The service went from mediocre to horrible in the span of our visit this evening. We came in around 8pm and sat at the bar for dinner. To get our order in took 15 minutes with us finally having to verbally get our waiters attention. More importantly when we were ready for the check we sat for over 20 minutes without being acknowledged while our server and several others focused on cleaning. Then when we finally got the attention of our waiter and asked for the check we waited another 5-10 minutes while he chatted with another customer. Being in the customer service industry myself I would be ashamed if one of my staff treated a customer how we were treated this evening. Extremely disappointing since the food is good quality and the previous times we've been here the service has never been an issue. read more

Your standard Tex mex meals however we have always had good experiences here. The Texas margaritas are always a good choice. Each meal is yummy and has been prepared to expectations. I try a new dish each time and I haven't been let down yet. Service varies based on how busy they are just like everywhere but that's not awful. Overall great quick meals read more

We just moved to McCormick and hadn't found Mexican food we enjoyed. This restaurant is now our go to. Delicious rice and beans. Generous portion of mixed fajitas, salsa and margarita absolutely delicious. My husband had a combo of burrito and enchilada and loved it! Service was great and they were busy on a Thursday evening. We will be back soon! read more

I'd suggest a 101 Burrito wrapping class for kitchen staff. When you can't count on a flour wrap holding your food inside the burrito. Why call it a burrito? There are really only 2 rules to a burrito- it has to be made with a flour tortilla and it must be folded with closed ends. Or call it a kind of closed yet open flour tortilla where we hope your food drops. I told the server I wanted it wrapped tightly in advance on the food to go. So my request was ignored on the food to go. Super disappointed yet again. read more

So I had asked for a fried Chimichangas filled with beef tips. What I got was highly salted shredded beef. The tortilla was soft, still undercooked but this seems to be a theme in the South. Undercooked tortillas. Growing up with authentic foods from Mexico NOT tex mex, the tortillas I remember were soft yet thoroughly cooked through and through. Nowadays they are undercooked. read more

Good service and ambience. Food was delicious. I had the flautas and my friend had the biggest burrito I ever saw.

Food Delicious, service friendly and fast, my son and I love going here for the pollo con crema and the Queso with the chips is awesome

Even though I said I wouldn't come back, I did eventually come back. The service was much better the second time even though I had the same waiter. I also asked for and received better salsa. Not sure why every Mexican restaurant around here serves bland salsa with no heat or flavor, but I'm discovering that if you ask you can get the good stuff. Still don't like the re-fried beans here, but I have now tried a few different menu items. My favorite is the 3 soft tacos. I have tried the Carne Asada, chicken, shrimp, and pastor tacos. All are pretty good. The fajitas are also good. Overall, Maria's probably isn't the best Mexican in the area, but it's not the worst either. A good place to get some tacos and a beer if you're in the area. read more

the food was really good but made me feel non well so that's really it and the service was gone but not the best

My wife and I have eaten here for years and always found the food good (not great but consistent). The service is always a bit slow but not painfully so. It had been awhile so we stopped in recently. Found it about the same until the check arrived! With tip it was $60.00. Way over priced for the food and service you receive. Definitely not worth it any longer. Just to note my favorite dish was the chori pollo. It has gone from around $8.00 to almost $18.00 in the last 3-4 years. Guacamole and cheese dips have doubled. Too pricey for us. My measure is the value for the money! read more

Having moved here from southern CA where great Mexican restaurants are on almost every street corner, Iggy and I have been longing for that kind of quality. We've finally found one of those restaurants here in Aiken!! The staff at Maria's is friendly, the atmosphere is quite pleasant and the food is exceptionally tasty.... this is now on our "A" list! read more

Tried this place because we had a restaurant.com coupon for $15 off (with no restrictions). We ordered our meals and drinks cognizant of getting to $30 to use our coupon. Unfortunately the manager refused to honor our coupon because our total included two drinks which she claimed they "have an agreement" with restaurant.com to not include. We showed her the coupon and read all the fine print ... it never said anything about drinks not being included. Overall the food is just OK and the atmosphere is nothing to get excited about. Pretty sure we won't be going back read more

They have improved after surviving the pandemic. The best Mexican restaurant in Aiken.

Fabulous people that work there. I ordered the shrimp enchiladas and there was literally 1 1/2 shrimp in the total of two enchiladas. SERIOUSLY! Thankfully, the margaritas, and dip kept me from going postal. Please put some shrimp in the enchiladas. That's just not right. read more

The food is good but the service can be quite slow. They have tons of tables and options.

