Maria Bonita

Maria Bonita
1784 S. Ridgewood Avenue
South Daytona, FL
(386)767-9512

I recently had one of my readers ask me how much weight I had lost recently and I asked her what she was talking about. She said I must have lost a ton of weight since I hadn't been blogging about any meals I had eaten recently. Truth is, I am still that same fathead I have been, but just have not been going out as much as usual. I am currently trying to get two new businesses off the ground and it has been challenging to say the least. So I am finding myself trying to save as much money as possible.

However, a couple of weeks ago I did have the opportunity to go to Maria Bonita in South Daytona Beach. The specialize in Mexican and Cuban food. I love both and had heard good things about this restaurant for a long time, but had never been there. My friend Kelly convinced me to meet her there and I am happy I did.

We got there around 12:30 and the restaurant had a pretty good crowd. Seems a lot of the folks from the courthouse visit the restaurant as Kelly heard a table of lawyers speaking to some judges that had arrived for lunch. We sat down at a nice size booth and were immediately given chips and salsa. The chips were hot and crispy with a very fresh, spicy salsa to accompany the chips. Kelly ordered the tacos and I went with the burritos. Each come with yellow rice and refried beans. Kelly made a special request regarding her beans, which I don't quite remember, but she ended-up with way more than she bargained for. These guys serve a tremendous amount of food.

Our orders came out in a timely manner and were spaced just right, given that Kelly's order included soup to start. Both of us were pleased with the amount of food we received and how fresh everything seemed to be. My burritos were filled with spicy ground beef and covered with ranchero sauce and cheese. The rice was fluffy and flavorful and the beans were great. This is truly authentic Mexican food.

I hope to get back to Maria Bonita soon to try some of their Cuban dishes. I want to go there at least once in the evening to see how things change at dinner time. My guess is it is a lively crowd in the evening and the dishes are even more bountiful than what they serve at lunch.

This is really a little slice of Mexican heaven in Daytona Beach. For my first visit to Maria Bonita, I have to give them four Stiffy's. I urge you to visit if you like Mexican food in a nice, casual atmosphere.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry