Mi Tierra Restaurant — Restaurant in Lexington Park

I had an odd take home/pickup experience last weekend as my first time having their food. I had ordered a seafood soup, birria burritos, and a pupusa with pork. I'll leave out how my online order had to be put in again when I arrived. The conch soup was out eventhough the system allowed me to order it and so I was suggested to try this other soup in person from the manager.

Now, I was told that this seafood soup came with a whole fish on the side or lobster in the soup...or so I thought. So, imagine my surprise when I opened up a carry out box and saw a whole lobster with its long whiskers still intact.

Inside of my takeout bag, there was a single zip lock baggie of a side portion of a cabbage dish leaking everywhere. I would think another packaging option could've been used.

The two burritos came wrapped in foil. I took a few bites of one and it had no flavor, just salty cheese. No cilantro, no onions, no spice. The tortilla tasted extra greasy. The meat a little chewy and bland.

The soup was different for me. I poured it into a big bowl from the plastic quart container. The creamy broth tasted amazing and had plantains, slices of green pepper, and carrot in it. I fished out from the broth all of the seafood since they were all still in shell. Now, I'm not unfamiliar with this as a Marylander who has countlessly enjoyed crab soup with whole crab claws, and shelled out whole bodies to pick the meat and slurp from. There was one open clam with no meat to be found anywhere even in the broth and one open mussel with meat. There were three shrimp; two headless and one with. There's nothing wrong with this, but the inconsistency is questionable to a consumer. Then, there were two whole little female blue crabs with their top shells removed exposing the body meat and whole legs still attached. The seafood from the broth tasted okay. A little unfresh, seemingly, but again, the broth made it taste okay.

Then comes the lobster that arrived seprately. I grabbed out my claw crackers and worked out the meat from one of the claws. I took one bite and that's all it took to realize that it was rancid. Terrible. Gross. I know seafood and have been around the world, not just my own country, and have enjoyed seafood and other foods prepared in a variety of ways. This lobster was a food health risk. Sour is not a good seafood taste.

The pupusa with cheese and pork was fine.

Overall I would try this place one more time, but I will steer clear of their seafood. Their menu is exhaustive with foods of Italian dishes to Mexican, Honduran, etc. This could mean that there are short cuts in food upkeep...

Tonight we headed out to our normal Mexican Restaurant and when we got there we realized that it was closed! So we headed to Mi Tierra on Great Mills Road to “try out the new place”.

The staff was super helpful. This Is Latin food…. which I am not super familiar with so we asked what was good. Based on their recommendations we started with the Pupusas. Yum. We got the pork and cheese and veggie and cheese.

Side story- before Thanksgiving I was talking to my students about what they would eat at Thanksgiving and one student said “papusas”. Another student asked what they were and, as he described how his mom made them, my mouth watered. I was sure that when I got a chance to try them, I would.

These did not disappoint and were as savory as the student described.

We ordered the Camerones a la plancha (grilled shrimp w rice and salad), Pollo con Tajadas (fried chicken corn Honduran style with plantain chips) and the Torta Mexicana (Mexican style beef sandwich).

Everything was amazing and flavorful. The portion sizes were huge and we brought leftovers home.

As we left we spoke to the owner. He is from Honduras. He explained that the chicken I had was marinated for 5 days…. And it explained why every single bite was full of this amazing savory deep flavor. I would advise- if you order this- to ask for the sauce on the side. In my opinion it overpowered the chicken.

This is NOT fast food. As the door swung open and closed you saw the chef using real spices and cooking each entree from scratch. There was no precooked heated in a microwave boxed anything on our plates. What a nice change if pace from our chain restaurants that provide food but seem to lack heart and soul.

The owner said there are lunch platter specials from 11-2 Monday through Friday that are quick and you can be in and out in 30 minutes.

While we waited they brought out this whole fried fish dish that was loaded with something that smelled divine and it sizzled as they carried it past to the family behind us. I was a little jealous as they dug in.

How lucky we were to have our regular spot be closed so that we would be redirected to a new spot.

You...

First time at the restaurant, We ordered the parrillada for four—a true feast! The meats were perfectly tender, the shrimp and lobster were flavorful and juicy, and the vegetables were cooked just right (not burnt, which made them enjoyable). The sides were just as impressive: the rice and beans were seasoned well, and the tortillas were fresh and plentiful—definitely enough to satisfy four people. We also tried the yuca con chicharrón, and it was a standout. The cassava was soft and well-cooked, unlike other places where it’s often too hard to enjoy. We ordered pollo con tajadas to-go, and it was just as delicious. The chicken was well-cooked, flavorful, and didn’t dry out. Overall, the food is consistent, portions are generous, and quality is excellent. Highly recommend!

On our second visit, we tried the tacos—both cow tongue and chicken—and they were absolutely delicious! We also ordered a burrito al pastor, which had great flavor overall. The only thing missing was the pineapple, which I believe would have enhanced the taste even more and brought that signature sweetness to the dish.

The pinchos were another highlight—perfectly seasoned and cooked, incredibly tasty!

And we can’t forget to mention the customer service. Gabriela was amazing—so attentive and kind. She made sure every detail of our order was correct and ensured the food came out promptly. Her warm and professional service really stood out and made our experience...