Normally we enjoy our dinners here but I recently ordered the Albondiga soup and wow was I suprised that not only did it not taste good, they use frozen meatballs that tasted like freezer and perhaps a little Italian spice. Nothing remotely close to the authentic mexican soup one would expect from a Mexican restaurant. Their enchiladas, rice, beans etc are great and come out nice and hot.. the soup needs a real revamp. read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - Albondiga Soup - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

I understand times are tough with the increase cost of raw ingredients and labor etc. but there's no excuse; I ordered a carne asada plate and it cost a little more than $20, the meat was about 3 oz , paper thin , it literally looked like the biggest beef jerky piece you would find in a bag purchased at a gas station. No wonder why the place was empty. read more

Came for lunch at 11:30am...not too crowded. The dining area is a little dark and I liked the overall ambiance. The server was very kind and checked on us often over the time we were seated. I ordered pozole. They offer a 12 or 32oz bowl. I opted for 32 ounce. The bowl was huge and definitely more than I wanted or needed. I didn't even eat a third of it. Pozole wasn't what I hoped for. It was thick and more like a stew with a ton of meat chunks too big for the spoon. I prefer pozole to have a delicious broth but my soup wasn't like that. Flavor was only ok. They did offer the traditional radishes/cabbage and lemon on the side, thankfully along with some spices. Obviously this isn't my friend's homemade pozole and didn't live up to my standard. I would come back one more time and try an entree other than soup because the food looked really good and service was great! I don't want to rule it out without trying one more time for a regular entree. read more

EXCELLENT service and great food!! Pozole and enchiladas were on point. Highly recommend. Staff is very friendly and they always keep your salsa and chips full!!! read more

The food was good, it's not like it's disgusting . I would try their quesadillas de carne asada. The service was really good, they were super nice there. It was a pretty chill place, although it did get pretty busy but it still didn't become hectic. read more

My wife and I went with some regulars. It was really, really, just okay. As for the service, we were served by the owner herself. She was pleasant. I wouldn't use the adjectives nice or friendly or welcoming, but she was pleasant. The service was slooooooooow. We waited over 30 minutes for our food after ordering. During that time we had some benign chips and salsa. Nothing special, but not bad. We also had bottled beer (they do not have cocktails, just beer and wine). The food was nothing special. Tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans. All okay. Nothing tremendously great, nothing terrible. Just okay. So my take on the place is this, there are way to many great Mexican restaurants in the area to return here. Why our friends are regulars I have no idea. read more

Came out here for lunch, had to come to Riverside and we decided to give this Mexican restaurant a try! And surprisingly everything was delicious!! Chips and salsa on point! The service was great and really welcoming. read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - *Chicken & Cheese Empanaditas plate *Steak Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Andrew was professional friendly and made my lunch with my mom a great experience the food is always fresh, homemade and delicious He deserves an increase in pay forsure Great job Andrew!!! Lovely atmosphere Taco Especial Chile Relleno dinner salad and cheese quasadilla read more

Best Food in Town. The Service is Top notch and the Ambiance is Awesomely Beautiful. The Wonderful Maria's Mexican Kitchen, takes you on a journey to Mexico and back home. read more

Always amazing A great fix for my Mexican food craving Consistent and always Delicious Sean was on his A game and was very fast with everything read more

We have been going here for over 20 years. When you go to Maria's, you know what you are going to get. The food is always good as is the service. Sometimes when busy, the service slows a bit but it is with the wait. Nice atmosphere, great staff and good food. read more

Great food and great service. Wait staff very friendly. My favorite is the tostada grande. We ordered a large dinner ...tostada grande, carne asada burrito, # 6 & 8, fish taco and loaded nachos.it was packed well to go with plenty of sauces, chips, salsa, lemons and at a very reasonable price! If you have never tried this place, now is the time!! Staff is very kind and helpful. Let's all help this place stay in business!! read more

I popped in for a Friday afternoon lunch and the wait for a table was super fast. I wish I could say the same for the service. The prices are fair. The food was ok. This was my first time coming here and it was busy so a lot of people must like it. I might or might not come back. read more

Mediocre food. Service improved a bit as our waitress knew she was blowing it. Would not recommend this restaurant and definitely will be not returning. read more

Very good food along with excellent service Prices are very reasonable The only thing that may need dome attention is their menu is kinda limited in my opinion. read more

We have been eating here for 12 years and it is consistently good. So happy to support local family owned businesses.

Had the lunch special .. enchilada and taco with rice and beans. Also the Albondigas soup. It was absolutely delicious. The food was well seasoned hot and not a long wait. Service was excellent. Friendly staff, nice decor and great family vibe. read more

We have been eating here for many years and love it. The food is Americanized Mexican Food, not spicy. If you're looking for Authentic, there are other places for you. The Staff is very pleasant and if your experience is different, please check yourself. This is where I go anytime the choice is mine. Birthday's, Father's Day and when I'm paying. Please treat them well and Tip appropriately. Best Local Place! read more

Menudo on a week day was unexpected and amazing! Service was great, I am definitely coming back!

