Food Review: Maria Bonita’s, Dubai (3 of 5 stars)
Being from the South and having lived in Oklahoma and the very Latino part of Texas, there are times in the UAE when you just have to have Mexican food. For the most part, Dubai is a vast wasteland of Mexican food. The only restaurant deserving a mention (outside of the one discussed here) is the new Taco Bell in the Dubai Mall. Oh well!
So, what can you do? The only solution is to take the essential pilgrimage to Maria Bonita’s in Jumeirah. Over the years, I have had a love/hate relationship with the place. When I first came to the UAE, the restaurant was a lower-priced and very good alternative to over-priced (and often mediocre) Dubai grub. During those early days, my favorite dish was the Mole Enchiladas. Also, much loved in those days were the deserts.
Over the years several things happened. First, the overall quality of the food has dropped. The mole is now sweet and lifeless… as if someone took a Galaxy bar and forced it to be Mole. Even worse, the homemade cakes mutated into the bakery bought garbage that passes for desserts in the UAE. YUCK! Finally, the prices skyrocketed and the Mexican cooks in the kitchen disappeared and were replaced by the typical Asian cooks to be found in the UAE.
However, I decided to give an old favorite a try this weekend. Despite misgivings, I ordered the enchilada mole. And yes, it was the same misguided effort as on recent trips. The other dishes were a bit better this trip. The flautas were tasty, as were the burritos. My eternally picky 13-year-old despised the chicken fingers (so don’t even think about it). This restaurant also commits one of the most cardinal sins a UAE restaurant can make in my book: serving canned colas. I love cola, don’t get me wrong. However, when you order a softdrink for 12AED and they bring you a 1AED can… All I can say is what an insult. And yes, they even do this at some 5 star restaurants in Dubai. Please stop! The world is laughing at you. It is really simple wannabe restaurant owners and managers. If you cannot get a proper drink fountain, please charge a reasonable rate for your insulting can. 2-3AED should cover your trouble. Whatever you do, don’t throw it out as some fine vintage… as if the can were made during some lucky and especially tasty day in Jebel Ali.
One thing that does set Maria Bonita’s apart and makes the food a step above the rest is the authentic Mexican tortilla making machine. You can enjoy the video of this working below.
The final rating for this trip was 3 out of 5 stars. The meal was strong enough to earn a star back, but not good enough to be truly enthusiastic. Having said all this, it is still the best Mexican eatery in the UAE.
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Tags: 13 Year Old, Cardinal Sins, Chicken Fingers, Colas, Cooks, Deserts, Dubai, Favorite Dish, Flautas, Homemade Cakes, Jumeirah, Maria Bonita, Mexican Food, Misgivings, Mole, Pilgrimage, Restaurants In Dubai, Softdrink, Star Restaurants, Taco Bell, Vast Wasteland
