Dona Maria

The wife and I were visiting family in San Jose and followed the other reviews here. The food was good with fresh salsa to start. We particularly liked the red sauce on the enchiladas. The regular taco was a little plain but add some of the salsa to help. Overall above average Mexican food.

My boyfriend and I are regulars here and we always have great service. You have the option to order at the front or just take a seat and they’ll serve you. I get their tacos at least once a week, so I obviously LOVE THEM! The food is great, but the service isn’t memorable. My only real complaint is how rude they are when it gets close to closing time. I went in there 15 minutes to closing and they gave me a lot of attitude when I told him I wanted to place an order to go. I understand that they want to go home, but in the restaurant industry you make sure the customer comes first.

The real deal Mexican food. The staff is extremely courteous. The facility is clean, neat and conveniently located. Great for a family dinner or a bite to eat after a few drinks. The food is great! Not too greasy, and always fresh! Must go if you’re in the neighborhood!

We’re new the area and have been looking for a good family Mexican restaurant. We’ve tried one other nearby place (Casa Teresa) and found it uninspiring. We liked Dona Maria better in every way. All of the typical dishes are on the menu, and the options of carnitas, al pastor and lengua are a nice touch in addition to the standard beef and chicken. The food did not disappoint – I would really encourage you to just get out there and try it.
In addition to the food, there were lots of nice touches that made our night, like the super friendly, prompt and attentive service. The restaurant is kid friendly with a full kids menu, booster seats and high chairs. Our toddler sat in a high chair and we were actually able to get the seat strap around his middle (yay). The food is priced fairly. For example, a two item combo is $ 10.95 (with small upcharges for certain items). That’s a couple of bucks less than what we have come to expect.
Just two small things: when you enter the restaurant at dinner time, it’s unclear whether you’re supposed to approach the counter and order, or if you’re supposed to take a seat. Maybe a sign at the front would be a good idea. Also, the lighting is a little oppressive. It’s probably great for when it’s in taqueria mode, but a little too much for a sit down dinner. Unfortunately, a lot otherwise great restaurants in San Jose are situated in strip malls, but I bet the ambiance of this one could be improved a bit.

This is the 3^rd time I have been here and the food is good, not much flavor in meat if you don’t us salsa. My wife loves the chicken, maybe should have tried it. I had 3 asada Grande tacos. Not bad.

Super nice and friendly with great authentic food.
Son had a project from his spanish class which required video taping and interviewing the servers. Everybody was very supportive. The food isn’t overly greasy and has a home made taste. Very clean.

Went in tonight to see if the owner had changed anything in the recipe for caldo de res and sure enough he did. Thank you and hats off to the manager for understanding about
the recipe change and business. It is now just as it was in the beginning, no skimping and great flavor. I will definitely be back. And let’s not forget the great service from beginning to
end, very nice.

Dona Maria serves some authentically tasty Mexican food at reasonable prices, and the service is great, too.
We always have gotten to-​go orders, but the restaurant itself is very clean and the staff is really sweet.
I usually get chicken mole enchiladas, but the chicken tamales are yummy, too. My boyfriend prefers the beef sopes, but he some times gets the pork tamales.
Buen provecho!

This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the South Bay. The food tastes so fresh, crisp and clean. I always order the chicken enchiladas. The soup is also really good.

Very clean restaurant. Friendly staff and most importantly, the food is fresh and delicious. The chile rellenos are huge and incredibly good. The chips and salsa are also top notch!
Will go back again soon.
Mike M.

I really like this place. Awesome menu selection, easy parking, clean restaurant, and authentic, delicious food! Their chips and salsa is yummy too. Real homemade chips not that fake bagged chips…

New spot close to home.
All foods were yummy, but everything was cold. Had to send Tortilla Soup back twice. But staff took care of it.
Price was good. Food good. Location good. Great for casual dinner. Quick. Tasty mexican food. You should at least try it once!

Excellent little place. Stopped by here on Friday night with my son and they were nearly full. We still got the table and ordered things off kids’ menu and from the main menu.
First, the chips and salsa they serve here before meal arrive are excellent. Chips are made in house and come out warm. My son said even if food was bad, the chips alone were worth it.
The items off kids menu were great. Fresh casadia and be a burrito — my son loved it and it was $ 5 for both. Wow.
I ordered tilapia plate. Fish was nicely cooked and spicy.
Last, we ordered flan cakes. Wow they were delicious and perfectly soft.
All for $ 25. Sweet!

