Dolores — Restaurant in Providence

Dolores – A Promising Journey Through Mexican Tradition with Room to Refine the Experience

I recently visited Dolores in Providence, drawn by its growing reputation and Chef Maria Meza’s well-deserved recognition as a James Beard finalist. The setting is intimate and vibrant, with tasteful nods to the cultural richness of Oaxaca and Puebla. There’s a clear passion in the concept—rooted in heritage, technique, and a deep respect for Mexican culinary tradition.

We began with the huarache topped with pork belly. The dish was beautifully presented and well-seasoned, with a nice interplay of textures and heat. However, the pork belly—while flavorful—lacked the expected crispness. A touch more rendering or char would have elevated it from good to memorable.

For the main course, I opted for the mole enchiladas. The mole itself was exquisite—silky, rich, and full of layered complexity that speaks to hours of preparation. Unfortunately, the overall dish lacked seasoning. The enchiladas, folded rather than rolled, felt underwhelming in composition, missing the comforting fullness that melted cheese and finely diced onion would typically bring. The rice, while perfectly cooked in texture, was similarly bland—I found myself reaching for the salt far more than I should at a restaurant of this caliber.

On the brighter side, the cocktails were spot-on. The hibiscus margarita was refreshingly balanced with floral depth, and the sangria had just the right hint of spice and fruit without being overly sweet. Dessert was a high note—the chocolate tres leches was indulgent yet balanced, with a luscious texture that closed the meal on a strong note.

Service, unfortunately, was the weakest point of the evening. Despite the restaurant’s small and cozy layout, we waited 26 minutes before our drink order was even taken. A second drink order took another 10–15 minutes to arrive. While the food pacing itself was well-executed and never felt rushed, the inattentiveness on the service side detracted from the overall experience. With such a compact dining room, it was surprising that the staff seemed overwhelmed or inattentive.

There’s no question that Dolores has great potential—the foundation is there, from heritage-driven flavors to quality ingredients and a thoughtfully designed space. A few adjustments to service consistency and dish execution would take it to the next level.

Would I return? Yes—but more in hopes of witnessing a refined experience that fully matches the heart and ambition evident in...

We walked in happy and when we left we weren’t happy at all. The passion fruit lemonade and guava mimosa had waaaayy too much puree in them. The waiter took a long time to greet us. The food came after other parties who ordered after us got their food. The waiter never did a two bite two minutes check up when i needed more for my tacos and i never asked because it was really slow service with everything. The tacos came after 45 minutes of waiting, and there were no plates pre set. He came back in the middle of us eating our tacos with plates. We made do already with what they came on though. There was only two other tables. Mid day. Very slow. They were all on their phones every time they said they were going back to get something. He never brought us the check when we asked, instead he went to the bar and sat on his phone and so i took a pic because i was baffled. Then he walked to another table and had a conversation with the party of 6. so my bf went to the bar to cash out. They don’t have the chip reader and our magnetic strip is used a lot so we were asked to pay with another card. The waiter gave us boxes but we had to box it up our selves. He never gave us a bag and we came on a scooter so we then had to ask the bar again for something. There was no manager in sight to talk to. And everyone was on their phones when we went to the bar for help. No bueno. Also I forgot to mention that we did come here once before and we sat outside but after they sat us they took so long to greet us and we just asked for waters to get things going because we didn’t have menus yet and she never came back with waters so we just got...

I think only people who are unfamiliar with Mexican food in general and Oaxacan food in particular would enjoy this. Not to mention extremely slow inattentive service. -“for barbacoa tonight we have carne asada” 😬 -green salsas are very acidic (I’d love to say lime but I think vinegar), red one is ok, all need salt, all are cooked, none fresh, none spicy for folks who eat spicy regularly (aka Mexicans) -upon request for a fresh chili with dinner, they don’t have any. In the whole kitchen. Response was everything is premade. (Despite sliced serranos on shrimp taco.) -speaking of tacos, they claim to all have “guacamole, cilantro, onion” and don’t. Fish and shrimp taco had zero avocado or onion. Tons of chipotle mayo on Baja fish taco that tasted like Heinz. Never had a fish taco without avocado in Baja personally… -mole was chopped up chicken on a plate on top of bad bbq tasting “mole” -arroz was lightly orange colored white rice no seasoning or veggies

Reservation was at 6:45. Didn’t have a drink besides water until 7:20. On a slow weeknight. Rarely checked on. Drinks are strong; drink menu is pretentious verging on incomprehensible and with multiple redundant liquors in the same beverage but I think this is forgivable when drinks are strong and tasty. So I wouldn’t fault that.

Idk how anyone could say this is an authentic Oaxacan restaurant with a straight face. Idk how the owner could bring his family here and not be roasted. I get that Providence has very few Mexicans but there are some, and there are also people who are well traveled and know what it’s supposed to be, and those people will never come here again....