empty.
On the upside, my bellinis were strong and unlimited. Check it out for dinner, the menu looked pretty good.

A common lament you’ll hear from folks, especially those from California or Texas, is about the lack of good Mexican food in New York. And it’s true… we get neither the tex-​mex greasy, cheesy, carboload mex nor the cal-​mex fresh veggie fusion right, but some places stand out and others blend into the New York standard of mediocrity. Unfortunately, Maria’s falls into the latter category. It’s all just sort of average.
The fresh made guacamole is good and made to your liking (mild to spicy), but the accompanying chips leave something to be desired. Many are so thin that they splinter when you dip them in the guac. I appreciate the varying thickness of the chips that show how homemade they are, but they’re just not that good. The entrees are good, but nothing mindblowing. I suggest you get the chicken lava rock dish. The brunch is also a rather good deal: $ 10.95 for unlimited mimosas, bellinis, bloody mary’s, coffee or orange juice, plus your dish. 9 out of 10 of the dishes are egg dishes, and the tenth is pancakes, so don’t expect these to be mindblowingly interesting dishes, but they’re good. The steak and eggs is my favorite, and that’s not a bad deal for the price. Another good deal is lunch on weekdays. You can get that for $ 6.95. You can hardly get a deli sandwich for that price, nowadays, so that’s something to take note of if you’re in the hood at lunchtime on a weekday.
Oh, and p. s. the avocado margarita sounds better than it actually is. I wouldn’t bother.

F all the haters, I love Marias.
Super nice waiters and most importantly, delicious AUTHENTIC Mexican food that, while yes, is more pricey that dining at a taco truck, but no shit, it’s a sit down place in the Slope.
They do up a michalada up right (beer + hot sauce). I have stayed away from tequila since The Great Puking Incident of 1997, but everyone who I have brought here says that their margaritas are tops.
The name escapes me, but they have a dish where they serve chicken, beef, and shrimp on a hot ‘lava’ rock. I think it’s about 15 dollars and it is fabulous. Caz three dead animals are certainly better than one.

One of my social networking groups of good friends gathered here on a Sunday early afternoon brunch. Low and behold to our discovery the restaurant hosted a party the night before which ran past hours until 5AM. Upon entering at 12:30pm, being the first to arrive, I was rudely ejected from the premises as the restaurant staff were recovering and cleaning without a reasonable explaination.
After standing outside for an eternity of nearly two long haul hours, Maria’s Mexican finally opened for business at 1:50pm. Brunch totalled approx. $ 15.00 per person which includes unlimited Mimosa, coffee or tea as it suit my budget in today’s ailing economy. Personally I was hoping for a unique experience for a Mexican brunch, but Maria’s Mexican Bistro is just average.
Maria’s Mexican Bistro’s menus are printed on Magna Carta Parchment 8 ½″ X 11″ at 65 lb. card stock in cream color of 30% Post-​Consumer, which as any avid paper aficionado can easily recognize.

I’d really give this place 2.5 stars, I think.
What I liked about it was the guacamole. There was tons of fresh cilantro and even though it wasn’t «spicy» like they said it did have some kick. Or perhaps that was the large chunk of jalapeño I managed to find. As much as I love Rosa Mexicano’s guac, it’s been a little salty as of late and this was a welcome and fresh change.
The pom margaritas (on the rocks, no salt) wasn’t too bad. It was a bit unbalanced though. In one sip I’d get a ton of tequila flavor and the next would be all pomegranate. Hm. Fun but kind of annoying, too. I also had their Carnaval drink with had some sort of liquer, sparkling wine, strawberries, and cucumber, which sounded declicious and for the most part it was but there was so much gunk that I needed a baleen strainer to drink it.
I went for two appetizers for my dinner and both were kinda enh. The vegetable quesadilla was appetizing with spinach, mushroom, garlic? truffle oil? (I’m trying to remember what came in it… so good it was that memorable, eh?) was fresh enough tasting (not weighed down with butter or oil). However, the spinach was overpowering and I felt like any other flavor got lost because of that.
The shrimp ceviche was… interesting. There was a lot of shrimp, which was nice. Usually you get shafted when it comes to shrimp, like three pieces. But there were maybe 6 or 8 shrimp in the martini glass… in full. My experience with ceviche has been that they usually chop up the seafood, but not so here. Must be easier to just shove the shrimp in a glass, pour the ceviche sauce over it, and serve. And there was so much sauce that the shrimp was overpowered by it too.
So that’s what’s wrong here… no balance. Each time I write about something I eat here I realize that there’s nothing in harmony with itself. Not impressed…
The only thing I really liked was the Happy Hour deal which is $ 5 margaritas with your 1^st mojito free.

