Mario's Mexican Food - The UnReview

Date of Visit: December 18, 2006

Mario's Mexican Food 18603 Main St Huntington Beach, CA 92648 (714) 842-5811 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch No known official website

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This is without a doubt the longest lag time between me visiting a Mexican restaurant and eventually posting my review of it. I visited the Mario's in Huntington Beach last December for a Christmas get-together with a large group of people, took a number of pictures, and was hoping to make it back and get a few more pictures and post a review within a month. Well, circumstances being as they were I haven't been able to make it back there yet so I'm going to go ahead and at least post the photos I have.

Mario's is one of a small handful of places I remember going to in the mid-70's that is still around. They were recently honored as The Orange County Register's "Hidden Gem" among the county's Mexican restaurants. They are a three-store chain; all their locations are in Huntington Beach, two are simply called "Mario's" while the third one is called "Mario's Fiesta Maya." The location featured here is in Surf City's famous Loehmann's Five Points Plaza where Beach Boulevard ("Highway 39" as my grandmother used to call it), Main Street, and Ellis Avenue converge. It used to be its own separate building on the lot there along with a one-screen Edwards Theater, a supermarket, a liquor store, and not much else. In the early 80's the whole place was overhauled and turned into a two-wing strip mall with all the separate shops now squeezed together.

Chile Colorado

Here's some additional photos from April 2, 2008:

And here's some more photos from November 4, 2008:

Mario's Fiesta Maya - Review #1

Date of Visit: September 10, 2006

Mario's Fiesta Maya 17221 Beach Blvd Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 375-6292 Listing on Yahoo! Local (listing contains full menu) Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch No known official website

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Appetizer: Chips and two types of salsa
Entree: Chipotle Red Snapper
Drink: Horchata

Coupons!

UPDATE: Mario's  Fiesta Maya has closed.

In the Orange County Register's recent 13th Annual Best of Orange County newsmag Mario's in Huntington Beach was mentioned as the hidden gem amongst Orange County Mexican restaurants. They mentioned the location on Springdale and Edinger that opened in 1969 and the location on Main St. in the Five Points Shopping Center that opened in 1975. But they failed to mention Mario's Fiesta Maya near Warner and Beach Blvd. that opened, I am told, in 1994. So I like to think of Mario's Fiesta Maya as the "hidden gem's hidden gem."

You have to give him the password to gain entrance

When I arrived they asked if I wanted to sit inside or outside. I asked for outside seating so I could take some pictures of their nice open air patio, but they seated me at a table right next to the only other people out there, a young couple in love who looked like they wanted some privacy, so I took a couple pictures then moved to a table inside.

Built in the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple

In addition to their heavy Mayan theme clearly evident inside and outside the premises, Mario's Fiesta Maya has a decidely more seafood-oriented menu than the two standard Mario's. I pikced the red snapper chipotle dish, a fish filet smothered in chipotle sauce, red and green peppers, mostly tender and flaky but crisp around the edges, selecting Mexican mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables as sides in place of the typical rice and beans.

Mario's Fiesta Maya has an extensive menu (check it out at their Yahoo! Local listing linked to above; it's slightly outdated but not very much) with plenty of appetizers, children's menu items, hamburgers if you're in a non-Mexican mood, breakfast selections, etc.

The presentation was a little on the sloppy side but I'm thinking it was a fluke since everyone around me was getting very nicely presented dishes (and it all goes down the same):

As I finished up my own meal I ordered a traditional tostada as takeout to drop off at my mom's place. She raved and raved about it, especially pointing out that it was the best rice and beans she ever had. Now I'll have to get the rice and beans the next time I go.

Mario's Fiesta Maya earns a four Speedy Gonzales rating:

UPDATE (September 23, 2006):

Went back two weeks later and took a few more pictures:

Actual hi-res photo of the owner

Camarones de la Sinaloa