I've been to good and bad Mexican food places around the world, being from California where a good Mexican restaurant is on every corner and having been to Mexico a few times I think I'm a good judge of Mexican food . That being said this restaurant is slightly better than the norm ,friendly staff is attentive and the food came out fast, their margaritas need a little help and their food portions are a little small . The place is definitely worth a try mainly because there is not Mexican restaurants around . read more

I always forget to take photos of my food cause I'm always ready to start eating but we love this restaurant. We used to eat at other Mexican restaurants until we found this one. They have a wide range of items to choose from and the best part is the price is so cheap! We can eat for until $25 with 2 people where other places locally are over $40! Maria's dip is a great appetizer! read more

Polo Feliz!!! Excellent hot fresh cooked veggies & chicken smothered in cheese! Is there anything better? Yes!!! They sit it on a plate of rice so everything is smothered and begging for a crisp chip to dig in! Frozen Mango margaritas wash it down & we never have room for dessert-so sorry for that because I'm sure it's excellent also! The waiter came over and introduced himself and learned all our names! He already knew some of us from prior visits. Just a welcoming place which is why it can be crowded at times. I also know they have some chorizo & chicken dish that all the guys always order which they deem amazing in itself. They actually yummy moan when they are eating & nobody talks we just dig in! I doubt I can eat all of it and I love my feliz chicken so that's my go to! read more

Maria's Mexican Restaurant - Chicken Feliz! Aka smothered cheese sauce amazing! - Mexican Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

I've picked up takeout from Maria's three times now and it's always excellent. The salsa is amazing, portions are great, quality of ingredients is high and the service is top-notch. I can't wait to support them with in-person dining. A true hidden gem! read more

I stopped by Maria's for lunch and was pleasantly surprised of the authenticity of the food. Not your glorified Americanized version of Mexican food.....the real deal. The salsa and chips were simple and very good. I ordered the Fajita Burrito and it was delicious. Very ample sized portions and a very reasonably price. Can't wait to return and try something different. read more

Maria's use to be the best restaurant in town now there lack of customer service has made my friends and family find another mexican restaurant to go too. read more

If you're considering eating here, I'd recommend heading down the road a piece to Habanero's. If you go there, your drink won't sit on the table empty for 5-10 minutes, and your food will be on the table in the time it takes for Maria's to show back up to take your order. read more

My fish was good but my husband and child get just their rice at the same time I get my main meal. Then we wait more than 10 mins for them to get the rest of their food. Then it's the wrong order. Then it takes another 15 mins to get his food back now the rice was cold and we were almost finished eating and he finally was able to eat. I get short staffing but dang. read more

Worst experience we've ever had at a restaurant! We waited 20 minutes for someone to take our drink order. We had our food before we ever got silverware. To top it off there was a long hair sitting inside my quesadilla. They did replace it with a new one after saying it wasn't from them and complaining. I'm a guy with short blonde hair this was female long black hair. We had to beg for drink refills. Then waited literally an hour to get our check after we finished. Absolutely the worst service I've ever had! read more

Good food and service. Most of the dishes are standard US Mexican restaurant fare, but they also have some more interesting items like tacos al carbon, tamales, large bowls of soup (tortilla, chicken or shrimp) etc. Weekends they also have menudo, mole, pozole and other great dishes. Lunch specials 11am-3pm, full menu 11am-9pm. Open every day of the week. read more

That was a fine fajita meal. Not oily, not dry. Sizzle was on! Big bud light and away we go to satisfaction on a week night. Fajitas are known to be good there, and they are! Mmmmm me like read more

So coming from Arizona we have a plethora of great Mexican food places. I so enjoy rolled tacos and honestly for the two years we have inhabited South Carolina, I thought my only way to fulfill my craving for great rolled tacos (with shredded meat - not ground beef) would have to be timed to out trips to Tucson....where i would GORGE myself on ALL THE MEXICAN FOOD I MISS LIVING IN THE SOUTH... We don't normally pre-yelp, however we did and were honestly surprised. Yo hablo español y mi esposo también. So we were able to order with ease. Even though it was a take out order they did still offer us chips and salsa and drinks. The rolled tacos were amazing! I still have this insatiable craving and this will be the spot that satisfies that from now on! Great place. read more

This place drives me crazy because the food tends to be decent, but the service is inconsistent and poor. Several visits we end up waiting for our server and begging for something we should have gotten in the first place. We've stopped going and frankly, I don't miss it. There is nothing exceptional about the food or drink, so no point in tormenting ourselves! read more

Great food and friendly staff! They are always extremely attentive to your needs and the service is very speedy! read more

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What a waste of time and money. Wish I had read the reviews before torturing my patience and stomach. The only thing worse than the service is the food itself. How can a "Mexican" so-called restaurant screw up a cheese enchilada??? Even the rice was terrible. Waited forever for a server who got downright angry when I wanted to order food with my drink order. There were only 3 other tables so how it could take so long I'll never understand. No drink refills, no how's your food, etc. Just say NO! read more

I love the owners but if you have a large party expect your food to be very staggered and by the time the last entree comes out the first people will be done, in addition expect to have to go to kitchen area for more chips and salsa. read more

