In the interest of full disclosure, I will start this review off by saying that my friend Dan is a server at Maggie's in Lee's Summit. This did not sway my thoughts on the restaurant one way or the other. However, he had been hyping up Maggie's for months prior to myself and my girlfriend going out to eat there tonight, including telling me that I need to try their Taco Challenge. Usually, I hear a friend talk about a place they have eaten and they build it up as if it is the greatest place to eat in the known universe only to be later let down upon actually tasting the food. This was not the case with Maggie's.

When we got to Maggie's we were greeted like family by Dan and the other servers and sat down to catch up with Dan's wife, Shawna, who told us to come out to visit and eat. Right off the bat, I noticed the decor around the restaurant. Lots of pictures of family and friends, landmarks of the Kansas City area and sports memorabilia, mostly from MU and The Royals. It had a very welcoming feel and fun atmosphere. The best way I can describe it is that is was instantly comfortable.

We started going through the menu and I noticed that it is not a huge menu, which to me is a good thing. To me, it is a sign that the owners care enough about the food that they want to keep the menu small and focus on the quality, rather than have a huge menu with dishes that they rarely cook and end up making them sub-par. I also noticed a Frequently Asked Questions section on the back of the menu, and decided to read them. It was a very humorous and light-hearted section that was clearly intended to make the customer smile when they read it.

After Dan took our drink order, he brought out a couple of samples of some of the more popular dishes for us to try along with flour tortilla chips and salsa. The samples he brought out were the Chicken Mole and the Pork Chili. I tried both and decided that I wanted to have the Pork Chili Bowl for my meal. My girlfriend, Connie, tried the tacos and an enchilada combo. We also had a side order of their white queso dip to go with our chips.

As we were eating, I noticed that I kept jumping back and forth from one item to the next and combining them in different ways to take it all in. The Pork Chili Bowl comes with a side of rice and warm flour tortillas, both of which I enjoyed very much. I am not usually a big fan of rice with my meal, but this rice was cooked perfectly and kept me coming back for more and more bites.

About halfway through my meal, I noticed that I was getting full and decided to stop eating and ask for a take-home box for my leftovers. However, I no longer have as much to eat later on, since I kept eating my Pork Chili even after I put it in the take-home box. Needless to say, I am looking forward to finishing the Pork Chili as (what has become) an after work snack tomorrow. I just wish I had stopped eating when I originally intended to so that I could have more later on.

I highly recommend Maggie's for not only their food, but the service and atmosphere as well. It is a great place to go on a date or to meet up with friends and get some great, authentic Mexican food.

For more info on Maggie's, check out their site at: MaggiesMexican.com

Review By:
Matt Brown, Slugcast