Skip to content, or skip to search.
Skip to content, or skip to search.
Home > Restaurants >
All Reader Reviews of...
Maria's Mexican Bistro
669 Union St., Brooklyn, NY, 11215
at Fourth Ave.
718-638-2344
| 4.4 | "Not Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
Disappointed
Hrana from 11215 | Posted on 8/29/09
|
|
I was very excited to try this place but somewhat weary of the most recent reviews. Well I went and was disappointed to say the least. I went on a quiet Tuesday night and had wanted some guidance from the waitress on what to order, she was of no help. She couldn't describe any of the dishes any better than what was on the menu, didn't know portion sizes, and seemed disinterested in us. I ordered the frozen margarita, which was just crushed ice, not even lime juice! It was horrible. The waitress was intend on taking our food away, she kept taking our plates with still a lot of the food remaining, but we didn't say anything since it was all mediocre anyway. We all left hungry and disappointed.
Did you find this review helpful? 
Very good!
LondonZoo from 11215 | Posted on 6/24/09
|
|
I can't speak for its past existence, but I went in here on a recent Saturday night and was delighted. I am new to the neighborhood, and glad to have a good Mexican restaurant near by. At 8pm the restaurant was more than half empty; the service was friendly and attentive, and the food was excellent. My chiles poblanos were sweet and filling, and even the guacamole was well above average. The drinks in particular will bring me back. My only complaint would be the prices -- just a tad high for the neighborhood, and the times. Add 5$ to everything on this NYMag menu for a more up-to-date listing! Also, it *is* called Maria's Mexican, not Mercado Social...
Did you find this review helpful?
Now called Mercado Social. Go here!
ceborris from 11215 | Posted on 12/4/08
|
|
In the past few months, there were grumblings that Maria's had gone down in quality. This was probably due to a change of owners. Maria's is now called Mercado Social. The food, if it did go briefly downhill, is now back up to its former, excellent standards. The decor is charming as ever and the service was excellent (the bartender came over to our table and passionately explained why we might want to try a slightly different drink, and it was a great recommendation!). The night we were there, a Thursday, it was virtually empty, I'm guessing because of the spate of negative word-of-mouth it had gotten while switching over. But go here, and support this place! The food is excellent, especially the enchiladas, the asado mixed grill, and the guacamole!
Did you find this review helpful?
Never again
DannyB from 11217 | Posted on 4/13/08
|
|
The NYMag review is right on target: The food at Maria's is good. It's fresh, it's inventive (not the same old combos) and it comes out nice and hot - if it comes out at all. On a recent Saturday night my husband and I waited 45 minutes for our appetizer, and when we flagged down our server, he stumbled over and said, "Would you like your check?" Bad sign. Our appetizer finally came and was delicious, but the entrees were clearly not going to arrive in the next century (nor was the server, who looked too scared to enter his section), so we paid and left-our bellies full of nothing but alcohol, cheese and plantains. As a side note, the couple of ladies to our right sat with their dirty plates the entire time we were there. I crave Mexican often, and will patronize a good place so often they know my name and order. I will never return to Maria's - not if they sold the last enchiladas in town.
Did you find this review helpful?
A Ludicrous Failure: Who's In Charge? Absolutely Nobody.
zranzorz from 11238 | Posted on 4/30/07
|
|
We (Colorado folks who love Mexican food) ate here last year and it was inviting and decent. But how the tide has turned! Evidently, Maria's has expanded and opened a new bar. You'll need it because if you go there now you're going to be spending hours in Tecate purgatory waiting for a table that will never open up. You'll be lucky if you can even get a drink there because the restaurant is woefully understaffed, completely disorganized, and even a tad devious--we were told repeatedly for an hour and a half that we were up for the next table while other same-sized parties were seated before us. While sitting in lime limbo, we saw anguished patrons getting up from their seats begging the bartender for drinks from the bar, which indicates to me that there was some serious neglect all around from the waitstaff. For all I know the guy playing the guitar by the bar was the manager it was such a bad scene. I didn't remember the food or drinks being good enough to endure the punishment so, starving and stripped of all dignity, we staggered out disillusioned and angry.
Did you find this review helpful?
- 1
Advertising
Latest News
Latest News Near
Popular Restaurant Guides
-
Where to Eat
Adam Platt picks 2009’s top dining destinations,
including Dovetail, Momofuku Ko, and Corton. -
Best of New York Food
The best that the city’s restaurants have to offer:
paella, coffee, grilled cheese, ramen, and more. -
The Cheap List
We live in a city full of small cheap-eats miracles,
including $1 foods, Korean fried chicken, and burgers.
Eight Year-End Films Vie for Oscar Contention
Sondheim and Lansbury on a Lifetime in Theater
The Black Keys Release Their Hip-hop Debut 
How the BQE Became an Artistic Muse
On Great Jones Street, Shopping Is Art 
Classic Fare, Old-world Charm at Le Caprice
Buy a Brownstone for Less Than $1 Million
Fifty of the City's Tastiest Soups
Reasons to Love New York 2009
New York Politicians Refuse to Quit
A-Rod Has Babe Ruth in His Sights
McCain Yields to the Party's Pressure
