Maria's Mexican Food — Restaurant in Chester

I was passing through town for work and was attracted to this place by its many scintillating reviews. I sincerely apologize for having to be contrarian but my experience here was disappointing.

I ordered the burrito bowl with chicken. I had asked the attendant how they prepared the chicken and he said it was grilled. To me this evoked an image of sizzling chicken breasts sliced and/or diced. What I received instead was chicken prepared mystery meat style - ground up into grainy little bits. Worse still, the chicken had a lot of grit in it, almost like bits of sand.

The guacamole was that homogeneous paste that one can find vacuum sealed in most supermarkets. The pico, rice and beans were suitable but bland. The most prominent flavor by far was salt. The salsa was a thin sauce reminding me of Dollar store varieties that provide heat and no nuance.

In Buffalo, New York there's a low rent Mexican food chain called Mighty Taco. I was astonished at how much this dinner reminded me of one from there. A lot of the reviews mentioned that the food here is prepared fresh - I might believe that if by "prepared" they mean the food is transferred from warming trays to a disposable container with an ice cream scoop.

One thing I do agree with the other reviews on is how friendly the service is, though. I guess that's one positive thing about this place.

Again, I'm sorry to be contrarian, but I am compelled to be honest. You don't have to listen to me, you can go with the other reviews, I just know that if I had read a review like mine I would not be getting ready to hit the road for a 5-hour trip with half of an unsatisfying meal...

What a find! We had heard so many good things about Maria's before eating there today. Up until now I was a bit underwhelmed by the limited menu choices. I need to tell you I was wrong. Their menu is meticulously focused and amazingly flavorful. Everything we ate contained depth and taste, but not overbearingly so. My partner ordered the lobster roll with spicy mayo and a chorizo and potato taco. He was impressed beyond words and was happy with the portion size and amount of claw meat in the roll. The chorizo taco with cilantro was extremely delicious and spiced well. I ordered the chicken burrito bowl and we shared chips and salsa. The bowl was incredible. With bright notes and a slight tang at the end of each bite, I am greatly impressed. The portion size was large and is allowing me to have another great meal. The chips and salsa were wonderful. They had a freshly made flavor. The guacamole, as well as all of the other meal's ingredients were fresh and tasty. To top it all off, I was offered complimentary cinnamon tea. So delicious on such a cold day! I highly recommend trying Maria's. The service was excellent, the gentlemen were super kind and friendly. I will definitely eat...

I gave this place 5 stars in all categories because when it comes to finding authentic Mexican food in Vermont, it's very hard to do.

This place is tiny so don't expect indoor dining but there is a pleasant outside area with tables.

As to the food... I had 2 tacos, one steak and one Al pastor. Both were excellent and if you want some real spice ask for their hottest sauce. It didn't disappoint.

As to what I didn't necessarily like, it was paying 9 dollars for chips and salsa when in the south it's just given.

However, honestly, in Vermont it's kind of to be expected. Just about every place does.

I wasn't particularly fond of the chips themselves but the order came with a generous portion.

The salsa was pretty good and the order also comes with a healthy portion of guacamole (yummy) and sour cream, both of which I used to juice up the tacos.

The gentlemen taking and making the order were both super nice and very laid back.

So if you're in the area, I definitely...