Maria Bonita Good Chimichanga

Review

A small hole-in-the wall in a strip mall near the North Orem Maceys, Maria Bonitas offers good Mexican food.  For me, their prices are a bit higher than I would normally pay, which is why we come at lunch when they have excellent lunch prices.  The really do a lot with the little space they have and decorate nearly every inch of their walls with Mexican items such as sombreros and small vihuelas.  Many of the tables have wooden chairs, but some others have leather chairs with the words "Maria Bonitas" written across them as well as a picture.  On previous visits this place was packed during the lunch hour; as it is, though, it was virtually empty until about 12:30 when it picked up a little but not nearly as much as it used to.

For today's course I ordered the lunch special which included the pulled pork Chimichanga, a soup appetizer (consisting of fried rice in water), and a soda.  For me, I've experienced similar things to the fried rice soup in foreign countries so it wasn't too strange for me; however, for my coworker it was described as "weird" and "not that good".  I thought the fried rice was very flavorful and tasted better than some other soups I've had elsewhere; but for those who aren't used to this sort of thing it can be a weird experience.


A while after the appetizer our waitress bought out the entree.  It was a lot of food for the price!  Although there was a major portion of the chimichanga burned, the remainder tasted great.  This chimichanga was filled with pork and had cheese cooked on top of it.  For me the cooked cheese really added a lot of flavor and texture that made the chimichanga very enjoyable.  To my coworker who also ordered the same thing, he ended up taking most of it back as leftovers.  His was perfectly cooked and enjoyed the chimichanga just as much as I did.


The refried beans were cooked a bit longer than I would have liked and appeared burned but didn't taste that way.  Overall the burned spot is highly reflected in the final rating of this restaurant, but that doesn't mean I won't come back.  I do recommend this place; it is one that I've really enjoyed for lunch and would recommend the chimichanga to anyone looking for a good meal.


Big John Rating
Quality = 6
Taste = 5
Service = 8
Ambiance = 9
Price Rating = 7.74
Big John Rating = 7.3


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