If you are looking for authentic Mexican cuisine, Maria Bonita’s Taco shop is the place to go. Located at Um Al Sheif Street, Near Spinneys, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, the bright yellow display sign of Maria Bonita’s Taco Shop is easy to find. A far cry from the otherwise chic restaurants one expects to find in the upscale Jumeirah, this place has a clean and homely feel to it. With little tables arranged outside and inside (which is quite spacious) and a couple of sleeping green parrots in a cage near the door, it did seem like a popular place since some of the tables were occupied even though we reached there for a really late lunch at 3 pm. The décor and ambience did give a feel of being in a laid back Mexican eatery, far from the glitz and glamour of Dubai. As soon as we were seated, the menu cards were brought to us along with some crisp tortilla chips with a mild tomato salsa and a smoked, fiery salsa. We placed our orders for the drinks – a horchatta and Jamaican hibiscus drink. Horchatta tasted like a thin, watery “phirni” was a sweet rice milk while the Jamaican hibiscus drink was lemony and refreshing. The “guacamole on the spot” was prepared at the table and spiced to our liking was the best I’ve had with the perfect blend of avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro, red chillies, salt and pepper, crushed in a mortar and pestle. For the mains, we had an enchilada combo which had three soft tortillas wrapped with shredded chicken with spring onions, sour cream, refried beans and rice and three different salsas. The first tortilla had a salsa verde which was a green sauce made of green tomatillos, cilantro, jalapenos, white onion and lime, the second a salsa rojas which was a red sauce made of tomatoes and red chillies and the third had a chocolate mole salsa. The portions were sufficient for two of us and quite filling. On the whole, the place was not expensive and the food was really good. Yes, we’d certainly go there again to try out more from the menu.
Guacamole on the spot
