Maria Bonita — Restaurant in San Francisco

We ate twice at Maria's on our recent short trip to San Pancho. Yes, we loved the food so much we had to return a second time! The food was exceptional and the service was prompt and attentive. The wait staff were especially solicitous toward our two-year-old grandson, which of course warmed my grandfatherly heart.

Between us we had the fresh fish, the steak, a shrimp dish, two salads, the cheese plate appetizer, the guacamole and chips, the chile relleno... oh, and the octopus in brandy sauce! We had a lovely, savory dinner - and then another one a few days later!

Here's what I learned from their website. Maria Inés, the founder and owner, was born in San Pancho herself, working in restaurants in Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos before opening her own business. This restaurant reflects her own experiences and interests, presenting delicious traditional dishes as well as occasional specialties from other cultures.

We did not have any of the deserts, but my grandson did have a smoothie, which he enjoyed greatly. He also enjoyed dancing along to the live music offered during our second visit.

We enjoyed the patio along Tercer Mundo, the main street of San Pancho. If we ever return for a third time, we will try sitting in the shady garden in the rear of the premises. If we return to San Pancho, we will return for a third...

We really enjoyed our time at Maria Bonita’s until the food came & one of the waiter’s friends tried to steal our credit card. The environment was really inviting with live music out front, so we decided to come here for dinner. The wait staff was being a little inappropriate with our group of 6 girls. They continually touched our backs as they would come over to talk to us which is simply unprofessional and uncomfortable (not to mention esp not ok during Covid). The worst part was that the friend of the waiter who was sitting behind us and STARING at us grabbed for my friend’s credit card from the table and we saw it happen and grabbed it immediately before he could take it! It seemed as if they were scheming to do that. NOT COOL!

Now to the food which was also disappointing. Best things we orderd: 4/5 Shrimp burrito 4/5 Guacamole – The chips were fresh & delicious 4/5 Garlic Shrimp

Disappointing items: 1/5 Shrimp Pasta: super bland. We couldn’t even force ourselves to eat this 1/5 Diablo Cammerones: this was basically a soup of sauce with really ketchup-y flavor and shrimp buried inside. I didn’t enjoy this at all. 3/5 Ceviche

Come here for the live music & guacamole but skip on the food and beware of your personal belongings & the...

Very poorly managed restaurant. Great spot in town and looks great. Service was terrible. Quality of food for the most part was good, although we were 5 people and we all got our dinners 15 minutes apart. It was a disaster. I finally got my dish which was their special of the day. It was un edible. It was a dish that my steak knife could not go through. It was like whale blubber. Also, our waitress knew nothing about the menu let alone she knew nothing about waiting tables. Everything we asked for never came.After being completely frustrated, I got up to tell the manager what. Was going on. He said he was sorry and would look into it. Never heard back from him, nor did he come to the table one time to see if there was anything he could do or even apologize. When I asked for the check nothing was said or offered. Just like nothing ever happened. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt but after seeing they did not care about how we were treated. Nor did they care if we were happy or not. I don’t recommend this...