Located Calle Narcizo Mendoza Entre Revolucion de 1910 y 20 in Cabo San Lucas, Maria Jimenez Restaurante Mexicano was founded in 2012 to fulfill the dream of Maria Jimenez and her husband. He quit his job at another restaurant in Cabo San Lucas to start it and unfortunately, died three months later of a brain aneurism. Maria determined to fulfill their dream pushed forward but she contracted cancer. Despite this, she opened in the space that it now their bar, with the stove, refrigerator and dishes from their home. In 2014, they opened the current space beside it under a large palapa, designed by Maria. The design included adobe walls to remind her and her children of where they were from on mainland Mexico. Maria Jimenez passed in 2015. The restaurant is now run by her three daughters and her son, with a commitment to continue to fulfill the dream of their family.

The atmosphere is truly Mexican and the menu reflects all of the traditional dishes of Mexico – appetizers, salads, soups, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, chile relleno, fajitas, chicken, arrachera, sopes, Mexican combination platters, seafood platters, and of course, desserts. While were reviewing the menu, we were severed a special small bean tart appetizer that we had seen being grilled at the entrance to the bar when we arrived.

There were seven us for dinner. Three of us decided to try the soups on the menu as the first course. Beth chose the corn soup, Tracey the tortilla soup and I selected the onion soup. All were served in large brightly-colored Mexican bowls. The flavors were excellent. Three people chose the Flautas de Polllo as the main course, which was served with refried beans, rice and guacamole. Jerry decided on Chicken with Mole, Chris the beef Fajitas and I chose the Breaded Chicken. Tracey ordered the Shrimp Al Gusto with garlic and butter. Each was served with rice, beans and guacamole and three additional salsa swere provided to the table. All of the portions were large (in fact, several of us took lots home for another meal).

We were all very happy with our meals but we were convinced to share some of their desserts. Three different desserts appeared on the table – an apple strudel; a chocolate cake and a traditional flan. The strudel and cake came with vanilla ice cream and all had slices of apple on the colorful Mexican plates. Once again, the flavors were amazing.

Maria Jimenez Restaurante is truly a hidden gem with amazing food, great service from the family and staff and a true Mexican atmosphere. While a little off the beaten path, it is a restaurant that should not be missed.