Maria's is a staple in woodcrest! They have decadent food, with the most gracious/attentive staff, all brought together by their beautiful decor! Maria's is and always will be my go to place when I'm in town! If you haven't yet you should stop by and enjoy a steaming hot plate of cheesy enchiladas! read more

Unfortunately my experience was not great. The service was fine, although he was a bit slow in taking our drink order. He was friendly and professional. Had steak fajitas that were sizzling hot but flavorless/bland. Beans and rice were decent. Partner had shrimp and chicken fajitas which were just as bland as the steak. We were really disappointed and determined that we would not give it a second chance. read more

Delicious food !! Cilia is the best!! Always amazing service. The restaurant is cute.

3 out of 5 carrots. Great and tasty Mexican food with lots of vegetarian options. Unfortunately way overpriced. The Helper fairly friendly here. This place has great ambience. Definitely a date spot. read more

Simply put.... Extremely good. Went in the AM. Quick, friendly, prompt service. Chose the enchiladas rancheros. The plate is amazing. Beans perfect. Rice perfect. Enchiladas with shredded chicken is tasty. Quaint restaurant thats worth the experience. And the sodas are great! read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - Enchiladas Rancheros - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

9/23/24 Feeling a little under the weather & wanted some soup... Visiting my cousin & her husband in Riverside & she says this is their go to Mexican food joint. I wanted to really like this place but perhaps Hubby & i have had better options for Mexican food in other places. The staff are friendly & attentive, they get 5 stars for this but the food fell short. The fresh salsa & warm tortilla chips are a welcome treat as complimentary appetizers. We ordered combos, Pollo Azteca (chicken breasts marinated in salsa & broiled) for me & carnitas for Hubby. My cousin ordered impossible tacos. My cousin suggested the combo instead of just ordering the albondigas soup so I opted for the Pollo Azteca. Fortunately I ordered this to try both. The albondigas was a bit bland & I didn't see any rice cooked into meatball at all, that was disappointing. I would've preferred this soup to be piping hot. Our food arrived shortly & the plates are piping hot, which I highly appreciated. When i cut into the chicken, I had expected it to be tender since it is submerged in a sauce yet it was tough to cut using a butter knife. Additionally, I was not expecting the chicken the spicy so when I bit into it, I started coughing & had to spit it out. Already not feeling well, I decided to just eat the rice & beans that it is paired with. The rice & beans were pretty good but I have definitely have had better elsewhere. Hubby's carnitas were also dry (my apologies but i almost choked on the dry meat). As I mentioned, I really wanted to really like this local favorite, it's hidden in a strip mall where Dollar Tree & Stater Bros. are also located. Parking is shared. read more

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My husband and I love to come here and, we have been coming for many, many years! The food is great and the service is EXCEPTIONAL!!

Very nice spot! Food is great. One of the best pozole places for me! The bowl is so full of pork you can make small burritos from it! lol. This is the spot if you want a great bowl of pozole! read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - Yummm - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Great food and staff ! Make you feel like family ! Very causal and play music while your eating

Decided to give Maria's another try tonight, but unfortunately, this will definitely be the last time. The service was slow, the food came out lukewarm, and the soda machine was broken leaving water as the only option, which was served warm with just a few tiny ice chips. I mean I guess there was the alcohol but I don't drink. Our server only came by once after dropping off our food, and despite there being only four occupied tables in the entire restaurant, the attention to customers was almost nonexistent. There were five or six servers working along with the manager on duty, so there's really no excuse for the lack of service. We had hoped things would have improved, especially since it's a family-owned place, but the customer service just isn't there. Sadly, it's just not worth the money or the frustration of waiting and wondering when, or if, you'll get served. read more

This place is a cute hole in the wall spot. My husband and I love coming here on the weekends and having a lunch date. The food is really good, the service is always fast and friendly. And the price for everything is very reasonable. They have the best shredded beef tacos in Riverside. read more

Incredible service & delicious food! Our service couldn't have been better super attentive & friendly. Went above & beyond. Forever one of our favorite spots! read more

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

Came in for a quick hire to eat. The server was nice, the food was eh and the margaritas are wine-based. Salsa a little watery. read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - Strawberry Margarita (wine-based) & chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

What a great experience! Our server was amazing from beginning to end. I have not had such a great experience with a server in a long time! She even offered us our drinks to go :) 10/10 just for the service. We were greeted with chips and salsa and WOW. The chips were perfectly salted and hot and paired with a perfectly made spicy salsa that had us thinking if we even wanted food lol We ran through two baskets and two salsas! 10/10!! The Toro omelette was filled with sausage, topped with bacon and paired with crispy potatoes. I added some Cholula sauce and 10/10! I was also given an option of French toast or pancakes which was a nice sweet treat. The Huevos Rancheros were paired with some homemade tasting rice and beans. They were made perfectly! 10/10 Where the food could use some improvement is the French toast tasted too much like egg and personally I prefer mine well done and crispy. The huevos rancheros were topped with a sauce that tasted from a can. Overall, the service was amazing, the vibe is very chill with some great music going, and price was perfect. If you're in the area please stop by! A new go-to for my family, 9/10!! read more

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Delicious food and friendly service. Very comfortable atmosphere and the prices are very reasonable. This is my kind of restaurant.

Nom-nom! We've been coming to Maria's for 16 years and it's always consistent and always delicious! The servers are very attentive and friendly too. This is our go to for Mexican food. read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - El Toro burrito and #10 (cheese enchiladas). - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Not the same restaurant I remember from years ago. My recent visit was really disappointing. First, I want to say the servers were super attentive and pleasant - my issues have nothing to do with them. About 4 years back, I came here on a Saturday night. It was packed, we waited an hour for a table, but the food was good and the music was lively. Back then, this place was actually considered one of Riverside's best Mexican restaurants. Fast forward to now... The chips came with extremely mild, flavorless salsa. Their pre-made guacamole was actually pretty good, no complaints there. But the side salad? Completely lifeless - looked like the sad remains of lettuce that had seen better days. Not fresh at all and honestly just wimpy - the kind of garnish you'd expect on the side of a plate, not something you'd order separately. I got the Carne Asada plate with rice and black beans. It came out quickly, which was probably the meal's only highlight. I've cooked carne asada myself and prefer it thicker with actual flavor. This steak was paper-thin - definitely not even half an inch thick. Probably the thinnest carne asada I've ever seen anywhere. It was dry, flavorless and seemed like 3-day-old leftovers. Not saying it actually was leftover meat, but the preparation was just terrible. The rice? Dry, overcooked and clearly reheated. The Spanish rice tasted like Rice-A-Roni, definitely not house-made or good quality. Black beans were fine and the tortillas were decent at least. My wife's meal wasn't good either, though maybe she just ordered wrong. The restaurant's interior looks tired, but I don't even care about updates if the food is good - which it wasn't. For a place once rated among Riverside's best, it's just a shell of its former self. The menu desperately needs refreshing and they need to rethink their ingredient quality. When people spend hard-earned money at your restaurant, they expect good food, and that's not what we got. I'm not looking for a refund - I'm hoping to inspire them to reevaluate their menu and food quality. You can't serve subpar food and expect to stay in business. It was Saturday night and the place was nearly empty - when we left, I understood why and wondered how much longer they'll last. Can't say I'd return or that this was just a one-off bad experience. If it had just been one bad dish, I would've sent it back, but the entire meal showed this is what they consider acceptable. Maybe things will change in the future, but those previous 4-5 star recommendations are history to me. I won't be back unless I hear they've made serious changes. read more

Amazing experience at Maria's Mexican Kitchen! Came in from Calabasas and immediately noticed the friendly atmosphere and great ambience. They served chips and salsa while I waited for my food. chips were perfectly crispy and fresh, not stale at all. The salad was delicious and super fresh, and the steak fajitas that followed were absolutely amazing, tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly with vibrant veggies. Definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for authentic, quality Mexican food and great service! read more

Food: Food was delicious . This place never disappoints. It's a tiny place located in the Woodcrest Plaza . Service: Service is always great. I have been coming here for over year after a friend brought me here for dinner. It's just perfect for a low key meal and great service. How I get there: I take Van Buren towards the 91 turn right on Washington and it's right there . read more

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The food is amazing Service is great every time, a very well kept clean dining area authentic Mexican food the beans and rice is delicious

A local spot tucked in the back of the shopping center yet so amazing. The salsa is some of the best I've tasted. The quesadilla with cheese was a killer taste. They have a margarita with agave wine, awesome! The food was just incredible. The place makes you feel like you're in the middle of Mexico. And the service was so good. Ditch the big names spots and head here to enjoy. read more

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We love Maria's Mexican kitchen. The people are always so friendly and the food is delicious. They make you feel very welcome and I like the decor. I would definitely recommend it. read more

