Pozoleria Dona Maria's

I don’t like to eat at Mexican restaurants. Growing up in a Mexican household, I've always felt that my family did it best, as do many people who grew up surrounded by the love and joy that comes from authentic, home cooked Mexican food. However, several people recommended a hole in the wall restaurant found in the heart of Chula Vista. At 1660 Broadway, Pozoleria Dona Maria is a Mexico-inspired restaurant dedicated to amalgamating authentic flavors with traditional style. Upon entering the restaurant, the aromas of real Mexican food meander right into my nostrils, and immediately I know that this will be one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever eaten at! In this restaurant you wont find carne asada fries, carne asada chips or even any type of burrito. Just real traditional Mexican cuisine.

Pozoleria Dona Maria's menu is just a page of specialty dishes; even still it is hard to make a choice. Their main specialty is posole, a pork broth soup with hominy, chicken or pork, and lettuce. Although tempting, I didn’t order their posole. I wanted to try a variety of their other dishes. The combination #1 was the perfect choice. It had a potato flauta, beef tostada, chicken sope and a green chicken enchilada. Each item on the plate was wonderfully delicious and pleasantly authentic. The potato flauta was soft because of the potato and crunchy because of the fried rolled tortilla. The tostada was of course crunchy and the chicken was succulent and moist. The lettuce and cheese were a nice topping to it. The sope that I ate was the first time I ever had one. It was a thick tortilla with beans, chicken, tomato, cheese, and avocado. The tortilla was very moist because of the chicken and lettuce. Lastly the enchilada had a green tomatillo sauce and filled with chicken. It was then covered with crème fresca. All of these flavors came together in flavorful harmony to provide a meal that was both satisfying and memorable. 
The atmosphere was enjoyable, with Mexican music surrounding the restaurant.The traditional style of the restaurant added to the pleasing ambiance. As mentioned before, the aromas just hit you when you enter the restaurant. The service was quick and I received the food in no time. The only thing lacking were napkins. Even though they received our orders and brought our food, they missed the basics.We waited a bit too long for forks and napkins, which are essentials to eating at a restaurant. Also, once we got our drinks, we didn’t receive refills right away.

Overall the food is amazing and authentic and worth eating at Pozoleria Dona Maria. If you want carne asada fries or a California burrito then this is not the place for you. However, if you want Mexican food and do not want to make the hassle of going over the Mexican border, then this is the best place to go.

Taste: 5/5

Quality: 5/5

Service: 4/5

Overall: Fantastic


-Critic: Joshua Villalpando
-Editor: Mikery Hatfield

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