Maria's Mexican Grill: Taco Paradise

The other day, a coworker was telling me all about this little place that had the best fish tacos in town- he even compared them to those you would get beach-side in San Diego. These had to be good- and I needed to try them! We headed down to Maria's Mexican Grill at 61st and Garnett and easily found the restaurant nestled in a small shopping complex.

There were a lot of things on the menu that I recognized, but I must admit we Googled a few items at the table. Maria's offers your typical nachos, enchiladas, burritos, gorditas, quesadillas, chiles rellenos and tacos prepared with various options of meat. There were also some dishes I was less familiar with such as huaraches (fried masa with various toppings- a Mexican pizza if you will), sincronizadas (think quesadilla but the filling is sandwiched between two tortillas, not folded) and alambres (think shish kabob). Most dishes on the menu were only $6.50

We were there for the tacos, so we tried out a few variations- each order totaled around $6. I went with the fish tacos, of course.

Aren't they gorgeous? Everything was so fresh! On top of two corn tortillas sat a fish fillet that was light and flaky. The fish was topped with a crunchy red cabbage slaw, pico de gallo and a drizzle of crema; there was also a delicious salsa to top everything off. The dish tasted as fresh as it looks and was full of flavor- he was right these are good! Best of all- the tortillas never got soggy!

D chose from an assortment of meat tacos- chicken, steak, carnitas and chicharon (fried pork rind). Each was topped with fresh onions and cilantro and was served with another type of fresh salsa. The winner out of these four was definitely the chicharon- it was flavorful and had a great crunchy texture. Second place went to the chicken, which was again very flavorful and moist. The steak taco was good, but the meat was a little dry unfortunately and neither of us cared for the carnitas as it was very fatty- maybe we just got it on a bad day.

You can find Maria's at 6122 S. Garnett Road- it's open Monday-Saturday 7am-9pm and Sunday 7am-8pm. Breakfast burrito anyone?

This is the first time I have left a Mexican restaurant not feeling like I consumed a block of cheese. They mean it when they say it's authentic! We will be coming back to this place- many times I would guess!