Food is excellent. Staff are better. (Especially Marianne!) The location is pretty good but don’t be too close to the front door during the winter.We both had arepas. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the fish arepa. Mine was very flavourful pork arepa.The guacamole appetizer is good but the corn chips are salted heaven.Great music playing throughout in the background completes the experience. A very warm experience on a very cold Toronto night.Vegetarian options: There were a few good vegetarian options and I believe there were vegan as well.
Gastro W.
The house made tortilla chips served with guacamole ($14.95) were amazing – thick enough for dunking but still breaks easily creating a satisfying crispiness. It’s also surprisingly un-oily for a chip that gives off such a lovely crunch. There’s enough smooth guacamole to get through most of the chips with a small side of smoky salsa roja to finish off the rest, which consequently goes nicely mixed into the moros cristianos.Before getting into the mains, I suggest you choose wisely and order something that offers a side of the moros cristianos or soft-fried rice and beans. If it doesn’t come with it, order the side ($3.95) as it was our favourite part of the meal. The spice-laced rice is mixed with black refried beans and heated through creating a flavourful creamy mixture that’s like a thick dairy-free risotto. I liked having it solo or heaped on a crunchy tortilla, give me more!The rice comes with the quesadillas. While the menu describes the vegetable quesadillas ($19.95) as being stuffed with soft-fried chickpeas… they weren’t soft at all. Maiz should just keep it simple and used a grilled vegetable filling instead. Heck, add in more moros cristianos … anything is better than hard chickpeas. At least it contained a decent amount of cotija cheese creating a lovely gooeyness around the chickpeas and the tortilla was well-toasted creating a crunchy crust.I’d skip the churros ($11.95 for three), which were overly dense. A restaurant should only attempt making this dessert if they churn out enough daily to warrant creating fresh batter and having hot sizzling oil ready. Otherwise, it’s just an overly sweet chewy concoction that leaves me wanting a Tim Horton’s crueller more than a churro.
Aaron Seaton
The food was good and the service was great. They could be a little bit more generous with portions but I understand it must be tough to be in the restaurant business these days.
Jenn W.
The house made tortilla chips served with guacamole ($14.95) were amazing - thick enough for dunking but still breaks easily creating a satisfying crispiness. It's also surprisingly un-oily for a chip that gives off such a lovely crunch. There's enough smooth guacamole to get through most of the chips with a small side of smoky salsa roja to finish off the rest, which consequently goes nicely mixed into the moros cristianos. Before getting into the mains, I suggest you choose wisely and order something that offers a side of the moros cristianos or soft-fried rice and beans. If it doesn't come with it, order the side ($3.95) as it was our favourite part of the meal. The spice-laced rice is mixed with black refried beans and heated through creating a flavourful creamy mixture that's like a thick dairy-free risotto. I liked having it solo or heaped on a crunchy tortilla, give me more! The rice comes with the quesadillas. While the menu describes the vegetable quesadillas ($19.95) as being stuffed with soft-fried chickpeas... they weren't soft at all. Maiz should just keep it simple and used a grilled vegetable filling instead. Heck, add in more moros cristianos ... anything is better than hard chickpeas. At least it contained a decent amount of cotija cheese creating a lovely gooeyness around the chickpeas and the tortilla was well-toasted creating a crunchy crust. I'd skip the churros ($11.95 for three), which were overly dense. A restaurant should only attempt making this dessert if they churn out enough daily to warrant creating fresh batter and having hot sizzling oil ready. Otherwise, it's just an overly sweet chewy concoction that leaves me wanting a Tim Horton's crueller more than a churro.
Daniela Dehtiar
Delicious food! I ordered everything at once and it was too much, too quickly! Pace yourself and enjoy every bite and flavour! Staff were so friendly. The place has great decor and ambiance.
Adanma Hair
The food was delicious Maria our server was really nice and helpful. I love the nachos. Got to be the best I’ve had in a while. We had the carnitas burrito as well and that was so nice and fresh. I love the Oaxaca cheese in the nachos and tequeños cheese pull was ? and their beer selections were amazing
Helen H.
