Jose Maria’s Mexican Restaurant

YUM! Good margaritas, great food, and even better service. I wish there was a Jose’s downtown and I’d be there every week… It has everything you want in a solid Mexican restaurant.
Recommendations: tacos maya, tacos bistecate, and the house margarita.
Make the trip to Jose’s, you won’t regret it! It is a stop for me every time we are out in the suburbs!

An all time favorite restaurant, I have been going here since Jose and Laura took over the old Tia Maria’s. Outstanding food served by a passionate family, a must visit for anyone who enjoys authentic and delicious Mexican food. Tacos Maya and Bistecate always hit the spot, and the Posole special is soon to be famous! Whenever our family is together for the holidays, we always make a trip to Jose’s.
Above all, Jose and Laura treat you like family, here’s to many more years and family dinners!

Just had another fabulous meal at Jose Maria’s in Geneva! From the chips and salsa to the margarita to my entrée everything was delicious! Thanks, Jose!

We went based on the good reviews. This place was not good. Wasn’t for us. Chips were too salty, very hard, and really thick. Salsa, what salsa? We got the mild given to us. It was just tomato soup. Literally, all you could do was dip your chip in it. Which did make the chips less hard. We ask for medium, it was hot sauce. Couldn’t find a tomato or pepper in it. Service was ok. But they didn’t even pour our water. We were given a pitcher and empty paper cups. Food was very average. Nothing special or even good really.

We usually have dinner here and are never disappointed. Today my son and I had lunch and again were not disappointed! The food is fresh and delicious and the staff are so courteous. I had the lunch portion of shrimp fajitas which were very tasty. There were four jumbo sized shrimp cooked perfectly along with peppers, onion and tomato. My son had a large burrito which he managed to chow down. Great for a teenage appetite. The green tomatillo salsa is delicious, as was the guacamole.

First off, I walked in this place and the woman (owner I think) looked at me like «what the Hell are you doing here»? Nice start. I ordered 2 Steak Tacos to go (just meat and cheese) and she seemed insulted. So much so that another employee took over my order. I really went into shock when the server who took my order went to the register and informed me the total owed for 2 Tacos was $ 7.55. I thought to myself that these better be some Damn good Tacos. Sadly, they were the absolute Worst Steak Tacos I’ve had in the area! I ate ½ of one Taco and the other went straight in the Garbage right where it belonged. These people don’t even give you a Lime or Sauce for their overpriced Crap! Seriously, Taco Bell Steak Tacos put this place to shame. Don’t waste your time here. I now understand why the place was basically empty during Lunch Hour.

This is our go to place for good Mexican food in the fox valley. Authentic options as well as your typical Tex Mex fare.
Try the monthly specials.

I was travelling on business and I received too many recommendations of this place to ignore, so two of us went to see how good the food could really be outside of a big city.
From the pleasant décor and prompt service to the wonderful food, this place is a winner! We ordered a Mexican Pizza as an appetizer and it was topped with good tasting meat and cheese and other bits on top of a very fresh and light tortilla base cut into pizza-​like triangles. The full size portion (more than enough for two) was $ 7.95 so take the other whining review about being high priced with a grain of salt. The half portion is $ 5.25.
My main meal was Medallones Oaxaca. just the right portion size and looked very nice on the plate. The black beans were delicious and had a good consistency. The yellow rice was light and tasting and the meat was cooked just right for me. It was topped with cheese and mushrooms and garlic and guajillo peppers… yum! This dinner was $ 18.95. This is not Tex-​Mex, it’s real authentically prepared to order food and the price while not cheap is not expensive. There’s plenty on the menu for less. Look here:
The beer I had was served along with a VERY COLD frosted mug, and when they brought the second beer it came out with another cold mug too. There were Mexican themed paintings and they put fresh paper on the table. I like this. I can understand not using linen but I hate putting my silverware directly on the table like some places, so this is just fine for me.
I hope you try it. We will be coming back for more!

Favorite restaurant for over 20 years.
Please update your website so we don’t try to come when you are not actually open.

Sceptical when I pulled in to the parking lot, but Wow!!! Cozy atmosphere. Friendly staff. Phenomenon soup. Great flavors in our meal. Chips are ok, spicy salsa was good. Definitely on the list of places to come back to.

so, i wanted to go to a place similar to «los burritios mexicanos» (ie not a really fancy place like bien trucha). this was recommended to me, and i was so happy we went. It really does remind me of los burritos in St. Charles, but i prefer this place overall. i like the cheese enchiladas with the mole sauce. Husband likes the steak tempequana and the tacos. Overall, no frills, and may appear a bit dumpy to some people, but damn good mexican food. I’m not sure about all negative reviews. i find the food to be very fresh-​tasting. and their black beans are soooo good.

