Looking for a selection of Mexican dishes that’s reasonably priced and easily available? Riviera Maya offers a nice, thick selection of great dishes at three different Central Arkansas locations.
I often drop in at its Fair Park location, across from the Little Rock Zoo. There are also restaurants
in Benton near the Walmart Supercenter, and across Interstate 30 from Bass Pro Shops.
All diners are welcome with chips and salsa. The chips are deep yellow, and the salsa has just a little
heat to it, though if you ask for something hotter, you’ll be given a slightly lighter sauce that really does pack some heat. The cheese dip at Riviera Maya is white and smooth, a good complement to the chips.
The restaurant offers several salads, including a Fajita Taco Salad and a traditional ground beef taco salad. Both come in a fried tortilla bowl full of guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, and lettuce with meat and beans below.
Amongst the restaurant’s evening specialties are
Carne Asada, a nice cut of flank steak topped with grilled onions; the Pollo a la Riviera, chicken and shrimp simmered with tomatoes, peppers, and onions in cheese sauce; and Steak Fajitas, thin cut strips of steak, onions, peppers and tomatoes served sizzling on a cast iron platter.
There are also a pleasing number of standards available at lunch, including a chimichanga that’s long and thin and covered in cheese dip.
Usually, though, we end up with a burrito. One of these, the Burrito Maya, a tortilla filled with chicken or beef topped with beans, lettuce, sour cream, tomato and cheese, is like an inside-out burrito.
The other, my personal favorite, is the Burrito Manolo. It’s stuffed with chicken, beef, rice and beans, and it’s massive. Grav usually goes for his with the regular special sauce, but I prefer the cheese dip on top. This is a two meal burrito, thick and delicious with everything you need in one dish.
Each of the three restaurants also offers a selection of beverages, including the traditional margarita.
You’ll find directions to each Riviera Maya location
on this website and a link to the menu
here.
Riviera Maya is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Big Rock City. I am a fan of their cheese dip and salsa but I also think that their chips are some of the best that I have sampled in the area.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite dishes are the Nachos Piramides and the Enchiladas Banderas. I have to say though that I haven't found anything at Maya Riviera that I did not enjoy.
Kat, thank you for this review. You have captured the essence of this establishment.
I like the restaurant, but I've had problems when ordering take-out including receiving double charges just because it's takeout. I don't mind a surcharge, but I've often found 2 surcharges per order when I call in an order. Of course it could be an issue that anyone would charge more when you are getting it to go. It is actually a savings for a restaurant if you are picking it up instead of taking up a table. But that's a different issue for a different day. Like I said, I do like the food and now I think I'll hop in the car and go sit at one of thier tables and have some good Mexican food at Riviera Maya.
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