I came here on a late Thursday afternoon with a friend. We were the only ones in the restaurant so maybe that was why the service wasn't so great. To start off, the food was really great. I had the carnitas tacos and they were delicious - they were juicy, fresh, and flavourful. I also got the sangria which was the perfect mix of fresh and sweet, without eliminating the flavour of the red wine entirely. They also rimmed the glasses with sugar which was a cute touch. The service, however, was pretty bad. There were 2 female workers, but only one of them was actually waitressing for some reason - despite no one being there except for us. The other worker just stood there and played on the iPad for the entirety of our meal. The other waitress took a really long time with the sangria. She disappeared for a bit, then went on her iPad for some more time when she came back and then finally went to mix the drinks. She also forgot to bring some guacomole that we ordered on the side and then looked annoyed when we asked for it again. Parking can be annoying as it's mainly street parking, however it's a short walk from Lawrence Subway Station. Overall, the food was great but the service really lowered the experience.
Kar I.
Overpriced. All for hospitality included but don’t shortchange takeout clients on quantity to save your costs. Pay $15 for guac & chips for a tiny snack size served with microscopic salsa and then have to pay $2 each for extra salsa also in microscopic containers. What a poor value for money. Go across the street to stack and get generous portions at reasonable prices instead.
Michael L.
One of the best Latin American restaurants out there in the city that is super authentic and the flavours are just out of this world! The tostadas are literally perfection and mouth watering just writing their review and looking at the photo again! The tiger shrimps they give are huge! Great service and great group of people at the restaurant with a chill and relaxed environment with good company and good vibes!
Monica L.
Had fish taco... pretty good. Too bad they didn't serve hot drinks. Will come back to try their other dishes.
Used to be my favourite taco restaurant in the GTA, now the menu has changed, the prices are very expensive & the service is terrible. Our waiter got multiple orders wrong & charged us $2 for one tiny container of hot sauce, as well as $6 for extra meat on nachos when we never ordered meat. The food is delicious but this restaurant is very overpriced & disappointing now that it’s been updated.
Rachel Engelsman
Visited on a Friday evening in September.The service was poor, but the food was very good, and on the pricey side, $17 for a 2oz mojito, and not a good mojito, made with bar lime. Would not return for dine in but would get takeout because the food was very good - the stars are only for the food. Our appetizers came after our mains and I had ordered birria tacos and was served a birria quesadilla. I mentioned it to the server but he didn’t offer to change it, was somewhat rude, I ate it and it was good, but I would have rathered had what I ordered.They have a no tipping model, which I somewhat understand but the service is so poor so I would say they should go back to a more standard common model.
Jennifer Heard
Adorable little restaurant with a fun atmosphere, great service and delicious food. Our party of 4 included 2 vegetarians, and 2 celiacs. All of us were very happy without food. Would definitely recommend and we are looking forward to returning.Vegetarian options: At least one vegetarian option per category. The chickpea quesadilla is fantastic!Dietary restrictions: Tons of Gluten-free options that are celiac safe.
Edgar
We were looking forward to trying MAIZ Yonge for a long time and, we finally had the chance to several weeks ago.We started with some drinks and a couple of Arepas but, even though the food was OK, it didn’t live up to the expectations so, we decided to call it a day.We agreed that the portions weren’t as filling nor memorable. Perhaps, it is a matter of what you order or simply a lack of consistency.
Amanda Roth
My review is about two different aspects. The food was delicious, we order the complete nachos and beef tacos. However, not having guacamole on a Latin American restaurant was extremely disappointing. The place is very well decorated and family friendly. My biggest complaint, besides the lack of guacamole is about our server. Asking if we wanted main dish, drink or whatever ever 5 minutes! We barely had eat half of our nachos and she was asking what we would like for main course. It looks like nobody has trained her on how to approach to customers. I would recommend take out if you have plans to enjoy a slow meal and chat with your friends/family.REPLYING…I appreciate the follow up Maiz but why you didn’t give this explanation about the organic avocados when we were there? It would be easier to understand.Another point, I was new in Toronto too and also probably committed some mistakes as a newbie. Two suggestions: add a pin in your trainee server, or ask her to mention “I’m new here but I’ll do my best to help you”.Thank you
Food is excellent. Staff are better. (Especially Marianne!) The location is pretty good but don’t be too close to the front door during the winter.We both had arepas. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the fish arepa. Mine was very flavourful pork arepa.The guacamole appetizer is good but the corn chips are salted heaven.Great music playing throughout in the background completes the experience. A very warm experience on a very cold Toronto night.Vegetarian options: There were a few good vegetarian options and I believe there were vegan as well.