We’ve been coming here for over 30 years and we love it. The food is fresh and delicious. Jose’ Maria’s is the real deal.

This place was Tia Maria’s for many years. Two previous owners did a good business, sold out and moved on. Our favorite waiter Jose bought the place and it became Jose Maria’s. The food is mostly very good. One of the few Mexican restaurants that is very constant. Chips and tangy sauce great you. A nice selection of the normal Mexican fare, and a few not so normal. Chicken verde en creama. Excellent. Mole poblano. Excellent. I love the combo (one of several). I get the chilli relleno, fried taco and enchilada. Always good. We’ve hit a few minor bumps in the road here but for the most part this place good. The margaritas are so good and best by the pitcher. Parking can be a problem with a somewhat small lot. Friday nights can bring you a wait so get there early. I think you’ll enjoy this place if you like the real deal!

I should have followed my gut feeling and should not have dined at this restaurant. My first bit of skepticism came when I sat down and noticed the abnormally high prices, which later became more apparent with the low quality of «food», followed by the sounds of a constant microwave alarms going off in the kitchen. When our food was brought to us, it was greasy, mostly flavorless, and low quality. The bill was high and upon leaving, I had the displeasure of tasting my food twice about 30 minutes after leaving. If you like that kind of thing, go here, otherwise, spend your money elsewhere.

Excellent chicken quesadillas!!! Chips too salty for my taste… but overall great food!

The next time you are thinking of going to one of the trendy Mexican restaurants in downtown Geneva, do yourself a favor and drive the extra mile to Jose Maria’s. You will not regret it.
The food… where do I even begin?
The tortilla chips are outstanding, unlike any I’ve ever had. They are freshly made and irresistible; we could not stop eating them! Our party ordered the pollo crema poblano, tacos de asada, chimichanga with chicken, and the burrote rico with steak in addition to margaritas. Everything was phenomenal and reasonably priced. The pollo crema poblano was unlike anything I’ve had anywhere else. The sauce was rich, flavorful and fresh. We asked why everything tasted so fresh, and Jose, the owner, said he and his wife make everything from scratch; nothing’s frozen, and they get their meat delivered 3 times weekly. His staff arrives at 6:30 every morning to prepare everything fresh daily, and their hard work is evident in the delicious food.
This hidden gem deserves to be more of a standout amongst the other trendy Mexican restaurants in downtown Geneva. From the friendly owners that make you feel welcome the moment you walk through the door to the authentic and fresh food, I promise that Jose Maria’s will quickly become your new favorite Mexican restaurant.

This place has garbage that is pretending to be Mexican food. They made my husband sick, probably, due to all the grease and canned or otherwise not fresh ingredients that they «cook» with. Also, if I want bland microwaved cheese with my canned mushrooms and cold «peppers» for an exuberant price I know where to go. What is wrong with the other ratings of this place? The prices are high, the authenticity is as good as Taco Bell, everything is ultra greasy, tasteless or burn you twice spicy and the luxury of tasting your food more than ones is a real possibility here; go if you enjoy spending time with your toilet.

Great Mexican restaurant.
We walked in on a very busy time. Were told 5 – 10 minute wait but it turned into more like thirty. They had a couple of very large groups seated which took up a sizable amount of the restaurant.
When we sat down, we were served delicious warm home made chips and salsa. Ordered a Qusodea with beef that was fantastic. Wife and I ordered chimmichanga’s (spell?) and they were square with a sweet sauce poured on top. New to us but still very good.
To our surprise, the owner sent over an ice cream desert as an apology our long wait for seating. That was very nice.
Overall Id highly recommend this place for authentic Mexican food. We enjoyed ourselves and will be back.

Wish they had more of a beer selection. Ok that said, you get a balanced set of nuanced flavors in every dish. Tasty food, honest prices, a new favorite!
Is that a hint of oregano in the regular salsa?

What a hidden gem! My wife and I tried this place last night for the first time.
The salsa and chips they set out were fantastic! Salsa had just enough heat but wasn’t overwhelming. The chips were some of the best I’ve ever had… very addictive!
My wife ordered the steak tacos – perfectly cooked steak combined with melted chihuahua cheese… awesome! I had a combo platter: beef burrito, tamale, and beef flauta. All were hot, fresh, and delicious.
We will definitely be back soon! This is our new go-​to Mexican restaurant!