I’m kind of picky about my Mexican food, especially when I’m going to an upscale place. I wanted to like this place, but it didn’t impress me as a destination.
Margarita — It was a little bit too… something. Either too much lime juice, or too much ice or something. Never quite tasted right.
Mojito — I asked for it «lightly muddled» which wasn’t heeded. The drink ended up inconsistent and unremarkable.
Guac — Pretty good. I like the liberal use of cilantro. However, when they ask for a level of spicy, and I say spicy, I want it spicy dammit. Not gringo spicy.
Shrimp Ceviche — It’s cute that they served it in a martini glass. I am still of the opinion that any halfway decent restaurant can do a passable ceviche, and this was not an exception. The shrimp was really tasty, and the juice was decent.
Lava Rock — The concept of food served on a «lava rock» is cool. The presentation was pretty, but the food wasn’t particularly impressive. I asked for the steak medium rare, but seared. It wasn’t. The shrimp tasted good, but were really small. And the vegetables were fine, if slightly bland. They also only gave me two greasy tortillas, and the bartender immediately realized I would need more, and brought them to me. And they were greasy too. Oh well.
I like the concept of a lot of the dishes, and the presentation was nice. But they need to step it up before it becomes somewhere I’d seek out.

So far the best «Mexican» I’ve had in Park Slope, but that’s not saying much. The food is delicious if a tad pricey. I had one of the specials served on a «hot lava rock» and it was really good. Also good: the pomegranate margarita.
Service could be better, but overall, 4 stars.

This is definitely the best Mexican restaurant I have been to outside of Mexico!
There was an awesome menu selection with various authentic foods like mole and tamales, but more than just the same old tacos or enchiladas. There was also an extensive list of cocktails with new twists. I had a strawberry cucumber margarita which was delicious! Their guacamole was made fresh while you wait from fresh avocados, tomatoes, and cilantro. The presentation of the food was beautiful as well, my dish came in a warm lava rock.

I’m a fan, but what is going on with this place? I loved Maria’s Mexican Bistro when it was tiny tiny — before they opened up the space in the back. The atmosphere really is like a nice, upscale restaurant in Mexico. As others have said, the guacamole is superb, the margaritas are great, the mole it totally acceptable (outside of Mexico), the corn on the cob with queso and lime is terrific, and the décor is fun… when they opened in the back, the service suffered a little bit (I feel like they started to get snooty). THEN, when they changed to Mercado, that was not really cool. They thought they pared down the décor to be more shi-​shi, but really, it just looked a little sad, like the place had been ransacked. But now I heard they’re back to being just Maria’s Mexican Bistro. I hope so.
I disagree with a previous poster who said it was the only existing up-​scale restaurant in the neighborhood. Palo Santo, just down the street and kind of hidden, is the real (kind of expensive) gem in the neighborhood. They’re home-​made tortillas are amazing.

I was walking home from the R train today with a grumbling tummy, contemplating my options in Park Slope. As I passed two alfresco diners at Maria’s, I pointed it out to my girlfriend as a valid prospect for Mexican in the future. Hardly had I finished my thought when we passed a little poorly signed yellow café front next door and exclaimed, «Actually, THAT looks like a solid Mexican place!» We then found out that it was, in fact the same place with a smaller menu and a $ 5.95 lunch special with avocado salad, and burrito, roast chicken or pork, plus soda! We were tempted into their shady garden in back and had a great lunch! The beans were especially delicious.
The only drawback was when our waiter brought us a bill for $ 14.95, which didn’t add up to two $ 5.95 lunch specials and the «$ 1.00 tax» written on the bottom of the check. I didn’t bother to quibble over the dollar at that moment and left him a smaller tip instead, but if it happens again I will quibble indeed.
All in all, a good Mexican lunch with a nice slow atmosphere. I’m a fan! And I’m intrigued about the brunch, although I can envision the aforementioned bad service based on my experience. Worth a shot though.

We were a party of 4 for 6:15 the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. We were sat right away and received our margs in a timely manner. The chips were decent and salsa was good. The margs were potent. Our meals all arrived within a reasonable amount of time.
Unlike some of the other reviewers, we didn’t have any issues with service. Our waitress was there when we needed her and other waiters brought us water refills on a regular basis.

