Profile

It took guts for Mexico City native Eduardo Nacipucha to open up this casually hip restaurant on the unpolished western border of Park Slope. Though it's less than a block from hopping Fifth Avenue, this modestly-sized storefront had been vacant for three years before Nacipucha came along in 2003. Slope-dwellers should be glad he did: Maria's is far and away the best Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood. A variety of Mexico City street snacks share menu space with coastal specialties like jumbo shrimp in a freshly-made cilantro pesto sauce. Guacamole is made table-side in molcajetes, heated lava rocks, which are also used in specialties like Molcajetes Norteño, a delicious mix of grilled steak, shrimp, Mexican chorizo, poblano chiles, cheese and homemade salsa. Wrap it all up in a corn tortilla, take a swig of your icy avocado margarita, and you’ll be booking the next flight out to Veracruz. — Jon Steinberg

Sat.—Sun., noon—4 p.m.

Happy hour
Daily, 4 p.m.—7 p.m. and 8 p.m.—1 a.m.; $4.50 margaritas and sangrias, $3 beers

Extra
Owner Eduardo Nacipucha has more than 150 different tequilas and makes all his margarita juices (including lime, pomegranate, blood orange and avocado) from scratch.

Bistec tampiqueña, $20; molcajetes norteño, $18