The house made tortilla chips served with guacamole ($14.95) were amazing – thick enough for dunking but still breaks easily creating a satisfying crispiness. It’s also surprisingly un-oily for a chip that gives off such a lovely crunch. There’s enough smooth guacamole to get through most of the chips with a small side of smoky salsa roja to finish off the rest, which consequently goes nicely mixed into the moros cristianos.Before getting into the mains, I suggest you choose wisely and order something that offers a side of the moros cristianos or soft-fried rice and beans. If it doesn’t come with it, order the side ($3.95) as it was our favourite part of the meal. The spice-laced rice is mixed with black refried beans and heated through creating a flavourful creamy mixture that’s like a thick dairy-free risotto. I liked having it solo or heaped on a crunchy tortilla, give me more!The rice comes with the quesadillas. While the menu describes the vegetable quesadillas ($19.95) as being stuffed with soft-fried chickpeas… they weren’t soft at all. Maiz should just keep it simple and used a grilled vegetable filling instead. Heck, add in more moros cristianos … anything is better than hard chickpeas. At least it contained a decent amount of cotija cheese creating a lovely gooeyness around the chickpeas and the tortilla was well-toasted creating a crunchy crust.I’d skip the churros ($11.95 for three), which were overly dense. A restaurant should only attempt making this dessert if they churn out enough daily to warrant creating fresh batter and having hot sizzling oil ready. Otherwise, it’s just an overly sweet chewy concoction that leaves me wanting a Tim Horton’s crueller more than a churro.
The food was good and the service was great. They could be a little bit more generous with portions but I understand it must be tough to be in the restaurant business these days.
The house made tortilla chips served with guacamole ($14.95) were amazing - thick enough for dunking but still breaks easily creating a satisfying crispiness. It's also surprisingly un-oily for a chip that gives off such a lovely crunch. There's enough smooth guacamole to get through most of the chips with a small side of smoky salsa roja to finish off the rest, which consequently goes nicely mixed into the moros cristianos. Before getting into the mains, I suggest you choose wisely and order something that offers a side of the moros cristianos or soft-fried rice and beans. If it doesn't come with it, order the side ($3.95) as it was our favourite part of the meal. The spice-laced rice is mixed with black refried beans and heated through creating a flavourful creamy mixture that's like a thick dairy-free risotto. I liked having it solo or heaped on a crunchy tortilla, give me more! The rice comes with the quesadillas. While the menu describes the vegetable quesadillas ($19.95) as being stuffed with soft-fried chickpeas... they weren't soft at all. Maiz should just keep it simple and used a grilled vegetable filling instead. Heck, add in more moros cristianos ... anything is better than hard chickpeas. At least it contained a decent amount of cotija cheese creating a lovely gooeyness around the chickpeas and the tortilla was well-toasted creating a crunchy crust. I'd skip the churros ($11.95 for three), which were overly dense. A restaurant should only attempt making this dessert if they churn out enough daily to warrant creating fresh batter and having hot sizzling oil ready. Otherwise, it's just an overly sweet chewy concoction that leaves me wanting a Tim Horton's crueller more than a churro.
Delicious food! I ordered everything at once and it was too much, too quickly! Pace yourself and enjoy every bite and flavour! Staff were so friendly. The place has great decor and ambiance.