We moved to the area 20 + years ago. That's when we first discovered Maria's. However, our activities took us to different parts of Orangecrest so we never made it back. We recently relocated to Woodcrest and have rediscovered this gem! Only been twice so far, but love the food and the service. Still searching for my go-to order... guess I have to try it all first! read more

great ambiance and great food - service was great, servers were friendly and our dinners were piping hot and delicious. Our favorite hole in the wall mexican restaurant in Riverside. read more

We absolutely loved this place! They have really good authentic Mexican food here. I highly recommend this restaurant. Great food friendly staff & clean bathrooms. We don't live in the area but next time we are here we will definitely be back to try more dishes. read more

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Very bad tortilla soup,they say is tortilla soup but it's not, is only chicken cold rehit soup .sopa de tortillas la peor que he probado, me dieron un poquito de sopa vieja de pollo recalentada con unas tiras de tortilla encima, les debería de dar vergüenza llamarle sopa de tortilla, la mesera ni siquiera me preguntó sí la quería cambiar por otra, lo único que me comí es el chile relleno,la salsa del chile no tenía sabor a nada en fin toda la comida fue un desastre, read more

Hungry for Mexican food, and refusing to accept Miguel's Jr as our only local location, we ended up finding this nice little spot up the hill on Washington and Van Buren. Tucked away in the far back corner of the shopping center made it convenient to find parking so we did not have to compete with Stater Bros shoppers. First thing you notice walking in is that it is dark! That's okay for me but my mom would have had to use her phone flashlight for the menu haha. They have a good amount of booth and regular tables so they were able to seat my family of six immediately. Chips and salsa were on the table quickly - the chips warm and crunchy ... the salsa was meh. I also loved that our waitress took our order immediately too. The kids menu consisted of what you normally see on the menu, and the prices were all just under $7. The great thing was they came with milk in very decent size cups which for my kids is a must. Taquitos and tacos with beans and rice are a favorite. Husband ordered the Sizzling Fajitas (steak). Verdict? Can't say he liked them. The steak and veggies were burnt making them unenjoyable. Rice and beans were good however and met the "standard". I ordered Chile de Toreado Camaron. I liked mine a lot. The bacon wrapped around the Chile was extra crispy and the Chile packed a punch in the heat department. I do wish they have been bigger chiles but they were all silver dollar size. The meal also came with a cheese enchilada and rice and beans , which were all very good as well. read more

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

My first time here. Ordered chile relleno and shredded beef taco. This food is the best ever! I also had some of my daughters chile verde quesadilla. So darn good!! I am visiting for three weeks from Florida but will be back to Maria's several more times before I leave! read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - Chile relleno and shredded beef taco - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Hidden gem for sure! This place has the best chicken tortilla soup I've ever had and even my picky toddler enjoys it surprisingly.

Nice place to enjoy Mexican dishes. Food was served hot and prepared well. Food was very flavorful. Service was great. Never had to repeat requests. Prices are very reasonable. The restaurant dining area is medium sized, but very well appointed. Great for date night or in our case, great for larger parties. This place does close a little earlier than other restaurants. Just make sure that you are seated before 7:30PM. read more

Great food and easy ordering over the phone and pick up. The chilaquiles are bomb! They open early on the weekend too, which is a plus!

Been coming to this small Mexican restaurant for over 10 years it's always good. And the service is always great. I love getting the chimichanga with chicken and green sauce! Definitely recommend going it's cute cozy and delicious. You'll know you're in a good spot when the chips are hot and the salsa is fresh and house made. read more

I love the food, atmosphere is nice. The restaurant has been here for decades and it's nice to have a place like that around.

OMG! We come here for the great pozole, but the other day, I tried the Enchiladas Aztecas and WOW!!! So, so, soooo delicious! The beans and rice are always very tasty. Chips and salsa are complementary and are always great! read more

Maria's Mexican Kitchen - Enchiladas Aztecas - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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This is a great little gem in the woodcrest area and great food and service. Very affordable.

Great food and since I've moved here I made it there 3 times in 1 month.5 stars for me! have

The food was very good and served on very very hot plates. It took several minutes for it to cool down enough for me to have a couple of bites by that time. It was time for me to leave. read more

Literally my favorite restaurant. It has been since I was little. The food is amazing and the servers are sweet. read more

We have been going to Maria's Mexican Kitchen for over 30 years. It is always fresh and tasty food. They have the best tortilla soup in town. When the kids come home we always have to go, its our tradition. read more

The service here was exceptional when Alex was our server. The food is so good. The carne asada was flavorful and so tender. The margarita was made with agave wine and was not like a traditional margarita but was still really good. The soup had the best broth I've tasted. It was a great overall experience. read more

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