You had me at: unlimited Bellinis, Mimosas, and Bloody Mary’s. You further took me away with brunch that costs only $ 9.95 and includes these unlimited adult bevis. You punched me in the face with how delicious my Huevos Mexicana with R&B (a/​k/​a Rice and Beans) were. And, you spit on me with allowing me to sit outside on the most beautiful day so far this calendar year.
But, you lost me with your service.
When Becca S. and I needed a place to catch a cheap bite before an event in Park Slope (to which this Manhattan girl proclaimed what’s Park Slope?) we hit the internetz in search of a dining establishment. After some search feature issues, and issues regarding the fact that there are a lot of expensive restaurants in PS, we found Maria’s…but we didn’t realize just how good we had it.
Their brunch, doods, is only $ 9.95 with unlimited drinks… um hello? And chips (good thick ones) and salsa (which needs a bit of salt). Awesome. Both B and I ordered Bellinis, they were good… sweet and sparkly, just like me… ha! I ordered Huevos Mexicano which is an egg scramble with cilantro, onions and jalapenos. I asked for the jalapenos on the side since spicy hasn’t been agreeing with me lately and I didn’t want to fight. The eggs also came with R&B (see above) and two fresh and steamy tortillas. When my dish came there were no jalapenos on the side…
I think we only went through 3 (maybe 4?) bellinis each. We had no issue ordering and receiving the first two, but our server seemed annoyed at our last round… which was either 3 or 4.
I can only comment on the brunch, and the food was really delicious. If I ever happen to find myself in Park Slope again (highly unlikely) I would love to come back here for brunch and get totes wasted… woohoo…

I went to Maria’s for a Saturday brunch with two of my girlfriends. Upon entering we were all impressed by the beautiful eclectic décor.
The place was relatively empty so we were hoping for attentive service.
At first, our waiter took fantastic care of us… that is until we ordered our second round of Bellini’s which come all-​you-​can-​drink with brunch. The waiter seemed to roll his eyes and from that point on we had to flag him down to get him to bring additional rounds. At one point, we watched the bartender make our drinks and they sat on the bar for a good 5 minutes with several waiters (including our own, who sat next to the drinks and folded some napkins) completely ignored them. I can understand if we got there at 11 and stayed until 4 pm, but we were only there for an hour and a half.
All in all, the guac, salsa and homemade chips were delicious, the Pozole soup was disappointing (the «zesty» broth was bland), my friend requested egg whites in her omelette and didn’t get what she asked for, the service was slow and rude.
Terrible service in a nearly empty restaurant is unforgivable.

So far my experience with Maria’s has been mixed. It’s definitely the most high-​end restaurant in the part of the neighborhood it’s in, with Eclipse coming in second, and I like the fact that the neighborhood is starting to gentrify enough that a restaurant like this can survive while still catering to the already existing Hispanic population.
My positive experience was with brunch. They serve a fairly generous platter for something like 8 dollars, and that includes unlimited bloody marys or bellinis and coffee, and it was nice to be there in the morning. However, the service was mixed as we were only checked on once or twice in the entire time we were there and there wasn’t a single person in the restaurant aside from us. I can understand not wanting to smother your customer but when you’re literally the only occupied table I expect my water glass to get refilled without delay.
Our negative experience was ordering in. Despite being an outpost based off of the original Park Slope location the guy answering the phone spoke virtually no English, and the portions are totally inappropriate given what you pay, particularly for appetizers (which were ridiculously tiny). I have yet to actually eat dinner at the restaurant though, so it may just be a takeout thing.
The atmosphere is great, definitely more on the romantic side, and is cozy and inviting. In short it’s a nicer place for a date then many other places in the neighborhood could offer, although it’s definitely verging on the expensive side. I’m not sure if they’ve realized that they can’t justify Park Slope prices in this neighborhood, but hopefully they figure it out because almost every time I walk by the place is empty and I’d like it to stay open.

I have to echo Elisa C’s sentiment and call third time a scam.
I am a california-​raised official mexican food snob. Of the 3 times i have eaten here over the last couple months the food went from reallyandtruly fantastic to barely edible. The service has been laughably bad every time — which i will totally forgive for great food.
The only menu item which I have found to be consistently good is the Chiles Poblanos combo. It’s a unique and delicious treat.
The last time I ate there 2 of us got the same dish: el Molcajete (lava rock fajita type fest) with chicken and filet mignon. My friend’s was OK — mine was barely edible. I think they heated my ‘rock’ way too much — one of the onions burned my lip and left a blister, the chicken was leathery, the supposed-​to-​be-​rare filet part was fatty and tough — totally overcooked and one piece actually tasted ‘gamey’, at which point i stopped eating. Another of us only ate half his enchiladas because they just plain sucked.
Unfortunately sending food back is impossible because you never see the waiter again until you have to beg a busboy or hostess to find them and give you your check 20 minutes after you finished eating. This part was true all 3 times i ate here.
waaaaah.
They make very good cocktails and the guacamole is predictably good, the chips are perfect. If i go back, which is doubtful, this is all I will order.

