Maria's Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Ralston

I ordered for carry-out, got an estimate of 20-30 minutes, showed up 25 minutes later, and then waited another 20 minutes(total 45 minutes) before my order was ready. So first impression on the wait, I was let down. Had they told me it was going to be 45 minutes, I would have planned accordingly. Still the place was absolutely packed, they probably had an hour wait for tables and there were tons of people there. That in mind I took my piping hot fresh out of the kitchen food home and was excited to try the food that could draw such a crowd.

It was my first time there, so I ordered a mix of everything. I got a beef quesadilla appetizer, a cheese enchilada, and a Maria's Special(taco, enchilada, burrito, and tostada). When I got home the first thing I noticed was there was no tostada, so they had gotten my order wrong. I had ordered a lot and I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it all anyway, I was just sampling the menu and the other items would probably suffice, so no biggie, but I was now regretting having left a tip.

I tried the taco first. The puffy fried soft shell was good, the meat was juicy(thank goodness it wasn't dry like a lot of places), but it wasn't anything special, not bad mind you, just nothing special.

The beef quesadilla was terrible, I only ate the first portion of it and tossed the rest immediately. It wasn't crispy at all, and the filling was just bleh.

The cheese enchilada was alright, but again nothing special, I've made better at home myself. I was beginning to sense a theme. The beef burrito had the same results.

The beef enchilada was last on my list, Maria's serves it with a brown gravy on top, rather than a red sauce or melted cheese. I was interested to see how that worked. Turns out it wasn't my thing, I tossed it after the first bite.

So let's see, I had to wait almost double the time they told me I'd have to, they screwed up my order, two of the five items I did get were in my opinion inedible, and the other three were alright, but nothing special. Romeo's is better frankly, and Romeo's is meh itself. Suffice it to say I won't be back.

I don't imagine they'll even notice I'm gone though, because like I said the place was packed! I assume there's just tons of people that don't want to make the trek to South O for the good stuff and are willing to settle. I can't think of any other reason there was such a crowd there.

My recommendation for good Mexican food in the Omaha area remains unchanged, stick with the big 3, Nettie's, the G.I. Forum, and Guaca Maya's lunch buffet.

Now all of that said, Maria's must hold some magic for a great number of people. They were packed with a line almost out the door waiting for tables. Maybe the magic will work for you. My order might have taken extra long, and they might have screwed it up. However, they were busy, I noticed a huge togo order go out right before me(like 50 tacos and a bunch of chile too). So I think it's probably forgivable, and I don't even expect it to be the norm, it's just a shame it had to happen on my...

Amazing place,my family and I showed up right as Maria’s opened, there was a line outside already.So first I want to say that I’m a little upset that this restaurant is in a place I typically wouldn’t drive by had I not been recommended by Samantha,feel like I’ve been missing out for years:)The food and staff were absolutely amazing. I ordered a plate (#2)that was actually 2 plates that consisted of a taco,tamale,enchilada,tostada and rice /beans ,for $17 if I remember correctly. The amount of food….i can typically put a lot down and I needed a “to go “box for the tamale(was great the next day).My wife ordered the 2 enchiladas plate,the kiddos both ordered chicken quesadillas .I think we all know how the majority of restaurants seem to throw a little more lettuce or rice with a meal to make up for the lack of meat,I completely understand with the cost of things, but not here,it was loaded with meat,the price and quality were honestly like old school meals and prices for lack of better words!The environment was great,they asked if we wanted to sit on the”heated patio”,my wife is cold in most restaurants so I thought “oh man,is it really heated? “… they have radiant heat across the entire patio and I am pretty sure it was warmer than the inside! I could go on and on but as a person that typically hates reviews due to the fact I think some people just don’t get out to eat much,I felt like it was worth recommending that everyone that likes good food and good people try this place,i 100 percent guarantee you will not be disappointed! Thank you again to Maria and her staff! Wanted to add that I don’t typically use Google for the hours of a place,I think anyone over the age of 12 knows that they are not accurate,I think it’s worth going back when they are open to leave a review rather than pics of a dark restaurant...

It has a nice layout, indoor and outdoor/4 season seating. Complaints: air hand dryer, it literally sucks in particles of fecal matter and urine and blows it on your hands, there have been studies that prove this, get paper towels. Under the front of my chair, there was "liquid" while seating i reached down and grabbed my chair to move forward, then immediately went and washed my hands. Perhaps someone spilled a drink on the seat prior to me being seated?

The service was excellent, the margaritas taste great.

Price isn't bad, and when considering "value" you have to weigh everything (food, environment, service, etc) against the cost.

So, how was the food? 1-5 Appetizer, chicken nachos, 3 Taco salad, 4 Tacos, 3 Quesadilla, 2 (low score on flavor) Enchilada, 2.5 (low score on flavor) Tamale, 2 (low score on flavor and texture)

Drinks Margaritas, 4

Service, 4

Conclusion. This place is usually packed, and for a person that doesn't frequent higher end restaurants, they would most likely rate the food higher. It is a great place for a family outing or friendly get together, the staff is friendly, the service is really good.

This is not, in any way, traditional mexican food. The construction, flavor, texture, is not what you would find in a traditional mexican restaurant. The only salsa available, sacrafices flavor for heat (I love heat, and the salsa wasn't "hot" but, flavor could have been stronger).

Overall, I rate this place a 3.5, which means, I would go back. A rating of 3 or less, is a restaurant I most likely would never go back to, unless to see if it improved.

The food could easily be bumped a little,

Cumin (a tex-mex direction) or coriander and epazote (authentic mexican) would...