| Location |
75 W. Main St., Webster, NY 14580 ![[Directions]](/wiki/dd_start.png "Click for driving, walking, or bus directions from Google"){kind=small} |
| Hours (as of March 2009) |
| Tuesday: 11:00AM to 2:00PM, 5:00PM to 9:00PM |
| Wednesday & Thursday: 11:00AM to 3:00PM, 4:00PM to 9:00PM |
| Friday: 11:00AM to 10:00PM |
| Saturday: 4:00PM to 10:00PM |
| Sunday & Monday: Closed |
| Phone |
| 585 872 1237 |
| Reviews |
![[WWW]](http://rocwiki.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small} 2/2007 Eat Out Rochester Review |
Maria's is a Mexican restaurant located in the lower level of an old church in Webster.
Comments:
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ADMIN NOTE: Comments from 2006 & earlier are now archived at Maria's Mexican Restaurant/Comments
2007-01-25 15:34:45 Ditto the above comments. Maria's popularity is baffling. —RochCon
2007-02-01 15:52:54 It's popular because it's great. Slow service is part of the experience. If you want fast service go to Taco Hell. Guacamole rotten? You're high. The best part is however, I won't have to wait behind you losers the next time I go. Thanks! —GazAker
2007-03-12 11:13:14 Guess you either love it or hate it. Yes, it's grungy, and service can be slow on busy nights. But the food is decent. And you can't beat cheap Dos Equis on tap! —JohnBarry
2007-03-22 22:15:42 I don't understand the appeal of this place. I was brought there on two different occasions by people who said how great it was and I have nothing good to say about it. The service was horrible (which is saying something since I actually like slow service and not being rushed - I don't like sitting for 20 minutes without a drink or longer without anything to eat). And the food was fair the one time and poor the other. I will say the guac was decent but that's not enough to go back for. —JoelCornell
2007-07-14 23:32:57 A terrible meal! Food was not fresh tasting or flavorful. Thank goodness the Margarita was strong. Place felt dirty and sticky. And the packing tape holding my table together was so very charming and classy. I used to love Maria’s a long time ago, but I will not return. Those of you still hooked on Maria's need to go elsewhere you can get better food at the same price. —RalphMeranto
2007-08-29 17:47:05 Hey, Ralph, I seem to be shadowing you here as your Greek chorus. I agree that Maria's is not worth any kind of a drive. If you live nearby and are desperate to eat, fine, go eat, but outside of that Empire Blvd. stretch, I'm not sure it's worth the gas and time. Ironic because Empire Blvd. and Ridge Rd. up in that area of Webster are growing some wonderful other restaurants: ASIAN! —KatieSchmitz
2007-08-30 10:42:16 I have never had an amazing meal here. I have tried it 3 times, the food was never awful, but nothing was ever spectacular. The decor is run down and the entire "church mall" should see the wrecking ball. There are much better Mexican restaurants in Rochester. —MrRochester
2007-09-07 19:20:43 Been here a few times and am always disappointed. I'm willing to be they have the worst margarita's in all New York State. —MarcVera
2007-09-07 20:45:00 I used to call Maria's "Salena's with more cheese" and that's still the case, as both restaurants' service has gone downhill in recent years, and their food has remained the same - good but not great. —McgMatt
2007-10-04 14:34:25 As a native to Rochester I can not understand the negative reviews. I have been to Mexico and I do actually know a few of the family that manages Maria's. I could not be happy without Maria's ‘Holy Mole’ and chips, the salsa is especially spicy and tangy, the free chips are homemade and not store bought. The food is above average, the prices still are great, and the location is more or less more like a traditional Mexican restaurant. The margaritas are a town favorite. My family gets dinner there at least 3x a month and I like the food so much that it is a regular staple. We all have different tastes, but I really can't get much into the commercialized chain restaurants. If you ever get a chance to go there ask for the recommended favorites. BTW Maria’s was officially rated as a 4 star restaurant a few years back. I agree with the professionals. —JoshKleppe
2008-01-16 13:38:34 Tasteless and overpriced, you're better off at Taco Bell. —DarrenKemp
2008-02-02 15:42:55 I have been going to Maria's since it opened. The food is good and the Margaritas are the best in Rochester. I recognize the slow pace, but in the end it's a better place to go if you are not in a hurry. —CliffBaitsholts
2008-08-18 12:02:03 Edible at best-very boring and bland. I recommend Monte Alban in Irond. Yummy eats at great prices! —BurbsGal
2008-10-12 19:27:21 Maria's is gross. The food is bad, the service is awful, the location horrible. There is a very bad smell in the place that puts me off big time. Avoid. —CindyKin
2008-11-16 22:57:19 My wife and I dined here on 11/15/08. Good luck trying to find this place. It's located in the basement of a converted church which has almost ZERO signage. The concept is cool, I guess, but it's in the basement with no atmosphere....and it was a 100 freaking degrees in that place. My wife is always cold - she was sweating. The service is TERRIBLE. After a 20 minute wait (there were 12 tables open - not snough servers), we were seated and thrown two menus. When she (the server) finally came around (15 minutes later), she didn't explain the fact that on the VERY LIMITED MENU, nothing came with the burrito plate....other than...yup....a burrito slapped down in the middle of the plate. The chicken burrito was boiled chicken (with NO FLAVOR or SEASONINGS) wrapped in a tortilla. We had to ask, after the fact, for cheese (which she never brought), onions, lettuce and tomatoes....and sour cream for $1.50. My wife ordered a glass of wine - it came in a min-airplane sized bottle (white). When she ordered a second, the server brought red. When we brought this to her attention....she instructed my wife as to where the cooler was (a few tables away from us - in the dining room)....that she could get it herself. The service was the worst I've ever had - thr food sucked and the atmosphere very odd. Save yourself the misery. McDonalds' would have been better. We left a $1 tip on a $30 bill - - I wonder if the server got the idea that she sucked! —ClarkGriswald
2008-12-03 18:12:20 I'm astounded by the comments here. This is, by far, the best Mexican Restaurant I have ever been to in my entire life. Everything is from scratch. The margaritas are so good, you can only have three. And the enchilada sauce can only be described as "savory". I wish less people liked this restaurant so I could get a seat more easily! —BatGuano