Our first-time experience at Maria's Mexican Kitchen was delightful from beginning to end. We were warmly greeted, seated, and drink orders are taken. Our waitress was professional and attentive throughout the meal. Our soups, one tortilla, and one meatball soup were yummy and served piping hot. Entries, one Fiesta Taco, and the other Enchilada plate we equally delicious. The rice and beans were amazing. The portion size was huge, so bring your appetite. We highly recommend Maria's, and will return the next time we are in Riverside. read more

Always a good experience. Food was excellent. Service was as expected. Best Mexican food in Woodcrest.

It is what it is. Isn't it? Well, I had higher expectations. Great Mexican food, sets the bar very high. Have I had better than Maria's. Absolutely! Much better? Yep! Is Maria's awful? No. But once again I find myself writing a review where my overall dining experience was just so so. Service was good, but the food was not as good as many other Mexican restaurants that I've been to. The problem here is that when it comes to Mexican food, there are so many other Mexican restaurants to choose from. Many of which I feel taste so much better than what I experienced here. So so for me, I'll give it a three. You on the other hand could say that Im absolutely wrong. Critically mistaken. But you're not wearing my taste buds or I yours. So get down here and decide for yourself. Don't just take my word for it. I believe that there's a lot of regulars that come here and I have read other decent reviews about this place. Perhaps you should be the judge. read more

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We have been there multiple times and got sick. Realized the kitchen staff were all undocumented workers with no sanitation training. Will never go back. Sad it used to be a nice local place. Thank you Biden read more

I've been going to Maria's Kitchen for years. The food and service is always excellent. Great authentic Mexican food!

If you haven't visited Maria's Mexican kitchen, this hidden gem is a must. I've been looking for a restaurant with good friendly service with a great atmosphere. I finally found what I've been searching for in my Woodcrest area. That has great prices and fresh food. My wife ordered green chicken spinach and cheese enchiladas, which were amazing. I ordered menudo flavor was on point, plenty of cilantro, onion, tortillas, chili, lemon, and oregano. I like my menudo cuts large, but these were somewhere between small and medium. My daughter had tortilla soup, which was just OK for me. I would have preferred her to have ordered albondigas. The salad dressing was some of the best dressing I ever had, my wife agreed, and even my daughter, chips and salsa seemed freshly made. Me and my family will definitely be visiting Maria's Mexican kitchen over many other restaurants. Thanks to the great service, fresh food, and definitely great prices. read more

The shredded beef is just like gramma used to make it. The ambience is ok, just like any other Mexican joint. Very clean and the service was great. read more

Nothing special heree it seems. Food is good, just more American-Mexican influence.

Great little spot! Food was good and the people were nice we will be back. Lunch specials were also a good deal and came with soup or salad.

After maybe 17 years of dining here, I'm done. The last couple times were weak service and I stopped going for over a year. Tonight my wife and I thought to give it another try in hopes those were isolated incidents. It was the worst experience I think I've ever had dining. It was busy, maybe 70% full, so I tried to be understanding but it was an hour and 15 minutes to get one entree and a bowl of soup. Our refillable drinks were never refilled. Nobody ever even checked on us. At an hour in, I stopped the waiter to get our food checked on. He disappeared into the kitchen and didn't come back. We were about to get up and leave at an hour and 15 minutes and just then, the food hit the table and the waiter said "thank you for your patience" and quickly took off. The atmosphere is nice and most of the food is good but the service has been awful. It's too bad. It used to be our favorite spot years ago. read more

Price is reasonable. Food is great ! Fantastic service! The Chile Relleno was my favorite!!!

Been going for years. Our local go to favorite. Always great food, great service and very consistent. You can't go wrong with Maria's. BTW, busy on Friday night. Expect a 20-30 minute wait but worth it. Great for take out as well. read more

As always food and service were great. I had soft chicken tacos and my husband had ground beef tacos. Both were delicious. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Live the salsa but all else is very bland. They have a very large following and the parking lot is always full. They just aren't favorable in the overall Mexican food read more

Great food, and the server we had Daniel was great would recommend. It is very soothing and quiet and peaceful

Big disappointment. The quality was cheap and the portions were small. The salsa tasted like it was out of a can.

So much potential, however underwhelming food. The service is always pleasant, I just wish the food was better.

This is such an authentic Mexican food. I love it! So does Danny. He has lived near here forever. He introduced me to this wonderful restaurant. The server, Robert is very good and efficient man, he is friendly and chatted with us about working here since his teens. He told us the Owners are very good to their employees. read more

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Super happy!! Great vegan options, delicious Mexican food, and awesome customer service. I ordered a burrito with refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and a soy based meatless crumbles; topped with salsa. Yummy! My wife and son ate the hard shell tacos with rice and beans in the side. Next time I will be posting pictures. I will definitely be returning. read more

We've been back several times since that dreadful evening a couple years ago and each time has been awesome. We've always loved the food here, I guess we just had bad timing that one evening. Breakfast on the weekends is great too. read more

I came here not knowing what to expect but I loved the food! I got the chicken enchiladas and Guac it was really fresh and hot! The staff was super nice and I enjoyed the atmosphere. Very cute!! Only suggestion (possibly) I like hotter salsa. The one they give is great but I wish they had a spicier version too!! Maybe they do? I didn't ask. read more