I have been here twice so far for dinner and am impressed with the cleanliness and new décor of the interior! Their choices off the menu are wide and they offer traditional Mexican soups which I am a fan of. Hearty simply stews are my favorite here. The Caldo De Res is the best soup here which has beef and tendon cuts in it mixed with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. They give you a side of rice and tortillas to eat the soup how you like it. Cilantro, lime and chopped onions are added on the side for seasoning as well. For $ 12 it is more than just a burrito or assortment of tacos but it is healthy tasting and will fill you up. You shouldn’t feel like moving at a snails pace after eating it like you might with a big burrito.
The server who works here is very helpful and they always are clear and cordial with your orders, I like this location cause it doesn’t get overly busy and is always kept clean on the inside. There are many other Dona Maria locations but I have not been to many of the other ones to be honest. I want to try one of the non-​wet burritos here cause they seem to have gotten some decent review. Don’t forget the lovely spicy salsa and good fresh Mexican chips that this places serves! I will be back every now and then. :)

My Wife, Granddaughter and I, just stopped in this afternoon for a late lunch, early dinner. We came after a strong recommendation from my Hispanic in-​laws. We were not disappointed!
Everything we had was excellent! I had Chile rellenos Ala cart, with a side of Re-​fried Beans. Both were spot on! They are what I usually order, the first time I visit a Mexican restaurant, to judge them. They passed the test with flying colors!
My Granddaughter had a shredded beef taco grande with a side of rice and beans. both where great! My wife had the Chicken and Rice bowl. Which is essentially a Taco Salad, without the shell. It had shredded chicken, Spanish rice, beans, and lettuce. She loved it!
Their chips and salsa are great as well.
Their service was pleasant, polite, and charming.

If the service matched the food, they would get 5 stars. Everything is fresh, and we haven’t had a bad meal there yet. We are big fans of Mexican food, and this place is easily the best in the area.
However, we will only be ordering take out from now on. The last couple of times we have been there, the service has been bad enough to ruin the whole experience.
I really want this place to well. The neighborhood needs it.

The restaurant sent a flyer to me with their menu. I stopped by after work on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was quiet as it was between the lunch and dinner times, yet thankfully they were open. After ordering at the counter, I soon received my Chicken Burrito to go. The cashier was very helpful: when I requested avocado, she suggested that I upgrade from the Regular to the Grande Burrito, which would include cheese as well as the avocado that I had requested. I also received a side of their delicious salsa.
Tender chicken, light and fluffy rice. Well worth the price, as the tasty food seemed to be prepared by a professional chef.
The interior of the restaurant is warm and cozy. I was greeted immediately by the staff. Would eat here again.

Pretty good! We came here because they had a buy one get one free deal on the regular tacos which ended up being $ 4.25 for four after tax (what a deal!). The meal also came with salsa and chips which were really tasty. I thought the salsa was one of the best I’ve had so far – spicy and oniony and chunky. Yum!
My SO got the lengua (beef tongue) and carne asada, and I got lengua and carnitas. We both agreed that the lengua was really good; it was tender and flavorful. However, we thought the carnitas and the carne asada were on the dry side but still well seasoned. Next time I’ll probably just double up on the tongue!
Overall, pretty good food at a great price! I’ll definitely come again.

Amazing food, the rice and beans are perfect and I don’t even like refried beans!!!
The shredded beef enchiladas are super good. I don’t know what they do to their beef but it’s finely shredded and tender.
Chile rellenos are made from fresh guajillo peppers filled with panela cheese. And covered in egg batter and a tomato gravy.
Crispy chicken tacos are deelish… simple but good.
Guacamole is fresh and I didn’t detect any mayo yay!
Chips and salsa are addictive… the Salsa is top notch and has a spicy end note on top of all the freshness… very good.
Horchata was ok needs more cinnamon… but this place is such a welcome addition to south San Jose… not that many good Mexican places around here!!! Been there three times since it opened!!!

Noelle’s Unilocal Notebook 2015
My mom invited me and the little LoveBug for lunch. We decided to dine at the newest location of Dona Maria. This lovely little restaurant is located in The Cahalan Square which is home to the ice cream shop Sweet Retreat and other mom and pop businesses. Parking is ample and the layout of the restaurant is well lay out.
Our order:
two iced teas
chile verde platter
flautas platter
child’s enchiladas
Upon entering we were greeted warmly by Ruth. Chips and salsa were delivered promptly to the tables along with the menus. A the food is simply delicious and authentic. The menu is very diverse and they offer breakfast, lunch and dinner items all day long from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
I’m glad there is a new spot locally for Mexican food. Looking forward to coming here often with my family and friends. A side note this is a child friendly restaurant– child’s menu at reasonable prices, booster and high chairs are available for little restaurant patrons at Dona Maria.
Thanks to my mom, Beth W and my brother from another mother John D for the tip on my new favorite spot to dine!!!
Noelle’s Notes
Delish food
Authentic Mexican eats
Reasonable prices