The food was delicious Maria our server was really nice and helpful. I love the nachos. Got to be the best I’ve had in a while. We had the carnitas burrito as well and that was so nice and fresh. I love the Oaxaca cheese in the nachos and tequeños cheese pull was ? and their beer selections were amazing
I came here on a late Thursday afternoon with a friend. We were the only ones in the restaurant so maybe that was why the service wasn't so great. To start off, the food was really great. I had the carnitas tacos and they were delicious - they were juicy, fresh, and flavourful. I also got the sangria which was the perfect mix of fresh and sweet, without eliminating the flavour of the red wine entirely. They also rimmed the glasses with sugar which was a cute touch. The service, however, was pretty bad. There were 2 female workers, but only one of them was actually waitressing for some reason - despite no one being there except for us. The other worker just stood there and played on the iPad for the entirety of our meal. The other waitress took a really long time with the sangria. She disappeared for a bit, then went on her iPad for some more time when she came back and then finally went to mix the drinks. She also forgot to bring some guacomole that we ordered on the side and then looked annoyed when we asked for it again. Parking can be annoying as it's mainly street parking, however it's a short walk from Lawrence Subway Station. Overall, the food was great but the service really lowered the experience.
Overpriced. All for hospitality included but don’t shortchange takeout clients on quantity to save your costs. Pay $15 for guac & chips for a tiny snack size served with microscopic salsa and then have to pay $2 each for extra salsa also in microscopic containers. What a poor value for money. Go across the street to stack and get generous portions at reasonable prices instead.
One of the best Latin American restaurants out there in the city that is super authentic and the flavours are just out of this world! The tostadas are literally perfection and mouth watering just writing their review and looking at the photo again! The tiger shrimps they give are huge! Great service and great group of people at the restaurant with a chill and relaxed environment with good company and good vibes!
Had fish taco... pretty good. Too bad they didn't serve hot drinks. Will come back to try their other dishes.
Restaurantji Recommends
Used to be my favourite taco restaurant in the GTA, now the menu has changed, the prices are very expensive & the service is terrible. Our waiter got multiple orders wrong & charged us $2 for one tiny container of hot sauce, as well as $6 for extra meat on nachos when we never ordered meat. The food is delicious but this restaurant is very overpriced & disappointing now that it’s been updated.
Visited on a Friday evening in September.The service was poor, but the food was very good, and on the pricey side, $17 for a 2oz mojito, and not a good mojito, made with bar lime. Would not return for dine in but would get takeout because the food was very good - the stars are only for the food. Our appetizers came after our mains and I had ordered birria tacos and was served a birria quesadilla. I mentioned it to the server but he didn’t offer to change it, was somewhat rude, I ate it and it was good, but I would have rathered had what I ordered.They have a no tipping model, which I somewhat understand but the service is so poor so I would say they should go back to a more standard common model.
Adorable little restaurant with a fun atmosphere, great service and delicious food. Our party of 4 included 2 vegetarians, and 2 celiacs. All of us were very happy without food. Would definitely recommend and we are looking forward to returning.Vegetarian options: At least one vegetarian option per category. The chickpea quesadilla is fantastic!Dietary restrictions: Tons of Gluten-free options that are celiac safe.
We were looking forward to trying MAIZ Yonge for a long time and, we finally had the chance to several weeks ago.We started with some drinks and a couple of Arepas but, even though the food was OK, it didn’t live up to the expectations so, we decided to call it a day.We agreed that the portions weren’t as filling nor memorable. Perhaps, it is a matter of what you order or simply a lack of consistency.
My review is about two different aspects. The food was delicious, we order the complete nachos and beef tacos. However, not having guacamole on a Latin American restaurant was extremely disappointing. The place is very well decorated and family friendly. My biggest complaint, besides the lack of guacamole is about our server. Asking if we wanted main dish, drink or whatever ever 5 minutes! We barely had eat half of our nachos and she was asking what we would like for main course. It looks like nobody has trained her on how to approach to customers. I would recommend take out if you have plans to enjoy a slow meal and chat with your friends/family.REPLYING…I appreciate the follow up Maiz but why you didn’t give this explanation about the organic avocados when we were there? It would be easier to understand.Another point, I was new in Toronto too and also probably committed some mistakes as a newbie. Two suggestions: add a pin in your trainee server, or ask her to mention “I’m new here but I’ll do my best to help you”.Thank you