Taqueria Maria's — Restaurant in Jamesburg

I see this place does have many good reviews, so perhaps it was my experience alone that might have been a fluke; nonetheless I am here to share. My family catered from this place for a party, and I was excited for some delicious food. Starting with the positive, I did enjoy their version of guacamole; I would not exactly call it that, because the avocado was very chunky unlike most Guacamole I have eaten. Even though it was not the usual kind, I did enjoy it. My complaints are mainly regarding the fact that they loaded up on useless ingredients that they must have known we would not care for. This experience would have been great if it was a catering event for rabbits. They just added food they knew we weren’t interested in to make themselves look generous when in reality it is cheap, tasteless, useless ingredients when they should have just given us more chips. I hardly got to try the Guacamole because they barely gave us any chips. Don’t hit me with that inflation nonsense because Mexican restaurants throw chips at people they are so cheap to make. That is stingy because as a former restaurant worker of multiple locations, I can confirm that chips are very cheap to make. They would not have gone out of business giving us an actual catering portion, but I digress. They gave us a HUGE container of just plain lettuce and raw radishes. Explain to me who in America is going to benefit from all of that? We are not rabbits, we are hungry humans. If they have given us as much chips as they did lettuce, this review would likely be a little bit different. I almost wanted to just give them the lettuce back; just wasted space filled with lazy flavorless food when we could have had more chips or protein. This rabbit food was unacceptable, thank goodness I had some family that brought additional food or I would have starved. The meat was not terrible, but a bit chewy and lacked flavor. I enjoyed their version of guacamole more so than I did their huge portions of raw radishes and lettuce. I am being generous with the additional star, but there really is not much positivity to report about this experience. We had to get tostito chips in order to satisfy the lack of their chips. We left the raw radish and lettuce in the front, come and take it back. Please tell me this is not the usual sad excuse of food that comes out of this...

The food be bussin'.

Authentic. Genuine. Flavorful.

These are the words that I would use in describing Taqueria Maria's. We have eaten from Taqueria Maria's previously, however, that occasion called for take-out. I recall the food being rather good. However, it wasn't until we chose to dine-in at the location that we were reminded of how amazing the food is.

While the menu inclined towards the Tex-Mex varietal, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. The ambiance - the music, neutral clay tones of the walls and flooring, and the sound of sizzling food on the griddle echoing from the kitchen - really set the mood and complimented the authenticity of the food. The staff seemed very happy-go-lucky and were incredibly friendly in their service.

Beginning with the complimentary nacho chips, you will be pleasantly treated with two different salsas (verde and roja). While neither were incredibly spicy on the Scoville spectrum, they both hold their individual uniqueness. The verde sauce definitely has a bigger kick than the roja, while the red sauce is delightfully flavorful - it's as if Rao's had a baby with a puree'd roasted red bell pepper.

We ordered the burrito and the enchiladas plates. The burrito serving was massive and generous, being garnished with a bed of lettuce on top. Meanwhile, everything about the enchiladas plate was spectacular - from the black beans, rice, to the enchiladas themselves. The same verde sauce for the nachos now appeared to dress and gracefully bathe the pair of enchiladas, enriching it with tantalizing flavor. This spice paired perfectly with the chicken, as hints of lime and cilantro accentuated the entire profile of the meal. While the saucy beans mixed with the soft texture of the rice grains to create a satiating meal. We also ordered a side of grilled jalapenos which were made to perfection - holding the perfect amount of char, whilst retaining the satisfying crunch.

If Taqueria Maria's was a bit closer, I reckon that my family and I would frequent this eatery more often. I would definitely recommend to anyone seeking a good Mexican meal, whether that be for...

First time here and probably last. Food was so so, not so hot when it was served. The cream is more like sour cream not the authentic Mexican crema. The owner was sitting in the corner eating and drinking beer while yelling to the kitchen that they need to be faster. Weird. The bathrooms are located in the kitchen. You have to walk behind the entire line as the line cooks move over so you can pee. Odd. Ordered street corn it was only mayo and grated cheese. It was definitely missing cayenne pepper and cilantro. He put down tajin on the table for it but it’s definitely not the same. Tajin is more sour taste it needed a spicy seasoning such as cayenne. The steak was chewy. The shrimp inside the burrito had tails. There’s so many authentic, tasty Mexican restaurants around. We won’t be back. The orange sauce for the chips and salsa was gross. Tasted like watered down tomato soup.

Reply to owner:

Perhaps it wasn’t the owner sitting in the corner eating sopes and drinking beer but whoever it was was yelling at the kitchen guys to microwave my dads plate and send the food out because we all had food except for him. That’s not a lie. The food was cold and mediocre at best. Not a lie. Why would I come on here and lie? Take this constructive criticism to fuel yourself and do better. The whole religious thing, holier than thou act is ridiculous. I agree as small business owners we need to build ourselves up but marking my review as a lie on Google to get deleted is outlandish. I see now how this establishment has 4.5 stars. The owner removes...