Over on The Local's Toytown message board, some dudes said they'd opened a Mexican restaurant -- Maria Bonita -- just around the corner from us. The Local's Brett went and said it was pretty good but he was confused by the bacon in the tacos. I figured we're thousands of miles from Mexico and I'm against dogma, so I was willing to see it as a creative flourish -- though we all agreed bacon is too often used to mask a lack of something else.

But I still figured I'd give it a try. I had to.

Last night I picked Sabine up at the store and we pedaled over to the place at 33 Danziger. As we pulled up, my stomach sank. The tables outside were full. The bar along the window was packed and two chicas were even occupying the counter, flirting with the cooks. Even the dumpster and bench-sized building materials out front had been dibsed.

We debated leaving and coming back another time, but the menu looked fab and there was something about the vibe that made us want to stay. A friendly dude with a Spanish accent joked with us (and the ladies, man versteht sich) about Puerto Rican hip hop and then took our order while filling the drink order of those before us -- a skill never before seen in Germany.

We then waited just under 10 minutes for what is the best Mexican food I've had since leaving the Southwest for Germany's Northeast. My fish tacos were Hermosa Beach taco cart good and the wife's cheese enchiladas tasted as though the chefs at some chain Mexican place (Armadillos, for example) decided to care about the food. We didn't go for plates but they looked just as downmarket as I like a plata: Mexican rice, salsa and guac. None of it's fancy but it tastes fresh and spicy and the hipsters running in and out of the place are fun to watch.

The negative: the guac is a bit dull and tastes like green mush with cilantro, but it's a difficult food to get right and on home-made chips I didn't care much. And they've only got Corona or Astra. The Astra (a sort of Hamburg PBR) is a nice touch but Corona? Get me some Dos Equis amber, please.

We ended up getting two seats at the window but next time I want the dumpster.