2009-02-04 14:47:52 I have a general rule that I never eat in Mexican restaurants north of the Mason Dixon line. After now living in Rochester now for 16 months my wife have developed the saying "it's good for Rochester". Salena's is "good for Rochester" but so far that is the only passable Mexican cuisine we have found here. Unfortunately, coming here from Dallas TX and as one who travels extensively, there is no real good Mexican in this town. —guitarguy
2009-03-21 20:13:20 My wife and I read the mostly negative reviews of this place but went anyway on a friend's strong recommendation. We honestly wanted to like the place but unfortunately found the reviews to be more accurate than the friend. In all fairness, I have to say that I enjoyed my own dinner (the chicken mole enchiladas were tasty) but my wife's order was not correct - she had ordered chicken enchiladas and got beef instead. Although she was little disappointed, she was OK with this, which was good, because sending it back was not an option - unless we wanted to wait a couple of hours for or server to appear. We saw our waitress Valery only when she took our order. Someone else brought the food. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. Since we had no place to be, we made an experiment of seeing how long it would take for someone to notice our credit card waiting on the corner of the table. Somehow the party of four who came in after us had gotten their food way ahead of us and were long gone as we were still waiting for someone to acknowledge us. After a half hour sitting at a bare table with empty glasses we gave up. We finally had to get up and walk over to someone at the cash register to pay. The guy who rung us up said nothing when I mentioned the lengthy wait. And yes - they DO charge for chips and salsa they automatically set on your table when you're seated. My strong advice would be to go to Monte Alban in Irondequoit instead. —guitardude
2009-03-28 12:12:49 *sigh*
You just can't trust anyone in Rochester to recommend Mexican food (myself included).
Some nice folks (originally from California!) recommended Maria's. It was a colossal disappointment.
Take away the mystique of a restaurant in an old church, and you have nada. —ZachSmalt
2009-04-30 19:22:04 Have been here several times as it seems people we're dining with always want to try it. The negative reviews are largely correct as it's not that impressive. Service can be horrible - slow in general and virtually non-existent when they're busy. Waiting for tables/trying to get out of the place is awkward as the door/waiting area is small and I always feel like we're getting in the way of the waitresses and other customers. However, I have had some nice, fresh guac there (their chips are a bit too thick in my opinion) and they have the best mole sauce in town. The mole compares very well to mole I ate all the time while living in Mexico. So, since the restaurant experience has always been very bad, I now call in our orders for chicken mole enchiladas and do a carry-out. —JJMO
2009-05-05 11:36:05 WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!????
Are you people serious? Really? REALLY?? I just moved from California (Berkeley actually - so I am used to some pretty good food - especially good Mexican). I've also traveled to Southern Mexico, and fell in love with the real authentic stuff. Let me say...I've been here for a year now, and thought Monte Alban in Irondequoit was the best I could get on this side of the country (which is very sad considering it is way too salty, and tastes like taco bell). I recently discovered Maria's and had to go back to the kitchen to thank the chef myself. I go all the time now, and can't get enough. I've never experienced slow service there, or food any less than spectacular. And yes, the mole with guacamole is phenomenal!! Everything is made from scratch, the tortillas alone would be worth it...all fresh and grilled. Mmmmm... I'm hungry just thinking about it.
I can only imagine that all these bad reviews are from people who have never been out of Crapchester and don't know what good food is. At least not good Mexican!! Maria's is even more authentic than some of my favorite restaurants in CA. Eating there almost makes it worth it to be stuck in this godforsaken hellhole of a town.
***Hint***
Maria's may under salt some of their food, which is how restaurants SHOULD do it. I've noticed that a lot of Rochester "restaurants" salt their food so much it becomes inedible. If you find the flavor a bit bland a sprinkle of salt brings out the fresh natural delicious flavors quite nicely.
As for the decor...I am a designer and so I realize that Maria's is not some trendy spot as far as decor goes. So WHAT??!?! It feels like walking into a quaint little restaurant in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It's just perfect in every way - from their friendly servers to their sweet and kind bussers. It's also very vegetarian friendly.
Okay...gotta run to lunch at Maria's with my friend from Puerto Rico. Yup, she loves it too. —EmilySandstrom
2009-06-30 17:46:14 The secret has seemed to have gotten out about this place and it is now very hard to get a seat. In turn, the service has started to lack.
I remember going to Maria's back in the day when the bartender was this old guy who whipped up the best margaritas in the world and he knew it. The waitresses were chock full of sass and the food was ungodly delicious. I particularly remember one Cinco de Mayo where it was just crazy in there. I think even the waitresses were dipping into the margaritas. Everyone was laughing and having a blast. It was one of the best dining experiences I've had.
Today, the bartender seems to hate his job and the younger (newer staff) seem more interested in each other than anything else. They're pimping Kid's Meals. Sure, the old waitresses are there but the sass is gone. They know they've made it and, maybe (just maybe), they're going to rest on their laurels for awhile. Can I blame them? No.. They've worked their butts off to afford that Porsche in the parking lot. Is the food still good? Yes, but inconsistencies are mounting.
I guess it was bound to happen. The guard is starting to change. I'll keep going to Maria's but I'm beginning to be convinced that it will never be that scrappy, underdog restaurant doing it's best to make it big. —BatGuano