Gross! Tables, seats and menus had leftover food cheese and salsa on them. I had to clean my seat and table off myself even after bringing it to the attention of the server. SLOW SERVICE! IT SHOULDN'T TAKE OVER AN HOUR TO ORDER AND GET FOOD DURING LUNCH TIME. Food Quality Horrible! I totally regret eating what they served me. I already feel sick. They need to have a Food Inspection done. One of the worse Mexican meals ever eaten. read more

Terrible experience yesterday. The customer service was awful and the food was just mediocre. We were a party of six and almost everyone walked away disappointed for one reason or another. The group consensus was we will not be returning. read more

I went there once for lunch and the food and drinks were pretty much the same Mexican food you can get at Theresa's and Mi Rancho. The lunch I had was good and the service was very good. However, after going there twice at dinner time (6-9 pm), the service was so slow I could not believe it! Having to wait more than 15 minutes for a drink, chips and salsa and then a full 30 minutes just to put my food order in is just a bit ridiculous - even with a large group. For the money, quality of food and service - Mi Rancho's or Theresa's is a much better deal. I am a regular at Mi Rancho's and have never sat more than 5 minutes before chips and salsa arrived and my drink order was placed. In fact, in the time it took the waitress at Maria's just to take our food orders, I could have gone to Mi Rancho's and had dinner, paid the bill and come back to Maria's...LOL. read more

If you are in Aiken and looking for Mexican food I would recommend Maria's. They are consistent in their food quality (never had a bad meal) and of course have great sweet tea. Tonight I branched out a bit and tried the steak quesadilla grande which was only $7 and I could only finish half of it. I think it's a new favorite though. Just wish I had remembered one snap a picture for the review. read more

This post was sent to me from a friend about an experience Brian Katonak of Aikan, SC. had. Went to Maria's last Sunday, and when I got home, realized that I didn't have my phone. I thought I left it at the restaurant and went back there, but the staff told me that no one had found one. While I have the iphone tracker, the phone was turned off so I couldn't locate it. On Tuesday, the tracker informed me that the phone was back on, but was renamed from 'Brian's Phone' to 'UVI'. It showed that it was back in the vicinity of Maria's. I drove back over, and as soon as I was walking around the restaurant it was turned off (its easy for someone to spot my big head). Therefore, I could not longer track it. On Wednesday, I was home for lunch and the phone came on again. The girls and I rushed up to Maria's, but I stayed hidden. Amy and Lauren went inside, and then turned on the ping to find it (if you are not familiar with iphones, you can make a lost phone give a high pitch ping to help locate it). I then came in the place, and the three of us heard it ping in the kitchen area. We headed back there, but it stopped just as we got to the back. I talked with Maria, the owner about the situation. I told her that I simply wanted the phone back and wasn't going to press charges. She disappeared in the back for 20 minutes, and when she came back, she said no one there had the phone. I again told her that I would call the police if they didn't turn the phone over, but I still got no cooperation. It appeared that I was getting the Mexican hat dance. I eventaully called the police, but since the phone was now turned off, they were not successful. There are enough good Mexican restaurants in town to eat at, so I won't be going back to Maria's. I hope everyone who reads this will choose to support places that are more ethical than this. read more

Food is ok, staff is extremely slow. I've been here a few times, and there are definitely better options for Mexican food in the Aiken area. I would probably visit more if the service was better. read more

My friend and I really enjoyed Maria's. We went New Year's day when not much else was open. Service was quick, the food was fresh and the restaurant was clean and welcoming. The lunch pollo fundido was awesome! read more

We had a large party of 30 people and we called ahead to let them know we were coming. They gave us ONE waitress and it was obvious she was completely frazzled, bless her heart. We asked for more chips several times and they never came. Many people had to ask for their drinks because they hadn't come. My food was missing the cheese sauce that was supposed to come on top but I didn't even bother to say anything. Bathroom has a sign that says "do not put toilet paper in the toilet" ewwww. read more

We went to Maria's for the third time tonight after living nearby for a few months and needing to take in "something good that is close". The first time we were pleased: the food was standard but an ample amount and fair to good taste and quality wise. After that we had diminished results. Our LAST time, tonight, picking up a dinner to go (for $12.00 - very steep considering how little we ordered...) was just not good. A tiny bit of "Maria's dip" with two bland tacos, a bean burrito and a chicken enchilada in rubber-seeming wrappers as though they had been frozen prior to serving. The enchilada had about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of boiled chicken in it with canned sauce. - The 'bean' burrito was a blur of a tasteless mass of unseasoned mashed beans. - Nothing was distinguished by taste or preparation. Other point besides the whole small "meal" being overpriced is that the employees are disinterested, barely speak English, and don't appear to know (or care) what they are doing. Go to Mio Rancho on Richland if you want a good amount of standard Tex-Mex "Mexican" food. Otherwise, take a few minutes and make your own fresh, authentic and more satisfying meal at home. read more