Fresh from a conversation about how there is no point in getting Mexican food in NY if you’re from San Francisco, I went to Maria’s anyway because my New Yorker friend was in the mood and had no immediate plans to visit California. It was pretty good, not perfect, but I walked away happy and full.
Looking back, I realize that our meal was more expensive than I had been expecting, but at the time I didn’t care because I was somewhat trashed. I had ordered the «pasion de Maria» — passionfruit, tequila, some other stuff, a chili-​salt rim, DELICIOUS. It got the evening going.
The fresh guacamole has been covered in several reviews. I liked it, although I didn’t know until I read just now that apparently it cost $ 10. As I said, I was somewhat trashed after the pasion. The chips were my favorite kind — light and flaky. Sometimes they weren’t up to the task of coralling the giant chunks of avocado in the guacamole, but we muddled through together.
For dinner, I went with the Enchiladas mi Bandera — one chicken/​mole, one cheese/​tomatillo, one shrimp/​suiza. They were good. I thought the mole sauce was really tasty, but I don’t know a whole lot about mole sauce so if you’re one of those people with a connosieur thing going on in this arena, your mileage may vary. The black beans and rice on the side were also good, but not so awesome that I kept stuffing my face long after I was full, which sometimes happens to me with rice and beans on the side. Maybe that was for the best.
My friend had the shrimp diablo, and seemed pretty pleased with it as well. It wasn’t super spicy — anyone who really wants food spicy at Maria’s in general should probably ask specifically for that. For a drink, she had ordered the pepina — english cucumbers, pineapple, some kind of alcohol that was probably tequila, and maybe some other crap. I don’t know. It tasted really good, but it lasted about 5 seconds.
We liked the atmosphere — I guess «homey» is the word. In the case of Maria’s, I couldn’t decide whether it was a weirdly contrived homey or a cool, genuine homey, but I also didn’t care — everything is made of wood or clay and the color scheme is warm, end of story.
Bottom line: for Mexican food in New York, this Californian thinks that Maria’s is a viable option. I would go there again, and when I did I would order lots of drinks.

They say that third’s a charm, but in this case, «scam» is a better word choice. My first two experiences at Maria’s were pleasant; indeed, I recommended this place to others and felt content knowing that there was a decent Mexican restaurant in my hood. But a few nights ago, I went back with about 5 others and it was plain awful: the margaritas were gross (heavy on the triple sec and syrupy), the tacos were cold and tasteless and they did not have any kind of hot sauce available. Not hot sauce in a Mexican joint?
But the service was even worse. Yes, perhaps it was late for a Sunday night (circa 9:30 or so) but if you really can’t be bothered to serve people past a certain hour, don’t seat them. And if you do seat them, at least pretend you’re not an asshole.

For those of you that found the sit-​down restaurant expensive, walk around the corner on Union to their tiny «café» which usually has a few tables out front and may even have some in a tiny courtyard (I couldn’t tell). The menu here is much reduced and there is no waiter service, but the prices (and food!) can’t be beat.
The night I went, they had six different varieties of tamales (unheard of!) to choose from. I had the cheese, pork with jalapenos, and the chicken mole. All were delicious, and huge. I ordered 3 because tamales are usually pretty small, but I probably only ate the equivalent of less than 2 of these huge ones.

Maria’s is cozy with kind of eclectic Mexican décor. The atmosphere is non-​pretentious and the live music on a recent Saturday night visit was pleasant and fairly non-​intrusive.
The space accommodated our group of six easily. While waiting for our table, we enjoyed drinks made with some of their specialty tequilas. The pomegranate margarita was strong, but tasty. The avocado frozen margarita was also good. The sangria was basically red wine on the rocks with chunks of fruit floating in it. The bartender mixed up a number of drink orders (regular margarita instead of pomegranate, salt instead of no salt, etc.).
We started with the made-​to-​order guacamole, which was good but bland. Then I ordered the tortilla soup to start, which was above average. The steak with goat cheese quesadillas was the highlight of the food ordered. I also ordered a seasoned corn on the cob (similar to Cuban style), which wasn’t hot enough and had pieces of un-​melted butter all over it. Many dishes came with rice and bean sides – delicious. The waiter made a few mistakes with the orders, which were quickly remedied but annoying.
Everyone was satisfied with the food flavor and quality, although the service wasn’t as polished as it could have been. The servers could have been more attentive and detail-​oriented.
With drinks and tip, the total came to a nice $ 35 per person. If I return to Maria’s, I’ll likely try a seafood dish. Apparently that’s the specialty. Overall, a reasonably solid pick for a night out in Brooklyn.
UPDATE
I did go back and did order seafood: the evening special recently was the seafood paella. It was AMAZING. So, I was going to increase my rating one star… HOWEVER, the service was terrible again! I actually had to enter the restaurant (we sat outside this time) and hunt down a waiter or other staff person just to get the check! And then we waited some more for someone to take the check back with the credit card. Anyway, the food experience improved a lot, but the service was same-​old, same-​old.